We’ve discussed a few different text-to-speech apps in the past, and while there are plenty of great choices for iOS users (Voice Dream Reader is a perfect example) many of those apps, including the one we just named, are not available for Android. So, in an attempt to identify some suitable text-to-speech alternatives for Android, we are going to look at an app that IS available for Android users.

Speech Central AI Voice Reader is a text-to-speech app that offers users a full app experience for free, with the caveat that the free version of the app limits your daily usage. And unlike many other apps that offer their pro versions on a subscription basis, Speech Central Pro is available for a more reasonable one-time purchase fee of $12.99 CDN.

The app supports a wide range of document types, including .docx (Microsoft Word), PDF, .pptx (PowerPoint), .odt, .html, .txt, .rtf, and .epub. which accounts for pretty much every modern form of text file.

Speech Central also provides text-to-speech in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish. And because the app’s AI has an automatic language detection feature, bilingual users can translate between different languages without having to change their settings.

The app also has the ability to sync between devices (Apple users only) including mac, iPads, iPhone, and even Apple watch.

Speech Central is also highly customizable with over 70 customization options currently available. Designed with low-vision accessibility in mind, the app allows users to adjust text sizing, contrast, speed, even the app’s various functions and buttons can be customized and re-sized.

At the end of the day, there are so many great options for text-to-speech, and while this app has lots of great features to consider, we don’t really consider it to be the top choice for text-to-speech overall. But the one thing that thing that does make this app stand out from the crowd is cost. Voice Dream Reader for example costs between $79 and $99 yearly for the pro version of the app compared to Speech Central’s one-time fee of $12.99 CDN.

So, if cost is an issue (and it often is) it might be worth considering Speech Central. To learn more even more about the app, click here.

This post originally appeared on the AT Help Desk website.

Tags: apps, assistive technology, AT HelpDesk, Atlantic Regional Office