AI Tool Comparison
Comparing as AI Voice CloningSpeechify vs Async
Speechify
VS
Async
Verdict by Category
Detailed Comparison
Feature
Speechify
Async
Pricing
FreemiumSpeechify's core reading app offers a Free plan with playback speeds up to 1.5x, 10 robotic-sounding voices, and text-to-speech-only features. The Premium plan is $29/month billed monthly (annual pricing is commonly referenced around $139 to $159/year with a discount of up to 60% versus monthly), and includes 1,000+ natural-sounding voices in 60+ languages, playback up to 5x speed, Scan and Listen OCR, AI Summaries and Chat, Google Drive/Dropbox/OneDrive integrations, Voice Typing dictation, AI Podcast creation, and the Voice AI Assistant. Speechify Studio (voice generation, cloning, dubbing, avatars) and the Speechify Text to Speech API are priced separately with their own plans, viewable at speechify.com/pricing-studio and speechify.com/pricing-api. Teams, schools, and enterprises can contact Speechify's sales team for volume/custom pricing.
FreemiumAsync offers a permanently free Basic plan ($0/month, no credit card required) with limited AI credits and recording hours. Essentials is $11.99/month (about $7.19/month billed annually, ~40% savings) and includes AI credits, transcription, AI clips/subtitles/reframing, TTS characters, cloud storage, and 4K export. Pro is $23.99/month (about $14.39/month annually) and adds higher credit allowances, AI Dubbing with Lipsync, Revoice voice cloning, and access to AI video/image generation models. Teams pricing is per user with expanded credits, unlimited recording studios, Producer Mode, and brand kit features (contact sales for exact per-seat rate). Business/Enterprise plans are custom-priced with advanced security and support; contact the Async sales team. All paid plans include a 7-day free trial, and existing Podcastle subscriptions carried over unchanged after the rebrand.
Categories
AI Audio & Music ToolsAI Personal Assistant ToolsAI Productivity Tools
AI Video ToolsAI Audio & Music ToolsAI Developer APIs & Platforms
Summary
Voice AI that reads, writes, and answers anything aloud for you
Record, edit, and generate podcasts and videos in one AI-powered creative studio
Speechify Pros & Cons
Pros
- Extremely natural, emotionally expressive AI voices praised across G2, Trustpilot, and app store reviews
- Works across nearly every platform: iOS, Android, Chrome, Edge, Mac, Windows, and web
- Strong accessibility focus with proven benefits for dyslexia, ADHD, and low vision users
- Wide file and format support including PDF, DOCX, EPUB, TXT, web links, and scanned pages
- Voice AI Assistant and AI podcast features go well beyond basic text-to-speech
Cons
- Premium is annual-only in most cases and considered expensive relative to free browser-based alternatives
- Advertised top speeds like 4.5x-5x become hard to comprehend for most listeners in practice
- Free plan is limited to robotic voices and capped file imports
- Refund eligibility is restrictive, requiring cancellation within 7 days and minimal usage
- Voice cloning quality is convenient but not as specialized as dedicated voice-cloning platforms
Async Pros & Cons
Pros
- Permanent free plan with no credit card required to start
- Combines recording, editing, dubbing, and AI generation in a single subscription instead of a stack of separate tools
- Transcript-based editing significantly speeds up audio and video cleanup for non-editors
- Access to leading third-party video/image generation models (Kling, Sora, Veo) inside the same workspace
- SOC2 certified and GDPR compliant, with existing Podcastle accounts migrated seamlessly
Cons
- Rebrand from Podcastle to Async can confuse long-time users searching for the old name
- Credit-based system for AI generation features adds complexity on top of the subscription price
- Some users report bugs, crashes, or inconsistent results with AI audio/video tools
- Advanced features like AI Dubbing and voice cloning are gated behind Pro or higher plans
- Mobile app experience lags behind the desktop/browser editor