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ElevenLabs Reader (ElevenReader) is the official free text-to-speech app at elevenreader.io that reads books, PDFs, articles and web pages aloud in 1,000+ voices across 90+ languages. The Free plan ($0/mo) includes 10 hours of text-to-audio per month — about a 400-page book. Ultra ($11/mo or $8.25/mo billed annually) adds unlimited listening (checked 4 Nov 2026).
Best for: Readers who want any text — books, PDFs, articles, web pages — read aloud in natural voices on phone or web.
Not for: Creators producing voiceovers for publication — the main ElevenLabs platform with its studio voices and commercial licensing is the right tool there.
Starting price: $0/mo (Free, 10 hours/month) or $11/mo (Ultra) (checked 4 Nov 2026).
What ElevenLabs Reader is
ElevenLabs Reader — branded ElevenReader at elevenreader.io — is ElevenLabs’ official consumer listening app. The pitch is simple: “Listen to anything in voices you’ll love.” Point it at a book, a PDF, an article or a web link and it reads the text aloud in one of 1,000+ natural-sounding voices, with narrators in 90+ languages. It also includes 200,000+ audiobooks, so it doubles as an audiobook library.
Reader is separate from the main ElevenLabs creator platform (elevenlabs.io). The creator platform sells credits for TTS, voice cloning, dubbing and agents; Reader is a listening app with its own Free and Ultra plans. If you want the creator side, see our ElevenLabs free plan guide for how the main platform’s free tier works.
Reader’s pitch works because it removes friction: no audio editing, no exporting, no production decisions. You add text and press play. That simplicity is also its boundary — everything in the app is optimized for listening, from the sleep timer to the 4.0x speed cap, rather than for creating publishable audio.
How to use ElevenReader: step by step
Getting started takes minutes. Here is the flow, with what each step uses from your plan:
- Install the app or open the web version. Get ElevenReader on iOS or Android, add the Chrome extension, or just use the web app at elevenreader.io. Cost: 0 hours — the Free plan costs $0/mo (checked 4 Nov 2026).
- Create your free account. Sign up so your library, voices and progress sync between web and mobile. Cost: 0 hours.
- Add something to listen to. Import a PDF, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown or TXT file, paste a web link, or pick from the 200,000+ included audiobooks. Cost: 0 hours to import.
- Pick a voice. Browse 1,000+ voices and narrators in 90+ languages until one fits the material. Cost: 0 hours to preview.
- Press play and adjust. Speeds up to 4.0x, sleep timer and bookmarks are built in. Cost: listening time counts against your plan — 10 hours/month on Free, unlimited on Ultra ($11/mo or $8.25/mo billed annually) (checked 4 Nov 2026).
Reader Free vs Ultra
Two plans, both priced on the official page (checked 4 Nov 2026). Free is genuinely useful; Ultra removes the caps:
| Free ($0/mo) | Ultra ($11/mo or $8.25/mo billed annually) | |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-audio | 10 hours/month (~400-page book) | Unlimited |
| Voices | 1,000+ voices | 1,000+ voices plus custom voices |
| Audiobooks | Thousands of free titles | 200K+ premium audiobooks; 20 hours premium titles/month |
| Sync | Web and mobile sync | Web and mobile sync |
| Listening features | 4.0x speed, sleep timer, bookmarks | Same, plus offline downloads |
| Imports | Standard | 24h/day imports, smart file imports |
| Support | Standard | Priority support |
No credit card is required for the Free plan. If you hit the 10-hour monthly ceiling regularly, Ultra at $11/mo (or $8.25/mo billed annually) is the upgrade — the annual billing saves roughly 25% versus monthly.
Students and commuters get the most from Free: a few articles and a book chapter a day fits comfortably inside 10 hours. Podcast-style power listeners — several hours daily — will hit the ceiling in the first week and should price Ultra against that habit.
Formats, voices and platforms
Reader accepts PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown and TXT files, plus pasted web links — covering ebooks, documents, articles and anything you can link to. Playback works on iOS, Android, the Chrome extension and the web app, with your library synced across all of them.
The 1,000+ voices span 90+ languages, so non-English material is well covered. Voice previews are free, so try several narrators on your actual content before settling — the right voice makes a long listen dramatically more pleasant.
Getting the most from the 10 free hours
Ten hours a month is generous but finite — roughly a 400-page book, per the official page. Stretch it with these habits:
- Listen at 1.25x–1.5x for non-fiction. Comprehension holds and your hours stretch 25–50%.
- Use bookmarks instead of re-listening. Jump back to marked spots rather than replaying whole chapters.
- Reserve the app for reading you would otherwise skip. Articles, long PDFs and newsletters are perfect.
- Preview voices quickly. Find your narrator in minutes, not hours, so previews do not eat listening time.
Reader vs the main ElevenLabs platform
Do not confuse the two. Here is the split:
| ElevenLabs Reader | ElevenLabs platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Listening: hear any text read aloud | Creating: generate voiceovers, clones, dubs |
| Audience | Readers, students, commuters | Creators, developers, teams |
| Pricing | Free $0 / Ultra $11/mo (checked 4 Nov 2026) | Free $0 (10,000 credits/mo) to Pro $99/mo (checked 4 Nov 2026) |
| Voices | 1,000+ listening voices | Voice library, cloning, design |
| Output rights | Personal listening | Commercial use per plan terms |
If your goal is publishing voiceovers — YouTube narration, audiobooks for sale, client work — use the main platform, not Reader. Reader is for consumption: turning text you want to hear into audio you enjoy.
The confusion is understandable: both carry the ElevenLabs name and both turn text into speech. The dividing line is direction — Reader turns text into audio for your ears; the platform turns text into audio for your audience. If money or publishing is involved, you are on the platform side of that line.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Generous free tier: 10 hours of listening a month — about a 400-page book — for $0.
- 1,000+ voices and 90+ languages cover most material and most listeners.
- 200,000+ included audiobooks plus your own file and link imports.
- Syncs across iOS, Android, Chrome extension and web.
Cons
- 10 free hours run out fast for heavy daily listeners.
- Not a creation tool — you cannot export production voiceovers from Reader.
- Ultra’s premium audiobook hours are capped at 20/month even on unlimited listening.
- Two separate ElevenLabs products with separate plans can confuse newcomers.
Who should NOT use ElevenLabs Reader
Skip Reader if you need to produce and publish audio — narrated videos, audiobooks for sale, client voiceovers — because Reader is a listening app, not a studio, and its output is for personal use. Skip it too if you listen more than 10 hours a month and will not pay for Ultra, or if you need full control over pronunciation and delivery for production work.
Frequently asked questions
What is ElevenLabs Reader?
ElevenLabs Reader (ElevenReader) is the official free text-to-speech app at elevenreader.io. It reads books, Kindle titles, PDFs, articles and web pages aloud in 1,000+ natural voices across 90+ languages, and includes 200,000+ audiobooks.
Is ElevenLabs Reader really free?
Yes. The Free plan costs $0/mo with no credit card required and includes 10 hours of text-to-audio per month — roughly a 400-page book — plus 1,000+ voices, thousands of free audiobooks and web/mobile sync. Ultra ($11/mo or $8.25/mo billed annually) adds unlimited listening (checked 4 Nov 2026).
What can I listen to in Reader?
Your own files (PDF, DOCX, EPUB, Markdown, TXT), pasted web links, and 200,000+ included audiobooks. Import from the app or the web version and your library syncs across iOS, Android, the Chrome extension and web.
How is Reader different from elevenlabs.io?
Reader (elevenreader.io) is a listening app for personal use with Free and Ultra plans. The main ElevenLabs platform (elevenlabs.io) is a creator toolkit — TTS, voice cloning, dubbing, agents — billed in credits from Free ($0, 10,000 credits/mo) to Pro ($99/mo, 600,000 credits/mo), checked 4 Nov 2026.
Can I use Reader voices for my YouTube videos?
No — Reader is for personal listening, not production. For publishable voiceovers, use the main ElevenLabs platform, whose paid plans carry commercial terms. Generating content with Reader voices for publication violates its intended use.
Can I share my Reader library with family?
Reader syncs your library across your own devices via your account — iOS, Android, Chrome extension and web. It is a personal account, not a family plan: sharing login credentials violates the terms, and there is no official family or multi-user tier on the Free or Ultra plans.
Does Reader work offline?
Offline downloads are an Ultra feature ($11/mo or $8.25/mo billed annually, checked 4 Nov 2026). The Free plan streams — fine on Wi-Fi or data, but download-dependent listening needs the upgrade.
Sources checked
- https://elevenreader.io/ — official ElevenReader page: Free/Ultra plans, 10 hours, 1,000+ voices, 200,000+ audiobooks, formats, platforms (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- https://elevenlabs.io/ — official ElevenLabs homepage: 90+ languages, creator platform (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Last updated 4 Nov 2026. Prices checked on elevenreader.io on that date; confirm at checkout.