VoicedByMe / Use cases / NaturalReader alternative
NaturalReader alternative · Windows and Mac · Updated 24 October 2026
VoicedByMe reads documents and any text aloud in natural AI voices, like NaturalReader, but it runs on your Windows PC or Mac, offline, for $30 once. NaturalReader's personal plans cost about $79 to $159 a year, its free plan limits the AI voices to minutes a day, and MP3 downloads need a paid plan. VoicedByMe has no limits, saves audio and audiobooks, and can read in your own voice.
Samples made offline with ready-made voices. All of them are AI-generated.
Side by side
| Price | Natural voices | Limits | Saves audio | Where it runs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VoicedByMe | $30 once | 70 voices, or your own | None | Yes, plus audiobooks with chapters | Your computer, offline |
| NaturalReader free | Free | AI voices for a few minutes a day | Daily limits | No MP3 | Online: web, apps, extension |
| NaturalReader personal plans | About $79 to $159 a year | Yes | Depends on the plan | MP3 on the higher plans | Online: web, apps, extension |
| NaturalReader desktop | From $99.50 once | Two natural voices; more at $39.50 each | One computer | MP3 | Desktop app |
As of October 2026, from NaturalReader's pages and recent reviews. Its plans and names change often; check its site before you buy.
Why switch
The voices run on your own graphics card or Apple silicon chip, so a novel costs the same as a paragraph: nothing more.
Save any text as audio, or a whole book as an audiobook with chapters. No higher plan needed.
Contracts, medical notes and coursework stay on your computer. No account, no uploads.
Select text anywhere and press CtrlAltR. Or drag over the screen to hear text in pictures and scans.
Pages that are only pictures are recognised on your computer and read like any other. How PDFs work.
Twenty seconds of talking, and everything can be read as you.
Be honest
NaturalReader works on phones, in the browser and through a Chrome extension, reads far more languages, and has commercial plans for voiceover work. If you listen mostly on your phone, or need a language VoicedByMe doesn't read, like Hindi or Arabic, it fits better.
VoicedByMe is for people who read on a Windows PC or a Mac and want natural voices without a meter running. You can still take audio to your phone as an audiobook or a saved clip.
It has a free plan: basic voices with no limit, but its natural AI voices only for a few minutes a day, and no MP3 downloads. VoicedByMe isn't free, but $30 once gets natural voices with no daily limits and saved audio, after a free day to try it.
Yes, for basic listening: Microsoft Edge's Read Aloud (free natural voices, online), the Mac's Spoken Content, and Balabolka on Windows. VoicedByMe isn't free: $30 once for natural voices offline, your own voice and no limits, after a free day to try it.
No. Its free plan doesn't include MP3 downloads; they come with the higher paid plans or the desktop version. VoicedByMe saves audio and audiobooks with no extra plan.
Its web app, phone apps and extension work online. The desktop version is a separate purchase; check which of its voices work without the internet. VoicedByMe runs entirely on your computer.
If you read on your phone or need many languages, it can be. If you read on a computer, a yearly plan adds up: VoicedByMe costs $30 once.
With VoicedByMe, yes: the ready-made voices can be used for anything lawful, and your own voice is yours. NaturalReader sells commercial use as a separate plan.
Yes: PDF (including scanned pages), Word, EPUB, Markdown and text, with the part being read highlighted.
Its personal plans run from about $79 to $159 a year, or about $10 to $26 a month. The desktop version costs from $99.50 once, with extra voices at $39.50 each. Commercial use is a separate plan. Prices change often, so check its site. VoicedByMe is $30 once, commercial use included.
No. Its personal plans are for personal use, and publishing the audio, for example in a video, needs its commercial plan. VoicedByMe's licence covers commercial use with its ready-made voices or your own.
It's a long-established service. Like any online reader, the text you listen to is sent to its servers to be turned into speech, so check its privacy policy before uploading confidential documents. VoicedByMe never uploads anything: the voice runs on your computer.
$30 once for the first 50 customers, then $50. No subscription. The full app is free for one day so you can try it first. A license is for one computer.
For Windows 10 and 11, and Macs with Apple silicon
$30once. Launch price for the first 50 customers, then $50.
One computer. No subscription.
The full app, free for 24 hours. Purchases aren't refundable, so please try it first.