OpenAloud
Your books, read aloud.
A free desktop app that reads your EPUBs, PDFs and text files in twelve natural voices. Everything runs on your own machine — no account, no subscription, and nothing you read ever leaves your device.
Download for Mac Download for Windows
Hear it
Recorded straight from the app. Twelve narrators are included — here are four.
ClaraAmerican · clear and even
DanielAmerican · warm and steady
BeatriceBritish · warm and companionable
GilesBritish · deep and distinguished
What it does
Your own filesEPUB, PDF and text. No converting.
Follows alongThe sentence being read is highlighted.
Keeps playingCarries on while you use other apps.
Sleep timerFades out and stops for bedtime.
Notes and highlightsMark passages as you listen.
Easy on the eyesLight, dark, sepia and a warm night mode.
Free, and private
- No ads, no account, and every voice included — nothing held back.
- No limit on how much you read: the text to speech runs on your own machine, not in the cloud.
- Your books, notes and progress stay on your machine. Works offline.
Other ways to read
Read in your browser
Nothing to install, and good for trying it out. It uses a different speech engine, so it does not sound as good as the desktop app, and browsers pause audio when the tab is not in front.
Open the web version