PDF to audio converter

PDF to Audio

Convert a PDF into a single MP3 you can play anywhere. Scholarly reads the full text aloud in a natural voice — textbook chapters, research papers, reports, and manuals — and hands you the file plus a time-synced transcript.

Full text, not a summaryOne downloadable MP325+ natural voicesPage ranges supported
Used by 170,000+ students worldwide

Quick answer

How do you convert a PDF to audio?

Upload the PDF, choose a voice and a reading speed, and Scholarly extracts the text, strips the formatting characters a voice should never say out loud, and reads the document end to end. The output is one continuous MP3 saved to your library — not a folder of clips — so it plays in any podcast app, car stereo, or media player. A page range selector lets you convert only the chapter you actually need from a long book.

Upload the PDF

A chapter, a paper, a report, or a whole manual. Pick a page range if you only need part of it.

Choose a voice and pace

Over 25 natural voices, and a reading speed between 0.75x and 1.5x set before generation starts.

Download the MP3

It generates in the background and lands in your library with a searchable transcript beside it.

What PDFs people convert

Textbook chapters

Turn the reading you were assigned into something you can get through on a commute or a walk.

Research papers

Listen to a paper end to end when the exact wording matters and a summary would lose it.

Reports and manuals

Work documents you have to know rather than skim — policies, procedures, technical manuals.

Long-form articles

Saved web pages and PDFs you keep meaning to read and never sit down for.

Output

One continuous MP3 file, downloadable and yours to keep

Coverage

Every sentence of the source, in order, nothing summarized or skipped

Length limit

Up to 30,000 words per conversion, about three hours of audio

Cost

1 AI credit per 10,000 words, included on every paid plan

Text-based PDFs work best

Scholarly reads the text layer of your PDF. Anything typed or exported from a word processor converts cleanly. A scanned PDF that is really a stack of page images has no text to read, so run it through OCR first or use a text-based copy. Dense tables and mathematical notation also do not narrate well by nature — the words come through, but the structure a table carries visually does not survive being spoken.

Why one file instead of clips

Splitting a document into a clip per page or per section makes the audio unusable in exactly the places you want it: a car stereo, a podcast app, a run. Scholarly synthesizes the document in sentence-aligned pieces and assembles them into one continuous MP3, so playback runs from the first page to the last without you touching anything.

The transcript comes with it

Every conversion is saved with a time-synced transcript. Search it for a term, click any line to jump the audio to that moment, or copy the whole thing out. It makes the audio referenceable rather than something you can only play front to back.

Keep exploring

Related tools

Other ways to turn documents into something you can listen to or study from.

Text to Speech

The full tool: any document, any supported source, read aloud.

Listen to a PDF

The reading-on-the-go case, and how to follow along.

Text to MP3

Paste text or notes and get a downloadable audio file.

Audio summary generator

A short spoken recap instead of the full read.

PDF to podcast

A two-host episode that explains the PDF.

PDF summarizer

Condense the same PDF into key points in writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the whole PDF read, or just a summary?

The whole thing. Text to Speech reads the source as written, in order, with nothing added or removed. If you want a shorter spoken version that explains the material instead of reciting it, use the audio summary generator.

How long can the PDF be?

Up to 30,000 words in one conversion, roughly three hours of audio. For a longer book, use the page range selector to convert a chapter at a time.

Can I convert a scanned PDF?

Only if it has a text layer. A scan that is purely page images has nothing to read; run OCR on it first, or upload a text-based version of the same document.

What does it cost?

One AI credit per 10,000 words, rounded up, with a one-credit minimum. Scholarly shows the exact cost before you start, and refunds automatically if a conversion fails.

Can I download the audio?

Yes. It saves to your library as a normal MP3 you can download and play in any app, including offline.

Turn your next PDF into audio

Upload a document, pick a voice, and get an MP3 back with a transcript beside it.

Free

See what it does with one of your own sources.

$0

/month

Free forever

No card required.

  • 3 lifetime AI Chat messages

  • 1 free AI creation total

  • 2-minute podcasts and video lectures

  • 1 free file upload total (8MB)

  • 5 lifetime quiz questions

  • 1 completed practice exam total

  • 15 lifetime voice minutes

  • 32-page PDF to flashcards

  • 500 lifetime autocomplete words

Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, or create a podcast, video lecture, slides, infographic, mind map, study guide, worksheet, spreadsheet, story book, timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline — or run Deep Research or turn a recording into AI Meeting Notes.

Premium

Most Popular

Steady weekly output from the material you already have.

$12

/month

Billed yearly at $144 · save $216

  • Everything in Free, plus:

  • 10 AI creations per week

  • Unlimited AI chat & autocomplete

  • Podcasts up to 60 minutes, videos up to 45 minutes

  • Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)

  • Unlimited study sessions

  • Unlimited exams & quizzes

  • 1000-page PDF to flashcards

  • Export to Anki

  • Priority support

Laureate

For work where being right matters more than the price.

$99

/month

billed monthly · cancel anytime

For frontier models & 7x more AI Creations

Our most advanced and most expensive tier.

  • Everything in Premium, plus:

  • 75 flexible AI creation credits every week

  • 75 AI creations per week

  • Podcasts up to 60 minutes, videos up to 45 minutes

  • Unlimited uploads up to 1 GB, plus 3,000-page PDFs

  • 12 hours of voice mode per day

  • Priority support and early access to new Frontier models

Pricing shown in USD. Local currency may be available for Premium in app.

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 creations

AI creations share one credit balance across every creation tool. Standard models use 1 credit; Frontier models Sol and Opus use 3.

Free
1 total
Premium
10/week
Laureate
75/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 and Kids stay about 30 seconds.

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

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 total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI creations?

Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, a spreadsheet, or a story book, making a mind map, study guide, or worksheet, having an AI Agent create a timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline, running Deep Research, or processing a recording uses your free AI creation. It is a lifetime free credit and does not reset. AI Chat, autocomplete, quiz practice, voice, exams, and file uploads have separate lifetime allowances.

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 creations 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.