Listen to documents

Listen to a PDF

Play any PDF out loud and follow along with a synced transcript. Built for the reading you have to do when your eyes are busy — commuting, walking, cooking, or resting them after a long day.

Play anywhereFollow along as it readsAdjustable paceOffline once downloaded (paid plans)
Listen to a document
Used by 170,000+ learners and professionals worldwide

Quick answer

Can you listen to a PDF out loud?

Yes. Scholarly reads a PDF aloud in a natural voice and saves it as one MP3, so you can listen in the app or download it and play it anywhere. A time-synced transcript sits beside the player: the line being spoken is highlighted as it goes, and clicking any line jumps the audio there. Unlike a screen reader, the audio is a real file you keep, and unlike a summary, it is the document itself.

Add the document

A PDF, Word file, slide deck, or web page — or anything already saved in your library.

Pick a voice and pace

Slow it to 0.75x for dense material, or push to 1.5x for a re-read of something you know.

Press play

Listen in Scholarly with the transcript following along, or download the MP3 on a paid plan for offline listening.

When listening beats reading

On the move

A commute, a walk, or a drive turns into time you actually get through the reading.

Resting your eyes

After hours of screens, hearing the material is the difference between finishing it and not.

Reading differences

Following spoken words while the text highlights along is how a lot of people read best.

Second passes

Re-covering something you have already read is far faster at 1.25x with your hands free.

What you hear

The document itself, word for word, not a summary of it

Follow along

Synced transcript with the current line highlighted and clickable

Offline

Download the MP3 on a paid plan and it plays with no connection

Speed

0.75x to 1.5x, chosen before the audio is made

Following along while it reads

The transcript is time-synced, so the line being spoken is highlighted as the audio moves. You can search it for a phrase and click straight to that moment, which makes going back to a specific passage as easy as it is in text. Copy the whole transcript out if you want to quote from it.

How this differs from a screen reader

A screen reader speaks whatever is on screen, live, and stops when you close the tab. This produces a file. You can put it on your phone, queue it in a podcast app, listen in the car, or play it on a plane. It also reads the document rather than the interface around it — no menu items, no button labels, no formatting characters spoken out loud.

What it handles well

Prose is what this is for: chapters, papers, reports, articles, and notes all read cleanly. Dense tables and heavy mathematical notation are the weak spot — the words come through, but the meaning a table carries by its layout does not survive being read aloud. For material like that a study guide or an audio summary usually serves better.

Keep exploring

Related tools

Other ways to get through your material without reading every word on a screen.

Text-to-Speech

The full tool, with voices, speed, and supported sources.

PDF to audio

The conversion itself, including page ranges for long books.

Audio summary generator

A short spoken recap when you do not need every word.

AI podcast generator

A host, a producer, and a guest talking through your source material.

Document to audio

Word files, slide decks, and work documents read aloud.

Audio to text

The reverse trip — turn a recording into a transcript.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I listen offline?

Yes, on a paid plan. The narration saves as a normal MP3 you can download; once it is on your device it plays with no connection, in any media or podcast app.

Does it highlight the text as it reads?

In Scholarly, yes — the transcript beside the player highlights the line currently being spoken, and you can click any line to jump the audio to it.

Can I change the reading speed?

You choose a speed between 0.75x and 1.5x before the audio is generated, and your player's own speed control still works on top of that.

What kinds of files can I listen to?

PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint decks, text and Markdown files, spreadsheets, saved web pages, and anything already in your Scholarly library.

Is this a screen reader?

No. A screen reader narrates your interface live; this converts a document into an audio file you keep and can play anywhere, and it reads only the document's own words.

Start listening to what you have to read

Add a document, choose a voice, and get an MP3 you can play anywhere.

Trying your first source? Start Free. Working with new material each week? Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits a week. Need more capacity? Compare Laureate.

Pricing shown in USD by default. Local currency may be available in app or at checkout.

Compare plans

AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. GPT 5.6 Sol and Claude Opus 5 are reserved for credit-metered AI creations.

Free
3 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

AI Creation Credits

AI Creation Credits share one balance across every creation tool. Most models use 1 credit, Sonnet and Kimi use 2, and Frontier models Sol and Opus use 3.

Free
1 total
Premium
10/week
Laureate
80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 60 minutes
Laureate
Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

Free
2 minutes
Premium
Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

File uploads

Free
1 total (8MB)
Premium
Unlimited (300MB)
Laureate
Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Sources per creation

Free
Up to 1
Premium
Up to 10
Laureate
Up to 20

Practice questions

Free
5 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
15 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
—
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
Premium
Priority
Laureate
Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 15 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI Creation Credit total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI Creation Credits per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI Creation Credits?

AI Creation Credits are shared across flashcards, podcasts, videos, slides, AI Documents, Deep Research, and the Transcribe tool. The selected model determines the credit cost. Recording live audio and saving its transcript uses your file upload allowance instead; it does not use AI Creation Credits.

Can I cancel anytime?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free-plan allowances are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI Creation Credits per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.