LoudReader Free vs Premium: What You Get

Import DRM-free EPUBs and PDFs and listen through to the end. There is no chapter paywall or word quota on book listening. The app saves your reading position on the device where you are reading, and can continue playback in the background. It does not automatically sync your library or position between devices.

Ordinary word-following highlighting, notes and highlights do not require Premium. Some ways of adding content do have separate limits: free users can save up to 30 articles and use bulk import five times. That is a limit on batch-import actions, not a cap of five books in your library. Individual book imports remain unrestricted.

LoudReader is an iPhone and iPad app; compatible Apple Silicon Macs run the iPad version. Try it with your own files on the device you plan to use, particularly if a PDF has columns, scans or tables.

The allowance counts cumulative listening, rather than eight hours from installation or eight hours every month. It lets you try every voice available on your device. The advertised studio roster is 23 narrators across 10 languages, but hardware affects availability.

After the allowance, you choose Stella or Rio as a free English voice; supported devices also retain Bella. Listening continues, but you do not get to keep any arbitrary studio narrator for free. If you read in a different language, evaluate its available voices during the trial and check Premium before planning ongoing use.

The current release also offers a one-time three-hour voice bonus when you finish your first book. That bonus is separate from the standard allowance and does not require a review. A subscription introductory offer, if shown by the App Store, is a different offer with its own eligibility and renewal terms.

Premium unlocks the full available narrator selection, playback speed from 0.3× to 3.0×, a sleep timer, soundscapes, unlimited article saving and uncapped bulk-import use. Browse the voice samples and check the choices actually offered on your device before buying.

Voice Studio can create a narrator from about ten seconds of your own or permissioned speech. During the voice allowance you can create up to three clones; Premium removes that creation quota. Existing clones remain stored but become locked if your voice allowance ends without Premium. Do not mistake trial access for permanent free access to the cloned voice.

Generating audio in advance is separate from normal offline narration. Some preparation features require Premium and a suitable installed engine. You do not need Premium merely to have the app generate ordinary narration locally from an existing book.

Stay free if the English voice selection and standard playback suit your reading. Consider Premium for a particular narrator, another language, speed adjustment, bedtime controls or regular article saving. Test that feature in your own routine; a longer list of features is not itself a reason to buy.

The current US prices are US$7.99/month, US$49.99/year, or US$199.99 one-time (lifetime). Other storefronts can differ. Compare the total billed amount and renewal terms on the purchase sheet, especially when evaluating the one-time purchase option.

Both plans generate speech on your device. Neither price tier means the app has no telemetry: crash/performance diagnostics and usage analytics are separate from book narration. Release 1.12 has no visible in-app switch for these services.