Turn documents into audiobooks.

Listen to PDFs, EPUBs, Word docs, and more with 70+ natural AI voices in 8 languages. 100% on-device. Private. No subscription.

Import Anything

PDF, EPUB, DOCX, DAISY, Text, Clipboard. If it's text, we can read it.

Library Interface

Human-Quality Voices

Neural Engine On-Device 8 Languages

Experience 70+ voices across 8 languages that sound remarkably human. They breathe, pause, and intonate just like a real person.

Voice Library

Follow Along

Every word lights up as it's spoken. Perfect for retention, comprehension, and staying focused.

Reader View

Private & Offline

No servers. No cloud. Your documents never leave this device.

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Features In-Depth

Word-Level Highlighting

See Every Word as It's Spoken

Unlike basic text-to-speech, Listen2 uses advanced audio alignment to highlight each word precisely as it's read. This isn't just a nice visual—it's a comprehension breakthrough for visual learners, people with dyslexia, and anyone who wants to actually remember what they hear.

  • Word, sentence, or paragraph highlighting modes
  • Real-time synchronization using CTC forced alignment
  • Automatically adjusts to your device's capabilities
  • Disable entirely if you prefer audio-only

Natural Voices, Completely Offline

100+ Voices. 13 Languages. Four Engines. Zero Internet Required.

Listen2 runs four voice engines entirely on your device. Piper covers 13 languages with fast, lightweight neural voices. Kokoro is a premium engine with 53 voices across 8 languages — smoother, more expressive speech for devices with 6 GB of RAM or more. Supertonic uses flow-matching neural models on Apple's Neural Engine for high-fidelity output in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. And Apple System voices give you access to every language Apple supports with zero download inside Listen2.

A high-quality English voice ships bundled in the app. No download, no setup — you are listening in seconds.

  • 100+ voices across English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Hungarian, Turkish, Swedish, Russian, Greek, Hindi, and Vietnamese
  • Multi-speaker voice models with dozens of unique speakers each
  • Preview any voice before downloading
  • Engine badges on every voice so you know exactly what you are getting
  • Optional language packs for natural number, date, and currency pronunciation

Works on airplane mode. Works in the subway. Works everywhere.

Multi-Format Import

PDF. EPUB. DOCX. DAISY. Clipboard. Done.

Stop converting files or emailing documents to yourself. Listen2 imports directly from the iOS Files app—which means iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and anything else you've connected. Or just paste text from anywhere. Smart text processing handles hyphenation, headers, and messy PDF layouts.

Supported Formats:

  • PDF (with smart layout extraction)
  • EPUB (with chapter detection)
  • DOCX (Word documents)
  • DAISY (accessibility-focused audiobook format)
  • Plain text and Markdown
  • Clipboard (paste anything)

Duration Estimation & Progress

Know How Long You Have Left

Listen2 estimates the total duration of your document based on the active voice engine's speed and your playback rate. A seekable progress bar shows your position, with elapsed and remaining time displayed below. Drag the bar to jump anywhere in the document, or enter a percentage to skip straight to that point. The lock screen shows the same progress — drag the scrubber from your pocket without opening the app.

  • Elapsed and remaining time in H:MM:SS format
  • Seekable progress bar with drag-to-seek and jump-to-percentage
  • Lock screen and Now Playing scrubber integration
  • Duration refines as you listen, getting more accurate over time

Timer

Set It and Forget It

Set a timer and Listen2 pauses playback when it expires. Useful for more than falling asleep — set a 30-minute timer so you know when to stop crocheting and start cooking dinner, or cap your commute listening so you do not miss your stop. Choose from 15, 30, 45, or 60 minute presets, or set a custom duration from 1 to 120 minutes. An optional audio cue plays a gentle tone when time is up. The countdown appears in the bottom bar while active.

Privacy-First Design

Documents Never Leave Your Device

We built Listen2 for people who read sensitive material—legal documents, medical records, confidential reports, private journals. Every bit of processing happens on your iPhone or iPad. No cloud. No account. No exceptions.

What We Don't Do:

  • ❌ No cloud uploads
  • ❌ No user accounts
  • ❌ No analytics or tracking
  • ❌ No data collection
  • ❌ No subscription fees

What We Do:

  • ✅ On-device neural TTS
  • ✅ Local document storage
  • ✅ One-time purchase
  • ✅ Works in airplane mode

Collections

Curate Your Own Playlists

Group documents into ordered collections—like playlists for reading. Add narrated intros between documents to create a guided listening experience. Share entire collections with others as .listen2collection files.

  • Drag-and-drop reordering
  • Write narrated intros between documents
  • Source citations with URLs for each item
  • Progress tracking across the collection
  • Export and share complete collections

Bookmarks & Search

Find and Mark What Matters

Full-text search across your entire library. Drop bookmarks anywhere in a document and jump back to them instantly. Your reading position is saved automatically.

Accessibility First

Built for VoiceOver from day one

Listen2 was engineered from the ground up with accessibility in mind. Full VoiceOver support with descriptive labels and hints on every control. Smart announcement handling that doesn't fight with the TTS audio. Device capability detection that recommends optimal settings.

Accessibility Features:

  • Full VoiceOver compatibility
  • Every button has descriptive labels and hints
  • Progress bar with VoiceOver adjustable actions — swipe to seek in 5% increments
  • Timer controls with full VoiceOver labels, values, and hints
  • Controls stay visible for accessibility users
  • Large text and Dynamic Type support
  • High contrast mode support
  • No essential gestures — buttons for everything

Comparison Tables

Listen2 vs. Audiobook Services

Feature Listen2 Audible Libby
Your own PDFs ✅ ❌ ❌
Your own EPUBs ✅ ❌ ❌
DOCX & DAISY support ✅ ❌ ❌
Works offline ✅ ✅ ✅
Word highlighting ✅ ❌ ❌
No subscription ✅ ❌ ✅
No account required ✅ ❌ ❌
100+ voice options ✅ ❌ ❌
13 languages ✅ ❌ ❌
Timer ✅ ✅ ✅
Duration estimation ✅ ✅ ❌
Collections & playlists ✅ ❌ ❌
Adjustable speed ✅ ✅ ✅
Privacy-first ✅ ❌ ❌

Listen2 vs. TTS Apps

Feature Listen2 Speechify Voice Dream NaturalReader
Neural voices ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Word highlighting ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
100% offline ✅ ❌ Partial ❌
No subscription ✅ ❌ ❌ ($60/yr) ❌
No cloud upload ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
100+ voice choices ✅ ✅ ✅ Limited
13 languages ✅ ✅ ✅ Limited
Multiple TTS engines ✅ (4) ❌ ❌ ❌
DOCX & DAISY support ✅ Partial ✅ Partial
Collections ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌
VoiceOver optimized ✅ Partial ✅ Partial
One-time price ✅ ❌ ($139/yr) ✅ (~$20) ❌

FAQ

General

Q: Is Listen2 the same as "Listen 2 Reader" on the App Store? A: Yes. Listen2 is listed as "Listen 2 Reader" on the App Store, but it's the same app. Search for either name to find it.

Q: What file formats does Listen2 support? A: PDF, EPUB, DOCX, DAISY, plain text, Markdown, and anything you can copy to your clipboard. Import from the iOS Files app, which connects to iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more.

Q: Does it work offline? A: Yes, 100%. Once you've downloaded a voice, everything runs on your device. No internet required for synthesis or playback.

Q: What languages are supported? A: Listen2 supports 13 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Hungarian, Turkish, Swedish, Russian, Greek, Hindi, and Vietnamese. Coverage varies by engine — Piper covers all 13, Kokoro covers 8, and Supertonic covers 4. Apple System voices add every language Apple supports on top of that.

Q: What voice engines does Listen2 have? A: Four engines, each with different strengths. Piper is fast and lightweight with the widest language coverage. Kokoro is a premium engine with more expressive, natural-sounding speech (requires 6 GB RAM). Supertonic runs high-fidelity flow-matching models on Apple's Neural Engine. System uses Apple's built-in voices for maximum language coverage and minimal battery use. All run entirely on device.

Privacy

Q: Do my documents get uploaded anywhere? A: No. All document processing happens entirely on your iPhone or iPad. We never see your documents—they never leave your device.

Q: Do I need to create an account? A: No. Listen2 requires no account, no login, no email. Just download and start reading.

Pricing

Q: Is there a subscription? A: No. Listen2 is a one-time purchase. Pay once, own forever.

Q: Is there a free trial? A: Yes. You get a full-featured 7-day free trial so you can make sure Listen2 works for you before purchasing.

From the Blog