Is Speechify Premium Worth it? An Honest Review | March 2023 |

Logic With Julia
14 Mar 202312:32

TLDRSpeechify Premium is a reading app that converts text into speech, ideal for reading documents, books, and web pages. The app offers a three-day free trial with premium voice options, but the annual subscription of $69.99 is a one-time payment, not monthly. Users report high-quality, human-like voices, but may experience glitches with text recognition, especially from curved book pages. Despite minor issues, the app is praised for its ability to speed up reading and enhance the study experience, making it a valuable tool for those who prefer auditory learning.

Takeaways

  • 📚 Speechify is an app that reads aloud text from various sources such as images, documents, and web pages.
  • 🔍 Users can copy and paste text, scan pages, or import documents from various storage platforms to have them read out loud.
  • 🗣️ The app offers a selection of premium voices, which are more natural-sounding compared to the basic robotic voice.
  • 💡 A three-day free trial is available, giving users access to premium voices and features of the app.
  • 💳 The app's premium subscription costs a one-time annual fee of $69.99, which may be a surprise to users expecting a monthly payment plan.
  • 🤔 The payment transaction may show the CEO's name rather than the company's name, which could cause confusion for some users.
  • 📸 For optimal reading, users must take clear, well-aligned photos of pages, especially when scanning from books.
  • 🔍 The app may misread text if the scanned image includes page curves or if words are split across lines.
  • 🌗 The app has a dark mode feature, but it doesn't automatically adjust the text color for better visibility in dark themes.
  • 🎉 Despite some glitches and issues, the app is praised for its ability to speed up reading and make studying more engaging.
  • 👍 The reviewer recommends Speechify, highlighting its usefulness in educational settings and for those who prefer listening to reading.

Q & A

  • What is the primary function of the Speechify app?

    -The primary function of the Speechify app is to read aloud any text, document, or book by taking a picture or importing it from various sources such as Google Drive or a computer.

  • How does the Speechify app handle different text inputs?

    -Speechify can handle text inputs by allowing users to copy and paste text, scan pages from books, paste web links, or import documents from various storage services.

  • What are the voice options available in Speechify?

    -Speechify offers a range of voices, including premium voices that are more human-like, which are accessible during the three-day free trial or with a premium subscription.

  • What was the reviewer's experience with the Speechify subscription payment process?

    -The reviewer was under the impression that the payment would be monthly, but instead, it was a one-time annual payment of $69.99. The charge on their bank account showed the CEO's name instead of the company's name, which was confusing.

  • How does Speechify handle scanned pages from books?

    -Speechify reads scanned pages, but it requires clear and perfectly aligned images to avoid misreading lines or numbers that appear due to the curvature of the book pages.

  • What issues did the reviewer encounter with the Speechify app?

    -The reviewer encountered issues such as mispronunciation when words were chopped in half and carried to the next line, and glitches when switching voices or reading curved pages.

  • How does the Speechify app assist with reading large books?

    -The Speechify app can speed up the process of reading large books by reading them aloud, allowing users to follow along and finish the books more quickly.

  • What is the reviewer's opinion on the Speechify app's value for money?

    -The reviewer believes that despite some issues, the Speechify app is worth the money due to its ability to enhance the reading experience and make studying more efficient.

  • Does Speechify have a dark mode feature?

    -Yes, Speechify has a dark mode feature that can be enabled in the settings under the appearance section.

  • What are some tips for scanning pages with Speechify?

    -To scan pages effectively with Speechify, users should ensure the pages are flat, well-lit, and free of any lines or curvature that might cause misreading.

  • How does the Speechify app handle text copied from scanned pages?

    -When copying text from scanned pages, Speechify allows users to paste it into the app. However, there might be issues with visibility in dark mode, as the text color may not change to ensure readability.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Discovering Speechify App

The speaker introduces an app called Speechify, which reads aloud text from documents, images, or web pages. The app allows users to copy text, scan pages, paste web links, or import files from various sources. The user highlights the app's ability to read books and documents, and mentions a three-day free trial that grants access to premium voices. However, they express surprise at the app's annual subscription fee of $69.99, which they mistakenly thought would be a monthly payment. The user also notes an oddity with the payment charge appearing under the CEO's name instead of the company's name, causing initial confusion.

05:00

🔍 Scanning and Reading Documents with Speechify

The speaker discusses the process of using Speechify to scan and read documents, emphasizing the need for clear and well-aligned images to avoid misreadings. They mention that the app struggles with curved pages from books and that the scanned text sometimes misinterprets lines as numbers. The user also points out issues with text being cut off or mispronounced when words are split between lines. Despite these issues, the speaker finds the app useful for speeding up reading, especially for lengthy books, and appreciates the ability to switch voices and adjust reading speed.

10:01

🌟 Pros and Cons of Speechify

The speaker concludes by sharing both the pros and cons of Speechify. They appreciate the app's ability to speed up their reading process, especially for homeschool curriculum and topics they find less engaging. The user also likes the option to adjust the reading speed and the app's dark mode feature. However, they caution about the app's glitches, such as skipping lines and mispronouncing words due to poor image quality or text alignment. The speaker recommends the app but advises users to be aware of its limitations and the annual subscription fee.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Speechify

Speechify is an application that can read aloud text from various sources such as images, documents, or web pages. It is central to the video's theme as the reviewer discusses its functionality and value. For example, the script mentions, 'Speechify which is really great, because it reads everything you either, take a picture of or any document that, you need to be read out loud it reads it, to you.'

💡Text-to-Speech

Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology is the process by which a computer program converts written text into audible speech. In the context of the video, TTS is the core functionality of the Speechify app, allowing users to listen to the content instead of reading it. The reviewer demonstrates this by showing how the app reads a book: '...it reads it to you so I'll give you an example this is, an example of a book that I actually was, reading.'

💡Premium Voices

Premium voices refer to high-quality, more natural-sounding voice options within the Speechify app that are available to premium subscribers. The reviewer contrasts these with the default robotic voice and finds the premium voices worth the subscription cost: '...you get access to the more premium voices which, if without paying you get like a very, robotic voice.'

💡Subscription Model

A subscription model is a business strategy where customers pay a periodic fee to have access to a product or service. The video discusses Speechify's subscription model, where the reviewer was under the impression of a monthly payment but found out it was a one-time annual fee: '...I was under the impression it was kind, of like a subscription where you pay pay, it monthly and I I wasn't aware that I, had to pay the whole 69.99 all at once, for the year.'

💡OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

OCR is a technology that allows the conversion of various types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files, or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data. The script describes how Speechify uses OCR to read text from scanned pages: '...any document need to be read, you can scan Pages you can paste a web, link or you can import something from, your computer from Google Drive your, phone anything and it will read it to, you.'

💡Voice Selection

Voice selection is the feature within Speechify that allows users to choose from a variety of voices for the text-to-speech functionality. The reviewer highlights this feature, noting that premium voices sound more human-like: '...now I got the three day free, trial I tried that out and so you get, access to the more premium voices which, if without paying you get like a very, robotic voice.'

💡Free Trial

A free trial is a period during which users can use a service or product for free to evaluate its usefulness before deciding to subscribe or purchase. The script mentions Speechify's three-day free trial, which the reviewer took advantage of to test the app's features: '...you can select, any of the voices a three-day free trial, and they do give you a reminder that, you're going to start paying for it.'

💡User Interface

User interface (UI) refers to the space where interactions between humans and machines occur, including the design of computer-operated devices. The video script describes the UI of Speechify, particularly the dark mode feature that the reviewer found to be problematic due to visibility issues: '...the app has the option to go into dark, mode so once you go up here and so you, go to settings appearance and you put, let's say in app you're doing Dark theme, for everything right, so then you go and you want to hey I, want to paste and text something it says, pasted text from your clipboard but you, can't see anything.'

💡Reading Speed

Reading speed is the rate at which a person reads and comprehends text. The video discusses the app's adjustable reading speed, which the reviewer finds too fast at the default setting and prefers a slower pace: '...I'm going to play it for you so you can, see how fast this is, to me that's too fast and also again, this problem we're skipping around the, page again because it can't figure out, because of this scanned image.'

💡Glitches

A glitch is a fault in a system or software that produces an incorrect or unexpected result. The reviewer mentions glitches in Speechify when it misreads or skips lines in a document, particularly when scanning pages from a book: '...but sometimes you have these, moments where it glitches so again, um this app is, 69.99 annually you get there's a three, day free trials going on now I don't, know how long that lasts but um it's it, seems like it's well worth it I feel, like especially for one of the things we, use for our homeschool curriculum this, is really great for studying it makes, things go faster.'

Highlights

Speechify is an app that reads aloud any text or document, either by scanning or uploading.

Users can copy and paste text, scan pages, or import documents from various sources for Speechify to read.

Speechify offers a three-day free trial with access to premium voices, enhancing the reading experience.

The app's premium voice feature is a significant upgrade from the default robotic voice.

The annual subscription costs $69.99, which was a surprise to the reviewer as they expected a monthly payment.

Charges for the subscription appear under the CEO's name, which was confusing for the reviewer.

Speechify's voices are described as sounding very human, making the reading experience pleasant.

The app can misinterpret text if scanned pages are not perfectly aligned or edited.

Users need to ensure that scanned pages are flat and clear to avoid misreading by the app.

Speechify can struggle with reading text that is split across lines on a page.

The app offers a dark mode feature, but it has a flaw where pasted text is not visible on a dark background.

Speechify is praised for its ability to read lengthy books quickly, aiding in speeding up the reading process.

The app can be beneficial for those who get easily distracted or bored while reading.

Speechify allows users to adjust the reading speed to their preference.

The reviewer recommends Speechify for its ability to make studying and reading more engaging.

Despite some glitches and issues, the overall review of Speechify is positive, highlighting its usefulness.

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