Local TTS

NaturalReader

The on-device NaturalReader alternative for iPhone and iPad

Local TTS is the on-device NaturalReader alternative for iPhone and iPad: text is never sent anywhere to become speech, camera OCR is included in the free plan rather than behind a subscription, and there is no daily character allowance. NaturalReader Lite starts at $13.90 a month or $79 a year; Local TTS Pro is $4.99 a month or $19.99 once.

Methodology·Prices and limits were checked on August 23, 2026

The differences that decide it

The differences between Local TTS and NaturalReader that decide which one to use

Feature	Local TTS	NaturalReader
Where speech is generated	On your iPhone or iPad	On NaturalReader’s servers; text is encrypted and sent for conversion
New speech without internet	Yes	No — downloaded audio plays offline, but conversion needs a connection
Usage limits	None with Pro	Daily character allowances by voice tier; monthly MP3 character caps
Camera OCR	Included in the free plan, on-device	Subscription feature
Price	$4.99/month or $19.99 once	Lite $13.90/month or $79/year, up to Pro at $25.90/month
Platforms	iPhone and iPad only	iOS, Android, web app, Chrome extension

Full comparison, feature by feature: Local TTS vs NaturalReader: offline, pricing, and privacy

Why people look for an alternative to NaturalReader

1. 1Conversion happens on NaturalReader’s servers. Its own data-security documentation says text is encrypted and sent there to be turned into speech — fine for a news article, awkward for an unpublished manuscript or a client document.
2. 2Reading is rationed by the day. The free plan allows 20,000 characters a day on Lite voices and 4,000 shared characters a day on Plus and cloned voices; paid tiers meter Plus and Pro voices at 500,000 shared characters a day.
3. 3OCR is a paid feature. Scanning a printed page requires a subscription, while Local TTS includes on-device camera OCR on the free plan.
4. 4The entry price recurs. Lite is $13.90 a month or $79 a year, every year, against a one-time $19.99 for Local TTS Pro.

What changes when you switch

• Your text and your camera scans stop leaving the device. Nothing is uploaded, so none of NaturalReader’s retention windows apply — registered users’ uploads sit in its Library for up to a year, and converted MP3s for up to 30 days.
• Daily character allowances disappear. A long book reads the same on the tenth pass as on the first.
• New speech is generated with the network off, so a flight or a subway commute is no different from your desk.
• You lose Android, the web app, and the Chrome extension — Local TTS is an iPhone and iPad app, and only that.
• The catalog shrinks: 38 voices across 31 languages instead of 200-plus voices across 90-plus languages, and no voice cloning.

What you would pay instead

When to stay with NaturalReader

• You use an Android phone or tablet, or want the web app and Chrome extension included in the same subscription.
• You need more than 31 languages, or want to browse hundreds of voices and accents.
• You want to clone your own voice — NaturalReader offers it on Plus and Pro; Local TTS does not.
• You read PowerPoint decks, spreadsheets, or webpages added by URL, which NaturalReader supports and Local TTS does not.
• You rely on reading aids like annotations, a pronunciation editor, or dyslexia-friendly fonts.

Other options worth knowing

• 
  Speechify — Speechify is a cross-platform reading service. One library follows you across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, the web, and browser extensions, with a cloud voice catalog and AI summaries, chat, and podcasts on top of text to speech.
• 
  ElevenReader — ElevenReader is ElevenLabs' consumer reading app: more than 1,000 cloud voices in 30-plus languages, a store of over 200,000 premium audiobooks, and iOS, Android, web, and Chrome versions sharing one account.
• 
  Voice Dream Reader — Voice Dream Reader is a veteran iOS and Mac reader built around accessibility: an Apple Design Award winner with Bookshare and DAISY support, annotations, a pronunciation dictionary, and a voice catalog that runs offline.
• All offline alternatives — how the apps compare on where speech is generated, what they cost, and what they meter.

NaturalReader alternative: common questions