Comparison
Microsoft Edge Read Aloud on Mac vs Aloud
Microsoft Edge has a free Read aloud feature on Mac, and it is good at one thing: reading web pages and PDFs open in Edge. It does not read other browsers or other Mac apps. 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 the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium.
Updated 13 November 2026.
At a glance
| Aloud | Edge Read Aloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once per Mac, no subscription | Free, built into Microsoft Edge |
| Where it reads | Any Mac app, PDFs, scans, and the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium | Web pages and PDFs open in Edge |
| Start reading | Control-Option-S on a selection, or shortcuts for PDFs, scans and the browser tab | Right-click → Read aloud, the Read aloud icon by the address bar, or Immersive Reader |
| Other browsers | Yes | No, Edge only |
| Other apps (Mail, Word, Notes, Slack) | Yes, any selected text | No |
| PDFs | Skips running headers, footers and page numbers | Reads PDFs opened in Edge |
| Scans and screenshots | Yes: Control-Option-O, recognised on your Mac | Not covered in Microsoft's Read aloud pages |
| Follow along | Word-by-word highlight, click any word to jump | Words highlighted as they are read |
| Voices | Apple voices and Kokoro on device; your own ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo, v3) or Cartesia key optional | Dozens of natural-sounding voices with an internet connection, many languages and accents |
| Offline | Apple and Kokoro voices, fully on device | Works offline; the natural voices need a connection |
| Speed | Adjustable | Reading speed slider |
| Export audio | .m4a | No |
| Account | None | None needed |
Edge details from Microsoft's pages "How to Customize Read Aloud Settings" (microsoft.com/edge/learning-center), "Accessibility features in Microsoft Edge" and "Keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Edge" (support.microsoft.com), checked 13 November 2026.
What Edge Read Aloud does well
It is free, already in Edge, and good. Right-click a page and choose Read aloud (Microsoft lists Ctrl+Shift+U as the keyboard shortcut), and Edge reads the page with words highlighted, a speed slider and a long list of natural-sounding voices in many languages and accents. If you live in Edge and only listen to web articles, it may be all you need. If it stalls or goes silent, see Edge Read Aloud not working on Mac.
Where it stops on a Mac
Read aloud is a browser feature. It does not read an email in Mail, a Word or Pages document, Slack, Notes, a scanned PDF in Preview, or a screenshot. It also does not follow you to Safari, Chrome or Arc. Microsoft says the natural voices need an internet connection, so the page text goes to Microsoft's voice service when you use them.
What Aloud adds
Aloud is a native Mac app. Select text in any app and press Control-Option-S, open a PDF and it skips running headers, footers and page numbers, drag over a scan with Control-Option-O, or have it read the article on the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium. It reads with Apple voices or the Kokoro neural voice on your Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later), so text does not leave it; ElevenLabs (v4, v4 Turbo, v3) or Cartesia voices are optional with your own API key. Any reading exports to .m4a. See read web articles aloud on Mac.
Who should pick which
Edge Read Aloud if you use Edge and only want web pages read; it is free. Aloud if you want the same listening in every browser and every Mac app, plus PDFs, scans, on-device voices and audio export, for $19 once.
Questions
Does Microsoft Edge Read Aloud work on Mac?
Yes. Edge for Mac includes Read aloud: right-click a page and choose Read aloud, or use the Read aloud icon by the address bar. It reads pages and PDFs open in Edge, with highlighted words and a speed slider. It does not read text in other Mac apps.
Is Edge Read Aloud free?
Yes, it is built into Microsoft Edge at no cost. Aloud costs $19 once per Mac, no subscription, and reads text in any app, not just the browser.
Do Edge's natural voices work offline?
Microsoft says Read aloud works online and offline, and that an active internet connection unlocks dozens of natural-sounding voices. Aloud's Apple voices and the Kokoro neural voice (Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later) run on your Mac with no connection.
Can I use Edge Read Aloud outside the browser, in Mail, Word or a scanned PDF?
No, Read aloud is an Edge feature. On a Mac, Aloud reads a selection in any app with Control-Option-S, reads scans and screenshots with Control-Option-O using on-device text recognition, and reads PDFs while skipping running headers, footers and page numbers.
I like Edge Read Aloud but use Safari, Chrome or Arc. What should I use?
Aloud reads the article on the front tab of Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi and other Chromium browsers, with a word-by-word highlight, and can export the reading to .m4a audio.
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