Comparison
Balabolka for Mac? Aloud vs Balabolka
Balabolka is a free text-to-speech program that many Windows users rely on to read documents aloud and save them as audio. It is built on Microsoft's Speech API and its site lists no macOS version, so if you have moved to a Mac you need something else. Aloud is a $19 native Mac app that reads selected text in any app, PDFs without headers and page numbers, scans and screenshots, and the article on your front browser tab, and exports any reading to .m4a.
Updated 12 November 2026.
At a glance
| Aloud | Balabolka | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once per Mac, no subscription | Free (freeware) |
| Platform | Native macOS app, macOS 14 Sonoma or later | Windows; built on Microsoft Speech API (SAPI). No macOS version listed |
| Where it reads | Selected text in any Mac app, PDFs, scans and screenshots, and the front browser tab | Text in its own window, the clipboard, and text extracted from documents |
| How you start reading | Control-Option-S on a selection, Services menu, or shortcuts for PDFs, scans and the browser tab | Its window, the system tray or global hotkeys |
| Documents | PDFs in any app, skipping running headers, footers and page numbers; Word, Pages, Notes via selection | Opens many formats, including PDF, DOC/DOCX, EPUB, MOBI/AZW, RTF, ODT, HTML, Markdown, PPTX and XLSX |
| Scans and screenshots | Yes: Control-Option-O, drag over the page, recognised on your Mac | Not stated on its site |
| Web pages | Reads the article on the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium | Opens HTML files |
| Follow along | Word-by-word highlight in a reading window, click any word to jump | Synchronised text saved as LRC files or MP3 tags for playback |
| Voices | Apple voices and Kokoro on device; your own ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo, v3) or Cartesia key optional | The SAPI voices installed on the Windows PC; rate and pitch adjustable |
| Pronunciation fixes | Uses the voice's pronunciation; see fixing pronunciation | Substitution lists with regular expressions |
| Export audio | .m4a | Saves audio files, including MP3 |
| Account | None | None |
Balabolka details from its official site (cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm), checked 12 November 2026. Check the site before you choose.
Why there is no Balabolka on Mac
Balabolka reads with the voices installed through Microsoft's Speech API (SAPI), which is part of Windows. Its site offers an installer, a portable version that runs from a USB drive, a command-line utility and a text-extract utility, all for Windows. Running it in a Windows virtual machine on a Mac would use the VM's Windows voices and would not reach text in your Mac apps.
What Aloud does on a Mac
Select text in Mail, Notes, Pages, Word, Slack or any other app and press Control-Option-S, open a PDF, drag over a scan with Control-Option-O, or have Aloud read the article on the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium. It reads in a window with word-by-word highlight, a notch reader or a floating player. See how to make your Mac read text aloud.
Saving text as audio
Many people use Balabolka to turn documents into audio files. Aloud exports any reading to an .m4a file you can play on your phone or in Music; see export text to audio on Mac. Balabolka can also embed synchronised text as LRC files or MP3 tags, which Aloud does not do.
Voices
Instead of SAPI voices, Aloud uses Apple voices (including Enhanced and Premium) and the Kokoro neural voice on your Mac, so text does not leave it. ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo, v3) or Cartesia voices are optional with your own API key. See natural-sounding voices on Mac.
Who should pick which
Balabolka if you are on Windows and want a free reader with wide document support and audio export. Aloud if you are on a Mac and want text in any app, PDFs, scans and web pages read aloud, with audio export, for $19 once.
Questions
Is there a Balabolka for Mac?
Balabolka's official site describes it as a program that uses the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI), which is a Windows technology, and it offers Windows downloads, a portable version and command-line utilities. It does not list a macOS version. On a Mac, Aloud covers the same core jobs: reading text and documents aloud and saving the audio as a file.
Can I run Balabolka on a Mac with Wine or a virtual machine?
You may be able to run Windows software in a virtual machine, but Balabolka would then use the Windows voices inside that VM, not your Mac's voices, and it would not read text in your Mac apps. Aloud runs natively on macOS 14 or later and reads selected text in any Mac app with Control-Option-S.
Is Balabolka free?
Yes. Balabolka's site lists its licence as freeware. Aloud costs $19 once per Mac, with no subscription and no account.
Can Aloud save text as an audio file like Balabolka?
Yes. Aloud exports any reading to an .m4a audio file. Balabolka saves audio files and can also save synchronised text as LRC files or MP3 tags, which Aloud does not do.
Which voices does Aloud use instead of SAPI voices?
Aloud uses Apple voices, including Enhanced and Premium voices, and the Kokoro neural voice on device (Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later). ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo, v3) and Cartesia voices are optional with your own API key.
More Mac utilities from the developer: SnapState puts your Mac windows, apps and browser tabs back after sleep or a monitor reconnect. $9.99 one-time.