There are plenty of apps that will read to you, but ElevenReader takes it to another level. This new text-to-speech app can narrate your favorite books, articles, or even your own documents in some of the most recognizable voices in history.
The app, created by the AI company ElevenLabs, works on both iPhone and Android devices. All you do is paste in text, upload a PDF, or connect it to your saved articles. From there, you can choose a voice. Some are brand new creations generated by AI, while others are licensed recreations of real people.
The “Iconic Voices” collection includes Burt Reynolds, Sir Laurence Olivier, James Dean, Judy Garland, and Maya Angelou. Each one is remarkably realistic.
To try it out, I uploaded one of my own news scripts —a story about gadgets for college students —and selected Maya Angelou’s voice. When the AI read, “Laptop screens won’t cut it with multiple projects going on at the same time, a portable monitor can be a game changer,” it sounded like she was delivering the line herself.
What makes this technology stand out is its ability to handle language naturally. The AI does not use old recordings. Instead, it has been trained on hours of audio to mimic the tone, cadence, and personality of each speaker. When the app reaches a question, the voice automatically adjusts with the proper inflection. So when I read the line, “Noisy dorms? You bet,” it sounded conversational, not robotic.
The experience is surprisingly lifelike and far beyond the stiff, mechanical narration that older apps produce. In fact, it is one of the most impressive AI apps I have tested.
Subscriptions for ElevenReader start at ten dollars a month. The company says it is working to add even more well-known voices in the coming months. Whether you want to listen to a novel, an article, or even your own notes, ElevenReader offers a way to hear them read by some of the most iconic voices in history.
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