Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks vs Headway
Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks
play.google.comHeadway
makeheadway.comSide by side
| Figure | Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks | Headway |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Book Summary Apps | 7.5 (#3) | 8.0 (#1) |
| Spec score · Reading Apps | 7.7 (#30) | 8.2 (#16) |
| Languages | The product page lists English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, and Brazilian Portuguese titles as supported inputs. | Book summaries are offered in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Czech, Romanian, and Hungarian. |
| What it does | Google technology turns eligible ebooks into digitally narrated audiobooks. | Headway provides 2,500+ nonfiction book summaries in text and audio, with each summary taking about 12–20 minutes to complete. |
Plans
Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks
- Auto-narrated audiobook creationFree
In their own words
Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks
Google Play Books Auto-narrated Audiobooks is a web service for publishers converting eligible ebooks into digitally narrated audiobooks. It requires an EPUB ebook offered on Google Play and publisher-owned audio rights for the selected language and countries. Supported input languages listed are English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, and Brazilian Portuguese, with seven voice languages available. Publishers can select from more than 50 narrator combinations covering language, accent, and gender. Editing controls include pronunciation, narrator voice and speed, character voices, and pauses. Finished audio can be published on Google Play Books or downloaded for distribution elsewhere. Google says existing ebooks can be converted in under two hours and publishers receive a 52% revenue share on Google Play sales. Creation, publishing, and downloads are listed at free, with no charge for a limited time. Commercial rights are restricted. The service is intended for books with limited dialogue and emotional content; image-heavy or data-heavy titles are less suitable.