Plans & Billing
Readwave has a free plan that covers everyday read-aloud, and a Pro plan that removes the word limit and adds Smart Reading (studio cloud voices are coming soon).
Free vs. Pro at a glance
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Read-aloud with the global hotkey | ✅ | ✅ |
| Local neural voices (Ava, Miles, Emma, George) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Queue, Pronunciations, History, Activity | ✅ | ✅ |
| Works fully offline | ✅ | ✅ (for local voices) |
| Words per week | 20,000 | Unlimited |
| Studio-grade cloud voices (40+ languages) | — | Coming soon |
| Read 40+ languages (translate, then listen) | — | ✅ |
| Smart Reading (summarize / translate / simplify) | — | ✅ |
The free word limit
The free plan includes 20,000 words per week.
- The counter resets every Monday at 00:00 (local time).
- Words you read via the hotkey and the Queue count toward the limit.
- When you reach the limit, you'll be prompted to wait for the Monday reset or upgrade to Pro for unlimited reading.
How the meter works
Readwave tracks your usage so you always know where you stand:
- A usage meter shows how many of your 20,000 weekly words you've used and how many remain.
- It refills automatically at the weekly reset (Monday 00:00 local).
- You can see your usage on the Home screen, alongside your read history.
For longer-term numbers (total words, minutes listened, day streak, voices used, sources), see the Activity screen.
Pro pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $8 / month |
| Yearly | $69 / year |
Pro includes a 14-day free trial so you can try unlimited reading and Smart Reading before you commit.
Smart Reading (Pro)
Smart Reading transforms text before it's read aloud. Instead of reading the raw text, Readwave can:
- Summarize — get the gist of a long article in a short read.
- Translate — read text in another language.
- Simplify — rephrase complex text into plainer language, then read it.
Privacy note: Smart Reading sends the text to a cloud service to process it, just like Pro cloud voices. The free local read-aloud path never sends your text anywhere. See Privacy.
How to upgrade
- Click Upgrade in the sidebar.
- Choose monthly ($8/mo) or yearly ($69/yr).
- Start your 14-day trial and complete checkout.
Once you're on Pro, the word limit is removed and the Pro voices and Smart Reading features unlock.
Enter a license key
If you have a license key, activate Pro by entering it:
- Open the Upgrade screen.
- Find the license key / activate option.
- Paste your key and confirm.
Your Pro status is saved and persists across restarts.
Cancel
You can cancel Pro at any time:
- Open the Upgrade / account area.
- Choose to cancel your subscription.
- You keep Pro features until the end of your current paid period, then return to the free plan (with the 20,000 words/week limit).
If you cancel during the 14-day trial, you won't be charged.