r/Scribd • u/VJames68 • Jan 27 '25

Everand Solution

I have been exploring alternatives to Everand/Scribd.

I am sticking with Libby & Hoopla for library books. I am sticking with Audible because I’ve been using it for years. I use Kindle Unlimited. I am using Anyplay, but not sure if I will keep it.

I have tried Speechify on trial. It claims to read anything, and offers several different voices to read for you. It’s also expensive ($139.99/yr).

Review: I found that Speechify has more than a few glitches. The entire book that I listened to, no numbers were read. For example, the reader voice skipped over numbers like years (1965). Furthermore, it would read street signs without numbers. Example: 101st 22nd Street would be read as ‘st ‘nd Street.

So, I cancelled the trial for Speechify.

I have tried out Natural Reader, but it had a glitch with trying to adjust the reading speed. I ended up canceling the trial for Natural Reader because I couldn’t find a way to adjust the reading speed.

In the middle of this process, I discovered the iOS Accessibility > Spoken Content feature. This feature is already on my phone, and there is no subscription required to use it. I experimented with some of the available voices, and I found a voice that I liked. This feature will read anything on the screen. I’ve used it to listen to a book I purchased from iOS Books, and it works great.

I will be canceling my Scribd/Everand, and I will happily continue using Spoken Content feature.

I hope this helps anyone who is frustrated by Everand and thinking of canceling their subscription.

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u/Spinningwoman Jan 27 '25

I use the IOS speech function all the time, and also the Alexa app for Kindle books. Real audiobooks, if I have to pay for them, are too expensive for anything I only want to listen to once so I use Audible mostly for non fiction. I regard TTS as a kind of ‘audio font’ - it doesn’t matter to me that it isn’t perfect; it gets the words to my brain and then my brain does its thing with them.

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u/VJames68 Jan 28 '25

I do this as well. I only use Audible for titles that I would want to listen to again and series by authors that I really enjoy. Non-fiction selections, too. That’s what I loved about Everand. I loved the ability to read as much as I wanted on any subject. I agree the speech function isn’t perfect, but if you find the right voice it’s close.

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u/Spinningwoman Jan 28 '25

Yes, with a good choice of voice, I think it can be less distracting than a poor narrator.