SpeechBeeGuide
Free text to speech on a Mac
You don't need to pay to hear text read aloud on a Mac. macOS does it for free, Chrome and Word have their own readers, and several apps have free plans. Here's every free option, what it's good for, and where it stops.
By the SpeechBee team, who make a paid reading app. Checked on 12 October 2026
On this page
Free options at a glance
| Option | Reads | Voices | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speak selection | Selected text in any app | Apple system voices | None |
| Chrome reading mode | Web pages in Chrome | Chrome's voices | Not every site |
| Word Read Aloud | Word documents | Microsoft voices | Needs Office 2019, 2021 or Microsoft 365 |
| Read Aloud extension | Web pages, PDFs, Google Docs in Chrome | Browser voices free; AI voices paid | Cloud voices cost extra |
 ElevenReader free | Imported text, web, Chrome extension | 1,000+ AI voices | 10 hours a month |
 NaturalReader free | Documents and web | Basic plus Lite AI voices | 20,000 AI characters a day |
| TTSReader free | Pasted text, files, web | Free voices; 5,000 characters of premium AI voices | Personal use only |
Speak selection: free and built in
- Open System Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak, and turn on Speak selection.
- Select text in any app and press Option-Esc. Press it again to stop.
You can highlight words as they're read, show a controller for speed and skipping, and download better system voices. It runs on your Mac and needs no account. Full guide: how to make your Mac read text aloud.
In Chrome
Press Command-Option-R to open reading mode, then play. You can choose a voice and speed. Google notes reading mode isn't available on every site. The free Read Aloud extension adds one-click reading of articles, PDFs and Google Docs. See read aloud in Chrome on a Mac.
In Word
With Office 2019, Office 2021 or Microsoft 365, choose Review, then Read Aloud. See read aloud in Word on a Mac.
Free plans of reading apps
- ElevenReader: 10 hours of audio a month, 1,000+ voices, up to 4x speed, in the browser and Chrome extension on a Mac.
- NaturalReader: unlimited basic voices plus 20,000 characters a day of Lite AI voices. No MP3 export or OCR on the free plan.
- TTSReader: unlimited free voices in its web player, and 5,000 characters of premium AI voices. Personal, non-commercial use only.
Cloud readers send the text you give them to their servers to generate speech. Speak selection doesn't.
When paying is worth it
People pay for voices they can listen to for an hour, for document libraries and scanning, or for reading that's quick and private across every app. SpeechBee, which we make, reads selected text in any Mac app with natural voices that run on your Mac, and adds dictation. After 7 days free it's $79 a year or $99 once.
Natural voices, on your Mac. 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
Does Mac have free text to speech?
Yes. Speak selection is built into macOS. Turn it on in System Settings, Accessibility, Read & Speak, then press Option-Esc on selected text.
What is the best free text to speech with natural voices?
ElevenReader's free plan gives 10 hours a month of AI voices. NaturalReader's gives 20,000 characters a day of its Lite AI voices.
Is free text to speech private?
Speak selection runs on your Mac. Online readers and cloud voices send your text to their servers; check each privacy policy.
Can I save text to speech as an MP3 for free?
Not with Speak selection. NaturalReader exports MP3 on paid plans. TTSReader's web player offers MP3 export; check its free-plan terms first.
Keep reading
- The best text to speech apps for Mac
- How to make your Mac read text aloud
- Online text to speech vs a Mac app
Sources
All checked on 12 October 2026.