Compare
Speechify vs SpeechBee
We make SpeechBee, so weigh what follows with that in mind. These two apps overlap less than their names suggest. Speechify is built around listening to everything you read. SpeechBee is built around writing by voice, and reads your text back as well.
By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Prices checked on 12 October 2026
Speechify
SpeechBee
On this page
Side by side
| Speechify | SpeechBee | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Listening to text | Dictation, plus reading text aloud |
| Price | $29/mo, or about $139/yr billed yearly | $9/mo, $79/yr, or $99 once |
| Free option | Free plan: up to 1.5x speed, 10 basic voices, reading only | 7 days free with every feature |
| Voices | 1,000+ voices in 60+ languages on Premium | Natural local voices in English and several other languages |
| How it runs | Speechify account and online service | On your device, after a one-time download |
| Works offline | Not stated on its pricing page | Yes, for dictation and reading |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, web, Chrome and Edge | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Reads from | Web pages, PDFs, documents, scanned pages, cloud drives | Text you select in any Mac app, or paste on iPhone and iPad |
| Dictation | Voice typing, included in Premium | Hold a key, talk, text appears at the cursor in any app |
| Dictionary and snippets | Not listed | Yes, with optional private iCloud sync |
| AI extras | Summaries, chat, AI podcasts, voice assistant | None of those. Optional on-device cleanup of your dictation |
What each app is really for
Speechify started as a reading app and still is one at heart. Premium is about getting through more text by ear: a library of 1,000+ voices, speeds up to 5x, Scan & Listen for printed pages, and integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. Over time it has added AI summaries, AI podcasts, a voice assistant and voice typing.
SpeechBee started as a dictation app. You hold a shortcut, talk, and your words appear wherever your cursor is, with the "um"s taken out. Reading came second, for the moment you want to hear what you wrote. Select text in any Mac app, press your reading key, and a natural voice reads it with controls for speed and skipping.
If you mainly read other people's writing, Speechify is the better fit. If you mainly produce your own, SpeechBee is.
Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.
Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.
Where your text goes
Speechify works through your account and its online service, and its Premium features connect to your cloud drives. If that matters to you, its privacy policy explains how it handles what you upload.
SpeechBee does both jobs on your device. Speech recognition and the reading voices download once, then run on your Mac, iPhone or iPad. Your audio is never uploaded or recorded, and the text you select to hear never leaves the device. Both features work on a plane.
Reading: where Speechify is ahead
Be clear-eyed about this part. Speechify reads whole PDFs and books, keeps a library, scans paper with your phone camera, and offers far more voices and languages. SpeechBee reads what you select, up to 5,000 characters at a time, which suits emails, articles and chapters you take in parts. It is not a listen-later library and it does not scan pages.
Writing: where SpeechBee is ahead
SpeechBee is designed around dictation on a Mac. One key starts it in any app, it removes filler words, it understands "new paragraph" and spoken punctuation, and it spells names correctly once you add them to its dictionary. Snippets turn a short phrase like "my address" into the full text. It understands 25 languages, or up to 99 on Mac with the optional Whisper model.
Speechify includes voice typing in Premium too. If you already pay for Speechify for reading, try that first. If dictation is the main reason you are shopping, compare it with a dedicated app.
Price
- Speechify Premium, monthly$348
- Speechify Premium, yearly$139
- SpeechBee Yearly$79
Speechify Premium is $29 a month, or $11.58 a month billed yearly, which is about $139 a year. SpeechBee is $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once for lifetime access, and every plan covers Mac, iPhone and iPad. Over three years, yearly Speechify comes to about $417. SpeechBee Lifetime is $99, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Speechify has a lasting free plan for basic reading. SpeechBee's free option is a 7-day trial with everything included. For more detail, see our Speechify pricing guide.
Write by voice, hear it back, all on your device. Free for 7 days.
Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.
Questions
Is SpeechBee a Speechify alternative?
For some people. If you mostly want to hear your own drafts, emails and articles on a Mac, and you would also use dictation, SpeechBee covers that for less and keeps your text on your device. If you want PDFs, books, scanning or a big voice library, Speechify is the stronger reader.
Is SpeechBee cheaper than Speechify?
Yes. SpeechBee is $79 a year or $99 once. Speechify Premium is about $139 a year billed yearly, or $29 a month.
Does Speechify do dictation?
Yes. Speechify lists voice typing among its Premium features. SpeechBee is a dictation app first, with a dictionary, snippets and filler-word removal.
Can SpeechBee read PDFs like Speechify?
It reads text you select, including text in a PDF open on your Mac, up to 5,000 characters at a time. It does not import whole PDFs or books into a library, and it does not scan printed pages.
Does Speechify work on Windows?
Yes. Speechify lists a Windows app as well as Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, web and browser extensions. SpeechBee is for Mac, iPhone and iPad only.
Keep comparing
- Speechify pricing, plan by plan
- Speechify alternatives for Mac
- How to make your Mac read text aloud
- The best dictation apps for Mac
Sources
All checked on 12 October 2026.
- Speechify pricing and privacy policy
- SpeechBee facts from our homepage and privacy policy