Turn Any Text Into a Natural-Sounding Podcast
Paste an article, your notes, a chapter, or any block of writing, and Scholarly turns that text into a podcast: a two-host audio conversation that explains the material out loud, with a synced transcript and self-quiz prompts at the end. The reading you keep meaning to do, in a form you can finish on a walk.
Free to start · No credit card · 70+ languages
Quick answer
Can I turn text into a podcast?
Yes. Paste any text — an article, your typed notes, a textbook chapter, a transcript, a research abstract, even a long email thread — and Scholarly writes a two-host conversation that walks through it out loud: defining the terms, working through the examples, and connecting the ideas instead of reading the words back flatly. A page or two of text usually becomes an 8-to-15-minute episode with a synced transcript. Because the audio is grounded in the exact text you pasted, it reviews your material, not a generic version of the topic — so you actually understand it, rather than just recognizing the words.
Updated June 2026. Episode lengths, voices, and limits reflect the current version of Scholarly.
From a block of text to a finished episode
Three steps, then audio you can take on a walk.
Paste or upload your text
Paste text straight in, upload a document, or drop in a link. Combine several passages — an article plus your notes on it — into one episode when they cover the same topic.
Scholarly scripts the conversation
Two hosts re-explain your text in order: one asks the questions a curious reader would, the other answers from what the text actually says. Pick Conversational, Exam Prep, Deep Dive, or Quick Summary.
Listen, then self-test
Stream with a tap-to-jump transcript or download the MP3. When a passage sounds fuzzy out loud, that is your signal: turn that part into flashcards before you move on.
Where turning text into a podcast pays off
Reading dense text is slow and easy to put off. Hearing it explained as a conversation lets you cover it during time you could not read anyway — and a second pass in a different format is how ideas actually stick.
Get through the backlog
Paste the articles and chapters you keep skipping. Hearing them explained on a commute clears the queue you would never sit and read.
Hear your own draft back
Paste an essay or summary you wrote and listen. Gaps in your own logic are far easier to catch when two hosts try to explain them out loud.
Learn while your eyes are busy
Gym, dishes, the bus, a walk. Audio reaches the minutes reading never could, and that second exposure is spaced repetition you did not have to schedule.
Prime the material, then test it
Listen to a topic explained, note what you could not finish the sentence about, then turn that text into flashcards. You walk in knowing where the gaps are.
The point is not the audio itself, it is that hard text gets a second pass in a format you will actually finish — and that you understand the ideas rather than just half-remembering the sentences.
What good source text looks like
The episode can only be as good as the text you paste. Here is what separates a rich conversation from a flat read-aloud.
- Complete sentences and paragraphs the hosts can reason about, not a bare list
- Terms introduced with a definition or an example in the text itself
- Cause-and-effect and comparisons, so the hosts can explain why, not just what
- Enough length to discuss — a few solid paragraphs beats two stray lines
- Clean, readable text rather than garbled exports or broken formatting
- Disconnected keywords or headings with no explanation underneath
- A page of formulas or figures with no surrounding text to read
- Very short snippets — a single sentence cannot fill an episode
- Scrambled copy-paste where sentences are cut off mid-thought
Rough text still works: the hosts organize loose paragraphs into a coherent discussion and expand standard abbreviations from context. But they will not invent content that is not on the page. If a passage is thin, paste a second related source alongside it — an explainer or a chapter — and the episode fills in the context around your text.
A real text-to-podcast outline
The shape of an episode generated from a roughly two-page article on how vaccines train the immune system.
Article — How Vaccines Train the Immune System
What this article is about
The hosts frame the central question and why it matters before the detail.
Antigens and the first response
The key terms defined exactly as the text uses them, then restated plainly.
Memory cells, explained out loud
A spoken walk-through of the mechanism the article describes in a dense paragraph.
The worked example
The case study from the article, retold start to finish so the idea sticks.
What the text leaves open
Two claims the article states but never explains — flagged so you look them up.
Recap and self-quiz
A fast summary, then three questions drawn from the text to answer out loud.
What to expect from a text episode
8 to 15 minutes per piece
A page or two of text usually becomes an episode in this range. Quick Summary trims it further; Deep Dive expands the hardest passages.
Two hosts, your exact text
A host-and-guest conversation grounded in what your text says, with natural voices in 70+ languages, not a robotic word-for-word read.
Four styles plus instructions
Conversational, Exam Prep, Deep Dive, or Quick Summary, plus custom instructions like 'spend most of the time on the second section'.
Transcript and MP3
Tap any transcript line to jump to that moment, toggle captions, download the MP3, or share the episode with your study group.
What a text podcast can and cannot do
The episode is only as complete as the text you paste. It explains what is on the page — it does not research the rest of the topic for you. That honesty is useful: when the audio feels thin on a point, the source text was thin there too, and now you know before the exam does.
If your source is a recording rather than writing, start there instead: turn the lecture into a podcast and Scholarly transcribes and re-explains the audio so you are not pasting in a rough transcript by hand.
And like any audio, this is review and priming, not problem-solving. Listening tells you what you recognize; it cannot tell you what you can produce under exam conditions. After the episode, turn the same text into flashcards and answer from memory.
Text to podcast, frequently asked
How do I turn text into a podcast?
To turn text into a podcast, paste your text or upload a document, pick a style and language, and generate. Scholarly scripts a two-host conversation that explains exactly what your text says — defining the terms, working through the examples, and connecting the ideas — and returns an 8-to-15-minute episode with a synced transcript and self-quiz prompts. Because it is grounded in the text you pasted, it reviews your material and helps you understand it, not a generic version of the topic.
Can I paste text directly?
Yes. Paste any block of text straight in — an article, your notes, a chapter, an abstract, a transcript — or upload a document instead. Text copied from Google Docs, Notion, OneNote, a web page, or any plain-text editor all works.
What kinds of text work best?
Explanatory prose works best: articles, study notes, textbook sections, summaries, and transcripts. Complete sentences give the hosts something to reason about. Bare keyword lists or pages of figures with no surrounding text make a thinner episode, since there is less to explain out loud.
My text is rough and disorganized. Will the episode make sense?
Usually, yes. The hosts organize loose paragraphs into a structured discussion and expand standard abbreviations from context. What they will not do is invent content that is not in your text — the episode discusses what you paste rather than fabricating around gaps.
Can I combine several pieces of text into one episode?
Yes. Paste or upload multiple passages on the same topic — for example an article plus your notes on it — and Scholarly weaves them into one coherent episode. Adding a second source is also the fix when one piece of text is too thin on its own.
How long is a text-to-podcast episode?
A page or two of text typically becomes an 8-to-15-minute episode, depending on how much you paste and which style you pick. Quick Summary stays shorter; Deep Dive runs longer on dense material.
Is there a transcript?
Yes. Every episode has a synced transcript — tap any line to jump to that point in the audio — plus toggleable captions, and you can download both the MP3 and the transcript.
Does it just read my text aloud word for word?
No. A plain text-to-speech reader narrates the words; Scholarly explains them. Two hosts define the terms, work through the examples, and connect the ideas in a conversation, so you understand the material rather than just hearing it recited.
Is turning text into a podcast free?
Yes. Every account includes a free monthly allowance of podcast generations, no credit card required. Paid plans raise the limits if you convert text into audio often.
Keep exploring
More ways to study from your sources
The same text can become audio, flashcards, and a quiz.
AI Podcast Generator
The full podcast tool: any source, any style, 70+ languages.
Podcast Feature Overview
Everything Scholarly podcasts include, with examples.
PDF to Podcast
Textbook chapters and papers as two-host audio episodes.
Study Podcast Generator
Build a podcast series per course from mixed sources.
Notes to Podcast
Turn a week of class notes into an audio recap.
Audio Summary Generator
A tighter spoken summary when you want the gist fast.
Give that text a second pass, out loud
Free to start. Paste your text, generate an episode, and listen before the material goes cold.
Free
- 3 AI Chat messages per day
- 3 AI creations per day
- 1 file upload per day (8MB)
- 5 quiz questions per day
- 1 exam attempt per day
- 15 voice minutes per day
- 32-page PDF to flashcards
- 500 autocomplete words per day
Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, make a podcast, create a video lecture or infographic, build slides, make a mind map or study guide, or process a recording.
Ultimate
$144 billed yearly
Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited normal chat & autocomplete
- Unlimited premium model messages
- Unlimited AI creations
- Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)
- Unlimited study sessions
- Unlimited exams & quizzes
- 1000-page PDF to flashcards
- Export to Anki
- Priority support
Pricing in USD. Local currency available in app.
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What students say
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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.
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Scholarly is great for students. I am enrolled in online university and my classes are all PDF based. All I do is upload the PDF and it creates flashcards decks for me. The greate...
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Your questions, answered
Is Scholarly free to use?
Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with daily limits: AI Chat messages, 3 AI creations per day, research reports, file uploads, quizzes, practice exams, and manual flashcard creation. Upgrade to Ultimate when you want unlimited AI creations and higher limits.
What uses my daily AI creation?
Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, making a mind map or study guide, or processing a recording each use the same daily free AI creation allowance. AI Chat messages, uploads, quizzes, and exams have their own separate daily limits.
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.
Do you offer discounts for educators?
Yes, we offer special pricing for educators and educational institutions. Contact us at hello@scholarly.so for details.
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 daily actions like AI Chat messages, uploads, quiz questions, and new AI creations. Limits reset every day.
For Educators or Schools
Contact us for special pricing at hello@scholarly.so.