Speechify built a business on a simple idea: reading is faster with your ears than your eyes, especially through a long article, a study PDF, or an inbox you are behind on. Its text-to-speech engine and premium voices are the draw, but most days people just need something read aloud right now, without installing an app or creating an account. We built EchoText for exactly that. Paste text, press play, and it reads back to you with the current word highlighted, right here in this page.
Listen to text now
Type or paste your text, pick a voice and a speed, then press Play. Best used with sound on.
How to use it
Paste or type anything into the box, from a paragraph to a full article, and press Play. EchoText pulls the voice list straight from your browser and operating system, so the options you see depend on what’s installed on your device; pick whichever one sounds right, and drag the speed slider anywhere from half speed up to double speed. Once playback starts, the words turn into a read-along view with the current word highlighted, so it’s easy to follow along or jump back in after a pause. Pause and Resume live on the same button, and Stop always takes you back to editing. Your text, chosen voice, and speed are saved on your device, so the next visit picks up where you left off. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How it compares to Speechify
EchoText and Speechify solve the same basic problem in very different ways. Speechify runs its own AI voice models in the cloud, which is why its narration sounds noticeably more natural and why it can clone a voice, summarize a document, or read a scanned photo of a textbook page. EchoText instead hands the job to your browser’s built-in speech engine. That trade-off buys instant loading, zero signup, and a page that works offline once it’s open, but the voice quality depends entirely on what your device already has installed, and there is no OCR, summarization, or voice cloning here.
Speechify’s free tier gives limited daily listening time on standard voices, with premium AI voices, faster processing, and unlimited use behind a subscription. That is worth it for students working through long reading lists, or anyone who listens to text daily and wants voices that sound closer to human. EchoText is worth opening instead for the one-off case: a quick paste of an article, an email, or a paragraph you want read back once without adding another account to your list.
Our honest take: use EchoText when you need something read aloud right now with nothing installed. Get Speechify when text-to-speech becomes a daily habit and voice quality starts to matter.
Get the full app
Speechify is free to start on Android and iOS, with a subscription that unlocks its premium AI voices and unlimited listening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Speechify in a browser without downloading it?
Speechify itself is an app, not a browser tool, so the official way to use its AI voices is through the Android, iOS, or desktop app. EchoText is a separate, free tool that reads text aloud directly in this page using your browser’s own speech engine, so there is nothing to install if you just need something read back right now.
Is this the real Speechify?
No. EchoText is an original tool we built, inspired by how useful an instant text-to-speech reader is. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Speechify or Cliff Weitzman Speechify Inc. in any way. For the full AI voice engine, OCR, and voice cloning features, get the official app from the store link above.
Does it work offline?
Yes, once the page has loaded. EchoText uses your device’s built-in speech engine rather than a cloud service, so no audio is streamed and no text ever leaves your browser. Your saved text, voice choice, and speed live only in your browser’s local storage.
Why don’t I see many voice options?
The available voices come entirely from your operating system and browser, not from EchoText itself. Desktop Chrome, Edge, and Safari usually ship several system voices; some mobile browsers install only one or two, or download extra voices the first time text-to-speech is used. If the list looks short, check your device’s accessibility or language settings for additional voice packs.
Is EchoText free?
Yes, completely. There is no signup, no usage limit, and no premium tier. It runs entirely on your device using your browser’s built-in speech synthesis, so there’s no cloud cost for us to pass on to you.
