PDF to speech
Listen to any PDF, read aloud.
Upload a PDF and AllReads reads it to you, lighting up each word on the page itself as it’s spoken — the layout you’d see in a PDF viewer, not a stripped-out transcript. Scanned pages are recognised automatically first.
How it works
Three steps, then just listen.
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop it into your library — up to 25MB a file — or email it to save@allreads.net.
- 2
Pick a voice and a speed
Choose from natural-sounding voices and set the pace anywhere from 0.5× to 3×.
- 3
Press play and follow along
Each word is highlighted on the page as it’s read, and AllReads keeps your place for next time.
What it does
Built for listening, not just reading out.
Highlighted on the real page
Words light up on the PDF itself, so tables, figures and headings stay where the author put them.
Scanned PDFs work too
No text layer? The pages are recognised automatically before reading — up to a thousand of them.
Skip the clutter
Turn on auto-skip and it leaves out running headers, page numbers, footnotes, citations and URLs.
Up to 3× speed
Anywhere from 0.5× to 3×. Most people settle between 1.2× and 1.6×.
Download as MP3
Export any PDF as an .mp3 in your chosen voice and listen offline, in any audio app.
Your place is kept
Stop halfway through a chapter and pick it up later, from the same word, on any device.
Questions
Fair questions, honest answers.
Can it read scanned PDFs?
Yes. If a PDF is a scan with no selectable text, AllReads recognises the text on each page first and then reads it aloud. That works for documents up to a thousand pages.
How big a PDF can I upload?
Up to 25MB per file, which covers most textbooks and long reports. The free demo takes PDFs up to 4MB.
Will it read out page numbers and footnotes?
Only if you want it to. Auto-skip is off by default; switch it on in Settings and it leaves out headers, footers, page numbers, footnotes, citations and URLs, category by category.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. The free demo opens PDFs up to 4MB with no account and no card, so you can hear how your own document sounds before deciding.
Can I download the audio as an MP3?
Yes. Any PDF in your library can be exported as an .mp3 in your chosen voice from the export menu, then played in any audio or podcast app.
Can it read a PDF that is open in Chrome?
Yes, with the Chrome extension: use Screenshot to read, drag a box over the part of the page you want, and it is read aloud right there.
Which voices can I use?
Thirteen AllReads voices come with every plan, in American and British English, with no API key and nothing billed by the word. If you already pay OpenAI or xAI, add your own key to use their voices too, billed by them at their price with nothing added on top.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. AllReads is a web app, so your library — and your place in each PDF — follows you between desktop and phone.
More ways to listen
Stop reading it. Start hearing it.
$12/month or $99/year, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.