Shmia vs the other text-to-speech apps
Speechify, NaturalReader, ElevenReader, and Balabolka are the four apps people compare against Shmia most. Here's an honest, fact-checked look at what each one actually costs, which platforms it runs on, and where it genuinely wins.
Last updated July 17, 2026
The quick comparison
| App | Platforms | Free tier | Paid price | Offline option | One-shortcut mechanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shmia | Mac + Windows (native) | Unlimited, forever | $19.99–$39.99/mo (optional) | Yes, free tier is on-device | Yes |
| Speechify | Mobile-first, browser extension | Limited voices/features | ~$139/year | No, cloud-only | No |
| NaturalReader | Mac + Windows (import-based) | 20 min/day cap | ~$99–120/year | No | No, requires import |
| ElevenReader | iPhone + Android only | 10 hrs/mo premium voice cap | Subscription (in-app) | No unlimited fallback | No, mobile app only |
| Balabolka | Windows only | Free, unlimited | Free | Yes, fully offline | No, paste/import into app |
Speechify
Speechify has built its reputation as a mobile-and-browser-extension reading tool, and for people who mostly listen on their phone during a commute or while walking, that focus makes sense. It runs about $139/year as an annual plan, with no comparable month-to-month unlimited option, and it does offer a free tier — but with more limited voices and features than the paid plan unlocks. It's entirely cloud-based, so there's no offline or on-device listening mode. If your reading happens mostly on a phone and you're fine committing to an annual subscription, Speechify is a reasonable fit.
NaturalReader
NaturalReader is a longtime name in text-to-speech, with desktop apps for both Mac and Windows and paid plans running roughly $99–120/year. Its free tier caps listening at 20 minutes per day, which is workable for short articles but tight for anyone reading longer documents regularly. The bigger friction point is workflow: NaturalReader typically wants you to import or upload your text or document into its own app window rather than reading it wherever it already lives. It's a solid, established option if you don't mind that extra import step and your listening fits inside the daily cap.
ElevenReader
ElevenReader comes from ElevenLabs, the company behind some of the most natural-sounding AI voices available, and that voice quality shows. But it only ships as mobile apps for iPhone and Android — there's no native Mac or Windows desktop version. Its free tier caps premium-voice listening at roughly 10 hours per month, with no unlimited fallback voice underneath once you hit that ceiling. If you do all your reading on a phone and 10 hours a month of premium narration covers your needs, ElevenReader is a genuinely good app.
Balabolka
Balabolka is a free, fully offline text-to-speech tool that's been around for years, and it's a legitimately useful option if you only need basic Windows-only reading with zero cost. The tradeoffs are real, though: it's Windows-only with no Mac version, it relies on the Windows operating system's built-in synthetic voices rather than modern AI voices (so it sounds noticeably robotic), and there's no system-wide shortcut-and-bubble mechanic — you open the app and paste or import text into it directly. For anyone who wants that same free, offline core but on modern voices, both platforms, and a faster in-place workflow, it's worth seeing how Shmia compares.
Where Shmia fits
Shmia is a native desktop app for both Mac and Windows. Select any text in any app — a browser, PDF, email, Word document, Slack, a code editor, anything — and either a small play bubble appears near the selection, or you press a global shortcut (⌥⌘R on Mac, Ctrl+Alt+R on Windows, both customizable) and it starts reading in about a second, streaming the first sentences while it keeps generating the rest. A small floating player gives you a live timeline, play/pause, and speed control (0.75x–2x, pitch-preserved) without stealing keyboard focus from what you're doing.
The free tier is unlimited, forever, using 10 local voices that run entirely on-device — nothing is sent anywhere. Premium ($19.99/month) and Ultra ($39.99/month) add 8 human-sounding ElevenLabs voices for 3 or 10 hours per month respectively, plus AI summaries, and when premium hours run out mid-month, playback just continues automatically on the free voices — it's never blocked.
Is there a truly free unlimited text-to-speech app?
Yes. Shmia's free tier gives you unlimited listening, forever, using 10 built-in local voices that run entirely on your computer — no daily cap, no credit card, and no time limit. Most competitors either cap free listening (NaturalReader: 20 minutes/day, ElevenReader: 10 hours/month of premium voices) or don't offer a genuinely unlimited free option at all (Speechify).
What's the difference between Shmia and Speechify?
Speechify is priced around $139/year with no comparable month-to-month unlimited plan, and it's built mobile-first with browser extensions rather than as a native desktop app. Shmia is a native Mac and Windows app with a genuinely unlimited free tier, and an optional $19.99–39.99/month upgrade for premium AI voices.
Does any text-to-speech app work fully offline?
Balabolka works fully offline but is Windows-only and uses the operating system's built-in robotic voices. Shmia's free tier also works entirely on-device (speech is generated locally and never leaves your computer) on both Mac and Windows, with the option to add cloud-based premium AI voices when you want them.
Give your screen a voice.
Free, unlimited listening with Shmia's on-device voices — no credit card.