Orate

Listen to your docs on the go.

PDFs, web pages, even copy-paste text — turned into podcast-quality audio. CarPlay, background play, lock-screen controls. Completely private: 100% on-device processing.

iOS 18+CarPlayBackground playOne-time purchase
Orate playback screen on iPhone
Features

Built for the long listen.

High-quality voices

Five expressive system voices. Pick the one that fits the document — and the mood.

Variable speed

From 0.5× to 4×. Skim a long PDF or savor a short essay — your call.

PDF, web, plain text

Import from Share Sheet, drop a URL, or paste text directly. Orate handles the rest.

CarPlay + lock screen

Listen on the road, on the trail, on the couch. Full media controls everywhere.

Background play

Keep listening while you write, walk, or switch apps. The audio never stops mid-sentence.

100% on-device

Speech synthesis runs locally with Apple’s neural voices. Your documents never reach a server.

Use cases

For every kind of document worth hearing.

Articles, papers, drafts, manuals — same player, many shapes.

Long-form articles

Save the Substack essay, the Atlantic deep-dive, the long thread for the commute. Orate turns your read-later pile into a listen-now pile.

Academic PDFs

Listen to research papers while reviewing notes.

Newsletters

Clear the inbox audio backlog on a walk.

Your own writing

Paste a draft and hear it read aloud. The oldest copy-editing trick in the book — your ear catches what your eye glides over.

Books + textbooks

Convert long PDFs into chapter-by-chapter audio.

Documentation

Tech docs, API references, manuals — listen while you do something else.

Language learning

Pick a voice in your target language. Pause, replay, slow down. Train your ear with whatever material you bring.

Accessibility

A reading aid for tired eyes, dyslexia, or anyone who absorbs spoken words better.

Walks + runs

Turn screen time into ear time. Move your body; feed your mind.

Privacy

What you read stays with you.

Orate is built so the documents you choose to listen to — drafts, papers, articles, private notes — stay entirely on your device. Every page of text, every generated audio file, is rendered locally. Nothing is uploaded.

Speech synthesis uses Apple’s on-device neural voices. There are no third-party TTS services, no cloud rendering, no telemetry you did not opt into. Your library — and the contents of it — is for your ears only.

Optional iCloud sync keeps your library across your Apple ID devices, end-to-end encrypted. Your data travels with you, never to us, never to anyone else.

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Documents uploaded
100%
On-device synthesis
You
Own your data
FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

PDFs, web pages, plain text, and pasted snippets. Use the iOS Share Sheet from any app, or drop a URL into Orate directly.
Entirely on your device, using Apple’s neural text-to-speech voices. No audio is ever rendered on a server — yours or anyone else’s.
Yes. Full CarPlay support, plus standard lock-screen and Control Center media controls.
Once a document’s audio is generated, playback is fully offline. Generating new audio also runs on-device, so airplane mode is fine.
Yes. Lock your phone, switch apps, or take a call — Orate picks up where it left off.
Five high-quality system voices on launch. Availability varies by language; more voices are added as Apple ships them.
Yes. Anywhere from 0.5× to 4× in fine increments. Your last speed per voice is remembered.
No. Documents stay on your device. Synthesis is local. Optional iCloud sync keeps your library across your Apple ID devices, end-to-end encrypted.
Yes. From Safari, Mail, Files, or any app that supports the Share Sheet — send to Orate and it queues up the audio.
Because a reader-app should not be a service you keep renewing. One price; you own it. Your library will keep working next year.
Support

Need help?

Visit our comprehensive support center for FAQs, documentation, and contact information.

Visit Orate support