Question: Is there a tool that can convert academic papers into an audio format for easier reading and listening?

If you want a tool to convert research papers into an audio format, Audemic Scholar is a good option. It converts PDFs into interactive and accessible reading and listening formats that are good for students and researchers. It has natural voices, language translation and accessibility options like playback speed control and dyslexic font support. It has a free plan with limited features and two paid plans, so it should be adaptable to your academic needs.

Another option is NaturalReader, a full-featured text-to-speech tool that can handle PDF and Word documents. It uses AI technology for natural-sounding voices, supports more than 50 languages, and has features to help people with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. NaturalReader also has a range of subscription options, including an EDU plan, so it's good for schools.

Audioread is another option worth considering. It converts text into speech using AI technology for a range of written documents, including PDFs and emails. The tool works on multiple devices and generates a private podcast RSS feed so people can listen to their content in their favorite podcast apps. Audioread's subscription plan is simple, with a monthly cost that includes a lot of conversions and support for many languages.

If you want high-quality, realistic voices, ElevenLabs is worth a look. It offers natural text to speech in 29 languages and more than 120 voices, which could be useful for audiobooks, games and chatbots. ElevenLabs offers both free and paid options, so it should be good for people with modest content creation needs and businesses.