ReadSpeaker webReader is one of the best known ways to add a listen button to a website. It is also sold the way enterprise software is sold: it is licensed annually to organisations, there is no free tier or consumer plan, and you talk to sales for a quote. That suits universities, public bodies and large companies. It is more process than a blogger, a small publisher or a marketing team usually wants for a play button on their articles.

This guide explains what ReadSpeaker webReader offers, then compares six alternatives on setup, voices, WordPress support and how each one is priced. Every competitor detail below was checked on the vendor’s own website on September 25, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor’s page before you buy.

The Short Answer

  • WebsiteVoice if you want a self-serve listen button for a blog or publication, set up in minutes with one script line or a WordPress plugin.
  • Trinity Audio if you are a publisher that wants audio ads, sponsored intros or a homepage playlist, with a small self-serve plan to start.
  • BeyondWords if you run a newsroom and want voice cloning, playlists and detailed listening analytics, and you are happy to go through a demo.
  • ElevenLabs Audio Native if you already pay for ElevenLabs and want its voices on your pages.
  • GSpeech if you want several player styles and a free plan with machine voices.
  • ResponsiveVoice if you want a free plan with branding and are happy with speech generated live in the browser rather than audio files.

What ReadSpeaker webReader Offers

ReadSpeaker webReader adds a Listen button to your website so visitors can hear your content read aloud in 50+ languages. It goes well beyond a play button:

  • Reading along: words and sentences highlighted at the same time as they are read, and click and listen from any paragraph
  • Reading aids: Text Mode with 12 colour combinations and 5 fonts, a Page Mask that isolates one line at a time, and enlarged text
  • Language help: translation of a selected passage, and a dictionary with spoken pronunciations
  • Player options: MP3 download of any article, a fully keyboard-accessible player, and highlight colours saved for each reader
  • For site owners: a Customer Portal with a pronunciation dictionary for each licensed language, usage statistics and control of the reading area

Installation means adding two sections of HTML to your pages, and ReadSpeaker’s support team guides the setup. ReadSpeaker lists plugins for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and SharePoint, plus integrations with learning management systems such as Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard and Brightspace. It says webReader has been independently audited against WCAG 2.2 AA and is trusted by 12,000+ organisations.

On pricing, neither the webReader page nor the ReadSpeaker pricing page lists prices. ReadSpeaker Online is described as “an annual licensing fee, with variable pricing”. Websites are priced on the number of page views, and news and media sites on activations, volume of speech or page views. Complex solutions can also carry a one-time setup fee.

Why Look for a ReadSpeaker Alternative?

ReadSpeaker is a capable product. People usually look elsewhere for one of these reasons:

  1. They want to start today. A sales conversation and an annual licence slow down a small team that wants to test audio on a few articles.
  2. They want a price they can see. Pricing quoted on request makes budgeting hard before you talk to anyone.
  3. They do not need a full reading support suite. Many blogs just need a clean listen button.
  4. They need something different. That might be audio ad revenue, voice cloning or a specific voice engine.

ReadSpeaker Alternatives Compared

ToolBest forSetupWordPressPricing shown on the site (Sept 25, 2026)
WebsiteVoiceBlogs and small publishersOne script line or pluginWordPress plugin14-day free trial, then from $9/month
Trinity AudioPublishers selling audio adsSelf-integration or pluginWordPress.org pluginCreator from $5.42/month, billed annually
BeyondWordsNewsrooms and audio teamsA few lines of codeWordPress.org pluginBook a demo
ElevenLabs Audio NativeExisting ElevenLabs usersEmbed codeVia the WPCode pluginCreator plan and above; Creator $22/month
GSpeechMany player styles and platformsOne-line script or pluginWordPress.org pluginFree plan; Personal $9.99/month
ResponsiveVoiceFree, browser-based speechScript, plugin or APIWordPress.org pluginFree plan; Starter $9/month

1. WebsiteVoice

WebsiteVoice is a text-to-speech player built for bloggers and online publishers. It adds a listen button to your articles and reads them aloud with AI voices. We make WebsiteVoice, so read this section with that in mind. We have kept it to what our features page and pricing section state.

What it does:

  • Automatic Content Recognition finds the article text, so you do not need to mark it up
  • 60+ AI voices across 38 languages and accents
  • A player whose colour, style and size you can match to your site
  • A dashboard with your widget’s play statistics, and a social sharing button
  • A wv-ignore class to skip elements such as captions or ads, and a custom CSS selector if you want to set the reading area yourself
  • On the Professional plan: MP3 download for listeners, a speed control from 80% to 170%, and custom intro and outro text

Setup: sign up, customise the player and add one line of script to your site. The widget loads asynchronously, after your page is usable. On WordPress you can use the WebsiteVoice WordPress plugin instead, and the installation FAQ has guides for Squarespace, Blogger, Shopify, Wix, Webflow and Joomla.

Pricing (as shown on September 25, 2026): a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, then Starter at $9/month, Premium at $29/month or Professional at $49/month. You sign up and pay online, with no sales call.

Keep in mind: WebsiteVoice does not offer voice cloning or audio ad serving, and it has fewer reading aids than ReadSpeaker. One account covers one website. Starter does not include ad-free playback or removal of the WebsiteVoice watermark; both start on Premium. Per the installation FAQ, sites hosted on WordPress.com need a paid WordPress.com plan; the free plan does not allow plugins, so the widget cannot be added there.

2. Trinity Audio

Trinity Audio is an AI audio platform that turns articles into audio. It is aimed at publishers.

What it does:

  • A text-to-speech player with real-time translation, from the entry plan up
  • Monetisation through sponsored intros and native ads, and premium audio for subscribers
  • A homepage audio playlist of summaries and hot topics, and automated podcasts from your articles
  • Voice cloning and white-label branding on the top Brand plan

Setup: the Creator plan is self-integrated. The Trinity Audio WordPress plugin is in the WordPress.org directory.

Pricing (as shown on September 25, 2026): the Trinity Audio pricing page is priced by articles published each month. Creator starts at $5.42/month billed annually ($65 a year) from 5 articles, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Publisher starts at $999/month and Brand at $1,499/month, both through a demo.

Keep in mind: the ad and podcast tools are the main reason to choose it, and they sit on the larger plans. See Trinity Audio vs WebsiteVoice for a closer look.

3. BeyondWords

BeyondWords describes itself as an “AI audio CMS built for publishers”. It covers audio production as well as playback.

What it does:

  • Instant and professional voice cloning, plus a library of voices in 154 languages and accents
  • Pronunciation controls for names and specialist terms
  • A customisable player that meets WCAG 2, can go headless and is open source
  • Per-paragraph click to play with highlighting, and playlists
  • Analytics for listen rates, time spent and completion rates
  • Programmatic audio and video ads, or your own campaigns

Setup: a few lines of code, a built-in Ghost integration, or the BeyondWords WordPress plugin in the WordPress.org directory.

Pricing: there is no public price list. The pricing link leads to a book a demo form.

Keep in mind: BeyondWords is built for editorial teams that treat audio as a product. For a small blog it may be more tool than you need. We compare it with other options in BeyondWords alternatives.

4. ElevenLabs Audio Native

ElevenLabs Audio Native is an embedded player that voices the content of a page automatically with ElevenLabs voices.

What it does:

  • A player with configurable text and background colours, added with a small HTML snippet
  • A URL allowlist that controls which pages can play your audio
  • Pronunciation dictionaries and a listener dashboard
  • Setup guides for React, Ghost, Squarespace, Framer, Webflow, WordPress and Wix

WordPress: there is no dedicated plugin. The ElevenLabs WordPress guide uses the WPCode plugin to insert the embed code.

Pricing (as shown on September 25, 2026): Audio Native is available on the Creator plan and above. The ElevenLabs pricing page lists Creator at $22/month, with the first month at $11, and 121,000 credits.

Keep in mind: the player draws on your ElevenLabs credits, so it is best value for teams that already use ElevenLabs for other audio work.

5. GSpeech

GSpeech is a website text-to-speech tool that works on WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Joomla and any HTML site through a one-line script.

What it does:

  • Four player types: full page, button, circle and a Read Highlighted Text player
  • Machine voices in 68 languages, and an AI voice engine with 300+ voices in 98 languages on paid plans
  • Audio download, pronunciation aliases, play statistics and real-time audio translation

WordPress: a plugin in the WordPress.org directory, configured through the GSpeech Cloud Console.

Pricing (as shown on September 25, 2026): a free plan with machine voices for up to 10 sites and 50,000 credits a month. Personal is $9.99/month for one website, with an AI or machine voice option. Pro, Business and Enterprise plans are listed too.

Keep in mind: with several engines, credit rules and player types, there are more settings to work through than with a single-button player.

6. ResponsiveVoice

ResponsiveVoice generates speech in real time in the browser. It does not create MP3 or downloadable audio files.

What it does:

  • An article player with paragraph highlighting, click to jump, speed control and a sticky mini player
  • 100+ voices across 50+ languages, according to its homepage
  • A browser SDK and a REST API for developers

WordPress: the ResponsiveVoice WordPress plugin adds a Listen Button block and shortcodes for older posts and templates.

Pricing (as shown on September 25, 2026): a free plan with 1 million characters a month for one website, commercial use allowed, with ResponsiveVoice branding. Starter is $9/month and removes the branding, Pro is $49/month for up to 10 websites and Business is $149/month for up to 50. Paid plans can add usage at $5 per additional million characters.

Keep in mind: because speech is generated live, you cannot offer a downloadable audio version. We compare the two products in WebsiteVoice vs ResponsiveVoice.

When ReadSpeaker Is Still the Right Choice

ReadSpeaker is worth the sales process if you need:

  • Reading support beyond a play button, such as a page mask, text mode, a dictionary and translation of selected text
  • One vendor for your website and your learning management system
  • A procurement process with annual contracts and formal accessibility documentation

Schools, universities and public bodies often fall into this group.

How to Choose a ReadSpeaker Alternative

Answer these five questions and the shortlist usually picks itself:

  1. Do you want to buy online or through sales? WebsiteVoice, GSpeech, ResponsiveVoice and ElevenLabs are self-serve, and so is Trinity Audio’s Creator plan. BeyondWords starts with a demo.
  2. Do you need audio downloads? If listeners should be able to save articles as audio, avoid players that only generate speech live in the browser, and check which plan includes downloads.
  3. Which platform are you on? Check for a WordPress plugin or a guide for your builder. Our WordPress text-to-speech guide covers the options on WordPress.
  4. Which languages do your readers speak? Test the voices on your own articles in your main languages, not just English. Our guide to multilingual text-to-speech explains what to check.
  5. Do you want ad revenue from audio? If yes, Trinity Audio and BeyondWords are built for it. If you want a clean player, look at the others.

Whichever you pick, run it on a group of articles for a few weeks and check how many visitors press play before rolling it out everywhere.

How to Add WebsiteVoice to Your Website

If WebsiteVoice fits your site, setup takes three steps.

Step 1: Create an Account

Start the 14-day free trial and add your website. No credit card is required.

Step 2: Customize the Player

Choose the button’s colour, style and size to match your theme, then pick the language and voice.

Step 3: Install the Code

Copy the script from your dashboard and add it to your site, or install the WordPress plugin. Then open a few articles and press play to check that the voice reads the article text and skips anything you marked with wv-ignore.

Conclusion

ReadSpeaker webReader is a full reading support suite, licensed annually through sales and priced on page views for websites. If that is more than you need, there are good alternatives. WebsiteVoice, GSpeech and ResponsiveVoice are self-serve and quick to install. Trinity Audio and BeyondWords are built for publishers that want to monetise audio or run it as a product. ElevenLabs Audio Native makes sense if you already pay for ElevenLabs. Pick the two that fit your site, try them on real articles and keep the one your readers actually press play on.

FAQs About ReadSpeaker Alternatives

How Much Does ReadSpeaker Cost?

ReadSpeaker does not publish prices for webReader. It is licensed annually to organisations, with no free tier or consumer plan. Its pricing page says websites are priced on the number of page views, and you contact sales for a quote.

Is There a Free Alternative to ReadSpeaker?

GSpeech and ResponsiveVoice both list free plans, with limits on voices, usage and branding. WebsiteVoice offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

Does ReadSpeaker Have a WordPress Plugin?

Yes. ReadSpeaker lists a WordPress plugin for webReader, along with Drupal, Joomla and SharePoint. WebsiteVoice, Trinity Audio, BeyondWords, GSpeech and ResponsiveVoice also offer WordPress plugins.

Which ReadSpeaker Alternative Is Best for a Blog?

For most blogs, a self-serve player with a WordPress plugin and automatic article detection is the fastest route. WebsiteVoice, GSpeech and ResponsiveVoice all fit that description. Compare the voices on your own articles before deciding.

Is a Text-to-Speech Player the Same as a Screen Reader?

No. A text-to-speech player reads your articles to anyone who presses play. A screen reader is assistive software that people install to navigate every page and app. Our guide to screen readers vs text-to-speech explains the difference.

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