CastReader
CastReader: A reading-focused text-to-speech tool with highlighting, AI explanations, apps, and API access. Ranked #86 of 222 in Text-to-Speech Software by our editors (3.0/10); pricing: Free plan · 3-day trial; best for readers who want accessible text playback.
At a glance
- Editor score3.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan · 3-day trial
- Best forReaders who want accessible text playback
- Free planYes
- Paid from$35.99/yr
- Commercial useNo
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Reads webpages, ebooks, PDFs, documents, and AI answers
- Synchronized highlighting, auto-scroll, and AI passage explanations
- Web, mobile, browser extension, and REST Voice API access
Where it doesn't
- Language coverage is limited to nine languages
- Commercial or public use is restricted for non-commercial products
- Reading plans are less suited to general voice production
Our verdict on CastReader
CastReader is a text-to-speech reading service for people who want to listen to webpages, ebooks, PDFs, documents, Kindle content, and AI answers. Students, professionals, language learners, and readers who prefer audio can use its web app, iOS and Android apps, Chrome extension, and mobile workflows for DRM-free EPUB files. Synchronized highlighting and auto-scroll support reading along with playback, while AI explanations and annotations address difficult passages.
The free plan provides 20 minutes of listening per day, standard AI voices up to 1.25× speed, three AI explains per day, multiple personal voices with fixed previews, and uploads for PDF, Word, and TXT files. It also supports selected sites, Kindle, WeChat Read, PDF, and ChatGPT. Pro costs $4.99 per month and removes the daily listening cap, adds full ebooks and long PDFs, premium voices up to 3× speed, no daily AI explain cap, and 120 minutes of personal voice use per membership month. Pro Yearly costs $35.99 per year with the same listed features. API pricing is separate from these reading plans.
Its strongest distinction is reading coverage rather than broad voice production: CastReader connects with Kindle, WeChat Read, O'Reilly, Google Docs, Notion, Gmail, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, and DRM-free EPUB. Developers can use the REST Voice API to generate MP3 and WAV files, while private voice cloning includes consent controls. Choose CastReader for accessible, annotation-supported reading across devices and content types. Consider an alternative for wider language coverage, commercial or public audio use, or a primary workflow centered on general-purpose voice production.
Your product? Our editors can test CastReader in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
CastReader pricing
All 3 CastReader plans and prices →
CastReader fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $35.99/yr |
| Commercial use | No |
| Voice cloning | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| Languages | 9 languages |
| Maximum input | Not verified |
| Export formats | MP3, WAV |
| Platforms | web, ios, android, chrome_extension, api |
| Free trial | 3 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 14 integrations: Kindle, WeChat Read, O'Reilly, Google Docs, Notion, Gmail … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan · 3-day trial (source) |
| Website | castreader.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
CastReader integrations
CastReader lists 14 integrations on its own site.
- Kindle
- WeChat Read
- O'Reilly
- Google Docs
- Notion
- Gmail
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
- DOCX
- TXT
- Markdown
- DRM-free EPUB
See all CastReader integrations →
Alternatives to CastReader
- ElevenLabsAffordable voice cloning with multilingual generation, dubbing, streaming, and API access.9.4
- Google Cloud Text-to-SpeechA broad, API-only TTS service for developers building voice-enabled products.9.3
- Azure AI SpeechA broad, production-ready TTS platform for teams building voice applications.9.2
See all CastReader alternatives →
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used CastReader for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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