Select text in any app. Press ⌥⌘R. About a second later, a voice that sounds human starts reading — while you keep working.
move your cursor over the wave — that's the sound of your screen talking
⌥⌘R reads whatever you've selected — browser, PDF, email, doc. Or right-click → “Read with Shmia.” No importing, no library, no app-switching.
Powered by ElevenLabs, the most realistic AI voices there are. Pick any voice in your library and preview it before you commit.
Shmia never waits for the whole selection. The first sentences stream immediately; the rest generates while it speaks.
0.75× to 2×, pitch-preserved, applied instantly mid-sentence. Your pick becomes the default — and it never costs extra credits.
A small window appears top-right with a live timeline, play/pause, speed and voice — always on top, never stealing focus.
Shmia connects to your own ElevenLabs account. No subscription markup, no servers — your text goes to ElevenLabs and nowhere else.
Other apps process your entire text, then start. Shmia splits your selection into chunks: the first is tiny so the voice starts immediately, and the pipeline always stays three chunks ahead.
Chunk 1 is kept small on purpose — that's why the first words arrive in about a second.
Reader apps want you to bring your text to them — import it, upload it, paste it. Shmia works the other way: it comes to wherever your text already is.
| Shmia | Speechify | NaturalReader | ElevenReader | macOS built-in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native Mac app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ iPhone/Android only | ✓ |
| Reads selection in any app, one keystroke | ✓ | partial | ✗ import first | ✗ | ✓ |
| Human-sounding AI voices | ✓ ElevenLabs | ✓ premium tier | ✓ premium tier | ✓ | ✗ robotic |
| Starts instantly on long text | ✓ streamed chunks | varies | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Floating mini player, live timeline | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pricing | Free app · your ElevenLabs credits | ≈ $139/yr | ≈ $110/yr | subscription | Free |
Based on each product's published capabilities, July 2026. “Partial” = works in some apps via their own extension or reader window.
Anywhere on your Mac where text can be selected: every browser, Mail, PDFs, Notes, Slack, Word, code editors — everything. If you can highlight it, Shmia can read it.
Shmia (שמיעה) is Hebrew for “hearing.” That's the whole product in one word — and the logo is the letter shin (ש) mid-vibration.
Your first 15 minutes of listening are free, with every feature unlocked. After that, Shmia Pro is $15/month for unlimited listening — cancel anytime. Voices generate through your own ElevenLabs API key at their rates (Shmia uses their half-price Flash model and adds no markup).
Any voice in your ElevenLabs library — defaults, community voices, even your own cloned voice. Pick a default in Settings and preview each one first.
Your selection is sent to exactly one place: the ElevenLabs API, over your own key. Shmia has no servers, no accounts, and keeps nothing.
Yes — instantly, with pitch preservation so it never sounds squeaky. Speed is applied at playback, so it doesn't re-generate audio or spend extra credits.
$0
Every feature included — shortcuts, the bubble, summary mode, all voices — with 15 minutes of listening to fall in love.
$15/month
Unlimited listening. Cancel anytime. Your license key arrives the second you check out.
Upgrade to ProVoices are generated with your own ElevenLabs API key at their rates — Shmia never marks them up.
Download, connect your ElevenLabs key, and your screen starts talking. Free for your first 15 minutes of listening.
Mac: unzip, drag Shmia to Applications, then right-click → Open the first time (we're a young app). Windows: unzip and run Shmia.exe — click "More info → Run anyway" if SmartScreen asks.