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OpenReader vs Balabolka: catalog facts
OpenReader	Balabolka
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence; cloud TTS providers bill separately.	Free Freeware, funded by sales of the developer's Cross+A software.
Web, Self-hosted	Windows, Command line
Word-by-word highlighting during narration Audiobook export to M4B or MP3	Uses any installed system voice Opens many document and ebook formats
Needs a separate TTS server or a paid cloud API Several moving parts to deploy, including a compute worker	Windows only Voice quality depends on the installed speech engines
Self-hosted	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: MIT	License: Freeware
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 26, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.