Speechify alternatives, matched to why you're switching
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · 11Reviews · Updated September 27, 2026 · Grounded in 50 recent Speechify reviews
Disclosure: this site reviews ElevenLabs and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. ElevenLabs is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Why people look past Speechify
Most Speechify customers are happy. We pulled its 50 most recent Trustpilot reviews, from September 19 to 27, 2026: 42 are five stars and the average is 4.54. The 44 unprompted reviews average 4.5, far ahead of ElevenLabs' 1.52 on the same measure. Only 6 of the 50 rate it three stars or lower. The reasons people leave come from those six and from positive reviews that describe a problem support later fixed.
Charges they didn't expect. Reviewers describe a free trial that turned into a paid plan, an annual plan picked by mistake, and in-app purchases that led to a further upsell. Speechify's terms say trials convert to a paid plan unless you cancel first. Several were refunded or moved to a different plan after contacting support.
“After that I thought it would go to a monthly payment subscription but it turned out I had opted for a year plan.”Tim Vloet, Trustpilot, September 2026
“I just paid $39.99 for a one off purchase and when I went into one of the books to try to read it to have a different reader other than the robotic one they give you you have to pay $299.”Deborah Small, Trustpilot, September 2026
Slow fixes when something breaks. The critical reviews describe a browser extension crashing pages, AI podcasts that came out short, and a month-long billing dispute, with day-long waits between support replies.
“When I contacted support I was given the standard try reinstalling it and then I was thanked for my patience but nothing was resolved.”Customer, Trustpilot, September 2026
Features that changed. One reviewer lost the option to have books read in a personal voice, and another preferred the app before a recent update. Both still rated Speechify four stars.
“Disappointed when your own voice was removed from the options as I loved the fact my wife could read me a book.”Wayne Sylvester, Trustpilot, September 2026
Match the Speechify alternative to your reason for leaving
| Compared on | Best alternative | Check before switching |
|---|---|---|
| Premium costs too much for listening | ElevenReader (from ElevenLabs) | Ultra is $11/mo; about 10K US App Store ratings against Speechify's 525K |
| You want a cloned or more realistic voice for content | ElevenLabs | Free plan is non-commercial; professional cloning starts at $22/mo; credits run out fast |
| You only listen to web articles | Microsoft Edge Read Aloud | Free and built in; works on what you have open in Edge |
| Business or training voiceovers | Murf or WellSaid | WellSaid includes English voices only below Enterprise |
| The audio goes into a podcast or video edit | Descript | Unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.48 (50 reviews) |
| You want the cheapest API per character | Stay with Speechify's API | ElevenLabs costs more per character but covers 70+ languages and voice agents self-serve |
| Surprise trial or renewal charges | No vendor fixes this | ElevenLabs reviewers report charges after cancelling too; set a reminder before any trial ends |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-27. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
The 5 best Speechify alternatives
ElevenLabs
Voiceovers, cloning, and a cheaper reader appTwo products answer two kinds of Speechify user. If you listen to your reading, ElevenLabs' ElevenReader app has a free plan with 10 hours a month and 1,000+ voices, and Ultra costs $11 a month against Speechify Premium's $29. It rates 4.5 on Google Play (67.7K reviews) against Speechify's 4.1 (281K), and the two tie at 4.7 on the US App Store. If you make audio, the ElevenLabs platform adds instant voice cloning from $6 a month, professional cloning from $22, 70+ languages, and self-serve voice agents. Its weak spots are real: credits run out fast, reviewers report billing trouble after cancelling, and its unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.52 (29 reviews) against Speechify's 4.5 (44).
Full ElevenLabs vs Speechify comparison →Microsoft Edge Read Aloud
Free listening for web pagesIf you mainly listen to articles in a browser and are leaving over the Premium price, Edge's built-in Read Aloud reads web pages aloud with adjustable speed and voice at no cost. It works on what you have open in Edge, with no app library or scan and listen, so it replaces only the basic part of Speechify.
What ElevenLabs' free plan includes →Murf
Business voiceovers with a studio editorAn alternative to Speechify Studio for training, marketing, and product videos. Murf lists 200+ AI voices, a studio editor, an API, and a free plan that needs no credit card, and says 300+ Forbes 2000 companies use it. Its invited Trustpilot reviewers rate it 4.91 (47 reviews), and its 50 most recent G2 reviews average 4.57. Its unprompted Trustpilot sample (3 reviews) is too small to judge.
ElevenLabs vs Murf comparison →Descript
If you edit podcasts or videoThe pick if the audio ends up in an edit. Descript is a video and podcast editor where you edit by editing the transcript, with stock AI voices and voice cloning built in. It has a free plan, and paid plans start at $16 per person a month billed annually ($24 monthly). Its 50 most recent G2 reviews average 4.41, but its unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.48 (50 reviews).
ElevenLabs vs Descript comparison →WellSaid
Enterprise English narrationStudio-quality English voices made with professional voice actors, aimed at corporate training and brand teams. Starter is $19 a month, or $10 a month billed annually; the free plan includes 3 download minutes a month without commercial rights. Plans below Enterprise include English voices only. Its unprompted Trustpilot reviews average 1.58 (19 reviews); its invited sample (3) is too small to compare.
ElevenLabs vs WellSaid comparison →
When to stay with Speechify
If Speechify works for your reading and you're leaving over one billing surprise, ask support first: several reviewers in our sample who were charged by mistake got refunds after asking. Speechify has the stronger Trustpilot record of the two by a wide margin, a much larger app user base, and scan and listen, AI summaries, and voice typing in one subscription. Its API is also cheaper per character than ElevenLabs'.
If you make audio for other people to hear, ElevenLabs is the upgrade: better cloning, more languages, and a free plan to test the voices. Read its full review record, critical reviews included, before you decide.
Try ElevenLabs freeHow we sourced this: the 50 most recent Speechify reviews on Trustpilot were pulled on September 27, 2026 (dated September 19 to 27, 2026) and split by Trustpilot's own label into invited (6) and unprompted (44). ElevenLabs' figures come from the same pull of its 50 most recent reviews. Quotes are verbatim. Competitor pricing and features come from each company's own pages, app ratings from the App Store, Google Play, and Chrome Web Store listings on the same date.
Speechify alternatives FAQ
What are the best Speechify alternatives?+
ElevenLabs first: its ElevenReader app is the cheaper reader ($11 a month for Ultra against $29 for Speechify Premium, with a free plan of 10 hours a month), and its main platform is the stronger choice for voiceovers and voice cloning. For free browser listening, Microsoft Edge's built-in Read Aloud. For business voiceovers, Murf or WellSaid. For editing podcasts and video, Descript.
What do Speechify reviews say?+
Mostly good things. Of the 50 most recent Speechify reviews on Trustpilot (September 19 to 27, 2026), 42 are five stars and the average is 4.54; the 44 unprompted reviews average 4.5. More than half praise a support agent by name. The complaints that recur are unexpected charges from trials, annual plans, and in-app upsells, slow fixes when the app breaks, and features that disappeared after updates.
Is ElevenLabs better than Speechify?+
For making audio, yes on the evidence: ElevenLabs has professional voice cloning, 70+ languages, self-serve voice agents, and reviewers who single out its voice realism. For listening to your reading, Speechify has the stronger reputation, with a 4.5 unprompted Trustpilot average against ElevenLabs' 1.52, though ElevenLabs' reader app ElevenReader costs less and rates higher on Google Play (4.5 against 4.1).
Does Speechify publish pricing?+
Yes. Speechify Premium costs $29 a month on monthly billing, with yearly billing advertised at 60% off. Speechify Studio lists a free plan (600 credits), Studio Starter at $100 a year, and Studio Creator at $300 a year. The developer API has a free tier of 500K characters a month and paid plans at $10, $99, and $499 a month.
How do I avoid being charged after a Speechify free trial?+
Cancel before the trial ends. Speechify's terms say a free trial converts to a paid plan at the current price and renews until you cancel, and several recent reviewers were charged for a plan they didn't mean to keep, some for a full year. Several of them say support refunded them or changed the plan after they asked.