Speechify vs Speechify Books: Which is Better?
Speechify and Speechify Books are both part of the Speechify ecosystem, but they serve slightly different purposes. Understanding the distinctions between these two offerings will help you decide which one is more suited to your needs. Let’s dive into a comparison of both.
1. Overview of Speechify
Speechify is a robust text-to-speech (TTS) tool that converts written content—be it articles, PDFs, documents, or scanned images—into natural-sounding speech. It uses AI-driven voices, allowing users to choose from a variety of voice types and adjust settings like speed, pitch, and tone.
Key Features of Speechify:
- Text-to-Speech Conversion: Converts articles, eBooks, PDFs, websites, and other written materials into speech.
- Customization: Users can adjust the speed, pitch, and volume of the voice. It also supports multiple languages and accents.
- OCR: Allows users to scan physical documents and have the text read aloud, which is particularly helpful for users with visual impairments.
- Multi-Platform: Available on mobile (iOS, Android), web, and as a browser extension.
- Cloud Syncing: Syncs across devices so you can pick up where you left off, no matter where you’re listening.
Target Audience:
- Students, professionals, and readers who want to listen to a wide range of written content, including books, articles, and research papers.
- People with reading disabilities such as dyslexia.
- Anyone who prefers audio content to read text, especially when multitasking.
2. Overview of Speechify Books
Speechify Books is a newer offering from Speechify, aimed specifically at the audiobook market. It’s an audiobook service that brings premium, professionally narrated books to users. While it incorporates Speechify’s TTS technology, Speechify Books is focused on audiobooks, offering a large catalog for users to enjoy.
Key Features of Speechify Books:
- Audiobooks Library: Access to a wide selection of audiobooks across various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, self-help, business, and more.
- Professional Narration: Books are read by professional narrators, ensuring high-quality listening experiences. This is different from the typical AI-generated voices in the regular Speechify platform.
- Offline Listening: Download your audiobooks for offline listening on mobile devices.
- Syncing Across Devices: Like the main Speechify platform, Speechify Books syncs across devices, allowing users to pick up where they left off.
- Access to Premium Content: Speechify Books offers access to exclusive content, and its subscription model includes audiobooks, as well as other premium features.
Target Audience:
- Audiobook listeners who enjoy professional narrations and immersive storytelling.
- Readers who want a curated collection of high-quality audiobooks, with additional features like bookmarks and playback control.
3. Key Differences Between Speechify and Speechify Books
1. Purpose & Focus:
- Speechify is a general-purpose text-to-speech tool that can read almost any text you provide, whether it’s a website, article, PDF, or document. It is highly versatile, allowing users to consume content in a wide variety of formats.
- Speechify Books, on the other hand, is specifically designed for audiobooks. It provides users with access to a curated library of audiobooks, featuring professional narrations and high-quality sound.
2. Content Type:
- Speechify is ideal for those who want to listen to any written content. This could include academic papers, articles, PDFs, or books, but you’ll be listening to text-to-speech AI voices (with customizations for voice and speed).
- Speechify Books provides professionally narrated audiobooks, offering a premium listening experience. The content is limited to books available on the platform, but the narration quality is much higher compared to the AI voices in Speechify.
3. Customization & Experience:
- Speechify allows you to customize the reading experience with AI-generated voices. You can adjust the pitch, speed, and accent, and even use OCR for physical documents. This provides flexibility in how you consume content.
- Speechify Books focuses on professional narrations, so customization is not as prominent. You can adjust playback speed, set a sleep timer, and use bookmarks, but the overall experience is designed to emulate traditional audiobook services rather than a customizable TTS platform.
4. Accessibility:
- Speechify can read virtually any text, making it a versatile option for a wide range of content types. It’s useful for users who want to listen to articles, documents, and web content, in addition to books.
- Speechify Books is strictly an audiobook platform, providing access to premium audiobooks for people who are interested in high-quality, professional book narrations.
5. Pricing:
- Speechify operates on a freemium model, where basic features are free, but advanced features (like OCR, voice customization, and access to premium voices) require a subscription.
- Speechify Books operates as a subscription-based service. You pay for a membership to access the premium audiobooks library, which can be similar to other audiobook services like Audible.
4. Which One is Better for You?
Choose Speechify if:
- You want a flexible tool that can convert various written content (not just books) into speech. This is great for students, professionals, or researchers who need to consume content like articles, papers, and websites.
- You prefer a customizable TTS experience where you can adjust voice, speed, and pitch to suit your preferences.
- You need to read physical documents using OCR technology or work with files like PDFs, Word docs, and text files.
Choose Speechify Books if:
- You’re primarily interested in listening to audiobooks and enjoy high-quality professional narration.
- You prefer a curated selection of audiobooks across different genres with access to premium content that includes exclusive audiobooks.
- You want a traditional audiobook experience but with the added benefit of Speechify’s integration into the platform for syncing and playback across devices.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the decision between Speechify and Speechify Books depends on your content consumption preferences. If you’re looking for a versatile tool that can turn any written text into speech (such as articles, documents, and books), Speechify is the better option. On the other hand, if you’re specifically looking for audiobooks with professional narration and a premium listening experience, Speechify Books would be the better choice.
Both platforms offer powerful features, but they are tailored to different needs—Speechify for general text-to-speech versatility and Speechify Books for a high-quality audiobook experience.