Which text to speech apps work offline on iPhone?

Three options read text aloud on an iPhone with no internet connection, using voices stored on the phone: TTS Reader (10 voices for 31 languages built in, plus 15 English voices after a one-time download of about 190 MB), Voice Dream Reader, and the built-in Speak Screen with Apple voices you have downloaded. Speechify and ElevenReader work offline only on paid plans, by playing audio you downloaded in advance, and NaturalReader only through paid MP3 export.

Updated 2026-11-01

We make TTS Reader, one of the apps on this page, so read this as a comparison by one side. Facts about the other apps come from their own websites, help centers and US App Store listings, checked on 31 October 2026 and listed under Sources. Plans change; check the current listing before you pay.

What does “works offline” mean for a text to speech app?

An app that says it “works offline” can mean one of three different things, and only the first one lets you open a new document on a plane and hear it.

1. Offline voice. The voice runs on the iPhone and turns any text into speech on the spot. Without a connection you can open a file you have never played before, paste text or scan a page, and it is read aloud. TTS Reader, Voice Dream Reader and Speak Screen work this way.
2. Downloaded audio. The speech is made on the company’s servers while you are online, and you download the finished audio. Offline you can play only what you prepared in advance; a new document has to wait for a connection. Speechify Premium, ElevenReader Ultra and NaturalReader’s MP3 export work this way.
3. Offline while you stay signed in. Downloaded audio can also depend on your account and plan. ElevenReader says its downloads are removed when you sign out, are kept for up to 60 days, and are lost as a feature if you downgrade from the paid plan.

Cloud voices sound richer and come in far greater numbers; that is the trade for needing a server. If you listen mostly at home with Wi-Fi, downloaded audio may be all you need. If you want to open whatever you like in the subway or on a flight, you need an offline voice.

Which iPhone apps read offline, at a glance

Does TTS Reader work offline?

Yes. TTS Reader’s voices run on the iPhone, so it reads without a connection from the first launch and without a subscription. We make it, and it is free, with no purchases, ads or account.

• Works on a plane: your PDFs, EPUBs, Word and other documents, camera scans and photos of pages, pasted text, and Project Gutenberg books you downloaded earlier. 10 multilingual voices read 31 languages from the first launch; 15 English voices (US and UK) work offline after a one-time download of about 190 MB.
• Needs a connection: downloading a book from the free catalog of about 70,000 Project Gutenberg books, importing a web article from a link, and downloading the optional English voices.
• Where documents are kept: only on the iPhone. TTS Reader has no server, no account and no analytics, and your text is never uploaded to be read aloud.
• Where it is weaker: 25 voices in total, far fewer than cloud services, with no celebrity or cloned voices; no MP3 export; iPhone only, iOS 26 or later; and it is a new app that has not been released yet.

How the on-device voices work, in more detail: offline text to speech on iPhone.

Does Voice Dream Reader work offline?

Yes. Voice Dream Reader’s US App Store listing says “All voices work offline and play in the background even with the screen locked”, and its camera scanner “works entirely on device”. It has been in the App Store since 2012 and, according to the listing, is “optimized for VoiceOver, Braille and switch control”.

• Works on a plane: documents already in your library, read with its voices. The listing says 36 built-in iOS voices in 27 languages are free, and more than 200 premium voices in 30 languages (Acapela, NeoSpeech, Ivona) are available; the listing sells single voices such as Paul (NeoSpeech) for $4.99.
• Needs a subscription: the listing says “A subscription is required to access the app. A free trial is offered to new users.” Its in-app purchases start at $4.99 a month. People who bought the app before the subscription keep its existing features.
• Where documents are kept: in the app’s library, which the listing says is synchronised across devices with iCloud Drive. Files can come from Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive and other services, which need a connection to fetch.

Voice Dream Reader also runs on iPad and has a separate Mac app. Compared in detail: TTS Reader vs Voice Dream Reader.

Does the iPhone’s Speak Screen work offline?

Speak Screen is free and built into iOS, and it reads with Apple voices that are downloaded and installed on the iPhone. Download the voice you want before you go offline: Apple says enhanced-quality voices “can be 100 MB or larger” and asks you to connect to Wi-Fi to download them.

• How to turn it on: in iOS 26, Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak → Speak Screen (in earlier versions, Spoken Content). Then swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen.
• Works on a plane: whatever text is already on the iPhone and on the screen: a downloaded PDF in Files, a book in Apple Books, a saved note. A web page that has not loaded cannot be read, because Speak Screen reads the screen, not the internet.
• What to check: Apple’s support pages describe downloading voices, but we did not find a sentence where Apple says in so many words that Speak Screen works without a connection. Test it once in airplane mode before you rely on it.
• Where it is weaker: there is no library, document import, scanner or saved reading position, so long documents are less comfortable than in a reader app.

Does Speechify work offline?

Only as downloaded audio on Premium. Speechify’s FAQ says “Speechify Premium users can listen offline by downloading their converted audio”, so the speech is made online first and then saved for listening without a connection.

• Works on a plane: audio you converted and downloaded while you were online.
• Needs a connection and Premium: converting a new document. The free plan has 10 basic voices and speeds up to 1.5×, according to Speechify’s pricing page, which shows Premium at $29 a month or $139 billed yearly. The US App Store lists several Premium purchases, including Premium Monthly at $11.99.
• Where documents are kept: in your Speechify library, which the App Store listing says is synced through the cloud across your devices.
• Where it is stronger: over 1,000 voices in more than 60 languages, according to Speechify’s website, and apps on iPhone, Android, the web and computers.

Compared in detail: TTS Reader vs Speechify.

Does ElevenReader work offline?

Only as downloaded audio on the paid Ultra plan, and only while you stay signed in. ElevenReader’s pricing page lists “Download for offline listening” under Ultra, which costs $11 a month or $8.25 a month billed annually; the free plan gives 10 hours of text to audio a month and no offline downloads.

• Works on a plane: downloads you prepared online. ElevenLabs' help center says a download usually takes 2–5 minutes to prepare, and Ultra allows up to 20 hours of downloads a day and 150 hours a month.
• Limits on downloads: they are kept in the app for up to 60 days, with a notice 7 days before they expire; they are removed when you sign out; and ElevenReader’s FAQ says you lose offline downloads if you downgrade. The help center adds that extra hour packs do not raise the offline download allowance.
• Where documents are kept: ElevenReader’s pricing FAQ describes articles, PDFs and EPUB files as content “you upload”, and ElevenLabs makes the audio from it.
• Where it is stronger: 1,000+ voices, which in our view sound more natural than on-device voices, plus premium audiobooks and apps on Android and the web.

Compared in detail: TTS Reader vs ElevenReader.

Does NaturalReader work offline?

Through paid MP3 files. NaturalReader’s App Store listing offers “Download MP3: Save audio files in MP3 format for offline listening on any device”, and its help center says free users cannot convert to MP3. Its homepage also mentions an “offline mode” in the iOS and Android apps without describing what it covers.

• Works on a plane: MP3 files you converted earlier, in NaturalReader or any other player.
• Needs a subscription: MP3 conversion is limited to 1 million characters a month on paid plans, and Free voices cannot be converted to MP3 on any plan, according to the help center. In the US App Store, Premium is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.
• Account: the listing says “No account required to start listening” and offers a free account to sync your history across devices.
• Where it is stronger: 200+ voices in 90+ languages, and MP3 files you can play on any device.

Compared in detail: TTS Reader vs NaturalReader.

How can you check whether an app really reads offline?

Try it before the trip, with a document the app has never played:

1. Install the app and, if it has optional voices, download the one you want on Wi-Fi.
2. Turn on airplane mode, and turn Wi-Fi off too.
3. Open a new PDF from the Files app or paste a paragraph of text, then press play.
4. If it reads, the app has an offline voice. If it plays only items you downloaded earlier, or asks you to connect, it uses downloaded audio.
5. For apps with downloaded audio, check how long downloads are kept and whether signing out removes them.

Which one fits you?

• Free reading of your own documents anywhere, without an account: TTS Reader, if you have an iPhone with iOS 26 or later.
• VoiceOver and Braille users, iPad and Mac, or earlier Voice Dream buyers: Voice Dream Reader.
• A page or two now and then, nothing to install: Speak Screen.
• The most natural voices, with listening mostly online: ElevenReader or Speechify on a paid plan.
• MP3 files to play on another device: NaturalReader on a paid plan.

The full comparison, including price and free limits: text to speech apps for iPhone compared.

Sources

• Voice Dream - Natural Reader, US App Store listing: “All voices work offline…", on-device scanner, 36 free built-in iOS voices in 27 languages, 200+ premium voices in 30 languages, $4.99 single voices, subscription and free trial, Monthly Subscription $4.99, iCloud Drive sync, Dropbox and Google Drive import, “Optimized for VoiceOver, Braille and switch control”. Checked 31 October 2026.
• App Store lookup for Voice Dream: first release 9 February 2012. Checked 31 October 2026.
• Apple Support, Adjust voice and speed for VoiceOver and Speak Screen (published 20 March 2025): enhanced-quality voices “can be 100 MB or larger”; connect to Wi-Fi to download and install them. Checked 31 October 2026.
• AbilityNet, Speak Screen in iOS 26: Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak → Speak Screen; swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen. Checked 31 October 2026.
• Speechify home page, FAQ: “Speechify Premium users can listen offline by downloading their converted audio”; 1,000+ voices in 60+ languages; iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and web apps. Checked 31 October 2026.
• Speechify pricing: free plan with 10 voices and speeds up to 1.5×; Premium $29 a month or $139 billed yearly. Checked 31 October 2026.
• Speechify, US App Store listing: Premium Monthly $11.99 among its in-app purchases, cloud sync across devices. Checked 31 October 2026.
• ElevenReader pricing and FAQ: “Download for offline listening” on Ultra, $11 a month or $8.25 a month billed annually; free plan 10 hours a month; 150 offline hours a month and 20 a day; downloads stored up to 60 days and removed on sign-out; downgrading removes offline downloads; content “you upload”. Checked 31 October 2026.
• ElevenLabs help center, How do offline downloads work?: 2–5 minutes to prepare; 20 hours a day and 150 a month; extra hours do not increase the offline allowance; downloads available for 60 days with a notice 7 days before; removed when you sign out. Checked 31 October 2026.
• ElevenLabs help center, What is ElevenReader?: works on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. Checked 31 October 2026.
• NaturalReader, US App Store listing: “Download MP3… for offline listening on any device”, “No account required to start listening”, free account to sync history, Premium $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, 200+ voices in 90+ languages. Checked 31 October 2026.
• NaturalReader help center, Working with Text and Audio: MP3 files for offline listening for subscribers; free users cannot convert to MP3; Free voices cannot be converted; up to 1 million characters a month. Checked 31 October 2026.
• NaturalReader home page: iOS and Android apps “featuring offline mode”. Checked 31 October 2026.

More

• How offline text to speech works in TTS Reader
• All text to speech apps for iPhone compared
• TTS Reader vs Voice Dream Reader
• TTS Reader vs ElevenReader