Best Apps to Read News Aloud (2025)

We live in the golden age of audio content. Podcasts, audiobooks, and now AI-generated audio are transforming how we consume information. But when it comes to news, most people are still stuck reading — scrolling through feeds, skimming articles, drowning in tabs.

What if you could listen to the news instead? Here are the best apps and tools for converting news to audio in 2025.

Types of Audio News Tools

Before we dive in, let's understand the different approaches:

• Text-to-Speech (TTS) Readers: Read any text aloud. You provide the content.
• News Aggregators with TTS: Curated news with built-in audio playback.
• AI Audio Summarizers: Summarize articles AND convert to audio.
• Human-Narrated News: Professional narrators read articles (premium).

The Apps Compared

1. Speechify

What it is: The most popular TTS app. Reads PDFs, articles, books, and any text you give it.

Pros:

• Excellent voice quality (celebrity voices available)
• Works on any content — paste text, upload PDF, or use browser extension
• Cross-platform (iOS, Android, Web, Chrome Extension)
• 500,000+ 5-star reviews

Cons:

• You have to find and select the content yourself
• Reads everything (including navigation, ads)
• Premium features are expensive ($139/year)
• No summarization — reads the full text

Best for: People who want to listen to specific documents, books, or articles they've already found.

Price: Free tier available. Premium $139/year.

2. Pocket

What it is: The classic "save for later" app, now with TTS built in.

Pros:

• Great for saving articles to read (or listen to) later
• Clean reading/listening experience
• Good organization and tagging

Cons:

• TTS voice quality is basic
• You still have to find and save articles manually
• No summarization — full articles only
• TTS is a premium feature

Best for: People who already use Pocket for bookmarking.

Price: Free tier available. Premium $44.99/year.

3. Curio

What it is: Human-narrated journalism from top publications.

Pros:

• Professional human narrators (not robotic TTS)
• Curated content from quality sources
• Feels like a premium audio experience

Cons:

• Limited to their partner publications
• Expensive subscription
• Content is full articles, not summaries
• Updates are not real-time (delayed by narration production)

Best for: People who want premium, human-narrated journalism and don't mind paying for it.

Price: $9.99/month or $79.99/year.

4. Tera.fm

What it is: AI-powered internet radio that summarizes news and reads it aloud.

Pros:

• Curated sources (BBC, NPR, Bloomberg, Hacker News, etc.)
• AI summaries — not full articles, just key points
• Press play and listen — no content selection needed
• Multiple channels for different interests
• 6 channels free forever with unlimited plays
• No app required — works in browser

Cons:

• AI voices (good quality, but not human)
• Limited to available channels (can't add custom sources yet)
• Summaries may miss nuance from long articles

Best for: Busy people who want a quick daily briefing without choosing articles.

Price: 6 channels free forever. Pro $5/month unlocks all 50+ channels.

Which One Should You Use?

Choose Speechify if: You have specific documents, books, or articles you want to listen to. You're a student or professional who reads a lot of PDFs.

Choose Pocket if: You already save articles to read later and want to occasionally listen instead of read.

Choose Curio if: You want premium, human-narrated journalism and don't mind the subscription cost.

Choose Tera.fm if: You want a quick daily news briefing without manually selecting articles. You value your time and want summaries, not full articles.

The Future of Audio News

We're moving toward a world where any content can be consumed in any format. Text, audio, video — your choice based on context.

Audio news isn't replacing reading. It's expanding when and where you can consume information. Your commute, workout, and chores become opportunities to learn.

The tools are here. The only question is: are you using them?

Try Tera.fm free: Listen to AI-summarized news from 20+ sources.