Best Reading Apps

What apps read books to you?

For a book read by a human narrator, use an audiobook app: Libby is free with a library card, and Audible is the biggest paid store. To have any ebook, web page or document read aloud by a synthetic voice, iPhone's built-in Speak Screen is free, Kobo's app has Read Aloud on select ebooks, and Speechify reads documents and even photographed print pages aloud on a subscription.

By the Best Reading Apps editors · Checked 30 October 2026 · Desk research

Our pick

Price: Free

Libby

Our pick for having a book read to you, free

Borrow narrated audiobooks from your public library with a library card, at no cost. Playback speed runs from 0.6x to 3.0x, with a sleep timer, CarPlay and bookmarks, notes and highlights as you listen.

The catch: Popular audiobooks often have a waitlist, and the catalog is whatever your library licenses.

Also good

Best paid audiobook store

Audible

Over 1 million audiobooks and podcasts according to its listing, adjustable speed, offline listening, sleep timer, and an accessibility statement that names visual impairment and dyslexia.

The catch: Standard is $8.99 a month and Premium $14.95 a month on audible.com; Standard titles stay only while you are a member.

Best free text to speech

Speak Screen and Speak Selection

Built into iPhone. Speak Screen reads all text on the screen, Speak Selection reads what you select, and Accessibility Reader shows text full screen in your own font and colors and can read it aloud.

The catch: Synthetic voices, and it reads whatever is visible, so menus and page furniture can creep in outside a clean reading view.

Best for print pages and documents

Speechify

Reads documents, PDFs, articles and email aloud with word-by-word highlighting, and can photograph a printed page and read it to you. It says it is designed for people with dyslexia, ADHD and low vision.

The catch: The best features sit behind Premium; the App Store lists prices such as $11.99 a month and $139.99 a year. Needs iOS 18 or later.

Narrator or synthetic voice: which do you need?

A narrated audiobook is a performance: an actor or the author reads the whole book, with pacing and character voices. It is the better choice for fiction and for long listening sessions, and it is what Libby, Hoopla, Audible, Libro.fm and Spotify sell or lend.

Text to speech is a tool: a synthetic voice reads whatever text you give it. It works on books that have no audiobook, on documents, and on your own notes. Voices have improved a great deal, but they still read headings, captions and footnotes with the same flat attention.

Which option fits your situation?

  • You want a novel read to you and you have a library card: Libby, then Hoopla for titles with a waitlist.
  • You listen a lot and want to keep what you buy: Audible Premium or Libro.fm.
  • The ebook has no audiobook: iPhone Speak Screen in the ebook app, or Kobo Read Aloud if the title supports it.
  • The book is on paper: Speechify can photograph a page and read it aloud.
  • You want to follow the words while you hear them: see how to read and listen at the same time.

Reading apps for dyslexia and low vision

If reading print is hard work, listening is not cheating, it is reading by ear. Audible's listing says its service makes books available to people with visual impairments, dyslexia and reading difficulties, and Speechify says it is designed for dyslexia, ADHD, low vision and concussions.

Kobo's listing describes full support for iOS accessibility features plus adjustable fonts and Night Mode, and Apple's Accessibility Reader lets you set your own font, layout and background color. Try the free built-in tools first; they may be all you need.

We describe what each maker says its app does. This is not medical or educational advice, and a reading specialist can help you choose tools for a diagnosed reading difficulty.

How to turn on Speak Screen on iPhone

  • Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then tap Read & Speak.
  • Turn on Speak Screen, and Speak Selection if you also want to hear only the text you select.
  • Open your ebook, then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.
  • Use the controller to pause, change the speaking rate, or skip forward and back.

Questions

What is the best free app that reads books to you?
Libby, if you have a library card: it lends narrated audiobooks at no cost. For any text on your screen, iPhone's built-in Speak Screen is also free.
Can an app read a paper book out loud?
Yes. Speechify can photograph a printed page and read it aloud with the words highlighted. It works page by page and its fuller features need a paid plan.
Does the Kindle app read books aloud?
The Kindle app lets you switch to the Audible narration for books that have it. For other books, iPhone's Speak Screen can read the screen aloud.
Which reading apps help with dyslexia?
Audiobook apps such as Audible and Libby, text-to-speech tools such as Speak Screen and Speechify, and apps with adjustable fonts and backgrounds such as Kobo and Apple's Accessibility Reader. A reading specialist can help you choose.

Sources

  1. Apple App Store (US), Libby, the library app, read 2 November 2026.
  2. Libby Help, Holds, read 30 October 2026.
  3. Apple App Store (US), Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts, read 2 November 2026.
  4. Audible, Membership Plans & Pricing, read 2 November 2026.
  5. Apple Support, Hear iPhone speak the screen, selected text, and typing feedback, read 30 October 2026.
  6. Apple App Store (US), Kobo Books & Audiobooks, read 2 November 2026.
  7. Apple App Store (US), Speechify: Text to Speech PDF, read 2 November 2026.