Turn a PDF into a podcast
Upload a PDF on Plus or Pro. Lissin writes a podcast from it, one voice or two, and voices the episode on your iPhone. A scan goes through OCR.
The short answer
PDF to podcast, in the Lissin iPhone app, starts with an upload on Plus or Pro. Say if you want one narrator or two people talking it through. A text PDF is read as text. A scan is read with OCR. For a long report, name the pages, or the episode skims.
How to do it
Upload it on Plus or Pro
The free plan doesn't include file uploads. Plus is 3 files a week, 20 MB each. Pro is 25 files a week, 25 MB each. If the PDF already has text, that's what gets read. If it's a scan or a photo of a page, OCR reads it. You don't pick which.
Say what the episode is for
A walk-through follows the document. Two voices will argue it. On a long report, name the bit you need, the findings for example, and say to skip the method. Leave that out and it tries to cover the lot.
Then check anything you'd quote
It plays in the iPhone app. Plus and Pro include a transcript, and you can download the episode to listen offline. The script is a reading of the PDF, not a copy of it. If a number matters, look at the file. A password-protected PDF won't open.
At a glance
- Who can upload
- Plus, 3 files a week at 20 MB, or Pro, 25 files a week at 25 MB. Not the free plan
- Scanned PDFs
- OCR, when the file has almost no text of its own
- Speakers
- One narrator, or two
- Transcript
- Plus and Pro. Not on the free plan
Hear what comes out
Shows already published on Lissin, free to play in the browser.
Questions
- How do I turn a PDF into a podcast?
- Open Lissin on your iPhone, add the PDF on Plus or Pro, and say what you want from it. It writes a script and voices that. It won't read the file word for word unless you ask.
- What does it cost?
- The app is free to download, and the free plan includes 50 minutes a week. The PDF upload, the transcript and a higher weekly limit are Plus or Pro. The prices are on the pricing page.
- Will a scanned PDF work?
- Yes, when the file has almost no text. A flat, well-lit scan reads better than a photo taken at an angle.
- Can I use a 90-page report?
- You can, but name the chapters or pages you actually want. Ask for the whole report and the episode skims.
- Can two people talk through it?
- Yes. Ask for one narrator or two speakers.
- Do I get a transcript?
- On Plus and Pro, yes. The free plan doesn't include one.
- How is this different from NotebookLM?
- Use NotebookLM when you need to check a line in your own file and jump to the passage. Use Lissin when you want an episode, including one that comes back next week. Offline listening is on a paid plan. The comparison page says when to pick which.
- What about Android?
- There isn't an Android app, and there isn't an iPad app. You make the episode on iPhone, on iOS 26 or later.
What this does not do
Uploading the file needs Plus or Pro, and the free plan has no transcript. A PDF that's mostly tables or charts loses most of its meaning once it's spoken. A password-protected file won't open. The episode interprets the PDF, so a contract or a filing still needs to be read as written. There's no Android app and no iPad app.
Sources
Make your own show, or hear a sample
Make a show from your topic or documents in the Lissin iPhone app (iOS 26 or later). Or listen to public shows in the web player without installing the app.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026 by Lissin Editorial.