Screen Readers for the Blind: How They Work and Which to Use

A screen reader is software that reads what is on a screen out loud, or sends it to a braille display, so a blind person can use a computer or phone without seeing it: with keyboard commands on a computer and touch gestures on a phone. Every major system has one built in. On Windows, many people add NVDA, which is free, or JAWS, which is paid.

Below: how people use one, what each costs and who it suits, NVDA vs JAWS, where braille displays and other assistive technology fit, and how a sighted teacher, parent or developer can try one. Prices and versions were checked on the makers' own pages on October 28, 2026.

Key points

• You don't have to buy one to start. Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chromebooks all include a screen reader, and Linux has Orca, free and open source.
• On Windows, the big two are NVDA and JAWS. NVDA is free. JAWS starts at $104.50 a year for a US home license; professional licenses cost much more.
• No mouse, no looking. On a computer, people use keyboard commands. On a phone, they swipe right to move to the next item and double-tap to open it.
• Speed comes from jumping. Users skip from heading to heading or link to link, at the speech rate they choose, instead of listening to everything.

Screen readers at a glance

What a screen reader does

A screen reader goes through what is on the screen (text, buttons, menus, links, form fields) and tells you what each thing is and what it says. You move with keys or gestures, and it speaks whatever you land on.

It can only say what the app or website gives it. A labeled button is read by its name; an unlabeled one may be read as just "button". The screen reader does the talking, but developers have to supply the words.

The output can be speech, from a synthetic voice, or braille, on a refreshable braille display. In WebAIM's latest survey of screen reader users (December 2023 to January 2024), 38% of respondents with disabilities used braille output. More in how do blind people read.

How do blind people use computers?

With the keyboard. Tab moves between controls, the arrow keys read line by line, and screen reader commands start with a special key. In NVDA and JAWS that key is Insert; NVDA and Narrator can also use Caps Lock. On a Mac, the VoiceOver keys are Control-Option, or Caps Lock.

By jumping, not reading everything. On a web page, single letters move you around: H goes to the next heading, F to the next form field, T to the next table, and adding Shift goes back. NVDA and JAWS can also list every heading or link on the page. Headings are the main map: in WebAIM's survey, 71.6% of respondents said they navigate by headings first when looking for something on a long page.

Sources: the NVDA 2026.3 User Guide, which also lists a laptop layout, and Freedom Scientific's JAWS Quick Start Guide, for long-standing keystrokes.

Narrator, built into Windows, has a scan mode (Narrator key + Spacebar) for moving through web pages with arrow keys and single letters; it turns on by itself in Chrome and Edge.

How do blind people use phones?

By touch, with the screen reader in charge. When VoiceOver or TalkBack is on, a single tap no longer opens anything. You drag a finger across the screen to hear what is under it, or swipe right and left to move item by item. When you reach what you want, you double-tap to open it.

Sources: Apple's VoiceOver gestures and Google's TalkBack gestures.

The shortcut that changes everything is the rotor on iPhone and reading controls on Android. On iPhone, you rotate two fingers like a dial to pick a unit, such as headings, then swipe up or down to jump between them; the rotor also sets the speaking rate. On Android, you swipe up then down to pick a reading control (words, headings, links, speech rate and more), then swipe up or down to use it.

On iPhone, a three-finger triple tap turns on the screen curtain: the display goes black, as if it were off, while the phone keeps working. Useful for privacy.

Phones matter: in WebAIM's survey, 91.3% of respondents used a screen reader on a mobile device. Our guide to using Braillito with VoiceOver and TalkBack has fuller gesture tables.

The main screen readers, one by one

JAWS (Windows, paid)

JAWS comes from Vispero; its manuals and store carry the Freedom Scientific name. Vispero calls it "the world's most widely used screen reader", and WebAIM's survey bears that out in North America, where 55.5% of respondents used JAWS as their main desktop screen reader. It provides speech and braille output. The current version is JAWS 2026.2609.84, from September 30, 2026, with AI features Vispero calls PictureSmart AI and AI Page Explorer.

US prices on Vispero's store:

There are also prepaid three- and five-year home licenses, and a Home Subscription ($623 to $674 a year) that includes Vispero's FSCompanion AI training and support tools. The store says US college students and faculty may qualify for free home access. Before buying, you can use JAWS for 40 minutes per session without a license.

Who it suits: people whose employer or school pays for it, and people whose work depends on software they have confirmed works best with JAWS.

NVDA (Windows, free)

NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) is made by NV Access, "a registered charity and software development company". It is free and open source, for anyone, anywhere; the download page asks for a donation but doesn't require one. The current version is NVDA 2026.3, for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. It has:

• a built-in voice for more than 55 languages;
• support for braille displays, including typing on a display's braille keyboard;
• a portable copy that runs from a USB drive without installing, handy on a shared computer;
• community add-ons, which NV Access says it does not vet.

In WebAIM's survey, NVDA was the screen reader respondents used most commonly (65.6%) and the main one in Europe and Asia.

Who it suits: almost anyone on Windows, especially students and people paying for themselves.

Narrator (Windows, built in)

Narrator is built into Windows 11, with nothing to download. Ctrl + Windows logo key + Enter turns it on or off. It has natural-sounding voices with adjustable speed, scan mode and braille display support. Only 0.7% of WebAIM's respondents used it as their main screen reader, but 37.3% said they commonly use it: it is a good fallback, and an easy start for sighted testers.

VoiceOver (Mac, iPhone and iPad, built in)

VoiceOver is built into macOS and iPhone. On a Mac, Command-F5 turns it on or off, and you control it with keyboard commands or trackpad gestures. On iPhone, Apple calls it "a gesture-based screen reader"; turn it on in Settings › Accessibility › VoiceOver, from Control Center, with the Accessibility Shortcut or by asking Siri. Both work with braille displays.

In WebAIM's survey, 70.6% of mobile screen reader users were on iOS. Pairing a display and typing braille on the screen are covered in braille on iPhone.

TalkBack (Android, built in)

TalkBack is Android's screen reader. Hold both volume keys for a few seconds to turn it on, or go to Settings › Accessibility › TalkBack › Use TalkBack, or say "Hey Google, turn on TalkBack". TalkBack 13.0 or later works with braille displays over Bluetooth or USB; see braille on Android. In WebAIM's survey, 27.6% of mobile screen reader users were on Android.

ChromeVox (Chromebooks, built in)

ChromeVox is built into ChromeOS. Ctrl + Alt + Z turns it on or off; on a tablet, hold both volume buttons for five seconds. Most commands use the Search or Launcher key, and the ChromeVox menu (Search + period) includes a tutorial. It can show its speech as braille captions on a USB or Bluetooth braille display. If a school hands out Chromebooks, this is the screen reader on them.

Orca (Linux, free)

Orca is "a free, open source, flexible, and extensible screen reader" for the Linux desktop, with speech and refreshable braille. In GNOME, Super + Alt + S turns it on or off, and it works with apps such as LibreOffice, Firefox and Chrome. In WebAIM's survey, 2.4% used it as their main screen reader.

NVDA vs JAWS

You don't have to choose for life. The basics are shared (Insert as the main key, H for headings, Control to stop speech), so skills carry over, and 71.6% of WebAIM's respondents used more than one desktop screen reader.

How to choose: start with NVDA, since it costs nothing, and move to JAWS if a job or school requires it or pays for it. This is not a test of how each handles specific programs: if your work depends on one application, try both with it.

Screen readers and braille displays

A refreshable braille display is not a screen reader: it is the device that shows the screen reader's output in braille, with pins that rise and fall. NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, VoiceOver, TalkBack, ChromeVox and Orca all support displays. Narrator even lets you turn speech off while braille keeps working, which matters for someone who is deafblind.

Our deeper guides:

• Refreshable braille displays: how they work, prices, and borrowing one free from the NLS in the US.
• Braille on iPhone and braille on Android: pairing a display and typing braille on a phone.
• Deafblind communication. In the US, iCanConnect gives free equipment, including screen readers and braille displays, to people with both significant hearing and vision loss who meet its disability and income guidelines.

Other assistive technology for blind and visually impaired people

Screen magnifiers, for people with low vision. Windows 11 has Magnifier built in, and NVDA works alongside it. ZoomText, from Vispero, enlarges and enhances the screen and can read documents, web pages and email aloud; the US Home Annual license for ZoomText Magnifier/Reader is $93.50 a year. Fusion combines ZoomText and JAWS, either one or both at once, from $187 a year.

Reading print with a phone. The iPhone's built-in Magnifier app can read text in the camera view aloud, and its Point & Speak reads labels you point at, such as an appliance's buttons. Both work with VoiceOver, though Apple warns not to rely on them in risky situations or for navigation. Seeing AI, Microsoft's free app for iPhone and Android, reads text and describes photos, products, people and currency.

Eyes on call. Be My Eyes is free and connects blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers by video call; its Be My AI feature describes a photo and answers questions about it. On October 28, 2026, its site counted over 11.5 million volunteers and 1.1 million blind and low-vision users.

How sighted people can try a screen reader

Ten minutes with a screen reader teach a teacher, parent or developer more than an hour of reading. Some tips:

1. Learn the off switch first. Command-F5 on a Mac, Ctrl + Windows + Enter for Narrator, Ctrl + Alt + Z on a Chromebook, both volume keys on Android. On iPhone, set up the Accessibility Shortcut before you start, and leave the screen curtain for later.
2. Use the practice modes. iPhone has a VoiceOver tutorial and VoiceOver Practice, where gestures don't change anything. On Android, a four-finger tap opens TalkBack's practice gestures.
3. Watch what it says. NVDA's Speech Viewer shows its speech in a window, for developers and demos. Narrator's braille viewer (Narrator key + Alt + B) shows the text and its braille on screen, so a sighted teacher can follow what a student reads on a display.
4. Try JAWS without buying it. The free 40-minute sessions are enough for a quick check; the 90-day license is $319.
5. If you build websites, press H. Go through your own page by headings with NVDA. If the headings don't tell the story of the page, screen reader users will struggle.

Teachers with a blind student will find the rest in our classroom checklist.

Screen readers and learning braille

A screen reader gives access to digital text, but listening is not reading: it doesn't teach spelling or punctuation the way braille does. Many blind people use both.

Braillito, our app, teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It is built to be used with VoiceOver and TalkBack and detects them by itself; it has no external accessibility audit, and a braille display can show its text but not answer its exercises (details). Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best screen reader for blind people?

It depends on the device: NVDA or JAWS on Windows, VoiceOver on Apple devices, TalkBack on Android, ChromeVox on a Chromebook. Many people use more than one; in WebAIM's survey, 71.6% used more than one desktop screen reader.

Is there a free screen reader?

Yes. NVDA for Windows and Orca for Linux are free and open source, and Narrator, VoiceOver, TalkBack and ChromeVox come built into Windows, Apple devices, Android and Chromebooks. JAWS is paid, but runs for 40 minutes per session without a license.

How much does JAWS cost?

On October 28, 2026, Vispero's US store sold JAWS Home Annual for $104.50 a year, for non-commercial home use. Professional licenses cost $926 to $1,003 a year, or $2,316.50 perpetual, with the next two major updates and two years of support. A 90-day license is $319.

What is the difference between NVDA and JAWS?

NVDA is free and open source, from the charity NV Access; JAWS is commercial, from Vispero. Both run on Windows, support braille displays and share basic commands. JAWS is the most common main screen reader in North America, NVDA in Europe and Asia.

How do blind people use phones?

With VoiceOver on iPhone or TalkBack on Android. They drag a finger or swipe to move item by item, double-tap to open, and use the rotor or reading controls to jump by headings or links. Some add a braille display.

How do blind people use computers?

With a screen reader and the keyboard instead of a mouse: Tab and arrow keys to move, single letters to jump by headings, links and form fields, and speech at the rate that suits them, or a braille display.

Can a screen reader show braille?

Yes. NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, VoiceOver, TalkBack, ChromeVox and Orca can send text to a refreshable braille display. See refreshable braille displays.

What assistive technology do blind people use?

Screen readers, refreshable braille displays, screen magnifiers such as ZoomText for low vision, and phone apps that read print or describe surroundings, such as Seeing AI and Be My Eyes.