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Add to SafariWhen comparing Voice Dream Reader vs Capti Voice, the Slant community recommends Capti Voice for most people. In the question“What is the best text to speech software for Mac and iOS?” Capti Voice is ranked 1st while Voice Dream Reader is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose Capti Voice is:
You can use it on any internet enabled device. Desktop Mac and Windows versions uses your default browser and java to drive a webapp. On linux you'll have to straight up use the website or run a virtual machine. On the Mac and Windows the "desktop app" is more than just a shortcut to the website. Disconnect your wifi and close your default browser (set to clear cookies, offline data, active logins, cache, site preferences, browsing and download history). Upon launching the application again, the default web browser should open, the document should still be there and the webapp should still function. Everything needed is stored locally somewhere.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Easy to follow along with your eyes
If you look at the screen while the app is reading, the text scrolls and emphasizes the sentence and the individual words as they are read, kinda like high quality karaoke lyrics.
Pro Imported document (PDF, ePub, Doc, Mobi, TXT) is displayed in an easy to read, nicely arranged format.
VDR arranges most documents you import into a clean, easy to read format that is customizable. Can control the size of margins, select from several fonts & adjust the size, change text, background & highlight colours. Can swipe and view text in original layout/format or view as plain text and lose all the formatting for a simpler view of material.
Pro Dropbox source
By being able to connect to Dropbox in the Voice Dream Reader app, you can open and read books that are stored in your Dropbox account.
Pro Highlighting text
Allows highlighting text on the fly.
Pro Inexpensive
Compared to the alternatives, this is a cheap solution.
Pro Very efficient voices
Pro Has the best share implementation I've seen on iOS
Voice Dream Reader has a share sheet extension for iOS. When you use it, there are three options, you can save in Aritcle format (text and images), PDF format, and Full Text format. and it will show you a preview of what it will look like so you know what to expect.
Pro Has OCR companion app
Here.
Pro Instant pickup
Just click on a new page or new paragraph to skip boring sections. Also, allows speed increments changes to a very small accurate degree - i.e. to read at the right speed.
Pro Reflows PDF text content as plain text
This feature lets you read along beautifully and in the focused and pac man modes. Great for studying purposes.
Pro Semi-Desktop and Webapp versions make it pretty much crossplatform
You can use it on any internet enabled device. Desktop Mac and Windows versions uses your default browser and java to drive a webapp. On linux you'll have to straight up use the website or run a virtual machine. On the Mac and Windows the "desktop app" is more than just a shortcut to the website.
Disconnect your wifi and close your default browser (set to clear cookies, offline data, active logins, cache, site preferences, browsing and download history). Upon launching the application again, the default web browser should open, the document should still be there and the webapp should still function. Everything needed is stored locally somewhere.
Pro Supports many formats
Supported formats include: Adobe PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Plain and Rich text (.txt, .rtf), EPUB books (.epub), OpenDocument (.odt, .odp), DAISY books (.zip).
Pro Offers a one week premium plan trial
This is enough time to know whether the upgrade or product on the whole make sense for the user.
Pro Has shortcuts to get around easier
Here's the link to shortcuts on the FAQ webpage.
Pro Limited free account available
For feature differences and limitations of the free version visit captivoice.com
Pro Intelligent dictionary lookup
You can look up translations and definitions of words and phrases. Capti will automatically take into account the part of speech of a word and its use in the sentence to generate the most correct translation and definition.
Pro Very useful in schools
Capti is very easy to use in a school setting: there's a special organization account features for managing students, sharing content with students, monitoring student activity, etc.
Pro Offers very high quality voices on all platforms, including online
When using Capti on iOS, Windows or Mac you can download very high quality voices.
Cons
Con Ugly interface
The interface is ugly and not well thought out. For instance, putting items in folders removes the details from the list and replaces it with the name of the folder. Also, adding folder names has an ugly double popup.
Con Cannot read via OCR
If you have image based PDFs for example, this won't be able to read it, at least not without pre processing with other OCR software before exporting/uploading to Dream Reader. That being said, VoiceDream Reader now has a companion app to make OCR > Voice Dream Reader very simple and easy. Visit this link.
Con Can't play DRM protected content
Con Few voices
When bought, a voice package from the iOS App Store, as part of a package with voice writer & voice dream, had over 20 voices/accents, now there are only 2 voices.
Con Inconvenient to use
Says it is free, then takes you to the iTunes page to pay, Capti does recognize accounts set up through iTunes, to change voices you pay, to open a pdf to read you have to buy coins to use.
Con Very disappointing
Advertising say great things, reality is much different.
Con Does not automatically sync
Capti Narrator does not automatically sync additions from local files to playlists on the hybrid desktop/webapp client, only if you add them to a cloud storage.
Con Free account somewhat limited
10 MB per document/ ebook
No images
No access to view the original layout for PDFs
No annotation features
Searching limited to current document, not globally
Only one playlist allowed
No access to translation features
No access to a word/vocabulary game
Con Desktop Version for the Mac Depends on Web Browser
Only available as fully native apps for iOS and Windows. The client on the Mac uses your default web browser and java to function.
Con Can't move documents freely between different playlists
On iPhone and iPad, users have to delete and re-add documents if they wish to transfer an item from one playlist to another playlist.
Con No Linux desktop version
Website or running a virtual machine will have to do for readers on Linux distros.
Con Subscription service
$1.99 / month or 9.99 / 6 months.
Con Mac version routinely fails to start
Users on the Mac frequently have to bring up the Activity Monitor, quit Capti View, and open it again to get it to load.
