Speechify vs ElevenLabs: which is better in 2026?
Short answer: choose Speechify if you want to listen to your own documents, email and printed pages, since it reads a photo of a book page and highlights every word as it reads. Choose ElevenReader, the reader app from ElevenLabs, if you want books and long PDFs in a voice you pick from more than 1,000, downloaded for offline listening. For a voiceover for video, ElevenLabs has a separate app.
How we compare: what each developer says the app does in its own App Store description, what it can read, voices and speed, and the languages on each maker’s own site. Then the current standing of both on the Censuus ranking.
| Speechify | ElevenReader by ElevenLabs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | your docs, email and printed pages | books, long PDFs and articles |
| Reads | docs, articles, PDFs, email, photos and screenshots of text | PDFs, docs, ePub, web links, pasted text, audiobooks |
| Printed pages | snap a photo of a page and hear it | not described in its store listing |
| Voices | natural AI voices | 1,000+ voices, design your own narrator |
| Speed | up to 4.5 times the average reading speed | 0.25x to 4x |
| Highlighting | word by word, synced with the voice | text highlighting |
| Offline | not described in its store listing | download and listen offline |
| Ukrainian | app and reading voices | reading voices, app menus in English |
What each one reads
Speechify reads docs, articles, PDFs and email, and it reads a photo of a printed page or a screenshot of an image with text, so a paper book or a letter becomes audio. ElevenReader takes PDFs, docs, ePub files, web links and pasted text, and also has a library of audiobooks and free classics.
Voices and speed
ElevenReader lets you choose from more than 1,000 voices by accent, tone and style, design your own narrator, set speed from 0.25x to 4x and fix how names are pronounced. Speechify uses natural AI voices and lets you build up to several times the average reading speed, highlighting each word in sync so you can read along.
Ukrainian
Both makers list Ukrainian among their languages. Speechify also shows its app in Ukrainian in the App Store. ElevenReader reads in more than 30 languages, while its app menus are in English.
Listening on the go
ElevenReader downloads books for offline listening, has a sleep timer and bookmarks with notes, and syncs between phone, tablet and web. Speechify syncs your library between phone and desktop.
The verdict
Pick Speechify to listen to your own documents and printed pages with word highlighting. Pick ElevenReader for books and long reads in a voice you choose, offline. NaturalReader and the ElevenLabs voiceover app are in text to speech apps.
Frequently asked questions
Is Speechify or ElevenLabs better?
Neither outright. Speechify is better for your own documents, email and photos of printed pages; ElevenReader from ElevenLabs is better for books and long PDFs in a voice you choose, with offline listening.
Can Speechify or ElevenReader read in Ukrainian?
Yes. Both makers list Ukrainian among their languages; Speechify also has its app in Ukrainian.
Which one reads a printed book?
Speechify reads a photo of a printed page taken with the camera.