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Made for Google ChromeRead aloud Chrome extension with natural AI voices
ArticleAudio is a text to speech Chrome extension that reads the web aloud: articles, course pages, newsletters, AI chat replies, and PDF passages. Play a whole page from the toolbar, or highlight any text and press Shift+Tab.
Add to Chrome — Try for Free 1,000 free words · No credit card · Rated 4.8 on the Chrome Web Store
The built-in option
Does Chrome have a built-in read aloud?
Yes. Chrome’s Reading mode has a Read aloud button that uses Google’s natural voices for your language. To use it:
- 1 Right-click the page and choose Open in reading mode. You can also open the ⋮ menu and choose More tools → Reading mode.
- 2 Select Play at the top right of Reading mode.
- 3 Open Reading mode’s settings to change the voice, playback speed, or highlighting.
You listen in a separate view
Read aloud plays inside Reading mode, a simplified version of the page shown in the side panel or full screen. To listen, you leave the page’s own layout.
With ArticleAudio
A small player floats over the page you’re already on. The layout, images, and links stay where they are.
It doesn’t work on every site
Google says Reading mode isn’t available on all websites. It lists video and forum sites, forms, quizzes, and login pages among the pages it can’t handle.
With ArticleAudio
Highlight text on any site and press Shift+Tab. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Gmail, LinkedIn, and X also get a play button on each reply, email, or post.
For a quick listen to an ordinary article, Reading mode is free and already in Chrome. ArticleAudio is for people who listen every day and want it to work on the page they’re on.
Built-in vs extension
Chrome Read aloud vs ArticleAudio
| Feature | Chrome Read aloud | ArticleAudio |
|---|---|---|
| Where you listen | Inside Reading mode (side panel or full screen) | On the page itself, in a floating player |
| Voices | Google natural voices for your language | Five natural AI voices |
| Playback speed | Adjustable | 0.5× to 2.5× |
| Which sites | Not every site: Google lists video and forum sites, forms, quizzes, and login pages | Any page where you can select text |
| ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity | Open Reading mode first | A play button on every reply |
| Save the audio | Playback only | Download as MP3 |
| Browsers | Chrome | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Arc |
| Price | Free | 1,000 free words, then Premium |
Comparing extensions? See ArticleAudio vs Speechify, NaturalReader, and ElevenLabs.
Features
Full-page listening
Listen to the whole page
Open the ArticleAudio popup on a long article, essay, or research page and start listening without selecting every paragraph by hand.
Prefer a smaller chunk? Select a passage when you only want one section. Full-page playback and selected-text playback work together.
Instant Access
One shortcut to listen
Select any passage on a webpage and press the shortcut when you want to hear just that part. No menus, no clicking around.
shift + 
tabRight Click Menu
Or just right-click
Select text, right-click, and choose "Listen with ArticleAudio" from the menu.
Universal Support
Works on any website
From AI chats to newsletters to news sites, ArticleAudio helps you listen where you already read.
ChatGPT
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Gemini
Gmail
Substack
Medium
Wikipedia
X (Twitter)& more
One-click playback
A play button right where you read
On the sites you use most, ArticleAudio adds a dedicated play button next to each AI reply, email, or post — listen to the whole thing in one click, or select a passage for just that part.
Available on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter / X.
Voices & Speed
Tune it to your taste
Choose from 5 natural AI voices and dial in the playback speed — speed through familiar content or slow down for the dense stuff.
Alloy
Neutral & balanced
Shimmer
Soft & gentle
Echo
Warm & engaging
+ 2 more voices
How it works
Set up the read aloud extension in three steps
From install to listening in under a minute.
Add ArticleAudio to Chrome- 1
Add ArticleAudio to Chrome
Install it from the Chrome Web Store, then pin it from the puzzle-piece Extensions menu so the icon stays in your toolbar.
- 2
Open the page you want to hear
An article, course page, newsletter, or AI chat. If the tab was open before you installed, refresh it once.
- 3
Press play
Click the ArticleAudio icon and choose Listen to this page, or highlight a passage and press Shift+Tab.
Where it works
A text to speech Chrome extension for the sites you already use
ArticleAudio reads any page where you can select text. These guides show the fastest way to listen on popular sites.
- Listen to ChatGPT Play any reply aloud
- Listen to Claude Listen to long answers
- Listen to Gemini Hear responses hands-free
- Listen to Gmail Newsletters and long threads
- Listen to LinkedIn Posts and Articles
- Listen to Substack Newsletters as audio
- Listen to Medium Long reads on the go
- Listen to Wikipedia Whole articles or sections
- Listen to Canvas Course modules and readings
- Listen to Notion Docs and notes
See every supported site · Studying? Read text to speech for students.
PDFs
Can Chrome read a PDF aloud?
Yes, a passage at a time. In Chrome’s PDF viewer, highlight the text you want to hear, right-click, and choose Listen with ArticleAudio.
Chrome limits what extensions can do inside PDFs, so whole-file playback and the Shift+Tab shortcut don’t work there. To turn an entire PDF into audio, upload it to the free PDF to audio converter.
Chrome read aloud FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I make Chrome read a page aloud?
You have two options. With Chrome’s built-in Reading mode, right-click the page, choose Open in reading mode, then select Play. With a read aloud extension such as ArticleAudio, click its toolbar icon and choose Listen to this page. The extension plays the page where it is, without switching to Reading mode.
Does Chrome have a built-in read aloud?
Yes. Read aloud is part of Chrome’s Reading mode. It uses Google’s natural voices for your language and has settings for voice, speed, and highlighting. Google notes that Reading mode isn’t available on every website, such as video and forum sites, forms, quizzes, and login pages.
What is the best read aloud Chrome extension?
It depends on what you read and how often. Look for voices you can listen to for an hour, both full-page and selected-text playback, support for the sites you use, and a price that fits. ArticleAudio focuses on natural AI voices, one-key playback with Shift+Tab, and play buttons inside ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Gmail, LinkedIn, and X.
Is there a free read aloud Chrome extension?
Chrome’s built-in Reading mode is free. ArticleAudio is free to try with 1,000 words of audio and no credit card. Premium removes the word limit.
How do I get Chrome to read only the text I select?
Install ArticleAudio and highlight the text. Then press Shift+Tab, right-click and choose Listen with ArticleAudio, or click the play button that appears when you highlight 30 or more words. Only the selected text is read.
Can Chrome read a PDF aloud?
With ArticleAudio, highlight a passage in Chrome’s PDF viewer, right-click, and choose Listen with ArticleAudio. Chrome limits what extensions can do inside PDFs, so whole-file playback and the Shift+Tab shortcut don’t work there. To turn a whole PDF into audio, use the free PDF to audio tool on articleaudio.com.
Does it work in Microsoft Edge, Opera, Arc, or Firefox?
Yes. Edge has its own listing in the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. Opera and Arc install the Chrome Web Store version. Firefox has a separate add-on on Mozilla Firefox Add-ons.
Why doesn’t ArticleAudio work on a tab I already had open?
Chrome only adds an extension to pages that load after you install it. Refresh the tab once and ArticleAudio will be ready.
Is ArticleAudio a screen reader?
No. ArticleAudio turns readable text into audio, but it doesn’t announce buttons, menus, or form fields. If you need full screen-reader support, use a dedicated screen reader.
Using Firefox? See Firefox text to speech.
Let Chrome read your next page aloud
Add ArticleAudio from the Chrome Web Store and try natural text to speech with 1,000 free words.
Add ArticleAudio to Chrome