Free Web
Free source (opens in a new tab)
Forever
For: Light use
Limits
- 20 minutes of listening/day
- 3 AI explains/day
1 more
- Up to 1.25x speed
Includes
- Standard AI voices
- All sites, Kindle, PDF, ChatGPT
1 more
- Upload PDF/Word/TXT
Audio & voiceDocumented overviewLast checked Sep 29, 2026
CastReader: Pricing, Features & Best Use Cases
Read-aloud and AI explain tool for web pages, PDFs and Kindle books with synced highlighting, via browser extension and mobile app.
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Our take: Choose CastReader if you want web pages, PDFs and Kindle books read aloud with word-synced highlighting and optional AI explanations, free at 20 minutes a day.
Main limitation: Free is capped at 20 minutes of listening and 3 AI explains per day, and cloned-voice playback is limited to 120 minutes a month even on Pro.
Who should use CastReader
Choose CastReader if you want web pages, PDFs and Kindle books read aloud with word-synced highlighting and optional AI explanations, free at 20 minutes a day. Based on the vendor's documentation, not on a hands-on test.
Best for: Kindle readers who want audio on the go
Also a good fit for
- Students and readers with ADHD or dyslexia
- Developers needing voice-cloning TTS
Consider another tool if free plan capped at 20 minutes of listening and 3 AI explains per day
Or if
- Free playback speed limited to 1.25x
- Cloned-voice playback limited to 120 minutes per membership month even on Pro
CastReader pricing and usage limits
Prices checked Sep 29, 2026 on the official US pricing page. Official pricing ↗ Prices and limits change often.
Free access and trial conditions
Free tier without an account.
3-day free trial on Pro; API 3,000 trial characters.
Paid plans: what changes as you upgrade
Pro Web
$4.99 source (opens in a new tab)
Monthly
For: Heavy readers
Limits
- No daily listening cap
- Cloned voice 120 min/month
Includes
- Full ebooks and long PDFs
- More premium voices up to 3x
1 more
- 3-day free trial
Pro Yearly Web
$35.99 source (opens in a new tab)
Yearly, annual commitment
For: Long-term readers
Limits
- Same as Pro
Includes
- About $3.00/month
- 3-day free trial
Voice API Web
$8 per 1M characters source (opens in a new tab)
Usage
For: Developers
Limits
- 3,000 trial characters per account
Includes
- TTS and private voice cloning in 10 languages
API included
Usage caps, credits and extra costs
Voice API billed separately.
Payments by Stripe.
What is CastReader, and how does it work?
CastReader reads web pages, PDFs, Kindle books and AI chat answers aloud with word-synced highlighting and auto-scroll in nine languages. Its Read & Explain mode narrates a difficult passage, explains it and marks the relevant points on the page. It ships as a Chrome, Edge and Firefox extension, a Mac app enabling a Safari extension, and iPhone/iPad and Android apps focused on Kindle listening with background playback. A free tier allows 20 minutes of listening and 3 AI explains per day without an account. Pro removes the daily caps, unlocks full ebooks and premium voices up to 3x speed, and lets users apply private cloned voices for 120 minutes per month. A separate Voice API offers text-to-speech and voice cloning for developers.
What you provide and what you get back
You provide
- Web pages, PDFs, Word and TXT uploads
- Kindle, WeChat Read and O'Reilly books
- AI chat answers (ChatGPT, Claude)
You get back
- Narrated audio with word highlighting and auto-scroll
- On-page AI explanations with annotations
- MP3/WAV from the Voice API
Where you can use it
- Platforms
- Web, Desktop, Mobile, API
- Account
- Not required
- Languages
- 9 for reading, 10 for API
- Platforms
- Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, iOS, Android
- Speed
- 1.25x Free, 3x Pro
- Voice cloning
- Authorized voices only, 120 min/month
What people use CastReader for
Scenarios are worked out by our editors from the documentation; the actual result depends on your input and plan.
Listening to Kindle books on a phone with synced highlighting
- Who
- Commuters and audiobook-style readers
- You provide
- A Kindle book
- Expected result
- Chapter-by-chapter narration with background playback on the phone app
- Plan needed
- Pro for full ebooks
- Limitation
- Free hits the 20-minute daily cap source (opens in a new tab)
Reading long articles and PDFs aloud in the browser
- Who
- People with focus difficulties
- You provide
- A long article or PDF
- Expected result
- Read-aloud with highlighted lines and auto-scroll
- Plan needed
- Free
- Limitation
- Speed up to 1.25x on Free source (opens in a new tab)
Getting difficult passages explained while reading
- Who
- Students
- You provide
- A difficult passage
- Expected result
- Read & Explain narration with highlighted key points
- Plan needed
- 3 per day Free; unlimited on Pro
- Limitation
- Explains are capped on Free source (opens in a new tab)
CastReader features and their limits
Read aloud with word-synced highlighting and auto-scroll
Reads supported sites and documents aloud with word-synced highlighting and auto-scroll in nine languages. Follow along with eyes and ears.
Read & Explain with on-page annotations
Read & Explain narrates a hard passage, explains it and marks points on the page. Understand while reading.
Kindle Cloud Reader and mobile Kindle support
Creates personal voices and applies them to Read and Explain. Own-voice narration.
Private voice cloning for local documents
A Voice API provides text-to-speech and private voice cloning in 10 languages via REST. Embed speech in apps.
CastReader pros and cons
Where CastReader is strong
- Free use requires no account You can start without sign-up. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- Available as browser extensions plus iOS and Android apps Works where you already read. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- 3-day free trial on Pro, 7-day-style cancel anytime via Stripe Low cost for heavy readers. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- Pro Yearly at $35.99 works out to about $3/month documented source (opens in a new tab)
Limitations to check before paying
- Free plan capped at 20 minutes of listening and 3 AI explains per day Heavy listeners must pay. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- Free playback speed limited to 1.25x Voice cloning minutes run out. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- Cloned-voice playback limited to 120 minutes per membership month even on Pro API use needs a separate billing relationship. documented source (opens in a new tab)
- Voice API billed separately from reading plans documented source (opens in a new tab)
How to use CastReader for listening to a long article with highlighted text
Set up CastReader
- Install the CastReader extension for Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Open the page, PDF or Kindle Cloud Reader book.
- Press play to start narration.
- Pick a voice and speed (1.25x max on Free).
Example: listening to a long article with highlighted text
- Open a long article.
- Start listening and let it auto-scroll.
- Select a hard paragraph and use Read & Explain.
- Read the on-page annotations.
Review and export the result
- Check the highlight follows the spoken word.
- Watch the remaining free minutes.
- Confirm playback continues in the background on the phone app.
CastReader integrations and API
Native integrations and export formats
Export: MP3, WAV (Voice API)
API access and separate billing
CastReader has no public API in its official documentation. Developer preview with verified identity.
Privacy, data use and commercial rights
Summarized from the vendor's current policies; this is not legal advice and a vendor's badge is not an independent audit.
How your inputs and outputs are handled
Processes the content needed for the reading or explanation requested.
Commercial use and plan restrictions
Applying cloned voices requires Pro.
Policies: castreader.com/privacy
Best CastReader alternatives for different needs
"Better suited" is based on documented features and pricing, not on a head-to-head test.
ElevenLabs: better suited to
Otter.ai: better suited to
Descript: better suited to
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM): better suited to
| Alternative | When to choose it | Pricing | Limitation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | — | — | Compare | |
| Otter.ai | — | — | Compare | |
| Descript | — | — | ||
| Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) | — | — |
Explore CastReader further
Related to CastReader
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Guides and comparisons
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CastReader FAQ
Do I need an account?
Free use needs no account; your device uses a random ID until you upgrade. source (opens in a new tab)
How are personal-voice minutes counted?
Only the duration of successfully generated cloned audio counts; failed or cancelled requests do not. source (opens in a new tab)
What happens when voice minutes run out?
Your voice stays saved, the reset date is shown and you can choose a standard voice. source (opens in a new tab)
What does Pro cost?
$4.99 per month or $35.99 per year, with a 3-day free trial. source (opens in a new tab)
How much does the Voice API cost?
$8 per 1M characters, with 3,000 trial characters per account. source (opens in a new tab)
Sources and review methodology
Official sources and verification dates
- CastReader homepage homepage · checked Oct 1, 2026
- Pricing pricing · checked Oct 1, 2026
Not verified: Privacy policy body; Data retention.
How we documented and maintain this page
Every fact about CastReader above comes from the 2 official pages listed here, last compared on Sep 29, 2026; we have not run CastReader ourselves, so it has no editorial score. How we check and re-check pages.
Article updated Oct 10, 2026; prices checked Sep 29, 2026. Outbound links to vendors are plain links; we do not earn commissions. How we review · Report an error