CastReader
AI text-to-speech Chrome extension that reads any webpage aloud with paragraph highlighting — including Kindle Cloud Reader and WeRead.
Features
Properties
- Lightweight
- Privacy focused
Features
- Text to Speech
- No Tracking
- Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
- No registration required
- Ad-free
- Read Aloud
CastReader News & Activities
Recent activities
- vinxu reviewed CastReader
I've tried Speechify, NaturalReader, and Read Aloud. They all fail on the same thing — Kindle Cloud Reader. The text is rendered with custom font glyphs so every other extension just returns blank.
CastReader actually reads it. I don't know how they did it but it works. Press the extension icon on read.amazon.com and it starts reading with paragraph highlighting. Same with WeRead which renders everything on Canvas.
For regular web pages it's also the cleanest extraction I've used. It...
- vinxu added CastReader
- vinxu liked CastReader
vinxu added CastReader as alternative to Speechify, ElevenReader and Read Aloud Extension
CastReader information
Developed by
UnknownLicensing
Proprietary and Free product.Alternatives
3 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
What is CastReader?
CastReader is a browser extension that reads any webpage aloud with real-time paragraph highlighting. It intelligently extracts article content from the page, stripping away navigation bars, ads, and sidebars, so you hear the actual content — not the clutter.
What makes CastReader unique is its support for platforms that no other TTS tool can handle. Kindle Cloud Reader renders text using custom font subsets that appear as unreadable glyphs in the DOM — CastReader uses OCR-based glyph decoding to extract the real text. WeRead (????), China's largest reading platform, renders everything on Canvas with no text in the page — CastReader intercepts chapter data before it hits the Canvas.
Key features:
- Reads any webpage with one click, highlights the current paragraph and auto-scrolls
- Works on 15+ platforms: Kindle Cloud Reader, WeRead, Notion, Google Docs, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Yuque, Feishu, and more
- Natural AI voices powered by Kokoro TTS
- Adjustable reading speed (0.5x to 2x)
- Click any paragraph to jump there instantly
- Free tier with 30 minutes/month, no account required
- Supports Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari
Comments and Reviews
I've tried Speechify, NaturalReader, and Read Aloud. They all fail on the same thing — Kindle Cloud Reader. The text is rendered with custom font glyphs so every other extension just returns blank.
CastReader actually reads it. I don't know how they did it but it works. Press the extension icon on read.amazon.com and it starts reading with paragraph highlighting. Same with WeRead which renders everything on Canvas.
For regular web pages it's also the cleanest extraction I've used. It strips out nav bars and ad blocks before reading. Other tools read "TRENDING NOW" and "SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER" before getting to the article. CastReader skips all that.
The free tier gives 30 minutes a month which is enough for casual use. Voice quality is good, not Speechify-premium level, but natural enough. Speed control works well at 1.5x.
Only downside: no mobile app. Chrome/Edge/Firefox/Safari only. If you mostly read on desktop this is the best option I've found.