(a small tool that does one thing)
Copy some text, press a shortcut, and hear it read aloud.
Utter reads your clipboard aloud with your own AI voice service: xAI, Gemini or Doubao Speech. No pop-ups, never steals focus. Pay once and keep it.
14-day free trial · macOS 11+ (Apple silicon) · Windows coming soon
how it works
Three steps to listen
Nothing new to learn. If you can copy it, Utter can read it.
Copy
Select text in a web page, a PDF, an email or any app, and copy it as usual.
Press the shortcut
The default is ⌥⇧S (Alt+Shift+S on Windows), and you can change it. You can also turn on “double copy” and just press copy twice.
Listen
A small capsule appears in a corner of the screen with a waveform and the time. Press the shortcut again to stop at any moment.
what it does
One thing, done well
Your own voice service
Works with xAI, Gemini and Doubao Speech. Paste an API key from the provider’s console and you’re set; requests go straight to the provider.
Never steals focus
The status capsule never takes focus, so you can keep typing while you listen. The rest of the time, Utter sits quietly in the menu bar or system tray.
Stop any time, pay nothing more
Press the shortcut again and it stops: playback ends, the request in flight is cancelled, and nothing more is sent.
Long text asks first
Past 2,000 words, the capsule first shows the length and roughly how long it takes, and starts only once you confirm. Leave it for 8 seconds and it cancels itself.
Hundreds of voices, try before you pick
Doubao Speech alone has over 400 official voices, dialects and other languages included. Every voice has a preview, kept on your computer, so each preview is paid for only once.
Reads more smoothly
Joins the broken lines you get when copying from PDFs and web pages, drops Markdown symbols and link addresses, and splits long text by paragraph so the tone carries through.
what it won’t do
Things Utter won’t do
Leaving these out is how it does the one thing well.
Monthly subscriptionsPay once; every 1.x update is included.
Read your selectionIt only reads the clipboard: if you can copy it, it can read it.
Pop up on its ownSettings open only when you open them.
Keep what it readText is gone once it has been read.
Collect usage dataNo analytics, no tracking code.
Mark up voice costsProviders bill you directly; we never touch it.
whose voice
Supported voice services
Pick one you already use, or add all three and switch whenever you like.
xAI
Fast synthesis: it starts reading almost as soon as you press. The voice list comes live from xAI.
- Key
- API key from the xAI console
- Billing
- Per input character
Gemini
Google’s speech model. 30 preset voices, each with Google’s own description of its style.
- Key
- API key from Google AI Studio
- Billing
- Per token
Doubao Speech
Doubao Speech Synthesis 2.0 from ByteDance’s Volcano Engine. A wide range of Chinese voices, plus dialects and other languages.
- Key
- API key from the Doubao Speech console
- Billing
- Per character
Voice synthesis is billed by the provider by usage, straight to your account with them. See roughly what an hour of listening costs with each on the pricing page.
Each provider decides which countries and regions it serves, so check that yours is covered before you sign up. Utter follows your system proxy settings; there’s nothing to set up in the app.
about privacy
Your key and your text stay between you and the provider
No server of ours takes part in reading.
Your API key stays on your computer
Kept in the system keychain: the macOS Keychain or Windows Credential Manager.
Straight to the provider
Text is sent directly to your provider’s official API, never through our servers.
No reading history
Text is gone once it has been read. The only audio kept on your computer is the voice preview cache.
No analytics
Utter collects no usage data and contains no tracking code.
download
One license for Mac and Windows
The first release is for Macs with Apple silicon. Try it free for 14 days, no sign-up needed.
macOS
Apple silicon · macOS 11 or later
Coming soonWindows
Windows 10 or later
Coming soon
Intel-based Macs aren’t supported yet.
The Windows version comes once its code signing certificate is in place, so Windows won’t block the installer. The same license will work on it.
Linux isn’t supported.
pricing
Pay once. No subscription.
Try it free for 14 days first, and buy it if you like it.
Utter
Personal license
- Payment
- One-time
- Devices
- Up to 3
- Platforms
- macOS / Windows
- Updates
- All of 1.x
- Trial
- 14 days, everything on
- Monthly fee
- 0
US$19 from January 1, 2027
* Thank you *
Voice synthesis is billed separately by your provider, by usage.
What a license includes, and what the voice services cost →questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own API key?
Yes. Create an API key in the xAI console, Google AI Studio (for Gemini) or the Doubao Speech console, and paste it into Utter’s settings. The settings link to where each provider issues keys.
How much does reading cost?
Your provider bills by usage, straight to your account with them. Utter adds nothing on top and never handles the payment. The pricing page shows roughly what an hour of listening costs with each; their websites have the final prices.
Utter only sends a request when you press the shortcut; text past 2,000 words asks first; and stopping cancels the request at once, so nothing more is sent.
How does the trial work?
It lasts 14 days from the first time Utter successfully produces speech (reading or a voice preview), not from when you install it. If it ends before you activate a license, each read stops after about the first 100 words. Voice previews keep working.
How many computers can I use one license on?
Up to 3, Mac and Windows alike (Windows is coming soon), with every 1.x update included. Deactivate an old computer in its settings to free up its seat.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Write to support@heyutter.com within 14 days of buying for a full refund, no reason needed. The license stops working once it’s refunded. See the refund policy.
Why the clipboard and not the selected text?
Reading a selection depends on each app cooperating: some do, some don’t, and you can’t tell in advance. Faking a copy keystroke can pick up stale text and needs extra system permissions.
Reading only the clipboard keeps one simple rule: if you can copy it, Utter can read it.
Does it work where I live?
That depends on the voice service: each provider decides which countries and regions it serves, so check theirs. If you reach it through a proxy, Utter follows your system proxy settings; there’s nothing to set up in the app.
macOS says Utter wants to read the clipboard. What should I do?
Recent versions of macOS ask when an app reads something another app copied, and that prompt only allows it once. To always allow it, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Paste from Other Apps and set Utter to Allow. Utter appears in that list after it has read the clipboard once.
Can I start reading by pressing copy twice?
Yes. Turn on “double copy” in the settings, then press ⌘C or Ctrl+C twice quickly. It’s off by default: many people press copy twice out of habit and would start reading, and paying, by accident.
Is there a Linux version?
No. GNOME on Wayland, the default on most Linux distributions, doesn’t let background apps read the clipboard without taking focus, and Utter never takes focus.
Does Utter keep what it reads?
No. Text goes straight to the provider you chose; Utter keeps no text or history and collects no usage data. See the privacy policy.