About Read Aloud
Read Aloud is the extension we would try first if you want a page read to you. One click on the toolbar icon reads the current article aloud, or only your selected text if you have highlighted some. Its code is public on GitHub, and it is published by LSD Software.
The free voices are the ones built into your browser and operating system, and the developer's privacy policy says speech made with them is created locally and never sent to the internet. You can change voice, speed and pitch and turn on highlighting. It reads PDFs, Google Docs and, through a companion extension, EPUB files. Optional cloud voices are available for readers who want a more natural sound.
The trade-off is privacy and polish. When you pick one of the developer's premium voices you must sign in, the text is sent to its cloud server for synthesis, and it may be cached briefly; the policy says it is not permanently stored or shared with third parties. Free voices vary by device, and the interface is functional rather than slick. For most people, this is the one to start with.
Pros and cons
- Free standard voices run on your device, with no account
- Open source, with a small footprint (about 330 KB)
- Reads web pages, PDFs, Google Docs and EPUB
- Works in Chrome, Firefox and Edge
- Standard voices depend on your browser and system and can sound robotic
- Premium voices need a sign-in and send text to a cloud server
- Interface is plain compared with Speechify
Permissions
It uses the active tab and a context menu to read the page you choose, plus storage for your settings. Access to all websites is optional, and an identity permission supports the sign-in for premium voices.
