Free or low-cost screen readers

Free or low-cost screen readers can be a more affordable alternative to costly commercial screen readers, and yet still meet your everyday needs. In a survey of preferences of screen reader users, 47.9% of respondents indicate that free or low-cost screen readers are viable alternatives to commercial screen readers.

Your choice of screen reader will depend on platform (i.e. the operating system you are running such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X or Linux), cost and whether the features of the screen reader match your needs.

Read our access reviews of free or low-cost screen readers for information about platform support, costs, features and more.

• Access review of WebAnywhere
• Access review of VoiceOver
• Access review of NVDA
• Access review of System Access to Go

Commercial screen readers

There are also commercial screen readers available such as the commonly used JAWS and Window-Eyes. For purchasing information on these products, please consult Vision Australia's list of Australian blindness organisations.