ClaroPDF is an accessible, reading and study PDF tool for all. Annotate, mark up and save PDF files which are then still fully compatible with Adobe Reader and other popular PDF apps. Have accessible text PDF files read back to you with a human quality voice & synchronised highlighting. This application is available on: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web and Chromebook devices.
ClaroPDF Overview Video
ClaroPDF App Features
Speech, Productivity and Accessibility
Alongside the full range of iOS system voices, ClaroPDF Pro lets you download up to 4 high-quality voices of your choosing, in the languages of your choice. A ‘Speak in Background’ option lets you listen to a PDF while viewing another app – great for proofreading accessible text PDF files while you’re working in other apps. The ‘Speak on tap’ (either from the tapped sentence or the page’s first sentence) and ‘Stop on tap’ options make speech easy to control. Over 40 additional high quality voices are available in 27 different languages through low cost In-App purchase, so you can easily customise ClaroPDF’s voice. The voices are all built into the app, so an Internet connection is not needed to speak text.
Application allows the background colour of the PDF to be changed, to enhance readability. ClaroPDF fully supports VoiceOver. Image PDF files cannot be spoken by ClaroPDF voices, but can be fully viewed and annotated with ClaroPDF.
Annotations, Notes and Comments
Software includes a powerful Annotation toolbar that lets you add notes and other comments. These are fully interchangeable with Adobe Reader and most other popular PDF apps, so your ClaroPDF comments will still be there if you open the PDF on another device. Annotations created in another PDF app can also be viewed and edited.
Annotation features include: highlight; underscore; strikeout; notes; free text (type straight into the PDF); free line draw (with many colours, opacity and thickness control); shapes (circle, square, line – with many colours, opacity and thickness control); images (you can even insert photos from your iPad camera or photo library into the PDF file)
Photo to PDF
You can convert photos and other images to fully accessible text PDF files that can be spoken, searched, copied and highlighted. 5000 pages can be converted using the 5000 included credits. Further credit can be purchased in app. Find out more about this feature in our Exploring Photo to PDF article.
Minimum hardware specifications: 2MP camera, which is available on:
- iPad 3rd generation or newer
- iPhone 4 or newer
- iPod Touch 4th generation or newer
Convert to Text PDF
As well as converting photos, you can also convert any PDF file in ClaroPDF into a fully accessible Text PDF file. Along with making these PDF files speakable, it will also compress them, reducing file size.
Smart Zoom
On double-tap, ClaroPDF will identify the tapped text block and perform an intelligent zoom on it, just like in Safari. This reduces how much you have to adjust the zoom manually.
Full-Text Search & Navigation
Search will highlight all found results in your document and let you jump to each one in turn. ClaroPDF shows each page of a multi-page PDF document as a thumbnail, allowing for faster scrolling of long documents. The thumbnails automatically hide when not needed.
Managing PDF Files
PDF files can be opened in ClaroPDF from all other apps, including Mail and Safari. All opened PDF files will be placed in the ClaroPDF Documents List for later viewing. You can also open files from Dropbox, Google Drive, or import files via iTunes. PDF files can be saved into ClaroPDF’s Documents, Dropbox or Google Drive, sent by email, or opened in other apps that support PDF files. The ClaroPDF Documents List is fully customisable, allowing you to organise your PDF files and folders.
Sync with iCloud
You can sync ClaroPDF with your iCloud account. This lets you store and synchronise your PDF files and annotations across multiple devices. Sync with iCloud can also act as a document backup so you can keep your documents safe.
Save as PDF app extension
Save as PDF lets you convert text, images and webpages to PDF files from Safari and almost any other app that handles text, images or webpages. When converted, these new PDF files will appear in your documents list inside ClaroPDF.
Included Text to Speech Voices
You can download any four of our high quality text to speech voices when you install ClaroPDF. CereProc Heather is also available in-app for free. Once you have downloaded your included voices, other Nuance Expressive and Acapela voices are available to purchase in-app. See our voices page for a full list and samples of voices available to download and purchase.
Switch Accessibility
ClaroPDF responds to switch or Bluetooth keyboard commands:
- 1 (~1) Start speech
- 2 (~2) Stop speech
- 3 (~3) Turn to previous page
- 4 (~4) Turn to next page
Fullscreen mode
Allows the full document to be seen without toolbars in view. Ideal for smaller screens!
App Store Links
- ClaroPDF iOS (free)
- ClaroPDF Pro iOS
- ClaroRead iOS App Bundle – Claro ScanPen, ClaroPDF Pro & ClaroSpeak Plus
- ClaroPDF Android (Basic PDF TTS reader – no annotations)
- ClaroPDF Windows
- ClaroPDF Mac
- ClaroPDF Web (multi-platform)
- ClaroPDF Chromebook (Free)
Don’t know which iOS version to get? View our comparison chart.
In-App Store Pricing
Below is a list of how much in-app purchases cost within ClaroPDF (correct as of October 2018)
-
- Add-on Nuance and Acapela voices: £1.99 / $1.99
- Acapela Children’s voices: £3.99 / $3.99
- Add-on CereProc Scottish Heather voice: free
- ClaroPDF server conversion credits. ClaroPDF credits can be used to convert typewritten text in photos and PDF files to fully accessible text PDF files so they can be spoken, searched, copied and highlighted. The files are sent to our online ClaroRead Cloud OCR conversion server, which will also compress your file, giving you a smaller file size. One credit per page.
- 5000 credits: £3.99 / $3.99
Comparison Chart
App Features
High quality installed voices
Children's voices available to purchase in-app
Photo to PDF OCR credits included
Read out PDF files with synchronised highlighting
Annotate PDFs
Full text search
Multimedia - add audio and video files to PDF pages
Folder customisation in the PDF documents list - organise your PDFs into different folders
Sync with iCloud - sync your PDF files between devices
Fully integrated with the new iOS 11 Files app for easy file access
Save as PDF app extension - convert text, images and web pages to PDF files from other apps such as Safari
In-app purchases to add more Vocalizer voices and OCR credits
ClaroPDF
Free
0 (uses system voices)
50
ClaroPDF Pro
£9.99
4 (any language of your choice)
50,000
Help and Documentation
- Help File
- Complete user guide.
- iOS Release Notes
- Version history.
- Android Release Notes
- Version history.
- ClaroPDF Chromebook
- Support Articles
If you need to view your text PDF files in a more plain text view so you can change the font type, colour and size, open them in ClaroSpeak, also available on the App Store.
ClaroPDF and Exams
ClaroPDF is especially useful for exam-taking. See our exam web page for more information.
ClaroPDF Reviews
“I would like to commend you on producing a beautiful PDF reading/annotation app. Its annotations are rich in color and it is, I believe, the only app that offers a choice of background colors.”
– Maxwell (Medical Background)
“It is one of the best apps we’ve purchased and we have over 500! It is on my “top ten” list and one that I always install on an iPad when we send them out for loan!”
– Wendy Kay Alameda (Assistive Technology Specialist, US)
“Loving ClaroPDF via @ClaroSoftware for making notes on PDFs on iPad during workshops.”
– Spectronics (Assistive software providers, Australia)