Comparison
Aloud vs Sensory Readable: text-to-speech for dyslexia on a Mac
Sensory Readable is a UK assistive-technology suite for dyslexia and visual stress: text-to-speech with underline highlighting, screen tint, a reading ruler, a PDF reader for exams and optional dictation and writing tools. Its Mac version comes with the Windows license (from £139 ex VAT, education). Aloud is $19 once per Mac and does one job: it reads the text in front of you, in any app, word by word with a highlight, using voices that run on your Mac. If you need tint, a ruler, exam support or DSA funding, start with Readable.
Updated 1 November 2026.
At a glance
| Aloud | Sensory Readable | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once per Mac, no subscription | Education single user £139 ex VAT, workplace £195 ex VAT (perpetual, Windows license with Mac download); education site from £475/year |
| How you buy the Mac version | Direct, Mac only | Included with the Windows license; not sold standalone (evaluator versions on request) |
| Platforms | Mac, macOS 14 or later; Kokoro needs Apple silicon and macOS 15 | Windows 10 and 11; Mac with Apple M1 or later, ideally 8GB RAM |
| What it is | A Mac app that reads text aloud | A reading and writing assistance suite: Readable Notes, Ruler, PDF Reader, Toolbar, Web extension, optional Writeable and Scribe |
| What it reads aloud | Selected text in any app, PDFs, scans, screenshots, front browser tab | Text in Mac apps and Microsoft Office, PDFs in Sensory PDF Reader, the web via its extension |
| Follow along | Word-by-word highlight with click-to-seek | Word-by-word highlighting, “underline-highlight” in a choice of colours |
| Voices | Apple voices and Kokoro on device; your own ElevenLabs or Cartesia key optional | Installed Mac voices |
| Offline | Yes, with Apple and Kokoro voices | Yes, runs entirely offline |
| Visual aids | Not its focus | Screen tint, adjustable reading ruler, colours and text size |
| Writing and dictation | Not its focus | Optional Sensory Writeable (recent high-spec Macs) and Sensory Scribe speech-to-text |
| PDF clean-up | Leaves out running headers, footers and page numbers; rejoins hyphenated words | Sensory PDF Reader for general PDFs and exams |
| Export audio | .m4a | Not stated |
| Exams and funding | Not stated | DSA approved, JCQ compliant computer reader (UK) |
Sensory Readable details from sensoryreadable.com/readable-suite-mac/ and sensoryreadable.com/shop/, checked 1 November 2026. Prices are in pounds, excluding VAT. They change; check before you choose.
An assistive suite vs a focused reader
Sensory Readable is built for students and staff with dyslexia, visual stress or ADHD, and for the schools and employers who buy for them. Alongside text-to-speech it gives you a tinted reading ruler, screen colours, a PDF reader designed for exams, and optional dictation and writing feedback. Aloud has none of that. It reads whatever text is in front of you, on a shortcut: a selection in Mail or Slack, a PDF in Preview, a scanned page, a screenshot or the article in your browser tab, highlighting each word as it is spoken.
Buying it on a Mac
Sensory sells Readable as a Windows license and includes the Mac suite with it; its Mac page says the Mac version is not available on a standalone basis. That suits a school or a DSA-funded student. If you are one person on a Mac paying yourself, Aloud is $19 once per Mac, with no account, and you get a license key by email.
Voices and privacy
Both run on your device. Readable uses the voices installed on your Mac and works offline. Aloud uses Apple voices, including Enhanced and Premium ones, plus the Kokoro neural voice on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15, all on the Mac. ElevenLabs or Cartesia voices are there only if you add your own API key.
PDFs and scans
Readable reads PDFs in its own Sensory PDF Reader. Aloud reads PDFs as they are and leaves out running headers, footers and page numbers, rejoins hyphenated line breaks, recognises scanned pages and screenshots on your Mac, and can save any reading as an .m4a file.
Who should pick which
Sensory Readable if you need tint, a ruler, exam-approved reading, dictation or writing support, or your school, employer or DSA is paying. Aloud if you mainly want your Mac to read text aloud, anywhere, with a word-by-word highlight, natural on-device voices and a one-time $19 price.
Questions
Is Sensory Readable or Aloud better for dyslexia on a Mac?
Sensory Readable is better if you need a full assistive suite: screen tint, a reading ruler, a PDF reader for exams, dictation and writing support, with DSA approval and JCQ compliance in the UK. Aloud is better if you mainly want your Mac to read text aloud in any app, PDF or screenshot with a word-by-word highlight, for $19 once.
Can you buy Sensory Readable for Mac on its own?
Not from Sensory directly. Sensory's Mac page says the Readable Suite for Mac is included with the Sensory Readable for Windows license and is not sold standalone, though evaluator versions are available on request. Aloud is sold for Mac only, $19 once per Mac.
How much does Sensory Readable cost?
Sensory's shop lists the Readable Suite education single-user license at £139 ex VAT and the workplace single-user license at £195 ex VAT, both perpetual, with education site licenses from £475 a year. Aloud is $19 once per Mac with no subscription.
Do Sensory Readable and Aloud work offline?
Yes. Sensory says Readable for Mac runs entirely offline on your device. Aloud's Apple and Kokoro voices and its text recognition also run on your Mac, so it reads offline too.
Which Macs do they need?
Sensory says the Readable Suite for Mac needs an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later), ideally with 8GB of RAM. Aloud needs macOS 14 or later; its Kokoro voice needs Apple silicon and macOS 15.
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.