Ebooks, PDFs, web links and fanfiction — read aloud, offline
Éist turns EPUB and PDF files, any readable web article, and fanfiction from AO3, Royal Road and FicHub into audiobooks. With Device only selected, AI voices run on your phone. Paste a link or import a file, then listen, follow along word-by-word, or speed-read. Plus 70,000+ free classics built in. Works offline, no account, no ads.
Free forever • No account required • Works offline
Listen right now — free
No signup, no download, no ads. Hit play on any cover below and the audiobook starts streaming in seconds — narrated by the same Kokoro voice the Eist app uses for its free tier.
Eist combines powerful text-to-speech technology with thoughtful design to create the best offline audiobook experience for your own books.
Natural, expressive narration
Eist uses state-of-the-art on-device AI to convert your ebooks into natural-sounding audio. Unlike robotic screen readers, our text-to-speech engine understands context, handles punctuation naturally, and delivers expressive narration that makes listening enjoyable for hours. Choose from multiple voice options with different accents, genders, and speaking styles to find your perfect narrator.
Import any ebook format
Bring your entire ebook library into Eist. We support EPUB files with full chapter detection, bookmarks, and metadata extraction. PDF support means you can listen to documents, textbooks, and scanned books too. Plus, browse over 70,000 free public domain classics from Project Gutenberg directly in the app — from Pride and Prejudice to Sherlock Holmes.
Listen your way
Take control of your listening experience with adjustable playback speeds from 0.5x to 3x. Set sleep timers for bedtime listening, create bookmarks to save your place, and navigate easily between chapters. Background playback lets you listen while using other apps, and the lock-screen controls keep you in command without unlocking your phone.
No internet required
With Device only selected, Eist works completely offline after you download your preferred voices. Speech generation stays on your device, making it practical for flights, subway commutes, camping trips, and spotty reception. Optional Cloud Assist on Android is separate and stays off until you choose it.
With Device only selected, narration is generated right there on your phone and your books stay on your device. Optional Cloud Assist on Android stays off until you choose it. No account required, ever. Everything beyond that is optional and yours to control.
With Device only, the text used to generate speech stays on your device.
Optional usage analytics use a pseudonymous ID. You control them in Settings → Privacy.
We email you only for a trial reminder or newsletter you signed up for — one-click unsubscribe, always.
Your books. Your device. Your privacy.
Device only keeps synthesis on your phone. On Android, optional Cloud Assist can prepare upcoming narration online when you choose it. Here's the complete breakdown.
| Feature | Éist | ElevenLabs | Speechify | NaturalReader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free / $4.99/mo | Free / $5–$99+/mo | Free / $9.99–$19/mo | Free / $10–$20/mo |
| EPUB support | ||||
| PDF support | ||||
| Synthesis options | Device only / opt-in cloud on Android | Cloud only | Cloud only | Cloud only |
| Works offline with Device only | ||||
| Account required | Optional | |||
| Text sent to servers | Only with opt-in Cloud Assist | |||
| Characters/month cap | Unlimited | 10k free then paid | Capped on free | 20 min/day free |
| Project Gutenberg library | ||||
| Word-by-word read-along (synced to audio) | Partial | |||
| RSVP speed-reading mode | ||||
| Android | Limited |
Why this matters: Cloud-based services like ElevenLabs and Speechify send book text to their servers, which can be a privacy concern for personal books and manuscripts. With Éist Device only, synthesis stays on your device. Android Cloud Assist is optional and requires your choice before upcoming excerpts are processed by Éist and independent cloud providers. Listening stays unlimited on the free tier.
From book to audiobook in three simple steps.
Add any EPUB or PDF from your device, or browse free classics from Project Gutenberg's extensive library.
Select from multiple AI voice engines. Find the perfect narrator for your reading style and book genre.
Hit play and enjoy. Track your progress, adjust speed, and pick up right where you left off.
Real listeners on what changed when they swapped to Eist.
“I have hundreds of EPUBs from Humble Bundle and other sources. Eist lets me actually listen to them without paying per-book like Audible. Game changer for my commute.”
“As someone who struggles with reading due to dyslexia, this app has been life-changing. I can finally enjoy all the books I’ve bought but never read.”
No hidden fees. No listening limits. No ads ever. Just pure audiobook freedom.
Other apps charge per hour, cap monthly listening, and bombard you with ads. With Eist, the free tier gives you unlimited text-to-speech synthesis forever with zero ads. Read as much as you want, whenever you want, completely free.
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Listening Hours
0
Ad Interruptions
$0
Cost Forever
Forever. No credit card required.
For power readers
Monthly plan, charged immediately. Eligible annual plans include a 7-day free trial.
Cancel anytime. No questions asked. Your books stay with you.
Everything you need to know about converting ebooks to audiobooks with Eist.
Open Eist on your phone, tap "Import", and choose any EPUB file from your device or a cloud drive. With Device only selected, pick a voice and hit play for on-device text-to-speech. There is no upload, cloud-conversion wait, or per-book purchase.
Yes, once a voice is downloaded. With Device only selected, text-to-speech and listening run offline on your phone, so you can listen on flights, the subway, or anywhere without signal. Cloud Assist is a separate, online helper on iPhone and Android that starts our best voice straight away. It keeps no book text or audio, and you can turn it off any time in Settings.
Eist supports EPUB and PDF. EPUB works best because the format preserves chapters and paragraph structure cleanly. PDFs are supported but quality depends on whether the PDF has selectable text or is a scanned image (image-only PDFs require OCR, which Eist does not yet do).
The free tier gives you unlimited listening forever, any number of EPUB or PDF books, three voices, unlimited word highlighting while you listen, and 15 minutes a day of Read along (the one-word-at-a-time view), with no ads. Premium unlocks unlimited Read along, all 60+ voices, and premium reading themes. Eligible annual subscriptions include a 7-day free trial; monthly has no trial.
Audible sells you professionally narrated audiobooks one at a time. Eist converts books you already own (EPUB, PDF, Project Gutenberg classics) into audio using AI text-to-speech. With Device only selected, there is no per-book cost and listening works offline. You keep your existing library, but the narration is AI, not a celebrity voice actor.
Yes. Eist has built-in access to Project Gutenberg's catalogue of over 70,000 free public-domain ebooks — Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, and thousands more. You can browse the catalogue inside the app, import in one tap, and start listening immediately.
Eist requires no account and stores reading progress locally on your device. With Device only selected, book content stays on your device. While Cloud Assist is on (iPhone and Android), it sends upcoming excerpts to Eist and independent cloud providers; it keeps no book text or audio, and you can turn it off any time in Settings. We use anonymous PostHog analytics for crash and feature metrics, which you can disable in Settings → Privacy.
The free tier includes three high-quality on-device voices tuned for long-form narration. Premium unlocks the full catalogue of 60+ voices with varied accents and speaking styles, including warmer storytelling voices for fiction and clearer, faster voices for non-fiction. Device-only voices run offline once downloaded.
Still have a question? Drop us a line at [email protected] — we read everything.
Guides, tips, and deep dives for audiobook listeners and ebook owners.
Yes, listening to audiobooks counts as reading. Here is what cognitive science says, and why pairing audio with synced text gives you the best of both.
Screen readers weren't built for books. Here's how dedicated TTS apps handle EPUBs and PDFs for low-vision readers, and what to look for.
Turn any PDF or EPUB textbook into a natural-voice audiobook on your phone — free, offline, no subscription. Step-by-step guide for students in 2026, including English-learner tips.
Download Éist today and transform your reading experience. Available for both Android and iOS, free forever.
Free to download • Premium voices available • Cancel anytime
