Comparison
Aloud vs Out Loud: two offline Kokoro readers for Mac
Out Loud is a free-for-personal-use text-to-speech app for macOS, Windows and Linux, built on the Kokoro model: you paste text into it, or use its Chrome extension on a web page, and it reads offline. Aloud is a native Mac app, $19 once per Mac, that reads the text already in front of you, in any app, PDF, scan or screenshot, word by word with a highlight, using voices that run on your Mac. If you need Windows or Linux, other languages or a local API, start with Out Loud.
Updated 2 November 2026.
At a glance
| Aloud | Out Loud | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once per Mac, no subscription | Free for personal, non-commercial use (PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 license); commercial use not permitted |
| Platforms | Mac, macOS 14 or later; Kokoro needs Apple silicon and macOS 15 | macOS (Apple silicon and Intel; Mac App Store version needs macOS 12 or later), Windows, Linux, Chrome extension |
| App type | Native Mac app | Electron desktop app with menu-bar / tray access |
| How text gets in | Select text in any app (⌃⌥S or Services menu), screenshot area (⌃⌥O), front browser article (⌃⌥A) | Paste into the app, or one click in the Chrome extension (README also lists a Safari extension) |
| Voices | Apple voices (incl. Enhanced and Premium) and Kokoro on device; your own ElevenLabs or Cartesia key optional | 50+ Kokoro voices in 8 languages: English (US, UK), Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese |
| Offline | Yes, with Apple and Kokoro voices | Yes, after a one-time 80–320 MB model download |
| Follow along | Word-by-word highlight with click-to-seek, notch reader or floating player | Not stated |
| PDFs | Reads PDFs, leaves out running headers, footers and page numbers, rejoins hyphenated words | PDFs open in the browser, via the extension |
| Scans and screenshots | On-device text recognition | Not stated |
| Export audio | .m4a | WAV via its local HTTP API |
| Extras | Shortcuts and Siri actions, Control Center control, pronunciation list, sleep timer | Talker mode for AAC use, inline pause tags, local HTTP API on port 51730 |
| Account | None; license key by email | None |
| Source | Closed | Source-available on GitHub |
Out Loud details from out-loud.io, out-loud.io/llms.txt, its GitHub README and license (github.com/light-cloud-com/out-loud) and its Mac App Store listing, checked 2 November 2026. Apps change; check before you choose.
Same voice engine, different jobs
Both apps can read with Kokoro, an open-weight neural voice model that runs on your own computer, so the voices can sound alike. The difference is how the text reaches them. Out Loud is a text box: paste in what you want to hear, or click its Chrome extension on a web page. Aloud works where you already are: select text in Mail, Slack or Pages and press Control-Option-S, drag a box around text on screen with Control-Option-O, or press Control-Option-A to hear the article in your browser tab.
Following along
Aloud opens a reading window that highlights each word as it is spoken, and you can click any word to jump there, or read in a notch reader or floating player. Out Loud's site and README do not describe word highlighting.
PDFs, scans and screenshots
Out Loud reads PDFs that are open in your browser, through its extension. Aloud reads PDFs as they are and leaves out running headers, footers and page numbers, rejoins hyphenated line breaks, and recognises scanned pages and screenshots on your Mac. It can also save any reading as an .m4a file; Out Loud can write WAV files through its local API.
Languages, platforms and price
Out Loud runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and ships voices in eight languages, at no cost for personal, non-commercial use; its license does not permit commercial use. Aloud is Mac only, $19 once per Mac, with Apple voices in the languages installed on your Mac, eight English Kokoro voices, and optional ElevenLabs or Cartesia voices with your own API key.
Who should pick which
Out Loud if you want a no-cost personal reader, need Windows or Linux, want non-English Kokoro voices, or want to script speech through a local API. Aloud if you want your Mac to read text aloud from any app, PDF or screenshot on a shortcut, with a word-by-word highlight and a one-time $19 price.
Questions
Is Out Loud or Aloud better on a Mac?
Out Loud is better if you want a no-cost, cross-platform reader for personal use, voices in eight languages, or a local HTTP API for scripts. Aloud is better if you want a native Mac app that reads the text you are already looking at, in any app, PDF or screenshot, with a word-by-word highlight, for $19 once per Mac.
How much does Out Loud cost?
Out Loud's site says it is free for personal, non-commercial use, with no subscription, and its license is PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, which does not permit commercial use. Aloud is $19 once per Mac with no subscription.
Do Out Loud and Aloud both use Kokoro?
Yes. Out Loud's README says it is built on the Kokoro-82M model, with 50+ voices in 8 languages. Aloud offers Kokoro on device too, with eight English voices on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later, alongside the Apple voices installed on your Mac.
How do you get text into each app?
Out Loud's site says you paste text into the desktop app or use its Chrome extension on a web page. Aloud reads what you select in any app with Control-Option-S, a screenshot area with Control-Option-O, and the article in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi or Chromium with Control-Option-A.
Do they work offline?
Yes. Out Loud says its speech runs offline after a one-time model download of 80 to 320 MB. Aloud's Apple and Kokoro voices and its text recognition run on your Mac, so it reads offline too.
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.