Apple is reportedly planning to bring iPad apps to the Mac. Unless Apple's planning to release Macs with touchscreens, the move doesn't make any sense.
Jun 24,2019 • Filed to: PDF Reader
Many of us might not be familiar with PDF Audio Reader. It is a text to audio program that allows you to read your PDF text out load. In this article, we will introduce several popular PDF audio reader tools for Mac, Windows, iPhone/iPad and Android, which will help you learn how to choose the best PDF voice reader for your needs.
Part 1: What is PDF Audio Reader?
Before we define what a PDF Audio Reader is, we must differentiate it from a PDF Reader, the two terms confuse both people and search engines alike. A PDF Reader is simply a software or program that is used to open, or, sometimes in the case of reader/writers, edit and create PDF files. A PDF Audio Reader, on the other hand, is a text to speech software (TTS). Its primary purpose is to convert text into audio. In other words, it reads text out loud.
Most PDF Audio Readers have the capability to read not just PDF files but also Word and web (HTML), Kindle and other text file formats. Initially the software was created to assist the visually impaired, but now all users can take advantage of the software. Many are trying to avoid eyestrain like in the case of writers proofreading their own work. They use TTS software to read their work back to them so they can take a little break from staring at the computer screen. In other applications, usually in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, TTS Apps are used to convert important text messages and/or emails to speech when the user is doing something that occupies their hands and eyes, like driving for example. Others simply like to relax and listen to the audio conversion of an e-book or long article instead of actually reading the text.
Part 2: Top 5 PDF Audio Reader for Mac
#1: Text2Speech
Text2Speech is a PDF Audio Reader that can be used with Mac. It is downloadable from the (Apple) App Store and for additional features you can purchase or upgrade to the paid version Text2Speech Pro. This TTS comes with 10 voices, but if you are running OS X Lion 10.7, it gives you the option of downloading additional voices from iTunes. Mac devices running OS X Lion can also download upgrades to support 26 additional languages. Text2Speech also has a Windows version.
#2: Voice Dream
Voice Dream is overflowing with features but despite that, it comes with a clean user-friendly interface. Some of the features of this TTS that stand out include its having 37 built in voices and the capability to purchase hundreds of additional voices from third party vendors like Ivona, Acapela and Neo Speech. Prices range from $2.00 to $5.00. Other noteworthy features include its ability to remember where your last session ended when reading long materials like e-books and making a playlist to queue short reading materials like articles. Voice Dream also has a sleep timer you can use to have the app read you a bedtime story. There are more unique features in this PDF Audio Reader that you might like to check out on their website.
#3: TextSpeech Pro
TextSpeech Pro is not software. It can be purchased for $29.99. TextSpeech uses all Apple and Cepstral voices. As can be expected from a paid software TextSpeech Pro uses high quality voices and you have the option of downloading more voices. There are more features available if you purchase the more expensive De Lux version. TextSpeech Pro in total is a very good PDF Audio Reader. The only downside is the cost.
#4: Toau for Mac
Toau is a PDF Audio Reader for Mac that is light at 2.21 MB and thus is quite fast to download. There is no need to install the software and according to user reviews has the fastest conversion time. There is very little processing lag, between the time the text is loaded to the time it is converted to speech. Toau cannot download its own voices, however. It uses the default voice on your Mac so if you want it to change voices you need to download voices through your Mac’s system preferences and change the System Voice there. All in all, Toau exceeds expectations for a software its size. Toau is compatible with Mac OSX 10.7 or later.
#5: GhostReader
GhostReader is the Mac version of the PDF Audio Reader. It has almost the same features as its Windows counterpart, but includes the ability to bookmark audiobooks from your converted PDF e-books, a feature not found on the converted files of other converters. The downside of this software is that it can be a bit expensive, but you can add additional voices. A newly purchased Ghost reader can have as much as 20 license credits to purchase additional voices.
Part 3: Top 5 PDF Audio Reader Tools for Windows
1#: Natural Reader
The Natural Reader is a download Text to Speech software available in both Windows and Mac versions and also offers a paid version with additional features. This software allows you to control the reading speed and lets you customize the voices. This version only has one female voice; the paid version has more voice choices and the option of saving the converted text as MP3, WAV, WMA and other audio file types. Natural Reader can open and convert Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and more and if the file is in an unsupported format you can always copy and paste the text onto the text area and the software can convert it from there. However, it does converts text in segments and during the transition between segments the words tend to get either mumbled or skipped.
2#: Balabolka
Balabolka is a Windows-based PDF voice reader, and since it utilizes Windows components, is not designed to work on a Mac. It utilizes Microsoft Speech API4 files to synthesize speech. Microsoft SAPI is usually bundled with Windows but if not it can easily be downloaded. Balabolka is capable of reading PDF, DOC, RTF, HTML and more. For unsupported formats, you can still copy and paste the text directly on the Balabolka window. It saves the converted file in a variety of formats including MP3, WAV, WMA and others. Balabolka is also highly customizable. You can change skins and it has the ability to download more voices online.
3#: Deskbot
Deskbot is another Windows-based application. Deskbot is capable of reading from the clipboard so all you have to do is highlight the text you want it to read and press Ctrl+C (copy) and Deskbot will read it for you. Another convenience this software has is the “Read with Deskbot” item on the browser context menu when you right click on a webpage, just choose it and Deskbot will read the contents of the page automatically.
4#: Dspeech
Dspeech is also a PDF voice reader for Windows that has all the standard reading and saving capabilities of top Text to Speech converters and more. Its support goes all the way to providing links where you can download or purchase additional voices. Dspeech also utilizes SAPI and other Windows components so it is light to download. What makes this unique is that it has the capability to reverse the process; it has a voice recognition function where it can convert the user’s captured voice into text. Dspeech also has an open source Multilanguage upgrade where you can download additional code to enable it to properly read other languages including German, French, Japanese and Chinese among others, You can visit their website for the complete list. The only issue with Dspeech is that it has conversion speed issues and it sometimes cannot pick up on context.
5#: Ultra HAL TTS Reader
Ultra HAL comes out on top, not because of its high-tech features, but because of its simplicity. It boasts a simple and clean, user-friendly interface. It reads text either typed or pasted on its window and saves in WAV audio format. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but its simplicity makes it very useful for the visually impaired.
Edit PDF before Reading the PDF out Loud with PDFelement Pro
If you work with PDF files frequently, you may want to edit PDF text before turning it into audio. PDFelement Pro can help. This PDF editor allows you to edit any text, pages, graphics and more in a PDF. You can also convert and share PDFs if needed. Its OCR feature lets you work on scanned PDF files with ease. There are also security options to protect your PDF files.
Why Choose this PDF editor:
- Edit the text, images, and links in your PDF file easily.
- Combine multiple files into PDF and split PDF into several files.
- Convert PDF to Word, Excel and more formats, and batch convert multiple PDFs.
- Create PDF from other formats and create PDF forms easily.
- Use advanced OCR technology to edit and convert scanned PDF files with ease.
Part 4: Top 5 PDF Audio Reader Tools for Android
#1: Ivona Text To Speech HQ
Ivona is a Text to Speech app with high voice quality and a very big variety of voices to choose from. Ivona’s voice options are compatible on other TTS Apps and amazingly, you can download both the app and its voice upgrades. Ivona is notable for its ability to achieve near natural speech, which could even be customized to user preference. The downside is that Ivona uses a bigger data package to achieve this quality and thus takes up a lot of disk space and, would need to download huge data files when adding new voices.
#2: SVOX Classic
SVOX Classic is one of the most used TTS apps on the market. The reason is its support for over forty languages, and a variety of voices as well. That is almost twice the number of languages that other TTS apps offer.
#3: Loquendo TTS
Loquendo only offers one voice, Susan, but she is one of the quirkier voices available. When reading posts, especially on social networks, this voice reads out emoticons by giving their equivalent sounds like laughing, crying, sighing, and a variety of sounds. This feature is unique to Loquendo. It does not seem to justify the app’s high price though, considering that it has problems with reading long files like long articles and e-books.
#4: SVOX Pico
Is There A Good Reader App For Mac
SVOX Pico is a version of SVOX and is often bundled in with the purchase of an Android device. The TTS is pretty functional but it has one of the most robotic sounding voices. A user needs to upgrade to SVOX classic to access additional paid voices.
#5: CereProc
CereProc is another playful Android TTS app. It has the functionality and voices common to other TTS apps but it has additional animal voices offered like, dog, pig, dodo etc. Although these voices are pretty incomprehensible, you can always use them to amuse yourself and your friends. The downside of CereProc is that it is not appropriate as a serious business software.
Part 5: Top 5 PDF Audio Reader for iPad/iPhone
1#: Voice Dream for iOS
Voice Dream for iOS is a lighter version of Voice Dream for Mac. Despite being light it is still packed full of features and still boasts the same clean and easy to use interface. Some of its notable features include bookmarking for long documents and note taking capabilities. Unlike the Mac version though, it does not have the copy/paste option (Clipboard read) for unsupported formats. Voice Dream is optimized for both the iPhone and the iPad.
2#: Voice Reader Text to Speech
Voice Reader probably has the best quality and most professional sounding voice around when it comes to TTS Apps for iOS. The app comes with 32 voices and supports 21 languages. It is capable of multitasking, by listening and translating a text document while you perform another task on your phone or tablet. Voice Reader is optimized to handle online text like emails, RSS Feeds, social network posts and more. Voice Reader Text to Speech is supported by both the iPhone and the iPad.
3#: Speech Magnet
Speech Magnet has some of the characteristics of the Mac TTS software; it has clipboard reading capabilities. This means that you can copy the text you want Speech Magnet to read and then launch the app. There is no need to paste because the app directly reads from the clipboard. Speech Magnet also has auto start capabilities meaning it starts reading the moment the app is launched. It can also run in the background for convenience. Speech Magnet is a simple yet powerful tool. Unfortunately, it is only supported by iPhone and not iPad.
4#: Voice Brief
The Voice Brief Text to Speech app is described as a voice assistant app developed for iPhone. As a TTS app, it has special features like having four high quality voices to choose from, customizable content and multitasking. The app has additional features more often associated with virtual assistant apps than with a TTS app. These features include a background listing option, an alarm clock, and a built in browser.
5#: Web Reader
The Web Reader app is an iPhone TTS app optimized for reading web content like web pages, emails, blog and social network posts, and similar text files online. Standout features of Web Reader include its image-blocking feature to allow written content to load faster and auto speaking from background when multitasking. Web reader also works well with local sync apps like Dropbox. The downside with this App is that it is an iPhone only app and its features are more focused on online than offline functions.
Create PDF for PDF Audio Reader - iSkysoft PDF Creator
The above mentioned PDF audio reader is great, but what if your files are not in PDF format, but rather a Microsoft Office format? iSkysoft PDF Creator for Mac (or PDFelement Pro for Windows) allow you to convert Word, Excel and PPT to PDF effortlessly. View more features:
Key features of iSkysoft PDF Creator:
- Create PDF from DOC, DOCX, XLS， XLSX， PPT, and PPTX.
- Batch convert Microsoft Office files to PDFs all at once.
- Make high quality PDF files that retain the original formatting.
We live in a practically paperless, digital age, but there’s one paper product that just won’t die: The business card. Business cards are pretty much a necessity for networking, but what do you do with 800 business cards when you get home from a tradeshow?
Let me guess—leave them in your bag and forget about them until the next tradeshow rolls around. Not such an effective networking tool after all.
Good news: There are plenty of apps that will help you stay on top of your business card stash by (quickly) digitizing them and adding the relevant information to your virtual rolodex (your Contacts list). We tried out five to find out which one makes the best business card butler.
CamCard
CamCard (free version and $3 premium version) is a classic. It’s quick, accurate, and cheap, with two versions to suit different needs—its entry-level free version offers full functionality but limits your card-scanning to 200, where its premium version offers unlimited scanning. CamCard’s optical character reader (OCR) can read and digest card information in 17 different languages, including English, traditional and simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, and Russian.
CamCard is one of the fastest apps we tried—it snaps card photos automatically and flattens the photo into a readable image. It also offers a batch mode, where you can take successive snaps of multiple cards. This app is fairly accurate at translating card data to contact information, and it can read multiple layouts (though it frequently mixes up company, department, and job title). It can automatically translate phone numbers with extensions into a phone-readable format (with commas), and it can decipher social media handles. The app has a robust web interface, where you can manage contacts (categorize or delete them, or merge duplicate cards) efficiently.
On the downside,this app has trouble recognizing all-black cards and extremely glossy cards; for these cards you will need to manually snap a photo and there’s no guarantee the OCR will read them correctly.
A Good Reader App
Overall, CamCard is a solid app with minor, understandable flaws. The app features a cloud-based database that can be synced across devices, and you can also upload all contact information into your local Contacts list. CamCard also lets you upload your own card and add augmented reality features, such as a headshot or a video introduction, which other CamCard users will be able to see, should they ever scan your card. The app does let you share your card digitally with users via QR code or through its Card Radar, a feature that alerts you to nearby CamCard users.
FoxCard
FoxCard (free with in-app purchases) is a straightforward, easy-to-use business card scanning app that can recognize cards in nine different languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish).
FoxCard is just a business card scanner, not a social networking tool, so there’s no way to add digital features to your current business card or share your business card digitally with other FoxCard users. The scanner function is automatic—the app will automatically snap a photo of a card once it’s positioned correctly—and features a batch mode for snapping multiple cards. We found that FoxCard’s scanner is better at recognizing all-black and glossy cards, though its overall scanning speed is slightly slower than CamCard’s. This app also offers better in-app management tools: You can mass- categorize, email, text, share, or delete contacts from within the app itself.
While the app’s OCR is good, it’s not excellent. It frequently messes up addresses (it almost never separates the street from the city) and it occasionally places periods where there should be none. The app’s batch mode also had a few quirks—information from some cards bled into other cards (for example, I found an address on a card where no address was listed—it was from a different card) in multiple tests.
FoxCard isn’t perfect, but it is completely free. The app does feature a cloud-based database that lets you sync your contacts across multiple devices, and it also lets you save contact information directly to your device’s local Contacts list.
WorldCard Mobile
WorldCard Mobile (free lite version and $7 premium version) is aptly-named—this business card scanner recognizes the most languages (21) of any of the apps we tested, including simplified and traditional Chinese, Czech, Slovak, and Arabic, though you will need to manually select the language of each card before you scan it. The app comes in two versions: A free version that allows you to save one contact per week, and a premium version that allows you to save unlimited contacts.
Is There A Good Reader App For Macbook Air
Like CamCard and FoxCard, WorldCard Mobile has its own cloud-based database that can sync across multiple platforms. It can also save contacts directly to your local Contacts list and sync with Gmail/Google contacts—a handy feature for Gmail users.
Unfortunately, WorldCard Mobile does not have a batch mode for snapping pictures of multiple cards at once, nor does the camera automatically take a photo when a card is properly positioned. These might seem like insignificant features, but they make a big difference when you have hundreds of business cards to digitize. At $7, the premium version of this app (and, realistically, the only usable version) is more expensive than the other apps we tested.
WorldCard Mobile is perfect for international businesspeople who like to keep their Gmail contacts up-to-date, but for everyone else it’s slower and pricier than the competition.
SamCard
SamCard (free lite version and $4 premium version) is a simple, straightforward business card reader that scans cards and saves them to your iPhone’s local Contacts list. The app comes in two versions: SamCard Lite, which allows you to save up to three new cards to your Contacts list each week, and the premium version, which allows you to save unlimited cards to your Contacts list.
The app is simple and easy to use. Unlike the other apps in this round-up, SamCard doesn’t bother with a cloud-syncing database—you don’t have to create an account, nor do you need to worry about which contacts list(s) to save your data to. Instead, SamCard saves all of your scanned cards directly to your iPhone’s local Contacts list, and that’s it. The app also offers relatively good OCR technology that can recognize a business card’s orientation, though it did have some trouble with non-traditional layouts. The camera does not offer a batch mode or automatic picture-taking, but it does work very quickly.
However, because SamCard doesn’t offer a cloud-based database, you won’t be able to sync your contacts across platforms (unless you sync your iPhone contacts across platforms). The app is also perhaps a little too simple—it doesn’t offer a batch mode, nor does it allow you to quickly manage multiple contacts at once (you’re at the mercy of Apple’s contact management system). One plus: It checks for repetition of contact names in your contacts list.
SamCard isn’t the most robust business card reader, but its simplicity is appealing. If you’re just looking to quickly add people to your Contacts list, SamCard’s camera is the snappiest (even without batch mode or automatic snapping).
ScanBizCards
ScanBizCards (free lite version, $1 premium version, and enterprise version) is a business card scanning app from CircleBack that offers unlimited scanning in its free app (but limited contact list syncs), as well as some other features such as manual card transcriptions and calendar integrations. The app comes in three versions: A Lite version, which is free and lets you scan unlimited business cards; a premium version for $1, which offers unlimited business card scanning, unlimited address book syncs, and unlimited calendar integrations; and an enterprise version, which is priced based on your company’s need and offers features like batch scanning, custom contact fields, and unlimited free manual card transcriptions.
Of the apps we tested, ScanBizCards has the best OCR technology. This app was consistently accurate in its card-reading capabilities; it did occasionally get tripped up on non-traditional layouts and glossy/black cards. Although the free and premium versions of the app do not offer batch mode for processing multiple cards, the OCR is accurate enough that we were still able to breeze through many cards fairly quickly. The free version of ScanBizCards also offers unlimited card scanning, so if you’re looking for a quality business card scanner (and you’re not particularly interested in a synced-up cloud-based database or manual card transcriptions) then the free version of ScanBizCards is an excellent tool.
Some of the features you’ll see in free or paid versions of other apps are enterprise-only in ScanBizCards. There is no batch photo mode, nor does the camera automatically snap a photo when a business card is in range.
How To Be A Good Reader
ScanBizCards has a lot of features that many people may never use, including the ability to export contacts to Salesforce, Excel, and Evernote, and manual transcription services for cards that the scanner can’t read. But so many features makes the app a little difficult to navigate, because so many of the features have non-intuitive jargonized names (e.g. “WebSync” and “CircleBack”). The app can scan cards in 21 different languages, though, including Hungarian, Lithuanian, Turkish, Serbian, and Vietnamese.