Since the beginning of time, we have known that listening provides more joy and better understanding than reading. Text-to-Speech Technology, or TTS technology, was introduced to make our lives easier based on this critical point.
This technology provides a coherent solution to convert text documents to speech from computers or smartphones. The technology has gained popularity among readers for professional and personal use due to the added convenience. This allows the humming professional to multitask and also emotionally connects readers with the documents such as e-learning courses, novels, books, PDFs, etc, and associates it with a human voice.
This is the primary reason we see a steady growth of these applications in the market, contributing to the increasing demand for audiobooks. This article has discussed the best text-to-speech solutions and how they help to read while carrying out other activities.
What is Text To Speech Software?
TTS or Text-to-Speech Software is meant to read a digital text and is an assistive technology. Also known as the “read aloud” technology, it is compatible with smart devices like computers or smartphones. It also has an easy operation that converts the text to audio with just a few clicks.
On several digital devices, this technology is compatible with different text formats such as Pages, Docs, Word, etc. This technology facilitates learning in kids and is also suitable for adults for proofreading or editing, among other activities.
How Does Text To Speech Software Work?
The TTS solution is a computer-generated voice that permits you to slow down or speed up the speed of reading. You can also alter the tone of the vote and make it sound like a male, female, or child. Further, the voice quality can also be changed.
Another major highlight of the technology is that it marks the document while reading, so the listener knows how far they have read in the text. Moreover, the text-to-speech technology features OCR or Optical Character Recognition, allowing the application to read from a picture.
Advantages of Text to Speech Software
Text-to-Speech software is advantageous to both business companies and readers. We have listed some major benefits of them below.
For Content Owners and Businesses
Content owners such as e-learning solution providers, mobile app developers, media houses, organizations, publishers and businesses, and similar domains can profit from text-to-speech software in the following ways.
- Increased Reach: Customisable, clear, and human-like text-to-speech voices can enable the business to reach global benchmarks. This software also offers a translation solution that enables the users to listen in their native language.
- Enhanced User Experience: In the pre-sales and post-sale services, introducing the TTS technology can effectively reduce the human agent workload, cut operational costs, provide personalised services, and facilitate throughput.
- Saves Time and Money: With minimal maintenance, businesses can save both money and time by enabling TTS software.
- Increased Productivity: The HR department and e-learning professionals curate the learning material for the trainee employees. It also enables the employees to multitask and learn through the training module at any time.
For Users
Users or readers like machine developers, website visitors, app users, device users, teachers, researchers, inline learners, etc., can highly benefit from the TTS software in the following manner.
- Users with Reading Issues: Several people have some type of reading or learning disability, like a language-learning disability. Introducing TTS software in the materials can facilitate understanding the reading material more. It also helps people with reduced vision and literacy difficulties.
- Multitasking: This software provides the flexibility to simultaneously carry out physical tasks like exercising, cleaning, cooking, etc. People who find it difficult to devote time to books can just listen to them while performing other tasks.
- Suitable for Kids: It helps kids listen to audio files containing study materials and books rather than glued to mobile screens or desktops. It also improves their cognitive skills and word recognition, making it easier to fix errors in their writing materials.
- Travel Partner: The audio facility allows the readers to enjoy their books even while travelling. It reduces the stress on the eyes and helps to enjoy the books even on bumpy roads.
Text to Speech Software
1. Speechify
Speechify can convert any form of text in all formats, like emails, PDFs, docs etc, into speech with premium-quality AI voices. This software solution enables adding a play button to all kinds of content on the application or website.
The reading speed of this application is 5X faster than other applications with the feature to adjust the speed. It can be used in all the major Operating Systems.
Top Features
- Can generate high-quality natural human-like voices.
- You can adjust the reading speed at your convenience.
- It can scan and convert printed documents and convert into speech for listening.
- Has a library of more than 15 languages and 30 voices.
Pricing
- There are two pricing options: one is a free plan, and the premium plan is available at $139 per year with all the additional features like powerful highlighting, advanced importing and skipping, scanning and listening to printed text, and 30+voices with 15+ languages.
2. Natural Reader
This powerful software is capable of converting any text document to audio anywhere and at any time. This is one of the most renowned and well-reputed TTS applications that produce natural-sounding and high-quality voices. The USP of this software is the OCR technology that can read written material from images or scanned documents.
It also has full rights to the audio created for commercial purposes. This software is available online through the Chrome extension and is compatible with Android, iPhone and Windows.
Top Features
- Has a library of 16 languages and more than 100 voices.
- OCR features allow the reading of text from images and scanned documents.
- The pronunciation editor helps to enhance the pronunciation of particular words.
- It is a perfect aid for dyslexic readers.
Pricing
- Natural Reader offers three different pricing options. The first one is a free plan that allows unlimited free voice access and 20 minutes of access to premium voices each day and a pronunciation editor.
- The premium version is priced at $9.99 monthly with unlimited voice access, MP3 conversion, and OCR function. And, the final one is the plus plan which offers more than 100 premium voices with all the features mentioned above.
3. Murf
Murf.AI has a cloud-based platform as the supporting system, which has gained its name as a TTS software for its ability to generate studio-like voiceovers in just a few minutes.
This software ditches the age-old robotic voices to make voiceovers and employs AI technology for enhanced performance. Several other functions include adding audio to videos, transforming editable documents from speech, etc.
It is compatible with iPhone, Android, and Mac and can be used online. This software also provides great service help to all its users.
Top Features
- Murf is capable of offering more than 120 voices for both men and women.
- It provides human-like natural voices in 20 languages.
- This software features the latest technology, which enables the user to emphasise specific words, add pauses, control speed, and adjust the pitch.
- It also features a free punctuation and grammar assistant for the document.
Pricing
- Murf offers three different pricing options. The basic option is priced at $13 per month and gives access to 10 languages and 60 voices with 24 hours of use and unlimited downloads.
- The pro version is priced at $26 per month with access to 20 languages and 120 voices, 48 hours of transcription with 96 hours of production. The enterprise version is priced at $166 per month with 5+ users and unlimited service. It also offers a free version for text minutes functioning.
4. Fliki
This is not a characteristic TTS software but has many more user advantages, including a free plan. It features a library of more than 900 AI voices with over 100 dialects and more than 75 languages. You can use the software to create voiceovers, audiobooks, podcasts, blog-to-video, etc.
It differs from text-to-video capabilities with ready-made videos to share on all social media platforms. You can also add background music and images to the text.
Top Features
- More than 900 AI voices.
- You can import the text through a URL.
- You can add background music to the videos.
- You can include voiceovers, podcasts, blog-to-videos etc.
Pricing
- The pricing is simple as you have a no credit-card-free plan with certain limitations which can be viewed in the application.
5. Speechelo
This application is a cloud-based TTS solution that converts texts to human-like natural sounds in just a few minutes. Though this is a newer application, it has built its name in a short while. Owing to the amazing speech transformation feature. The expressions in the voices are a huge hit among users, and 98% of people who hear Speechelo-generated voices cannot tell the difference.
Apart from all the above-mentioned amazing features, the best part is that this app is compatible with Android, iPhone, Linux, Mac and Windows, making it suitable for all users.
Top Features
- Has a large library of more than 50 natural voices in 24 languages.
- There is a feature to add inflexion in the generated voice.
- Has additional settings to adjust the pitch and speed of the voice.
- Compatible with all the major operating systems so it does not matter which device you are using.
Pricing
- It has only one pricing option at $47 for a lifetime subscription which frees you from any recurring fees. The 60-money-back guarantee frees you from all risks of using the software.
6. Lovo
Lovo is a TTS software that enables ideal voiceover production for e-learning, animations, games, audio ads, etc., enabled with advanced neural network models and AI; this software can develop more than 130 human-like voices in 33 different languages. Further, new voices are introduced every month.
This app has an interesting feature known as Custom Voice Cloning that allows you to create customised voice skins. It is compatible with iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Top Features
- Large library of 33 languages and more than 180 voices.
- Creates realistic and authentic voices depicting human emotions.
- You can create a customised voice skin in just 15 minutes.
- It has a simple interface that is easy to use.
Pricing
- This app offers two pricing options and also a free subscription plan. First, the personal plan allows 30 downloads in a month, a chance to add commercial rights and BGM, and unlimited access to voices. It is priced at $17.49 per month. Then is the freelancer plan at $49.99 per month, which has all the features of the personal plan with the added 100 downloads per month.
7. Play.ht
This web software is enabled with a massive library consisting of AI-generated voices for converting text to speech. With the help of the best synthetic agents and online voice generators from Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, and Google, it can develop natural text-to-speech audio. This application enables users to choose from 600 male and female voices and over 60 languages or accents.
Several additional features like SSML tags, pronunciations, audio with speech styles, etc. to help improve the audio. It is available online on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows and is a cloud-based platform.
Top Features
- This app supports exporting in WAV and MP3 format.
- Offers over 600 voices in over 60 different languages.
- Provides broadcast and commercial rights to use the files generated for personal or commercial purposes with complete authority.
- Features several additional functions to boost the audio.
Pricing
- Play.ht offers four pricing options and also a free trial. The personal plan at $14.25 per month for personal use like school projects, proofreading, and learning. The professional plan for freelancers, bloggers, and content creators at $29.25 per month for commercial use. The growth plan at $74.25 per month for small companies and teams seeking growth. And the business plan for agencies and companies to generate audio at a large scale. It also has a free trial offer.
8. Nuance Dragon
This text-to-speech application is enabled with Artificial Intelligence technology that induces neural networks to provide personalized, engaging, and human-like audio. The user can enjoy as many as 119 voices and 53 different languages. It also features the Nuance vocaliser which recognises a unique voice for your business to record, brief, or hire voice talent.
The USP of Nuance Dragon is an expressive and natural speech synthesis that offers live audio output. They also allow TSS AP to use in any solutions or applications.
Top Features
- Compatible with HIPAA requirements which take care of confidentiality and security.
- Enhanced expressivity and AI-generated text processing.
- Creates unique or customised voice for the brand.
- Offers transcribing and dictation features.
Pricing
- Nuance Dragon has 3 pricing options where the first is for the professional individual at $500, then it is for the legal individual priced at $500, and finally is the Anywhere Mobile at $15 per month for both iOS and Android. It has a 30-day money-back guarantee program and a free demo on each plan.
9. Linguatec Voice Reader
It is a downloadable TTS solution software that is ideal for Windows users. Apart from giving access to 67 natural human-like voices, it also has a library of 45 languages. The primary job is to transform the text into speech, but it can also be used to convert PDFs, ebooks, emails, and word documents to audio for better learning.
The main benefit is that it can be used to convert large-scale text to speech or the entire website to audio.
Top Features
- It is highly beneficial for personal use.
- Features an editor to adjust the pitch, volume, and speed of the audio.
- Can be installed in Windows easily and accessed through the browser too.
- Provides 67 human-like voices and 45 different languages.
Pricing
- Linguatec Voice Reader has a single-time subscription for different products. The Voice Reader Home is priced at 49 euros, Voice Reader Studio at 499 euros, Voice Reader Web at 299 euros, and Voice Reader Server depending on the business needs.
10. Note Vibes
This online application can transform your text document into natural human-like speech within seconds with the help of AI. it provides more than 221 premium-quality voices in over 25 different languages. The providers for this app are IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.
Note Vibes can transform text to audio and develop videos with human-like natural voices. This is a cloud-based website that is compatible with iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Top Features
- It has a large library of 221 voices and 25 different languages.
- This app features a powerful editor which can alter pitch, change speed, add pauses, and much more.
- Note vibes feature high-fidelity speech synthesis and the latest editor.
- It ensures that the work is safe by making backups available for 14 days.
Pricing
- Note Vibes offers 3 pricing options. The first one is a personal pack for general and occasional purposes and private learning at $9 per month. Then, there is the commercial pack for IVR voiceover, TV, broadcasts, YouTube, and other commercial purposes at $90 per month. And finally, the corporate pack for large-scale users or corporates with extra features at $4000 per year. It also offers a free trial.
11. Synthesys
This is a well-known web application that can help develop professional AI-enabled videos and voiceovers within a short time frame. It offers natural and clear voiceovers that help build connections and trust between the customers and the clients. It can create beautiful AI videos with text for social media.
Synthesys enables one to choose different gender voices, speeds, accents, styles etc., for all the AI-generated voices. It is a cloud-based software compatible with iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Top Features
- Allows the user to choose from 30 male and 35 female voices.
- Can be alternatively used as an AI Video generator and AI voice generator.
- Has a simple interface and is easy to use.
- Compatible with almost all devices.
Pricing
- Synthesys offers 3 pricing options. The first is priced at $29 per month, which allows using 254 general voices, 20 real human voices, 66 languages, and unlimited voiceovers. Next, the Human Studio Synthesys plan at $39 per month allows access to 73 humantars, unlimited downloads, and customisation. The final plan is the Audio and Human Synthesys plan which is priced at $59 per month and gives access to unlimited voice and video downloads, and includes all the previous features. However, there is no free trial for this app.
12. ReadSpeaker
This app allows launching to introduce your products in the markets with voice solutions. It also enables the user to add speech to the website and apps to make the content visible to the audience. You get a good experience to enable brands, organizations, and companies at minimal costs.
It is a tailor-made and lifelike voice interaction app that is suitable for all environments. It can be accessed in online and offline models of text-to-speech solutions for robotics, IoT, embedded devices, media, websites, documents, transport systems, telephony, e-learning material, ebooks, mobile applications, etc.
Top Features
- Allows to add speech to the website.
- Good experience at minimal costs.
- Suitable for all environments.
- Available in online and offline modes.
Pricing
- The pricing for ReadSpeaker is quite affordable at $4.09 a month. It also has a 14-day free trial without any credit card.
13. Amazon Polly
This cloud-based software allows the development of applications built on the new category of speech-enabled features. It uses AI and deep learning technology, which offer natural human speech in several voices and many languages. It is made revolutionary in its approach by incorporating neural voices along with TTS voices which offer advanced improvements in speech quality.
Amazon Polly allows custom voices for exclusivity. It is available online and is compatible with iPhones, Android, Macs, and Windows.
Top Features
- Enables the user to stream real-time audio and redistribute speech.
- There are several control and customisation options.
- Compatible with API integration for products and applications.
- Can create custom voices with this app as you go.
Pricing
- There are two pricing options. The first one is the free tier which allows 5 million characters per month for a year, and the second one is the pay-as-you-go option which is low cost and based on the number of characters with unlimited replaying options.
14. Balabolka
This Windows TTS software has been in the market for a long time. It might feel outdated or old but it is still rated as one of the most useful and capable platforms for converting text into speech. This is lightweight software that saves storage space on your device.
It is a command-line utility solution that is portable and compatible with all versions of Windows. The editor can be used to adjust several voice parameters like pitch and rate.
Top Features
- It is simple and lightweight software.
- Enables you to use the pre-installed voices on the computer.
- Compatible with all text file formats.
- Is a command-line software and can be downloaded as a portable option.
Pricing
- Balabolka is a free TTS software with no premium version or hidden charges.
15. ISpring Suite
This is a strong solution for developing software featuring an in-built TTS tool that frees you from looking for a narrator to record a voiceover for a video tutorial or a course. It can transform text-to-speech with just a few clicks and within seconds.
This application allows the creation of interactions, dialogue simulations, and interactive quizzes that can be featured in PowerPoint too. ‘
Top Features
- Has a large library of more than 300 voices and 52 languages.
- You can edit the documents on the application easily.
- It is compatible with the PowerPoint interface.
- You can record screencasts and webcam videos.
Pricing
- There are pricing options: the iSpring Suite at $770 per year and the iSpring Suite Max at $970 per year. It also offers a 30-day free trial.
Final Word
In this guide, we have listed the best 15 Text-to-Speech software with all the information you need to know about them. They all have their own set of features which make them apart, but you choose the one that is the best for you. The choice should be based on what you want to do with the TTS software. The overall best option is Speechify, but for voice-cloning, the best one is Natural Reader or Murf.
We have made your choice easier by elaborating on the notable features, compatibility, and pricing. Choose the best software for you and have a great time generating amazing voiceovers.
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