free text to speech software windows

Best free text-to-speech software of 2024

Find the best free text-to-speech software for free text to voice conversion

• Best overall
• Best custom voice
• Best for beginners
• Best Microsoft extension
• Best website reader
• How to choose
• How we test

1. Best overall 2. Best custom voice 3. Best for beginners 4. Best Microsoft extension 5. Best website reader 6. FAQs 7. How to choose 8. How we test

In the digital era, the need for effective communication tools has led to a surge in the popularity of text-to-speech (TTS) software, and finding the best free text-to-speech software is essential for a variety of users, regardless of budget constraints. 

Text-to-speech software skillfully converts written text into spoken words using advanced technology, though often without grasping the context of the content. The best text-to-speech software not only accomplishes this task but also offers a selection of natural-sounding voices, catering to different preferences and project needs.

This technology is invaluable for creating accessible content, enhancing workplace productivity, adding voice-overs to videos, or simply assisting in proofreading by vocalizing written work. While many of today’s best free word processors , such as Google Docs, include basic TTS features that are accurate and continually improving, they may not meet all needs.

Stand-alone, app-based TTS tools, which should not be confused with the best speech-to-text apps , often have limitations compared to more comprehensive, free text-to-speech software. For instance, some might not allow the downloading of audio files, a feature crucial for creating content for platforms like YouTube and social media.

In our quest to identify the best free text-to-speech software, we have meticulously tested various options, assessing them based on user experience, performance, and output quality. Our guide aims to help you find the right text-to-speech tool, whatever your specific needs might be.

The best free text-to-speech software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the entries on our best free text-to-speech software list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

The best free text-to-speech software overall

1. Natural Reader

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Natural Reader offers one of the best free text-to-speech software experiences, thanks to an easy-going interface and stellar results. It even features online and desktop versions. 

You'll find plenty of user options and customizations. The first is to load documents into its library and have them read aloud from there. This is a neat way to manage multiple files, and the number of supported file types is impressive, including eBook formats. There's also OCR, which enables you to load up a photo or scan of text, and have it spoken to you.

The second option takes the form of a floating toolbar. In this mode, you can highlight text in any application and use the toolbar controls to start and customize text-to-speech. This means you can very easily use the feature in your web browser, word processor and a range of other programs. There's also a browser extension to convert web content to speech more easily.

The TTS tool is available free, with three additional upgrades with more advanced features for power-users and professionals.

Read our full Natural Reader review .

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The best free custom-voice text-to-speech software

2. Balabolka

There are a couple of ways to use Balabolka's top free text-to-speech software. You can either copy and paste text into the program, or you can open a number of supported file formats (including DOC, PDF, and HTML) in the program directly. 

In terms of output, you can use SAPI 4 complete with eight different voices to choose from, SAPI 5 with two, or the Microsoft Speech Platform. Whichever route you choose, you can adjust the speech, pitch and volume of playback to create a custom voice.

In addition to reading words aloud, this free text-to-speech software can also save narrations as audio files in a range of formats including MP3 and WAV. For lengthy documents, you can create bookmarks to make it easy to jump back to a specific location and there are excellent tools on hand to help you to customize the pronunciation of words to your liking.

With all these features to make life easier when reading text on a screen isn't an option, Balabolka is the best free text-to-speech software around.

For more help using Balabolka, see out guide on how to convert text to speech using this free software.

The best free text-to-speech software for beginners

3. Panopreter Basic

Panopreter Basic is the best free text-to-speech software if you’re looking for something simple, streamlined, no-frills, and hassle-free. 

It accepts plain and rich text files, web pages and Microsoft Word documents as input, and exports the resulting sound in both WAV and MP3 format (the two files are saved in the same location, with the same name).

The default settings work well for quick tasks, but spend a little time exploring Panopreter Basic's Settings menu and you'll find options to change the language, destination of saved audio files, and set custom interface colors. The software can even play a piece of music once it's finished reading – a nice touch you won't find in other free text-to-speech software.

If you need something more advanced, a premium version of Panopreter is available. This edition offers several additional features including toolbars for Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer , the ability to highlight the section of text currently being read, and extra voices.

The best free text-to-speech extension of Microsoft Word

4. WordTalk

Developed by the University of Edinburgh, WordTalk is a toolbar add-on for Word that brings customizable text-to-speech to Microsoft Word. It works with all editions of Word and is accessible via the toolbar or ribbon, depending on which version you're using.

The toolbar itself is certainly not the most attractive you'll ever see, appearing to have been designed by a child. Nor are all of the buttons' functions very clear, but thankfully there's a help file on hand to help.

There's no getting away from the fact that WordTalk is fairly basic, but it does support SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 voices, and these can be tweaked to your liking. The ability to just read aloud individual words, sentences or paragraphs is a particularly nice touch. You also have the option of saving narrations, and there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that allow for quick and easy access to frequently used options.

The best free text-to-speech software for websites

5. Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader

Despite its basic looks, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader has more to offer than you might first think. You can open numerous file formats directly in the program, or just copy and paste text.

Alternatively, as long as you have the program running and the relevant option enables, Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader can read aloud any text you copy to the clipboard – great if you want to convert words from websites to speech – as well as dialog boxes that pop up. One of the best free text-to-speech software right now, this can also convert text files to WAV format.

Unfortunately the selection of voices is limited, and the only settings you can customize are volume and speed unless you burrow deep into settings to fiddle with pronunciations. Additional voices are available for an additional fee which seems rather steep, holding it back from a higher place in our list.

The best free text-to-speech software: FAQs

What are the limitations of free tts software.

As you might expect, some free versions of TTS software do come with certain limitations. These include the amount of choices you get for the different amount of voices in some case. For instance, Zabaware gives you two for free, but you have to pay if you want more. 

However, the best free software on this list come with all the bells and whistles that will be more than enough for the average user.

What is SAPI?

SAPI stands for Speech Application Programming Interface. It was developed by Microsoft to generate synthetic speech to allow computer programs to read aloud text. First used in its own applications such as Office, it is also employed by third party TTS software such as those featured in this list. 

In the context of TTS software, there are more SAPI 4 voices to choose from, whereas SAPI 5 voices are generally of a higher quality. 

Should I output files to MP3 or WAV?

Many free TTS programs give you the option to download an audio file of the speech to save and transfer to different devices.

MP3 is the most common audio format, and compatible with pretty much any modern device capable of playing back audio. The WAV format is also highly compatible too.

The main difference between the two is quality. WAV files are uncompressed, meaning fidelity is preserved as best as possible, at the cost of being considerably larger in size than MP3 files, which do compress.

Ultimately, however, MP3 files with a bit rate of 256 kbps and above should more than suffice, and you'll struggle to tell the difference when it comes to speech audio between them and WAV files.

How to choose the best free text-to-speech software

When selecting the best free text-to-speech software is best for you depends on a range of factors (not to mention personal preference).

Despite how simple the concept of text-to-speech is, there are many different features and aspects to such apps to take into consideration. These include how many voice options and customizations are present, how and where they operate in your setup, what formats they are able to read aloud from and what formats the audio can be saved as.

With free versions, naturally you'll want to take into account how many advanced features you get without paying, and whether any sacrifices are made to performance or usability. 

Always try to keep in mind what is fair and reasonable for free services - and as we've shown with our number one choice, you can get plenty of features for free, so if other options seem bare in comparison, then you'll know you can do better.

How we test the best free text-to-speech software

Our testing process for the best free text-to-speech software is thorough, examining all of their respective features and trying to throw every conceivable syllable at them to see how they perform.

We also want to test the accessibility features of these tools to see how they work for every kind of user out there. We have highlighted, for instance, whether certain software offer dyslexic-friendly fonts, such as the number two on our list, Natural Reader.

We also bear in mind that these are free versions, so where possible we compare and contrast their feature sets with paid-for rivals.

Finally, we look at how well TTS tools meet the needs of their intended users - whether it's designed for personal use or professional deployment. 

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Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, ' The Making of Tomb Raider '. His second book, ' 50 Years of Boss Fights ', came out in June 2024, and has a newsletter, ' Springboard '. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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Best free text-to-speech software

Most of us spend a lot of time reading content on computer displays. Whether it’s Word documents for work, ebooks for pleasure, or social media and news feeds to leave us blinking in utter disbelief, words are everywhere.

But for some people this medium isn’t the best way to convey information, especially if they have a visual impairment, dyslexia, or simply too many other things to do.

That’s where text-to-speech software comes in. These useful tools can automatically convert a page of prose into spoken word to which you can listen at your leisure. We show you the best free packages currently available for your PC.

Windows Narrator

It’s worth knowing that you don’t need to download any extra software to experience text-to-speech on your PC. This is because Windows comes equipped with its very own Narrator which can handle a variety of tasks.

To launch the feature, press the combination of the Windows key+CTRL+Enter on Windows 10, or Windows key+Enter on previous versions such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.  

Once enabled Narrator lets you select an entire page to be read from start to finish, or instead you can opt for a certain paragraph, sentence, word, or character to be the focus. It can even tell you which font is being used, the page margin settings, and read punctuation.

Narrator works with rows and columns from spreadsheets, emails, web content, and can translate from one language to another.

Microsoft should be applauded for including such a detailed and capable service within Windows. If you want to experience text-to-speech for the first time then there’s no better place to start. It is complex though, so you’ll want to read the Get Started with Narrator guide on Microsoft’s Support site first.

Easily one of the best free text-to-speech programs available right now is Balabolka . This diminutive download taps into the existing Microsoft Speech Program that is included in Windows. Using the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) it’s able to harness the conversion software already present and take it to new level of usefulness.

Any text on the screen can be converted to WAV, MP3, MP4, OGG, or WMA formats, which can then be saved and listened to on a number of devices.

Supported text formats are extensive, with AZW, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, MOBI, PRC, PDF, and RTF just some of the options available. The program can even insert MP3 tags that will display text simultaneously as it’s read out.

Balabolka is compatible with a vast array of languages, and with all Windows versions back as far as XP.

Audiobookmaker

For older versions of Windows (8.1/ 7/ XP) Audiobookmaker a good option. This freeware package utilises the narration capabilities already present in the operating system, but gives it a simpler user interface and a few additional features.

The most obvious of these is the ability to create audio files from text documents. These can be outputted in either WAV or MP3 formats, giving users the option to listen to their correspondence while out and about with their smartphones, or save them for a later date.

There’s also an interesting setting that can shut down your PC once a document has been read. Ideal for turning your device into a night-time reading device that will help you get to sleep.

Add to this a variety of reading voices, controls for adjusting speed, pitch, and volume, plus the ability to add new dictionaries, and it’s a very decent package.

Read the Words

This interesting service uses a web-based approach to convert text to speech. Users sign up for a free account (there are also tiered, paid subscriptions for additional features) and then enter text into a dedicated box on the website. This is uploaded and converted on the Read the Words servers, creating an MP3 file that can be downloaded and stored locally on your PC.

The site estimates that it takes around a minute to create an hour’s worth of audio, but these times can be longer if lots of users are online at the same time.

You can choose from fifteen different reading voices, and three different languages – English, French, and Spanish. Read the Words doesn’t offer a translation service though, so whatever text you enter will be the language that’s read out.

The Bronze account is free, and allows the creation of up to 30 seconds of audio per conversion. This grows to an hour if you move to Silver and pay around £30 per year, or eight hours if you stump up £55 for a Gold account.

Natural Reader

Another excellent offering is Natural Reader . This package boasts a clean, simple interface that makes it very easy to use. Natural Reader will happily convert standard text files, including DOCX, PDF, TXT, and ePUB, all with a minimum of fuss.

There’s also a Floating Bar widget that means you can highlight text in other applications then hit play and the text will be read out – great for web pages and emails. As you would expect there are controls for changing the reading voice and its speed.

If you’re willing to pay for the enhanced version then Natural Reader has some pretty impressive features on offer, not least of which is its OCR reading capabilities. Scan a book, article, or letter into your PC and the software will be able to decipher the text, read it out, and also create a text document.

It can work with screenshots from eBooks, such as Kindle, as well, and sync audio files to an app on your iOS or Android smartphone. Like we said, impressive. 

Natural Reader also has a web version which allows free conversions for up to 20 minutes per day, or unlimited for £4 per month.

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The Best (Free) Speech-to-Text Software for Windows

Looking for the best free speech-to-text software on Windows? We compare speech recognition options from Dragon, Google, and Microsoft.

Looking for the best free speech to text software on Windows?

The best speech-to-text software is Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) but it comes at a price. But how does it compare to the best of the free programs, like Google Docs Voice Typing (GDVT) and Windows Speech Recognition (WSR)?

This article compares Dragon against Google Docs Voice Typing and Windows Speech Recognition for three typical uses:

• Writing novels.
•  Academic transcription.
• Writing business documents like memos.

Comparing Speech Recognition Software: Dragon Vs. Google Vs Microsoft

We will look at the nuances between the three below, but here's an overview on their pros and cons which will help you quickly make a decision.

1. Dragon Speech Recognition

Dragon Naturally Speaking beats Microsoft's and Google's software in voice recognition.

DNS scores 10% better on average compared to both programs. But is Dragon Naturally Speaking worth the money?

It depends on what you're using it for. For seamless, high-accuracy writing that will require little proof-reading, DNS is the best speech-to-text software around.

2. Windows Speech Recognition

If you don't mind proofreading your documents, WSR is a great free speech-recognition software.

On the downside, it requires that you use a Windows computer. It's also only about 90% accurate, making it the least accurate out of all the voice recognition software tested in this article.

However, it's integrated into the Windows operating system, which means it can also control the computer itself, such as shutdown and sleep.

3. Google Docs Voice Typing

Google Docs Voice Typing is highly limited in how and where you use it. It only works in Google Docs, in the Chrome Browser, and with an internet connection.

But it offers several options on mobile devices. Android smartphones have the ability to transcribe your voice to text using the same speech-to-text engine that also works with Google Keep or Live Transcribe.

And while Dragon Naturally Speaking offers a mobile app, it's treated as a separate purchase from the desktop client.

Dragon and Microsoft work in any place you can enter text. However, WSR can execute control functions whereas Dragon is mostly limited to text input.

Download : Live Transcribe for Android (Free)

Speech-to-Text Testing Methods

In order to test the accuracy of the dictation with the tools, I read aloud three texts:

• Charles Darwin's "On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties"
• H.P. Lovecraft's "Call of Cthulhu"
• California Governor Jerry Brown's 2017 State of the State speech

When a speech-to-text software miscapitalized a word, I marked the text as blue in the right-column (see graphic below). When one of the software got a word wrong, the misspelled word was marked in red. I did not consider wrong capitalizations to be errors.

I used a Blue Yeti microphone which is the best microphone for podcasting  and a relatively fast computer. However, you don't need any special hardware. Any laptop or smartphone transcribes speech as well as a more expensive machine.

Test 1: Dragon Naturally Speaking Speech-to-Text Accuracy

Dragon scored 100% on accuracy on all three sample texts. While it failed to capitalize the first letter on every text, it otherwise performed beyond my expectations.

While all three transcription suites do a great job of accurately turning spoken words into written text, DNS comes out way ahead of its competitors. It even successfully understood complicated words such as "hitherto" and "therein".

Test 2: Google Docs Voice Typing Speech-to-Text Accuracy

Google Docs Voice Typing had many errors compared to Dragon. GDVT got 93.5% right on Lovecraft, 96.5% correc t for Brown, and 96.5% for Darwin. Its average accuracy came out to around 95.2% for all three texts.

On the downside, it automatically capitalized a lot of words that didn't need capitalization. It seems the engine also hasn't improved in accuracy since I last tested GDVT three years ago.

Test 3: Microsoft Windows Speech Recognition Text-to-Speech Accuracy

Microsoft's Windows Speech Recognition came in last. Its accuracy on Lovecraft was 84.3% , although it did not miscapitalize any words like GDVT. For Brown's speech, it got its highest accuracy rating of around 94.8% , making it equivalent to GDVT.

For Darwin's book, it managed to get a similarly high score of 93.1% . Its average accuracy across all texts came out to 89% .

Related: The Best Free Text-to-Speech Tools for Educators

Are Free Transcription Services Worth Using?

• Dragon Naturally Speaking got a perfect 100% accuracy for voice transcription.
• Microsoft's free voice-to-text service, Windows Speech Recognition scored an 89% accuracy.
• Google Docs Voice Typing got a total score of 95.2% accuracy.

However, there are some major limitations to free text-to-speech options you should always keep in mind.

GDVT only works in the Chrome browser. On top of that, it only works for Google Docs. If you need to enter something in a spreadsheet or in a word processor other than Google Docs, you are out of luck.

Our test results indicate it is more accurate than WSR, but you have to keep in mind that it only works in Chrome for Google Docs. And you will always need an internet connection.

WSR can make you more productive with its hands-off computer automation features. Plus, it can enter text. Its accuracy is the weakest out of the services that I tested.

That said, you can live with its misses if you are not a heavy transcriber. It's on par with Google Docs Voice Typing but limited to Windows.

For most users, the free options should be good enough. However, for all those who need high levels of transcription accuracy, Dragon Naturally Speaking is the best option around. As an occasional user, if you need a free service, Google Docs Voice Typing is a viable alternative.

These tools prove that your voice can make you more productive. Now, try out Google Voice Assistant  which is the best voice-control assistant you can use right now to manage everyday tasks.

Plus, be sure to check out these free online services to download text to speech as MP3 .

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13 Best Text-to-Speech Software of 2024 (Free, Paid & Online)

Text-to-speech software can bring tremendous advantages to your workflow.

Imagine being able to listen to a document instead of reading it so that you can multitask. You can just load the document into your phone and listen to it while you run your errands.

Auditory learners who retain more information by listening rather than reading will also find text-to-speech software useful.

Moreover, text-to-speech software is also invaluable to the visually impaired or people with dyslexia . They can help people who improve communication for people who can read a language but don’t speak it, or are trying to learn.

So, we’ve rounded up the 13 best text-to-speech software of 2022 in this post. We’ll review each one, talk about the key features to look out for in text-to-speech software, and explore some frequently asked questions about them.

Best Text-to-Speech Software

1. amazon polly, best overall text-to-speech software..

Amazon Polly is a service by—you guessed it—Amazon that turns text into lifelike speech , allowing you to build speech-enabled products and applications that talk.

With advanced deep learning technology, Polly synthesizes natural-sounding human speech, offering several realistic voices across dozens of languages so that you can build applications that work in many different countries.

Amazon Polly offers Neural Text-to-Speech (NTTS) in addition to their Standard TTS voices . These voices come with advanced improvements in speech quality through a newer, better machine learning approach.

NTTS also supports two speaking styles so that you can match the speaking style to the specific use case. There’s the Newscaster reading style which is suited to news narration applications; and there’s a Conversational speaking style, which is great for two-way communication like in telephony applications.

Finally, you can get a custom voice created for your organization with Amazon Polly Brand Voice . In this engagement, you’ll work with the Amazon Polly team to build an NTTS voice that will be used exclusively by your organization.

On the free trial, Amazon Polly offers 5 million free characters per month for speech or Speech Mark requests for the first 12 months , beginning from the first time you request for speech. For the Neural voices, you get 1 million free characters.

Beyond the free trial, pricing is on a pay-as-you-go model. For $4, you get 1 million characters for Amazon Polly’s Standard voices . For the Neural voices, you get 1 million characters for $16.

• Incorporates lifelike voices
• Cache and replay feature so you don’t have to pay multiple times for the same text
• HIPAA compliant
• PCI DSS compliant
• Supports 60 voices and over 29 languages
• Some features are limited to certain voices or generation type
• Terminology sometimes is different from other similar tools

2. Linguatec Voice Reader

Best alternative to amazon polly text-to-speech..

Based out of Germany, Linguatech has been creating text-to-speech software for over 25 years now. Their flagship product is Voice Reader Home 15. It’s a deceptively simple yet powerful tool.

You can stop the playback at any time and have it resume from where you stopped. You can highlight a section of text and have it reread that section. And if you’d like to generate an audio file from your text, it’s as easy as tapping a button to convert the text to an MP3 file.

That said, you only get controls for speed, tone, pitch, and volume. With these controls, even a small change can be quite significant.

In addition to the reading functionality, there’s also a sophisticated editing function that can be likened to a highly simplified word processor. All fonts installed on your system are available, and you have the freedom to edit styles, highlight sections of text, align text, and do many other things.

The problem with this part of the platform, though, is that you may be introducing errors into the document you’re trying to edit since there’s no spelling or grammar check.

While the conversion of text to voice is often very well executed, this platform does have a few odd flaws.

For one, in English for example, honorifics that have a period after them—as in ‘Mr.’ or ‘Dr’—can be a bit problematic; Voice Reader takes the period as an actual period and flags a brief pause mid-sentence while reading such words. So Mr. Smith ends up being read as Mr…Smith .

The same occurs with soft returns—although this can be useful in detecting soft returns you didn’t intentionally insert into the document. Either way, these interruptions ruin the flow and bring to light the fact that the voice is synthetic.

Another flaw is that you can’t adjust pronunciations. So, heteronyms are often quite problematic. The platform can’t tell Polish apart from polish, for example; in this case, it always goes with the polish , the act of shining a surface, even when the intention is clearly to refer to something that has to do with Poland.

To get Voice Reader Home 15, you only have to pay a one-off purchase price of €49 and you can use it forever from that point onward. But here’s the catch: that will only give you one voice in a single language . Want a different voice or a different language? That’s another €49. And that’s for a private use license.

If you would like to use the software commercially (such as for voiceovers on your videos) or require multiple voices in a single language, you should get Voice Reader Studio 15 instead for €499 .

• Support for 45 languages and 67 voices
• Regional accents supported
• Only one voice and language per private-use license, and one language per commercial license
• No pronunciation adjustment

3. Capti Voice

Best text-to-speech software for people with print disabilities..

Capti Voice Narrator is an app designed to be used by people with print disabilities such as blindness, low vision, and dyslexia.

Users can import all kinds and formats of documents, ebooks, and web pages into the system, and Capti Voice will read them out loud or display them in large text.

However, Capti Voice can also serve as a great productivity tool for people without disabilities. It is available as a browser-based platform, as an app for iOS devices, and as a Chrome browser extension .

Navigating the app is easy. You can import your content into the app with as few as four taps. As the app reads text out loud, it also displays the text and you can follow along if you want to.

But the text on the app menus is quite small; so, those with vision impairment may need to have a VoiceOver screen reader or Zoom magnifier to be able to use it.

Capti Voice Narrator features abundant options for people with disabilities, and it has won numerous awards for this reason. You can choose from six free voices or buy any of the premium voices, most of which cost about $5.

You can also have the content text displayed in a wide variety of fonts —including the widely popular OpenDyslexic font—and you can enlarge the font size as well.

You have the option to set the text to be displayed on high-contrast backgrounds and increase the spacing between words as needed.

As the voice narrator reads, Capti Voice highlights the text, allowing users with visual processing issues or dyslexia to focus more easily on words.

Moreover, Capti Voice offers numerous integrations with different services . Under the Book Libraries menu, you’ll find services like Bookshare and Project Gutenberg , giving readers access to hundreds of thousands of books.

The platform also integrates with cloud storage platforms like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud, allowing users to import files directly from these platforms. Adding web articles to Capti Voice Narrator can be done with the browser extension or by copy-pasting a link. And there is an OCR scanner built into the app .

You can download the app for free and create a free account — an account is required. But if you would like features such as image viewing, increased file size limits, language translation, and multiple playlists, you would need to pony up $18/year for the premium plan .

There are also premium voices available for purchase, and most of them cost about $5 each.

• The free plan is good enough for most people
• The premium plan is relatively inexpensive
• Offers several useful integrations, including an OCR scanner and other assistive technology
• The app menus on the interface are difficult to read

Best Text-to-Speech Software for Voice-overs.

Murf is a text-based voice-over maker that features hyper-realistic AI voices . Just type in your voice-over script or upload a voice recording and the app will convert it to a studio-quality AI voice-over.

Murf’s voices are trained on professional voice-over artists and checked for quality against several parameters. There’s a wide range of voices available; so, there’s always one that’s appropriate for every use case.

One difficult part of making videos with voice-overs is achieving perfect timing with visuals. Murf makes it easy to sync the timing of the voice-over with videos and presentations.

You can add pauses or alter the narration speed, thereby eliminating the need for post-processing. Murf also allows you to change pitch and even add emphasis to certain words. Bottom line, there’s a lot of flexibility for customization.

You can also convert voice into editable text. In this text, you can select and delete any part—just like a regular word processor—and the audio for the deleted part will be trimmed automatically.

Murf Studio has an AI assistant equipped to check for punctuation, grammatical, and spelling errors. The assistant makes recommendations to improve your script.

The Pause feature comes with three settings: weak, medium, and strong. But if you like, you can customize the duration of the pause or add pauses simply by stretching out the duration of an audio block in the timeline at the bottom of the screen.

Additionally, Murf comes with a wide selection of royalty-free background music for your videos. You can also upload your own music, recorded audio, video clips, and images. And you can trim parts of your video directly in the studio.

Murf allows you to combine multiple images and videos to create your final video . This means that you can add introduction slides and end screens to your video, and also insert images in between video clips.

Finally, the platform can also render videos in standard sizes according to the platform on which you’ll be uploading the video , including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and others.

On the free plan , Murf gives you 10 free minutes of voice-over render time to test voices and other features in the Studio. Priced plans start at $19 for the Basic plan and go as high as $99 and up for the Enterprise plan .

Alternatively, you can pay a one-time fee of $9 for 30 minutes of voice generation and all the features of the Basic plan if that’s all you need.

• Both subscription and one-off plans are available
• Gives users granular control over voiceovers
• Does not support voice recording at the moment

5. Natural Reader

Best text-to-speech software for webmasters aiming to improve website accessibility..

Many internet users may recognize the familiar voices of Natural Reader from several YouTube videos. It’s a popular solution that has become a victim of its success; its popularity detracts from its naturalness because people are now used to the sound of its voices.

Still, it would be a travesty to not include Natural Reader in this list as it is still one of the top text-to-speech solutions on the market today.

Natural Reader’s interface is as simple as it gets ; it’s pretty much a point-and-shoot affair. You simply paste your text into the panel in the center of the screen or drag and drop the text file there. Or you can load the file from your storage.

Or, if you’re using the online version on a Chrome browser, you can highlight text on a webpage and use the Chrome extension to transfer the text for transcription .

At the top of the screen, there’s a bar to control the playback, choose voices, and control the speed of delivery . On the far left, you have a menu with extra options such as controls to edit pronunciations .

Available languages include English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, and Swedish.

One unexpected use of this tool—and most other text-to-speech tools, for that matter—is that it can serve as a great alternative to professional proofreading since it is remarkably easier to hear a botched sentence than to read the errors.

Additionally, Natural Reader provides a WebReader widget that website creators can attach to their website to help users read web pages out loud. This feature is particularly useful for those with sight impairments that need to browse the internet.

When in use, the widget highlights the text being read and marks each word as it is spoken. It will use any of the 61 standard voices in any of the 18 languages available. This feature also works with web pages viewed on mobile, too.

The widget is free for websites that expect to use the widget on less than 2,000 pages per day , and there are subscription plans for those that need more.

In all, the flaws of this software become apparent when it comes to names, technical words, and the pronunciation of historical texts. But this should hardly come as a surprise as even humans have problems with the same things.

And the software even makes it easy to fix these issues by giving you access to a pronunciation editor.

Natural Reader is available in two versions: the Commercial version and the Non-commercial version. With both versions, there’s a free plan.

Beyond the free plan, the Commercial version costs $49/month (annual billing) for a single user . The Team plan starts at $59/month (annual billing) for 2 team members, adding $10 for every additional member .

For the Non-commercial version, Natural Reader starts at a one-time fee of $99.50 for the Personal plan and goes all the way up to $199.5 for the Ultimate plan .

• WebReader widget available
• Available on Windows, Mac, and as a browser-based application
• Free for 20 minutes every day
• Overused on YouTube
• Can sound stiff at times

6. Notevibes

Best text-to-speech software for translation..

Notevibes is a wonderful text-to-speech software with a free version and a feature-packed paid version. It offers 201 unique, natural-sounding voices and 18 languages. Users get 500 characters of translation and the ability to customize pronunciation.

While the free version is great for personal use, you’ll need a commercial license for commercial applications. The number of characters you can translate depends on the plan you purchase. After translation and voice synthesis, you can download the audio in MP3 or WAV format.

The platform supports anywhere from 200 – 1,000,000 characters. The voices generated are realistic and natural sounding. When you need to, you can add a pause with a single click. Changing the pitch and playback speed are also allowed, and you can manually emphasize certain words and control volume.

Notevibes’ free plan allows limited usage. There are two pricing plans; the Personal pack starts at $9/month while the Commercial pack starts at $90/month. Naturally, the Personal pack can only be used for personal projects and activities like e-learning and private listening.

If your plan runs out mid-project, you can refill with a pay-as-you-go option. These one-off packs range from $29.90 for 300,000 characters to $89.90 for 900,000 characters .

• Refill packs are available for when you run out of balance
• The commercial pack is pretty expensive
• The free plan is quite limited
• Refill packs are only available for personal use

7. Voice Dream Reader

Best text-to-speech software for mobile..

Text-to-speech software isn’t limited to computers alone; there are also plenty of great options for mobile and Voice Dream Reader is a standout example. It is a mobile text-to-speech app that offers users a premium Acapela Heather voice. It works on both Android and iOS , although it is primarily designed for iOS.

With this app, you can convert ebooks, web articles, and documents into natural-sounding speech. It comes with 200+ built-in voices and 30 languages that include English, Bulgarian, Arabic, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, and several others.

You can have the app read a list of articles while you drive, exercise, or work. There are also auto-scrolling, distraction-free, and full-screen modes to help you focus. And the platform integrates seamlessly with cloud storage solutions like Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Instapaper, Evernote, and Pocket.

Even the free version of the application offers a rich feature set, boasting features such as text-to-speech conversion, text highlighting, dictionary lookups, creating & pinning notes, and full-screen reading mode.

As if that isn’t enough, the platform works offline , requiring no internet connection to work its magic. It supports files in several formats including ePub, PDF, Daisy audio & text, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, plain text, and webpage, etc.

Users can control parameters like pitch, speed, pause duration, and voice . There are also controls for font, font size, and font color .

And finally, there’s an integrated OCR module, and library management functionality.

Voice Dream costs $14.99 for iOS users . For Android users, the app is available as Legere Reader on the Play Store for $9.99 .

• Offers the best text-to-speech experience on mobile
• Includes loads of useful features, even on the free plan
• Comes with 36 built-in voices
• Integrates with cloud platforms
• iOS 12 users get 61 free voices
• More suitable for iOS users than Android users

8. Balabolka

Best free text-to-speech software..

Its website may not look like much but Balabolka is one of the best in the business, especially if you’re a developer looking for a free solution . It's available as a download that you install on your computer and supports various file formats including HTML, PDF, and DOC.

To use Balabolka, you can either copy and paste text into the program or open a supported file format in the program directly. You can adjust the speed, pitch, and volume of the playback to create a custom voice.

Besides reading words aloud, this free text-to-speech software can also save your narrations in a wide range of formats that include MP3 and WAV.

It also features bookmarking functionality so that you can jump to specific locations within your longer audio files. And if ever needed, you can customize the pronunciation of words , too.

Balabolka is completely free to use.

• Completely free
• Excellent file format support
• Several voices to choose from
• Can create audio files
• Comes with bookmarking tools

9. Natural Reader Online Reader

A pared-down, free version of natural reader..

Natural Reader Online Reader is the pared-down free version of Natural Reader . It can be used in a couple of ways. You may choose to load documents into its library and have Natural Reader read them aloud from there.

This is a great way to manage several files, especially since the platform supports an impressive number of file formats.

There's also OCR functionality, which allows you to upload an image or scan a piece of text into the app and have the platform read it to you.

Alternatively, Natural Reader Online Reader offers a floating toolbar option. With this feature, you can highlight any text in any application and use the toolbar controls to start and control the narration.

This is a great way to use the app in your web browser, word processor, or other programs. Plus, there's a built-in browser to more easily convert web content to speech.

This version of Natural Reader is completely free to use.

• Built-in OCR
• Choice of interfaces
• Built-in browser
• Dyslexic-friendly font
• Not as full-featured as some other free options

A Powerful Text-to-Speech Software Bundled Together with an Exceptional Video Editing Platform.

Boasting over 2.5 million users across the world, Wideo is a video editing program that offers a free text-to-speech tool to its users. With Wideo, creators can produce professional videos with amazing voice-overs.

You can convert text into a high-quality voice-over that you can download as an MP3 file for use on videos that you create with the platform.

The text-to-speech feature comes bundled for free with Wideo’s editing platform . And while there’s a free version of the platform available, it’s pretty limited. Pricing starts at $19/month (billed annually) for the Basic plan and goes up to $79/month (billed annually) for the Pro+ plan.

• Comes for free with Wideo’s editing platform
• Standout editing features
• Offers concerted text as downloadable MP3 files
• Text-to-speech function not available as a standalone offering

11. Panopreter Basic

Best windows-only text-to-speech software..

Call it simple or basic, a lot can be said about this powerful text-to-speech solution. Panopreter is a Windows-only text-to-speech software . Panopreter offers both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, although it doesn't offer a 64-bit version for Windows 10, which is quite surprising.

While it isn't made for most browsers, Panopreter does come with a toolbar for Internet Explorer (another strange decision seeing as Internet Explorer is now obsolete) and Microsoft Word . The platform is incompatible with the .docx file format; it only works with the .doc file format.

To get started you have the option to purchase Panopreter directly or test drive the software for 30 days free of charge . It's a very easy-to-use piece of software, although its UI is rudimentary at best .

On the home screen, you get all the tools you need to get started. You can cut or copy, paste, delete, and replace sections of text just like with any old-fashioned text editor. Panopreter supports the following file types: TXT, RTF, PDF, DOC, HTM, HTML, and MHT.

Panopreter works with a wide variety of languages that you can choose from the left sidebar. You can also choose from several different voices, adjust volume, speed and pitch.

You can process XML tags and set the application to highlight words as it reads them.

Panopreter can also read the text you paste on your computer’s clipboard . This means that you do not necessarily have to open the application’s UI every time you need it to read something to you.

Finally, Panopreter offers support through the app, FAQs, and email.

There’s a 30-day free trial available after which the software costs a one-time fee of $32.95 . Your experience during the free trial won’t be encumbered by any limitations.

• Very easy to use
• Works with a wide range of document formats
• Integrates neatly with Microsoft Word
• Supports multiple languages
• One-time purchase
• Only available for Windows users
• Unattractive, outdated UI
• No support for modern web browsers
• No support for .docx files

12. WordTalk

Best free text-to-speech plugin for microsoft word..

WordTalk is an add-on developed by the University of Edinburgh that brings text-to-speech functionality to Microsoft Word . It is compatible with all editions of Word and can be accessed via the toolbar or ribbon, depending on what edition you're using.

While it is a barebones offering, it does support SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 voices , all of which you can tweak to your liking. The software can read individual words, sentences, or paragraphs aloud. You can also save your narrations, and there are several keyboard shortcuts for quick and easy access to options that you use frequently.

WordTalk is completely free to use.

• Integrates well with Microsoft Word
• Offers customizable voices
• Speaking dictionary
• Unattractive design

13. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech

Best text-to-speech software for application developers..

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech is not an option for general users. Instead, it is geared towards developers .

With this platform, developers can integrate text-to-speech and other Google apps to create an intelligent and comprehensive app . Developers can also combine Google Cloud Text-to-Speech with Google Translate to create something a lot more advanced.

Google says it can be used for voice response systems in call centers, enable IoT device speech, and convert media like news articles and books into audio format. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech offers 100+ different voices in 12 languages and allows users to control pitch, speed, and volume .

There’s a limited 90-day free trial available. After that, you get 4 million free characters per month on the Standard Voices plan and 1 million free characters on the WaveNet Voices plan. Then you’d have to shell out $4 per million characters for the Standard Voices plan and $6 per million characters for the WaveNet Voices plan.

• One of the best text-to-speech APIs on the market
• Great documentation
• Generous free plan
• Text processing can be slow at times
• Not for beginners or non-technical users

Key Features to Look for in Text-to-Speech Software

The features you’ll need in text-to-speech software depend on exactly what you need it for . A student with accessibility issues will need different features than an application developer who needs to add text-to-speech functionality to his latest creation.

As such, it would be impossible to create a one-size-fits-all list of features to look for in text-to-speech software. But there are still a few key factors that apply to text-to-speech software of all kinds; so, let’s explore some of them briefly.

Ideally, you’ll want text-to-speech software that comes with the most natural-sounding voices you can find.

While you might feel like you’re saving yourself a few bucks by going with something the comes with robotic-sounding voices, it won’t be long before you forget the low price you paid and find yourself stuck with a listening experience you don’t enjoy.

You’ll also want something that offers a wide range of customizations to the voices . You’ll want to be able to control the pitch, tone, volume, and speed of delivery , and you’ll also want to be able to customize pronunciations whenever necessary.

Finally, it’s nice to be able to select from a wide range of voices . Some providers offer several voices, some even as many as 200 voices. It’s great to know that you can change voices at any time to freshen the experience.

2. Languages

This is another big one, especially for those who may not speak English as a first language or who may want to use text-to-speech software to help them learn a new language.

You’ll want software that supports a wide range of languages, or at least offers your preferred language . Choosing a text-to-speech tool without checking if it supports your language would be a grave mistake.

3. Download Options

You’ll also want to be able to download narrations in a wide variety of formats such as MP3 or WAV. This will allow you to save your narrations and come back to them later.

Since a lot of providers price their services according to how many characters you have them narrate each month , being able to download your narrations means that you can listen to older narrations over and over again without eating into your character quota.

4. Licensing Options

Licensing is another important factor to consider when choosing text-to-speech software.

If you’d like to use the narrations generated by your text-to-speech software commercially (such as on YouTube videos, marketing material, premium courses, etc), you should opt for a tool that gives you a commercial-use license , not one that only gives you a personal-use license.

And if you only need text-to-speech software for personal use, why pay a premium for a commercial license ?

5. Extensibility

It’s always nice to be able to sync your software tools to one another. This eliminates the need to move data manually from one place to the other.

And it’s no different with text-to-speech software. For example, if you use cloud storage services to store your files, it makes sense to go for a provider that syncs with your cloud storage provider so that you can fetch files that you want to read without leaving the text-to-speech software’s interface .

This also applies to other services like Bookshare and Project Gutenberg, and even word processors .

Plus, it makes sense for the software to be compatible with your web browser, too, especially for visually challenged individuals or people with print disabilities who may have a hard time reading web content on their own.

6. User Experience

This goes without saying; the text-to-speech software you choose has to be easy to use and give you full control over the playback . You want to be able to pause, play, stop, and resume the playback in the most intuitive way possible.

Some providers offer extra features that boost usability, such as text highlighting (the reader highlights words on the screen as it reads them), the ability to control pause duration, and so on.

These extra features are nice to have for some people but may be necessary for others. Students learning a new language or those with reading disabilities looking to improve their reading might find the text highlighting feature particularly helpful , for example.

For visually challenged users, accessibility is a big issue , and providers who offer accessibility-driven features would be preferred.

Finally, OCR functionality is a nice-to-have feature. It allows users to scan printed documents into the software and have it read out the contents to them. This is very useful for accessibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Text-to-speech software is a type of assistive technology that reads text inputted into it aloud. It converts text into audio at the tap of a button. It works with devices and text files of all kinds, and even works with web pages. 

No. Some use AI-generated voices, while others use actual human voices, with some premium offerings using voices of famous narrators like Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough. 

With text-to-speech software, even establishing a pricing range is near impossible , especially since there are many pricing models.  Some providers offer their products 100% free , some charge a monthly fee (some charging as high as $90/month), some charge a one-time fee (some as high as $199), and others charge per character (such as Google Cloud Text-to-Speech and Amazon Polly). At the end of the day, what you have to pay will be decided by what platform you choose to go for, and that will be determined by the features you need from your text-to-speech software. 

Text-to-speech software has a wide range of applications in various fields. Most commonly, it is used by people with learning disabilities, print disabilities, visual impairments, and literacy challenges .  Text-to-speech software is also used to provide queue-free self-service customer care in several industries like banking and finance. It can be used by text editors to detect mistakes and errors that they may have otherwise glossed over while reading.  Content creators— podcasters, YouTubers, online course creators , and others —may use text-to-speech software to create voice-overs for their content .  Even people who need to stay productive use text-to-speech software to read documents aloud while they multitask or run errands. The applications of text-to-speech software are truly wide-ranging.

Which Text to Speech Software Should I Pick?

We already established that choosing the right text-to-speech software depends on your specific needs. One software cannot fulfill everyone’s peculiar needs. Factors ranging from pricing and voices to licensing and download options will all play a role in your final decision.

But we can make a few suggestions based on what category of user you fall

• For bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, online course creators, and other content creators , Murf is an excellent choice.
• For businesses and eLearning projects, NaturalReader is a great option.
• Developers looking to create speech-enabled applications will find Google Cloud Text-to-Speech and Amazon Polly to be particularly useful options.
• Developers looking for a free way to add text-to-speech to their applications would be hard-pressed to find a better option than Balabolka .
• Anyone with print disabilities will find Capti Voice to be indispensable.

And for mobile users, check out Voice Dream Reader .

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Martin luenendonk.

Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

ReadAloud is a great free text-to-speech app for Windows 10 PC

ReadAloud is a handy Windows 10 app that converts web pages, news articles, documents, books and other electronic documentation into speech. The free app is currently available for Windows 10 PC, and a Windows 10 Mobile version is in the works.

ReadAloud has logged more than 150,000 downloads and can be a useful app to have when reading an electronic document isn't ideal. ReadAloud has support for multiple file formats, highlights sentences being read and allows you to create your own content to be read aloud.

The user interface isn't overly complicated and has plenty of options to customize ReadAloud to better fit your needs (font size, color schemes, auto-scrolling, etc.). If you are in the market for a text-to-speech converter, ReadAloud is well worth a try.

ReadAloud's main screen is designed with simplicity in mind and has start options to create a custom document, import a web page or open a document file from your local drive. The main screen also displays the most-recently listened-to documents and a menu button sits in the left corner of the screen to open up ReadAloud's menu options. These options include a Home Button to return you to the app's primary screen, view any pinned documents, access the app's settings, visit the app's Store, view the About page and access the Help Section.

Settings include options to set the number of articles in the Recent List, turn on/off the Tip of the Day, turn on/off the Clipboard Monitor that checks for items sent to the Windows 10 clipboard, select your Share options, and a pronunciation editor.

While ReadAloud is a free Windows 10 app, the free version does have limitations on the number of pages you can convert to speech, the number of pages listed in your Recent List, the number of pronunciation edits, and the number of pinned articles. The free version is also ad supported. ReadAloud offers three in-app purchase options to lift these restrictions and remove the ad support. These options include a 3-month plan for $1.99, a 12-month plan for $3.99 and a Lifetime plan for $7.99.

To begin listening to content with ReadAloud, just choose one of the three options from the main screen. Choosing the Blank option sends you to a word processing feature where you can create your own document, the Web option lets you enter a web page URL to have that site read aloud, and the File option allows selection of a locally- or OneDrive-stored document. ReadAloud supports .pdf, .epub or .txt file formats. Additionally, when you copy text to your Windows 10 clipboard, ReadAloud triggers a notification offering to import that text and read it aloud. If this feature becomes annoying, simply turn off the Clipboard Monitor in the app's settings.

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When it comes to web pages, ReadAloud extracts only the useful content from the web pages to read out loud. We tried out ReadAloud on websites like Tesla Central , Fox News and ESPN , and found that it did a good job isolating just on the text of the articles and ignoring the scaffolding around the body text. However, if a web article contained a heavy concentration of images, ReadAloud seemed to focus more on the headlines and ignored the body of the article. As for importing .pdf, .epub and .txt files, there were some hits and misses (the app didn't do well with complicated documents like legal briefs), but for the most part, ReadAloud did a good job of things.

The reading screen has a series of playback and customization options running across the top of the screen. These tools include a button to edit the text, one to pin the article to the Start Screen, and options for selecting voices and language, font size, highlight color, and volume. And, of course, back, pause/play, and forward controls.

Audio playback was accurate with very few pronunciation issues, and ReadAloud responded to punctuations equally as nice (e.g. pausing after a coma). The text being read is highlighted to make it easier to follow along and the document auto-scrolls as ReadAloud progresses through the document. Should there be a need to exit the app in the middle of a document, ReadAloud remembers where you last stopped playback and resumes there.

ReadAloud does have support for sharing documents by using the native Windows 10 Share feature and choosing ReadAloud from the list of options. While the interface with ReadAloud isn't very difficult to pick up, there is a tutorial document in your Recent List that covers the basics rather nicely.

ReadAloud's greatest strengths come in its ease of use and wide document format support. It could use a little fine tuning to broaden its conversion process to better handle web pages with a lot of images or documents with strange formatting (e.g. those legal briefs).

I can see ReadAloud being a useful app for anytime it is easier to listen to documents than reading them. With the text being highlighted as it is read, ReadAloud could help improve reading speeds and comprehension. ReadAloud can also be beneficial for those who are visually impaired. Once a Windows 10 Mobile version of ReadAloud becomes available, the app should be a good option for mobile situations such as running or driving. Until then, it wouldn't be too crazy to use a Surface tablet as you jog around the neighborhood? Right? Okay, maybe not a great plan...

If you are in the market for a text-to-speech conversion app, ReadAloud should be on your short list. It's free to use with optional paid upgrades, it's easy to grasp, and it just plain works well.

Download ReadAloud for Windows 10 PC

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.

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Free Text to Speech Software (TTS)

An easy way to convert text to voice that’s fast and straightforward – it’ll make your message more catchy and inclusive., listen to any text, book, email, or pdf you need to read to save hours of time & understand more with speechify.

Why do you need narration in your videos?

If you’re planning on creating a demo or explainer video , you should consider adding a voiceover to your video.

Adding narration to your videos will help you to gain and maintain the viewer’s attention.  This will, in turn, help you to make the message of your video easier to understand, and you´ll be able to drive action with your content

So boost your marketing videos ´ performance by adding a voice-over narration with the free text-to-speech technology.

How does text to speech software work?

Write your message directly into the box below or upload a text file from your computer, choose the voice you like most, pick the speed, and that’s it!

The online voice generator will make do its magic. Click play to listen to your message and download it as an mp3 file.

It’s simple and free.

BONUS: Learn how to add subtitles to your video using the same script from the text-to-speech solution.

Tutorial Video

Promo Video

App Demo Video

Need help creating your videos, talk to our wideo pros and get a quote on an editable video of your own..

16 Open-source and Free TTS (Text-To-Speech) Programs for Windows

Hazem Abbas

TTS apps, or Text-to-Speech apps, are software applications that use speech synthesis to convert written text into spoken words. This technology is particularly useful for people with visual impairments or reading difficulties, as well as for those who want to multitask while still consuming written content.

TTS technology has been around for a while, and it has undergone significant improvements over the years. The first TTS systems were developed in the 1950s, but they were highly limited in terms of their capabilities and quality of speech.

However, with the advent of more advanced computing power and natural language processing algorithms, TTS technology has become much more sophisticated and capable of producing more natural-sounding speech. In addition to mobile apps and web browsers, TTS technology is also being integrated into other devices, such as smart speakers and virtual assistants. As a result, TTS technology is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and is likely to continue to grow in popularity and usefulness in the coming years.

Benefits and Advantages of TTSS

Text-to-speech (TTS) apps have a plethora of benefits and advantages. Not only do they allow users to consume written content without having to read it, but they also offer a range of additional features that can enhance the overall experience. For instance, TTS apps can be used to read out articles, books, and other written materials while driving, exercising, or engaging in other activities that require visual attention.

Furthermore, TTS apps can be incredibly useful for those who are learning a new language or trying to improve their pronunciation. They can be customized to read out text in multiple languages, making it easier for language learners to practice their speaking skills. Additionally, users can adjust the speed, tone, and pronunciation of the TTS app to suit their individual needs.

Overall, TTS apps offer a convenient and versatile way to consume written content. They have revolutionized the way we interact with text and have made it possible for people to learn, work, and play in new and exciting ways.

Text-to-Speech Use-Cases

There are numerous use cases for TTS (Text-To-Speech) applications. One of the most apparent is for people with visual impairments or reading difficulties. TTS applications can significantly aid these individuals in reading and comprehending written content, leading to an improvement in their quality of life and increased independence.

Another use case is for language learners, who can use TTS applications to enhance their pronunciation and listening skills. Lastly, TTS applications can be used by anyone who wishes to consume written content while engaged in other activities, such as driving or exercising.

TTS Apps for Windows

There are a variety of TTS (Text-to-speech) apps available for Windows users. These apps utilize computer-generated speech to read aloud text from a computer screen. Some of the most popular TTS apps for Windows include NaturalReader, Balabolka, and ReadAloud. Additionally, there are many other TTS apps available, each with its own unique features and functions. When choosing a TTS app, it's important to consider factors such as voice quality, compatibility with different file types, and ease of use. By using a TTS app, users can improve their reading comprehension and productivity by listening to text rather than reading it on a screen.

In this list, we offer you many free and open-source text-to-speech (TTS) options. If you're looking for a TTS solution that won't break the bank, you're in the right place.

First on our list is XYZ TTS. This software offers a range of voices in multiple languages, making it a versatile option for users worldwide. Additionally, XYZ TTS includes a range of customization options, allowing you to tailor your TTS experience to your needs.

Another great option is ABC TTS. This software is particularly suited for users who need high-quality TTS for reading long documents or books. With its natural-sounding voices and intuitive interface, ABC TTS is a great choice for anyone looking to improve their TTS experience.

Finally, we have DEF TTS. This software is a reliable and straightforward option for users who need a basic TTS solution. While it may not offer the same range of features as other options on our list, DEF TTS is a solid choice for anyone looking for a no-frills TTS experience.

So there you have it - our top picks for free and open-source TTS software. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just someone who enjoys using TTS, these options are sure to meet your needs.

1- Balabolka

Balabolka is a free text-to-speech program that can read the clipboard content, view text from documents, customize font and background color, control reading from the system tray, and more.

2- TTS Voice Wizard/ (STTS)

Speech-to-Text-to-Speech (STTTS) sends text as OSC messages to VRChat for your avatar. You can use TTS Voice Wizard's accessibility features, and translate your speech to over 20 languages. Customize your voice with over 100 options. Display the current song, tracker and controller battery life with XSOverlay. Use HRtoVRChat_OSC to show your heart rate in VRChat's Chatbox.

STTS/ TTS Voice Wizard features:

• 🎙️ You can convert your Speech-to-Text and back to Speech through various Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech methods
• 💬 You can send what you say as OSC messages to VRChat to be displayed on your avatar using KillFrenzyAvatarText or VRChats Chatbox
• 🌐 The app can translate your speech from one language to over 20 other support languages
• 🔊 There are 100+ different voices with various customization options so you can pick a voice that best suits you
• 🎵 Display the current song you are listening to on Spotify or via your browser
• 🔋 Display tracker and controller battery life in conjunction with XSOverlay
• ❤️ Use in conjuntion with HRtoVRChat_OSC to enable you to display your heartrate in VRChat's Chatbox
• 🗣️ Control VRChat avatar parameters with voice commands
• 🫵 Display customizable and interactive counters for amount of times a VRChat contact receiver has been touched

4- Capture2Text

Capture2Text enables users to perform OCR quickly on a portion of the screen using a keyboard shortcut. The resulting text is saved to the clipboard by default. It supports over 90 languages, including Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. It is portable and does not require installation.

Capture2Text is highly customizable, offering options for keyboard shortcuts, output, and more. Additionally, it features Google Translate and text-to-speech support, and offers both GUI and CLI support. No installation is re

5- SimpleTTSReader

Simple TTS Reader is a small clipboard reader that reads aloud any copied text. It supports any installed speech engine, such as Microsoft Anna. This text-to-speech utility can also be minimized to the system tray. It requires .NET Framework 2.0 and supports WinXP's Sam and Vista's Anna engines. The utility is small and simple, and includes an installer.

Epos is a language independent rule-driven Text-to-Speech (TTS) system primarily designed to serve as a research tool. Epos is (or tries to be) independent of the language processed, linguistic description method, and computing environment.

wSpeech is a Windows application that lets you convert English text into voice output offline. You can use this app to improve your English pronunciation by listening to the voice output. It allows users to turn any text file into an audio file format. This software is built on Microsoft's Speech API.

FreeTTS is a highly sophisticated and versatile speech synthesis engine that is completely written in the Java programming language. This cutting-edge engine was created by the Sun Microsystems Laboratories Speech Team, which is known for its innovative and groundbreaking work in the field of speech technology. One of the key features of FreeTTS is that it is based on CMU's Flite engine, which is widely considered to be one of the most powerful and reliable speech synthesis engines on the market.

Another great advantage of FreeTTS is that it includes a partial JSAPI 1.0 implementation, which makes it even more versatile and useful for developers who are looking to build advanced speech applications. Overall, FreeTTS is a powerful and reliable tool that is ideal for anyone who needs to create high-quality speech synthesis applications quickly and easily.

eSpeak is a reliable speech synthesizer software that is open-source and available for both Linux and Windows. It uses "formant synthesis," which allows for many languages to be provided in a small size. Although the speech is clear and can be used at high speeds, the pronunciation is artificial and not as natural or smooth as larger synthesizers based on human speech recordings. eSpeak is available as a command-line program or shared library for Linux and a Windows SAPI5 version.

10- MaryTTS

MaryTTS is a powerful and versatile tool for developers who need to create high-quality speech synthesis applications quickly and easily. It is an open-source platform, which means that developers can modify and customize it to suit their individual needs. Additionally, it supports many different languages and can be used in a variety of different contexts, making it a flexible and adaptable tool for a wide range of applications.

One of the key advantages of MaryTTS is its support for multiple languages. It supports over 30 different languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin Chinese, among others. This makes it an ideal choice for developers who are building applications that need to support multiple languages.

11- TortoiseTTS

TortoiseTTS is a powerful and versatile text-to-speech program that stands out for its exceptional multi-voice capabilities and its ability to deliver highly realistic prosody and intonation. With Tortoise, users can customize the voice, speed, tone, and pronunciation of the spoken text to suit their individual needs, making it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just someone who enjoys consuming written content without having to read it, Tortoise is a reliable and feature-rich tool that can greatly enhance your experience.

12- eSpeak NG

eSpeak NG is an impressive open-source software text-to-speech synthesizer that is available for Linux, Windows, Android, and other operating systems. It is capable of supporting more than 100 languages and accents, making it an incredibly versatile option. The eSpeak engine created by Jonathan Duddington is the foundation for this synthesizer.

What sets eSpeak NG apart is the "formant synthesis" method that it employs. This approach allows for many languages to be included in a small size, making it an efficient and effective option. Although the speech may not be as natural or smooth as larger synthesizers based on human speech recordings, it is still incredibly clear and can be used at high speeds. Additionally, eSpeak NG is equipped with Klatt formant synthesis and the option to use MBROLA as a backend speech synthesizer, providing even more flexibility and customization options.

13- Text To Speech App

This project offers a free, offline text-to-speech application built on top of Windows Form. It provides an incredible user experience by utilizing the Windows installed Synthesis engine. The application enables you to choose from a variety of available voices, including male and female voices with different accents and pitches. Once you have selected your desired voice, you can make it read any text of your preference. The application also allows you to customize the speed and volume of the voice.

After your audio file has been generated, you can easily download it as a .wav file to your desktop. The audio file will be saved under the Audio Files folder, which is automatically created by the application for your convenience. With its user-friendly interface and straightforward functionality, this application is an essential tool for anyone who needs to listen to text in an offline setting.

14- Verbify-TTS

Verbify-TTS is a simple Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine that reads for you any text on your screen with high-quality voices powered by AI models. It is free and you can use it for unlimited time.  It enables developers to build desktop and web apps.

The main features of Verbify-TTS are:

• Compatible with any desktop Application : Verbify-TTS is compatible with any desktop application where you can select text with your mouse.
• High-quality voices powered by AI : The voices of Verbify-TTS are powered by AI and they learned on thousands of audio and text data.
• Free and unlimited usage : You can use the voices of Verbify-TTS for free and for unlimited time, all you need is to install Verbify-TTS on your system.
• Registration-free : You don't need to register to use Verbify-TTS, no subscription needed.
• Private data : the data the application reads stay only on your device. There is no tracking or monitoring whatsoever. Everything is under your full control.
• Customizable : convert each special or domain-specific word into another word combination. We have some example such as "e.g." pronounced as "for example". Modify the simple idioms.csv file and add yours.

15-  RHVoice

RHVoice uses statistical parametric synthesis . It relies on existing open-source speech technologies (mainly HTS and related software).

Voices are built from recordings of natural speech. They have small footprints, because only statistical models are stored on users' computers. And though the voices lack the naturalness of the synthesizers which generate speech by combining segments of the recordings themselves, they are still very intelligible and resemble the speakers who recorded the source material.

RHVoice supported languages:

Initially, RHVoice could speak only Russian. Now it also supports:

• American and Scottish English
• Brazilian Portuguese

16- Thorsten-Voice (German)

Thorsten-Voice is a free to use, offline working, high quality german TTS voice should be available for every project without any license struggling.

In conclusion, TTS apps offer numerous benefits and advantages, including the ability to consume written content without having to read it, the ability to read text in multiple languages, and the ability to customize the speed, tone, and pronunciation of the spoken text.

TTS apps are useful for people with visual impairments or reading difficulties, language learners, and anyone who wants to multitask while consuming written content.

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CoquiTTS: An Open-Source Text-To-Speech Library

a deep learning toolkit for Text-to-Speech, battle-tested in research and production

Free Offline Text to Speech TTS Program for Windows

Text-to-Speech application. This app is Free to use, offline application. Build on top of Windows Form, uses Windows installed Synthesis. You choose one of the available voices, and make it read text, download as .wav file on your Desktop, under Audio Files folder. It offers a basic and advanced mode

#1 Text To Speech (TTS) Reader Online

Proudly serving millions of users since 2015

Type or upload any text, file, website & book for listening online, proofreading, reading-along or generating professional mp3 voice-overs.

I need to >

Play Text Out Loud

Reads out loud plain text, files, e-books and websites. Remembers text & caret position, so you can come back to listening later, unlimited length, recording and more.

Create Humanlike Voiceovers

Murf is a text-to-speech tool offering 200+ natural voices for creating high-quality voiceovers for e-learning, podcasts, YouTubes & audiobooks, simplifying audio content production.

Additional Text-To-Speech Solutions

Turns your articles, PDFs, emails, etc. into podcasts, so you can listen to it on your own podcast player when convenient, with all the advantages that come with your podcast app.

SpeechNinja says what you type in real time. It enables people with speech difficulties to speak out loud using synthesized voice (AAC) and more.

Battle tested for years, serving millions of users, especially good for very long texts.

Need to read a webpage? Simply paste its URL here & click play. Leave empty to read about the Beatles 🎸

Books & Stories

Listen to some of the best stories ever written. We have them right here. Want to upload your own? Use the main player to upload epub files.

Simply paste any URL (link to a page) and it will import & read it out loud.

Chrome Extension

Reads out loud webpages, directly from within the page.

TTSReader for mobile - iOS or Android. Includes exporting audio to mp3 files.

NEW 🚀 - TTS Plugin

Make your own website speak your content - with a single line of code. Hassle free.

TTSReader Premium

Support our development team & enjoy ad-free better experience. Commercial users, publishers are required a premium license.

TTSReader reads out loud texts, webpages, pdfs & ebooks with natural sounding voices. Works out of the box. No need to download or install. No sign in required. Simply click 'play' and enjoy listening right in your browser. TTSReader remembers your text and position between sessions, so you can continue listening right where you left. Recording the generated speech is supported as well. Works offline, so you can use it at home, in the office, on the go, driving or taking a walk. Listening to textual content using TTSReader enables multitasking, reading on the go, improved comprehension and more. With support for multiple languages, it can be used for unlimited use cases .

Get Started for Free

Main Use Cases

Listen to great content.

Most of the world's content is in textual form. Being able to listen to it - is huge! In that sense, TTSReader has a huge advantage over podcasts. You choose your content - out of an infinite variety - that includes humanity's entire knowledge and art richness. Listen to lectures, to PDF files. Paste or upload any text from anywhere, edit it if needed, and listen to it anywhere and anytime.

Proofreading

One of the best ways to catch errors in your writing is to listen to it being read aloud. By using TTSReader for proofreading, you can catch errors that you might have missed while reading silently, allowing you to improve the quality and accuracy of your written content. Errors can be in sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar, but also in your essay's structure, order and content.

Listen to web pages

TTSReader can be used to read out loud webpages in two different ways. 1. Using the regular player - paste the URL and click play. The website's content will be imported into the player. (2) Using our Chrome extension to listen to pages without leaving the page . Listening to web pages with TTSReader can provide a more accessible, convenient, and efficient way of consuming online content.

Turn ebooks into audiobooks

Upload any ebook file of epub format - and TTSReader will read it out loud for you, effectively turning it into an audiobook alternative. You can find thousands of epub books for free, available for download on Project Gutenberg's site, which is an open library for free ebooks.

Read along for speed & comprehension

TTSReader enables read along by highlighting the sentence being read and automatically scrolling to keep it in view. This way you can follow with your own eyes - in parallel to listening to it. This can boost reading speed and improve comprehension.

Generate audio files from text

TTSReader enables exporting the synthesized speech with a single click. This is available currently only on Windows and requires TTSReader’s premium . Adhering to the commercial terms some of the voices may be used commercially for publishing, such as narrating videos.

Accessibility, dyslexia, etc.

For individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties, listening to textual content, lectures, articles & web pages can be an essential tool for accessing & comprehending information.

Language learning

TTSReader can read out text in multiple languages, providing learners with listening as well as speaking practice. By listening to the text being read aloud, learners can improve their comprehension skills and pronunciation.

Kids - stories & learning

Kids love stories! And if you can read them stories - it's definitely the best! But, if you can't, let TTSReader read them stories for you. Set the right voice and speed, that is appropriate for their comprehension level. For kids who are at the age of learning to read - this can also be an effective tool to strengthen that skill, as it highlights every sentence being read.

Main Features

Ttsreader is a free text to speech reader that supports all modern browsers, including chrome, firefox and safari..

Includes multiple languages and accents. If on Chrome - you will get access to Google's voices as well. Super easy to use - no download, no login required. Here are some more features

Fun, Online, Free. Listen to great content

Drag, drop & play (or directly copy text & play). That’s it. No downloads. No logins. No passwords. No fuss. Simply fun to use and listen to great content. Great for listening in the background. Great for proof-reading. Great for kids and more. Learn more, including a YouTube we made, here .

Multilingual, Natural Voices

We facilitate high-quality natural-sounding voices from different sources. There are male & female voices, in different accents and different languages. Choose the voice you like, insert text, click play to generate the synthesized speech and enjoy listening.

Exit, Come Back & Play from Where You Stopped

TTSReader remembers the article and last position when paused, even if you close the browser. This way, you can come back to listening right where you previously left. Works on Chrome & Safari on mobile too. Ideal for listening to articles.

Vs. Recorded Podcasts

In many aspects, synthesized speech has advantages over recorded podcasts. Here are some: First of all - you have unlimited - free - content. That includes high-quality articles and books, that are not available on podcasts. Second - it’s free. Third - it uses almost no data - so it’s available offline too, and you save money. If you like listening on the go, as while driving or walking - get our free Android Text Reader App .

Read PDF Files, Texts & Websites

TTSReader extracts the text from pdf files, and reads it out loud. Also useful for simply copying text from pdf to anywhere. In addition, it highlights the text currently being read - so you can follow with your eyes. If you specifically want to listen to websites - such as blogs, news, wiki - you should get our free extension for Chrome

Export Speech to Audio Files

TTSReader enables exporting the synthesized speech to mp3 audio files. This is available currently only on Windows, and requires ttsreader’s premium .

Pricing & Plans

• Online text to speech player
• Chrome extension for reading webpages
• Premium TTSReader.com
• Premium Chrome extension
• Better support from the development team

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Visit our contact page , for various ways to get in touch with us, send us feedback and interact with our community of users & developers.

Text-to-Speech Voice Generator

Turn any text or script into natural-sounding speech with Descript's text-to-speech voice generator. Choose from dozens of lifelike AI voices or create your own voice clones in minutes. It’s perfect for podcast intros, voiceovers, faceless videos, and more.

How to turn text into realistic AI voice audio

Experience the magic of text-to-speech. Fix mistakes in your audio recordings without trudging back into the recording studio. Descript’s Overdub uses AI to create a natural-sounding synthetic version of your voice that you can use in any audio or video you’re creating.  

In a new Descript project, type out your script in the text editor or paste in the text you want to generate speech from. You can also use the  Ask AI  command in the Actions menu to write a script for you based on whatever criteria you want. 

Press ‘@’ to assign a speaker to your script. You can enter a new speaker name and then  Enable speech generation  to start the process of cloning your voice. Or  you can select  Browse stock AI speakers  to choose from a library of realistic stock voices, emotions, and styles.

The script will flash briefly to indicate your speech is being generated. Once that’s done, you can play back your newly generated voice audio, continue in an audio or video project, or export it by clicking  Publish .

Create natural-sounding speech with Descript

Turn text into sound with Descript by creating a high-quality text-to-speech model of your voice or selecting one from our ultra-realistic stock voices.

• Ultra-realistic: Descript’s Overdub is constantly being improved to sound more and more natural, with human inflections and contextual adjustments.
• State of the art: Descript’s Lyrebird AI represents the world’s most advanced speech-synthesis technology. It’s so real that androids often mistake it for their missing families.
• Privacy & security: Descript verifies that every Overdub Voice belongs to its owner. We do not allow cloning of voices that don’t belong to the account owner. We won’t share the data underlying your Overdub Voice with anyone outside Descript.
• Multiple voices: You can create multiple versions of your own voice to reflect different performance modes or emotional states, such as sad, excited, or Pittsburgh.
• Sharing: Descript allows you, and only you, to share your Overdub Voice with trusted collaborators or legally titled androids.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone else use descript’s overdub tts to clone my voice.

No. When creating an Overdub Voice, Descript users must positively affirm their identity and give Descript their express consent to train and generate a synthesized version of their voice.

Voice-training data that does not include this Voice ID cannot be used to create an Overdub Voice. In other words, unless you specifically consent to Overdub Voice creation, Descript will not create your Overdub Voice.

We verify this consent by authenticating the audio file uploaded against our training script to ensure that the voice recorded belongs to the person submitting it.

Is Descript Text-to-Speech free?

Overdub text-to-speech is free on all Descript accounts. Pro accounts get an unlimited Overdub vocabulary.

Is there a difference between Overdub generated with the Pro subscription vs. a Creator or Free subscription?

Yes. While you can create a custom Voice on Overdub with any subscription,  Free and Creator plans are limited to a list of the 1,000 most common vocabulary words. Any words that are not on that list will be replaced with "jibber" or "jabber." To avoid this gibberish and gain access to the full vocabulary list, you can upgrade to the Pro subscription.

How can I improve the quality of my text-to-speech voice?

TTS voice quality relies on a number of factors, such as the quality of your microphone, background noise, and room surfaces. Check out our article on Overdub Voice Quality Tips for tips on how you can assure the best possible recording.

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Text to Speech

• 3 Create a new project Drag your file into the box above, or click Select file and import it from your computer or wherever it lives.

With Descript, you can generate and edit voice audio just by typing. Convert your text into speech, edit it, and export it in your preferred format—all in one place.

Descript's  text-to-speech (TTS)  capabilities use AI to generate incredibly realistic voices. Choose from a range of voice types—from corporate to conversational, masculine to feminine—to find the one that suits your project best.

Create and share your own AI voices for use in future projects, whether you want to take a breather and let AI handle that voiceover track, or fix or add to an existing recording without rerecording.

No, Descript does not allow others to clone your voice without your explicit consent. Your voice data is kept secure and confidential, and you can delete it at any time. We are committed to protecting our users' privacy and adhere to a strict  code of ethics .

Descript offers both free and paid versions of text-to-speech. The free version includes basic text-to-speech capabilities to turn text into audio. However, to access and utilize the full range of features, including advanced voice editing, voice cloning, and Overdub, you need to subscribe to a paid plan starting at $12/mo.

Yes, there is a difference. The free plan provides basic text-to-speech services, but the quality and customizability options are greatly increased with the premium plans. The paid plans offer access to the Overdub feature, allowing you to create your own unique text-to-speech voices, as well as additional features like advanced editing capabilities.

You can improve the quality of your text-to-speech voice clone by recording in a quiet environment, speaking clearly and naturally as you read the sample script, using a high-quality microphone, and following Descript's recording guidelines in the prompt.

One account, all of NaturalReader

Add members through email or class code, share documents to a class, and manage or delete classes and members

Neural Speech Synthesis employs advanced machine learning techniques to analyze human vocalizations, speech tendencies, tonal variations, and additional linguistic nuances.

Through neural deep learning, AI-generated voices have achieved remarkable realism, emulating human speech effectively. In numerous instances, AI voices can now substitute for human vocalizations, depending on the application.

For the majority of learners, education extends beyond the classroom. NaturalReader EDU empowers students with greater independence and supports home-based learning. Be it tackling homework, enjoying reading at home, or browsing the internet, our Chrome Extension and Mobile App are always at their disposal.

Personal use signifies that solely you, the individual buyer, may utilize the product for your own private listening pleasure. Audio files generated with personal-use versions are not permitted for public usage (such as on websites or YouTube videos), commercial purposes, or any other form of distribution. You alone are authorized to create audio files exclusively for your personal enjoyment, and they must not be employed or shared with any other systems or individuals.

Kindly note that even 'internal' or 'non-profit' applications (such as messaging systems or educational videos) necessitate obtaining a commercial license to authorize the distribution of the audio material.

For purposes beyond personal use, consider exploring NaturalReader Commercial, a distinct application designed for such requirements.

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10 Best free text to speech software [Windows, Mac，Android, iPhone & Online]

Best Text To Speech Converter and Video Editor

Filmora's Text to Speech (TTS) function allows you to convert your text files to voiceover and bring more elements to enrich your video.

Technology has always been in the business of amazing man with its extraordinary abilities. The brain of man has a role to play in this awe as these inventions are not without man's input. As such, daily improvements are ensured to build upon the existing technology - the computer system.

We have always had one reason or the other to hire voiceover artistes. This could be for the purpose of storytelling and narration, advertisement and so on. As beautiful and reliable as that is in executing our tasks, many seem to consider it a waste of resources in terms of funds, energy and time. This is one of the reasons why the innovation of text-to-speech was established. It comes in handy when we do not need voiceover artistes as it serves as a perfect substitute.

Text-to-speech, which is also known as TTS, is a type of supportive technology that assists in reading digital text aloud. It’s sometimes called “read aloud” technology. The benefit of this technology cannot be overemphasised as it has gained a wide reach and global use across many devices such as computers and smartphones of different brands. With the help of softwares for computers (Windows and Mac), applications for smartphones (Android, iPhone, iPad) as well as online platforms, text-to-speech has been made possible and easy as technology keeps evolving.

Today, content creators are grateful for this life-saving innovation as it has dispelled the thoughts of having to do voiceovers themselves (which could be difficult for many). As such, this article comes in handy as it seeks to discuss ten applications or softwares and online platforms for TTS.

Balabolka is a Russian word; it can be translated as "chatterer" in English. It’s a Text-To-Speech (TTS) program that reads converts every written piece to audio. This program will install voices on your computer in different languages and deliver the lines in natural sounding voices. It really does a nice job of converting any text to speech. This software also helps with reading books aloud. In the case of reading a book, it can be converted to an audiobook by just copying and pasting it on the software while you select the voice and make necessary adjustments such as changing the range, pitch and volume control.

• Balabolka lets you customise fonts to your taste; this includes change of colour, background and font size and style.
• The program can extract content from documents, and it supports text file formats such as AZW, AZW3, CHM, DjVu, DOC, DOCX, EML, EPUB, FB2, FB3, HTML, LIT, MD, MOBI, ODP, ODS, ODT, PDB, PRC, PDF, PPT, PPTX, RTF, TCR, WPD, XLS, XLSX.
• The software effortlessly converts texts to audio. Also, you can decide to save your audio in several file formats such as MP3, WAV, MPEG4 for free.
• Another good feature is that it echoes letters or words that you add in settings. More so, you can make Balabolka to pause between sentences.
• The spell check built-in operating system is functional in Balabolka. This feature is available in Windows beginning from Windows 8.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: WINDOWS

Available languages.

English, Arabic, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Chinese.

• Audio can be changed and designed to your taste. Also, the part of the text you wish to begin from can be selected.
• Balabolka boasts of quality and flexibility, which is amazing for a free text-to-speech software. It has multiple voice options, file formats, and more!
• For starters or inexperienced users, Balabolka is straightforward in terms of installation as it takes seconds to have it on Windows PC. Also, no technical skill is needed to initiate the process.
• Balabolka comes with a timer, which provides you with more flexibility while listening to recordings. Since the program can be controlled with keyboard shortcuts, it helps save a good amount of time that you’d have spent trying to find your way through the interface.
• It has bookmarking tools that let you jump to a specific part of a text. This feature is useful when you are searching for a particular word in the text that is difficult to find especially in a bulky text. This could be for the purpose of editing or proofreading, or for picking up the audio from your place of choice.
• The voice available in the software is somewhat robotic and reads devoid of expression.
• It does not have an Android version.
• There are limited languages, which strikes the need for update in that respect.
• It lags sometimes as the workload involves colour grading, correction and others.

Panopreter is a text-to-speech and text-to-mp3 software program that reads text aloud with natural sounding voices, and converts the text to audio files in WAV, MP3, OGG and flac formats. In a nutshell, you can listen to your own writing without reading it out loud to yourself.

• You can turn the web into an audiobook using Panopreter. If you can copy and paste it, it is certainly possible to listen to it. This includes having a toolbar for Internet Explorer where reading on the web page is made easy. This does not leave Word document and other formats behind.
• The reading speed can be adjusted. Here, you’re given full control in deciding how fast or slow you want the reading to play out.
• Panopreter supports a wide variety of languages and voices to suit your taste as it opens you to multiple choices to choose from to make your user experience worth it.
• Files can be converted in batches. This will save time, rather than having to convert files one after the other. With Panopreter, more can be done in little time.
• Panopreter allows users to customize interface layout, font, text size, text color, highlight color, and background colour.
• It helps to highlight the word or sentence that is being read.
• Dictates in many languages and voices.
• It supports batch file conversion supported.
• It gives you a full command on the pitch, volume and speed
• It has keyboard shortcut keys.
• Music accompanies the end of the text reading.
• The inculcation of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word is a great feature that every other TTS software needs to have; Panopreter has made this advantageous.
• It does not have a mobile version.
• It is limited to Windows.

Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader is a software that that makes it possible for your written documents to be read aloud. This program is unique as it makes reading and voiceovers efficient. It will save energy, time and resources especially when you’re considering spending lots of money to hire a voiceover artist for your content creation.

• The Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader is more like a twin of the Windows program WordPad in that it opens any text file (.txt) or rich text file (.rtf). This program can be used to edit, format, and save text files. You can change font type, size, alignment and color using the controls in the toolbar and menu bar.
• Zabaware is capable of reading aloud any text you have copied to the Text-to-Speech Reader.
• The software can also convert text files to WAV format.
• The clipboard function of the Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader automatically monitors your

Clipboard for text changes. Every time you copy some text into the clipboard, this program will automatically read it out loud. This can be great for reading internet pages out loud and email messages.

• It helps to place validity on the work you engage.
• Speech error detection is easy by listening to the audio that is being rendered.
• Both male and female voices are available. It also offers the option of listening directly from the window instead of copying and pasting the content on the program.
• It is available only on Windows.
• It runs for free, but you won’t get the benefits such as better voices, more natural speech and realistic sounds advertised until you purchase the premium version.
• The voiceover gets activated even when it’s not needed. This causes disturbances while working
• The formats it supports are very limited.
• The voice selection is limited.
• It has no merge feature: You can’t merge multiple audio files to make one big audio file. You have to use your own computer.
• It has a poor storage organisation.
• It has only 3000 Characters per voiceover.
• You can’t use multiple voiceovers in a single script.

NoteVibes is an online text to speech application and software that provides both free and paid options for users. It allows you convert your text to natural sounding voices with free MP3 download. In the free version, you have 5000 characters available for testing its functionality. This is good for personal use in working on small projects as it makes it possible for you to hear multiple sentences at once. Notevibes has over 18 languages and 177 unique voices; you won't have a hard time reading your text due to its natural sounding voices.

• It has 17 languages and 177 voices.
• You can easily add a Background Music.
• It has a DJ voice creation feature.
• You can add pauses, pitch and change the speed of your audio along with emphasis and voice control.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: WINDOWS, ANDROID

• Its editor is very advanced, and the user has luxury of control over so many things.
• A specific portion of the script can be emphasised; the volume can also be controlled alongside rate and pitch for the specific parts as well. Only few text-to-speech softwares have this feature. This one feature therefore makes it stand out from others. Its voice quality is no different from others.
• Notevibes also lets you make dialogue videos where you can use more than one voice to create a voiceover. Your narration then sounds more creative and captivating when this feature well utilised. There are total 201 voices available in NoteVibes.
• It has issues with speed, and also produces a highly concentrated robotic sound. Coming along these is its very expensive commercial options. Notevibes can also not read from PDF and docs.
• There is no preview in NoteVibes; you can’t listen to the voice preview of the script; rather, the voiceover has to be generated to listen and to know how a speaker sounds.
• Demos are unavailable. On the homepage, demo can be found and played, but while generating voiceovers, no demo will be found.
• It has no merge feature: You can’t combine multiple audio files to make it one. Almost all major text-to-speech tools have a merge feature, but, Notevibes lags in this respect.
• Voiceover & Editor Page is different. There is one specific page for generating the voiceover and one page for downloading audio files. Switching between both of them will consume time. If you have a big project, switching between both pages will be tiring.
• No Project-Based Structure: This is another feature that you need when you have big project. Keep multiple files in one place can create a mess. You can’t create any project inside Notevibes. This is a very immature structure.

LANGUAGES SUPPORTED

English (us, UK, AU, IN), Spanish, German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Japanese, Danish, Swedish, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Hindi, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese.

Mac OS X is a built-in text-to-speech software for Mac. This can be used to read your written content aloud anywhere on your computer from Notes app and other formats. This means it has the ability to dictate to you what you have written in order to bring your writing to life. This could come in form of an audiobook, trailer, ads, videogames, tutorials and many more. It has a ton of voices and languages to select from alongside different accents in English language.

• A lot of languages are included other than English and there are a lot of voices to choose along with languages. Although some voices are very robotic, there is a few which aren’t and sound more like a human.
• Text-to-speech on Mac also supports converting your text into audio files.
• A lot of voice options are available for you to play around to get familiar with.
• Texts can be easily converted to iTunes track.
• It does not have Pause/Play option.
• For all the words to be read, they have to be selected manually.
• The software is very basic and does not have the feature of picking up or continuing from where it stopped reading like other TTS softwares have.

TTS MP3.com

It is an online software which is very easy to use. TTS MP3 Which converts your text to the English language. It has a variety of preset voices and languages which are related to different countries. This gives you flexibility as it concerns your language choice. The software is user friendly. You can easily gain access to it by visiting www.TTSMP3.com , and it’s free.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE

• With TTSMP3.com, you can easily convert text to audio, change speech and pitch, or even whisper.
• A lot of languages are available for you to explore.
• It supports both Hindi and English languages.
• The software does not support formats such as DOC, TXT, FB2, DOCX, PDF, RTF, and HTML.

Read Aloud is not exactly a stand-alone Mac software but instead, a Chrome extension which might be appealing to some people. When we put to heart how articles and posts are read on the internet every day, Read Aloud had to be devised to come in handy in making reading easier and less stressful. It is completely free and once it is installed, its icon will be displayed in the extension bar which can now be use to read any webpage or any article found online just by a single click. When it is in use, you get a play/pause button alongside a forward or rewind button which can be useful in advancing or backtracking paragraphs. Considering the fact that it is free to use, the voice options are really good and sound very natural.

• It can extract texts online to convert them into audio files.
• It possesses an exceptional feature of backtracking paragraphs.
• It helps you listen to audio files at your own pace, speed in natural sounding voices and different accents. Text typed in the app and text extracted from any photo uploaded is converted to an audio file.
• It has a great natural voice.
• It is completely secure as it ensures confidentiality. This is useful for people who would love to keep their data private.
• It helps people with social needs to listen to any text in different languages. This is very useful for those who are limited in language varieties.
• It can work only on Chrome.

As its name implies, Speak4me literally speaks for you! Like other TTS softwares and apps, Speak4Me works as an instrument of text conversion into audio. One advantage this application has is that it can enhance multitasking. When you have to read and make tea or coffee, or cook at the same time, you don’t have to move around with the text material; all you have to do is to allow Speak4me to do what it was made to do. This is therefore a software to consider in turning your writing to speaking without much stress. With amazing features like changing the rate and pitch of the voice alongside volume control and an array of voices to choose from which comes with a variety of languages, it affords you flexibility regarding your choice of usage. It also allows you to share your audio on the social media, and you can decide to save them locally for later use.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: iPHONE, iPAD

• With Speak4Me, you can easily navigate the control speech generator volume, pitch and rate of speech.
• It filters all the PDFs easily; it highlights the text as you go along too.
• It has a fully customizable reading experience: Adjustment font size, font and background colours, alignment, line spacing to best suit your preference and much more is available on the software.
• Speak4Me can speak PDF in languages such as English and Hindi.
• It comes with a Night Mode functionality to facilitate a comfortable reading in dark environments.
• The software has smooth navigation, auto scroll and can search for words to jump to a point in your text. This feature comes in handy especially when you have a bulky text to work on.
• With Speak4Me, your eyes are guarded from smartphone light rays.
• The languages are limited.
• If your device does not have a TTS engine of that language, speaking will not be supported.

NATURAL READER

Natural Reader is a text-to-speech app that covers your text, webpages, eBooks, and webpages aloud to you with quality and natural-sounding voices. NaturalReader is a useful tool for those who have dyslexia and other reading difficulties. 50 voices in over 20 languages are therefore available for you to open up your ears to.

• Adjustment of speaker’s speed: This feature enables you to adjust the speed of a selected speaker. This gives you control on how slow or fast you want the speech to be rendered.
• It is able to read email attachments; it also grants access to Dropbox, Google Drive or One Drive.
• The pronunciation editor gives you control on how you want certain words to be pronounced. This way, you can fine-tune the pronunciation of new or unusual words, or improve the readability of acronyms.
• Access can only be gained to additional features when you upgrade to the pro version.
• The application crashes lags a bit when there is too much text pasted for the application to process.
• It sometimes skips lines.
• Its sound becomes unpleasant when volume is too high.

NARRATOR’S VOICE

This application helps convert text to speech with a wide variety of voices in many languages. Narrator’s Voice app lets you create and share amusing messages using a narrator’s voice of your choice with a wide range of languages and reliable, pleasant sound voices. The end result is a customised narration of your original message, which you can share as desired. Videos are one of the hottest projects for Narrator’s Voice, letting the narrator explain or comment on whatever is happening on the screen. In fact, many people have been using the Narrator’s Voice app to add audio to their YouTube and TikTok videos, giving them a distinct voice that enhances the overall video’s vibe.

FEATURES SUPPORT SYSTEM: iPHONE, iPAD AND WINDOWS

• It executes your tasks with voices alongside effects in many languages.
• New voices have been added, which makes it +380 voices in total.
• It has waveform graphics for your to monitor the height and depth of the sound of your audio.
• Theme can be changed to Dark or Light.
• It has the ability to turn images to text.
• Too many ads roll out in the free version.
• The sound and vocal is not loud enough.

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Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC

With voice typing, you can enter text on your PC by speaking. Voice typing uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services.

How to start voice typing

To use voice typing, you'll need to be connected to the internet, have a working microphone, and have your cursor in a text box.

Once you turn on voice typing, it will start listening automatically. Wait for the "Listening..." alert before you start speaking.

Note:  Press Windows logo key + Alt + H to navigate through the voice typing menu with your keyboard. 

Install a voice typing language

You can use a voice typing language that's different than the one you've chosen for Windows. Here's how:

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region .

Find Preferred languages in the list and select Add a language .

Search for the language you'd like to install, then select Next .

Select Next or install any optional language features you'd like to use. These features, including speech recognition, aren't required for voice typing to work.

To see this feature's supported languages, see the list in this article.

Switch voice typing languages

To switch voice typing languages, you'll need to change the input language you use. Here's how:

Select the language switcher in the corner of your taskbar

Press Windows logo key + Spacebar on a hardware keyboard

Press the language switcher in the bottom right of the touch keyboard

Supported languages

These languages support voice typing in Windows 11:

• Chinese (Simplified, China)
• Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR)

Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)

• Dutch (Netherlands)
• English (Australia)
• English (Canada)
• English (India)
• English (New Zealand)
• English (United Kingdom)
• English (United States)
• French (Canada)
• French (France)

Italian (Italy)

• Norwegian (Bokmål)

Portuguese (Brazil)

• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Romanian (Romania)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Swedish (Sweden)
• Tamil (India)

Voice typing commands

Use voice typing commands to quickly edit text by saying things like "delete that" or "select that".

The following list tells you what you can say. To view supported commands for other languages, change the dropdown to your desired language.

• Select your desired language
• Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
• Croatian (Croatia)

German (Germany)

Note:  If a word or phrase is selected, speaking any of the “delete that” commands will remove it.

Punctuation commands

Use voice typing commands to insert punctuation marks.

Use dictation to convert spoken words into text anywhere on your PC with Windows 10. Dictation uses speech recognition, which is built into Windows 10, so there's nothing you need to download and install to use it.

To start dictating, select a text field and press the Windows logo key + H to open the dictation toolbar. Then say whatever’s on your mind.  To stop dictating at any time while you're dictating, say “Stop dictation.”

If you’re using a tablet or a touchscreen, tap the microphone button on the touch keyboard to start dictating. Tap it again to stop dictation, or say "Stop dictation."

To find out more about speech recognition, read Use voice recognition in Windows  . To learn how to set up your microphone, read How to set up and test microphones in Windows .

To use dictation, your PC needs to be connected to the internet.

Dictation commands

Use dictation commands to tell you PC what to do, like “delete that” or “select the previous word.”

The following table tells you what you can say. If a word or phrase is in bold , it's an example. Replace it with similar words to get the result you want.

Dictating letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols

You can dictate most numbers and punctuation by saying the number or punctuation character. To dictate letters and symbols, say "start spelling." Then say the symbol or letter, or use the ICAO phonetic alphabet.

To dictate an uppercase letter, say “uppercase” before the letter. For example, “uppercase A” or “uppercase alpha.” When you’re done, say “stop spelling.”

Here are the punctuation characters and symbols you can dictate.

Dictation commands are available in US English only.

You can dictate basic text, symbols, letters, and numbers in these languages:

Simplified Chinese

English (Australia, Canada, India, United Kingdom)

French (France, Canada)

Spanish (Mexico, Spain)

To dictate in other languages, Use voice recognition in Windows .

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AI Speech to Text: Revolutionizing Transcription

Table of contents.

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, AI Speech to Text technology stands out as a beacon of innovation, especially in how we handle and process language. This technology, which encompasses everything from automatic speech recognition (ASR) to audio transcription , is reshaping industries, enhancing accessibility, and streamlining workflows.

What is Speech to Text?

Speech to Text, often abbreviated as speech-to-text , refers to the technology used to transcribe spoken language into written text. This can be applied to various audio sources, such as video files , podcasts , and even real-time conversations. Thanks to advancements in machine learning and natural language processing , today’s speech recognition systems are more accurate and faster than ever.

Core Technologies and Terminology

• ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) : This is the engine that drives transcription services, converting speech into a string of text.
• Speech Models : These are trained on extensive datasets containing thousands of hours of audio files in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, French, and German, to ensure accurate transcription .
• Speaker Diarization : This feature identifies different speakers in an audio, making it ideal for video transcription and audio files from meetings or interviews.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) : Used to enhance the context understanding and summarization of the transcribed text.

Applications and Use Cases

Speech-to-text technology is highly versatile, supporting a range of applications:

• Video Content : From generating subtitles to creating searchable text databases.
• Podcasts : Enhancing accessibility with transcripts that include timestamps , making specific content easy to find.
• Real-time Applications : Like live event captioning and customer support, where latency and transcription accuracy are critical.

Building Your Own Speech to Text System

For those interested in building their own system, numerous resources are available:

• Open Source Tools : Software like Whisper and frameworks that allow customization and integration into existing workflows.
• APIs and SDKs : Platforms like Google Cloud offer robust APIs that facilitate the integration of speech-to-text capabilities into apps and services, complete with detailed tutorials .
• On-Premises Solutions : For businesses needing to keep data in-house for security reasons, on-premises setups are also viable.
• AI tools : AI speech to text or AI transcription tools like Speechify work right in your browser.

Challenges and Considerations

While the technology is impressive, it’s not without its challenges. Word error rate (WER) remains a significant metric for assessing the quality of transcription services. Additionally, the ability to accurately capture specific words or phrases and sentiment analysis can vary depending on the speech models used and the complexity of the audio.

Pricing and Accessibility

The cost of using speech-to-text services can vary. Many providers offer a tiered pricing model based on usage, with some offering free tiers for startups or small-scale applications. Accessibility is also a key focus, with efforts to support multiple languages and dialects expanding rapidly.

The Future of Speech to Text

Looking ahead, the integration of speech-to-text technology in daily life and business processes is only going to deepen. With continuous improvements in speech models , low-latency applications, and the embrace of multi-language support , the potential to bridge communication gaps and enhance data accessibility is immense. As artificial intelligence and machine learning evolve, so too will the capabilities of speech-to-text technologies, making every interaction more engaging and informed.

Whether you are a pro looking to integrate advanced speech-to-text APIs into a complex system, or a newcomer eager to experiment with open-source software , the world of AI speech to text offers endless possibilities. Dive into this technology to unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation in your projects and products.

Try Speechify AI Transcription

Pricing : Free to try

Effortlessly transcribe any video in a snap. Just upload your audio or video and hit “Transcribe” for the most precise transcription.

Boasting support for over 20 languages, Speechify Video Transcription stands out as the premier AI transcription service.

Speechify AI Transcription Features

• Easy to use UI
• Multilingual transcription
• Transcribe directly from YouTube or upload a video
• Transcribe your video in minutes
• Great for individuals to large teams

Speechify is the best option for AI transcription. Move seamlessly between the suite of products in Speechify Studio or use just AI transcription. Try it for yourself, for free !

Frequently Asked Questions

<strong>is there an ai for speech to text</strong>.

Yes, AI technologies that perform speech to text, like automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems, utilize advanced machine learning models and natural language processing to transcribe audio files and real-time speech accurately.

<strong>Which AI converts audio to text?</strong>

AI models such as Google Cloud’s Speech-to-Text and OpenAI’s Whisper are popular choices that convert audio to text. They offer features like speaker diarization, support for multiple languages, and high transcription accuracy.

<strong>How do I convert AI voice to text?</strong>

To convert AI voice to text, you can use speech-to-text APIs provided by platforms like Google Cloud, which allow integration into existing applications to transcribe audio files, including podcasts and video content, in real-time.

<strong>What is the AI that converts voice to text?</strong>

AI that converts voice to text involves automatic speech recognition technologies, like those offered by Google Cloud and OpenAI Whisper. These AIs are designed to provide accurate transcription of natural language from audio and video files.

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Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

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The best dictation software in 2024

These speech-to-text apps will save you time without sacrificing accuracy..

The early days of dictation software were like your friend that mishears lyrics: lots of enthusiasm but little accuracy. Now, AI is out of Pandora's box, both in the news and in the apps we use, and dictation apps are getting better and better because of it. It's still not 100% perfect, but you'll definitely feel more in control when using your voice to type.

I took to the internet to find the best speech-to-text software out there right now, and after monologuing at length in front of dozens of dictation apps, these are my picks for the best.

The best dictation software

Windows 11 Speech Recognition for free dictation software on Windows

Dragon by Nuance for a customizable dictation app

Google Docs voice typing for dictating in Google Docs

Gboard for a free mobile dictation app

Otter for collaboration

What is dictation software?

When searching for dictation software online, you'll come across a wide range of options. The ones I'm focusing on here are apps or services that you can quickly open, start talking, and see the results on your screen in (near) real-time. This is great for taking quick notes , writing emails without typing, or talking out an entire novel while you walk in your favorite park—because why not.

Beyond these productivity uses, people with disabilities or with carpal tunnel syndrome can use this software to type more easily. It makes technology more accessible to everyone .

If this isn't what you're looking for, here's what else is out there:

AI assistants, such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Microsoft's Cortana, can help you interact with each of these ecosystems to send texts, buy products, or schedule events on your calendar.

AI meeting assistants will join your meetings and transcribe everything, generating meeting notes to share with your team.

AI transcription platforms can process your video and audio files into neat text.

Transcription services that use a combination of dictation software, AI, and human proofreaders can achieve above 99% accuracy.

There are also advanced platforms for enterprise, like Amazon Transcribe and Microsoft Azure's speech-to-text services.

What makes a great dictation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

Dictation software comes in different shapes and sizes. Some are integrated in products you already use. Others are separate apps that offer a range of extra features. While each can vary in look and feel, here's what I looked for to find the best:

High accuracy. Staying true to what you're saying is the most important feature here. The lowest score on this list is at 92% accuracy.

Ease of use. This isn't a high hurdle, as most options are basic enough that anyone can figure them out in seconds.

Availability of voice commands. These let you add "instructions" while you're dictating, such as adding punctuation, starting a new paragraph, or more complex commands like capitalizing all the words in a sentence.

Availability of the languages supported. Most of the picks here support a decent (or impressive) number of languages.

Versatility. I paid attention to how well the software could adapt to different circumstances, apps, and systems.

I tested these apps by reading a 200-word script containing numbers, compound words, and a few tricky terms. I read the script three times for each app: the accuracy scores are an average of all attempts. Finally, I used the voice commands to delete and format text and to control the app's features where available.

I used my laptop's or smartphone's microphone to test these apps in a quiet room without background noise. For occasional dictation, an equivalent microphone on your own computer or smartphone should do the job well. If you're doing a lot of dictation every day, it's probably worth investing in an external microphone, like the Jabra Evolve .

What about AI?

Before the ChatGPT boom, AI wasn't as hot a keyword, but it already existed. The apps on this list use a combination of technologies that may include AI— machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) in particular. While they could rebrand themselves to keep up with the hype, they may use pipelines or models that aren't as bleeding-edge when compared to what's going on in Hugging Face or under OpenAI Whisper 's hood, for example. 

Also, since this isn't a hot AI software category, these apps may prefer to focus on their core offering and product quality instead, not ride the trendy wave by slapping "AI-powered" on every web page.

Tips for using voice recognition software

Though dictation software is pretty good at recognizing different voices, it's not perfect. Here are some tips to make it work as best as possible.

Speak naturally (with caveats). Dictation apps learn your voice and speech patterns over time. And if you're going to spend any time with them, you want to be comfortable. Speak naturally. If you're not getting 90% accuracy initially, try enunciating more.  

Punctuate. When you dictate, you have to say each period, comma, question mark, and so forth. The software isn't always smart enough to figure it out on its own.

Learn a few commands . Take the time to learn a few simple commands, such as "new line" to enter a line break. There are different commands for composing, editing, and operating your device. Commands may differ from app to app, so learn the ones that apply to the tool you choose.

Know your limits. Especially on mobile devices, some tools have a time limit for how long they can listen—sometimes for as little as 10 seconds. Glance at the screen from time to time to make sure you haven't blown past the mark. 

Practice. It takes time to adjust to voice recognition software, but it gets easier the more you practice. Some of the more sophisticated apps invite you to train by reading passages or doing other short drills. Don't shy away from tutorials, help menus, and on-screen cheat sheets.

The best dictation software at a glance

Best free dictation software for apple devices, apple dictation (ios, ipados, macos).

Look no further than your Mac, iPhone, or iPad for one of the best dictation tools. Apple's built-in dictation feature, powered by Siri (I wouldn't be surprised if the two merged one day), ships as part of Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems. On iOS devices, you use it by pressing the microphone icon on the stock keyboard. On your desktop, you turn it on by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation , and then use a keyboard shortcut to activate it in your app.

If you want the ability to navigate your Mac with your voice and use dictation, try Voice Control . By default, Voice Control requires the internet to work and has a time limit of about 30 seconds for each smattering of speech. To remove those limits for a Mac, enable Enhanced Dictation, and follow the directions here for your OS (you can also enable it for iPhones and iPads). Enhanced Dictation adds a local file to your device so that you can dictate offline.

You can format and edit your text using simple commands, such as "new paragraph" or "select previous word." Tip: you can view available commands in a small window, like a little cheat sheet, while learning the ropes. Apple also offers a number of advanced commands for things like math, currency, and formatting. 

Apple Dictation price: Included with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Apple Watch.

Apple Dictation accuracy: 96%. I tested this on an iPhone SE 3rd Gen using the dictation feature on the keyboard.

Recommendation: For the occasional dictation, I'd recommend the standard Dictation feature available with all Apple systems. But if you need more custom voice features (e.g., medical terms), opt for Voice Control with Enhanced Dictation. You can create and import both custom vocabulary and custom commands and work while offline.

Apple Dictation supported languages: 59 languages and dialects .

While Apple Dictation is available natively on the Apple Watch, if you're serious about recording plenty of voice notes and memos, check out the Just Press Record app. It runs on the same engine and keeps all your recordings synced and organized across your Apple devices.

Best free dictation software for Windows

Windows 11 speech recognition (windows).

Windows 11 Speech Recognition (also known as Voice Typing) is a strong dictation tool, both for writing documents and controlling your Windows PC. Since it's part of your system, you can use it in any app you have installed.

To start, first, check that online speech recognition is on by going to Settings > Time and Language > Speech . To begin dictating, open an app, and on your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + H. A microphone icon and gray box will appear at the top of your screen. Make sure your cursor is in the space where you want to dictate.

When it's ready for your dictation, it will say Listening . You have about 10 seconds to start talking before the microphone turns off. If that happens, just click it again and wait for Listening to pop up. To stop the dictation, click the microphone icon again or say "stop talking."  

As I dictated into a Word document, the gray box reminded me to hang on, we need a moment to catch up . If you're speaking too fast, you'll also notice your transcribed words aren't keeping up. This never posed an issue with accuracy, but it's a nice reminder to keep it slow and steady. 

To activate the computer control features, you'll have to go to Settings > Accessibility > Speech instead. While there, tick on Windows Speech Recognition. This unlocks a range of new voice commands that can fully replace a mouse and keyboard. Your voice becomes the main way of interacting with your system.

While you can use this tool anywhere inside your computer, if you're a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you'll be able to use the dictation features there too. The best app to use it on is, of course, Microsoft Word: it even offers file transcription, so you can upload a WAV or MP3 file and turn it into text. The engine is the same, provided by Microsoft Speech Services.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition price: Included with Windows 11. Also available as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition accuracy: 95%. I tested it in Windows 11 while using Microsoft Word. 

Windows 11 Speech Recognition languages supported : 11 languages and dialects .

Best customizable dictation software

Dragon by nuance (android, ios, macos, windows).

In 1990, Dragon Dictate emerged as the first dictation software. Over three decades later, we have Dragon by Nuance, a leader in the industry and a distant cousin of that first iteration. With a variety of software packages and mobile apps for different use cases (e.g., legal, medical, law enforcement), Dragon can handle specialized industry vocabulary, and it comes with excellent features, such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio file you upload. 

For this test, I used Dragon Anywhere, Nuance's mobile app, as it's the only version—among otherwise expensive packages—available with a free trial. It includes lots of features not found in the others, like Words, which lets you add words that would be difficult to recognize and spell out. For example, in the script, the word "Litmus'" (with the possessive) gave every app trouble. To avoid this, I added it to Words, trained it a few times with my voice, and was then able to transcribe it accurately.

It also provides shortcuts. If you want to shorten your entire address to one word, go to Auto-Text , give it a name ("address"), and type in your address: 1000 Eichhorn St., Davenport, IA 52722, and hit Save . The next time you dictate and say "address," you'll get the entire thing. Press the comment bubble icon to see text commands while you're dictating, or say "What can I say?" and the command menu pops up. 

Once you complete a dictation, you can email, share (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox), open in Word, or save to Evernote. You can perform these actions manually or by voice command (e.g., "save to Evernote.") Once you name it, it automatically saves in Documents for later review or sharing. 

Accuracy is good and improves with use, showing that you can definitely train your dragon. It's a great choice if you're serious about dictation and plan to use it every day, but may be a bit too much if you're just using it occasionally.

Dragon by Nuance price: $15/month for Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android); from $200 to $500 for desktop packages

Dragon by Nuance accuracy: 97%. Tested it in the Dragon Anywhere iOS app.

Dragon by Nuance supported languages: 6 languages and dialects in Dragon Anywhere and 8 languages and dialects in Dragon Desktop.  

Best free mobile dictation software

Gboard (android, ios).

Gboard, also known as Google Keyboard, is a free keyboard native to Android phones. It's also available for iOS: go to the App Store, download the Gboard app , and then activate the keyboard in the settings. In addition to typing, it lets you search the web, translate text, or run a quick Google Maps search.

Back to the topic: it has an excellent dictation feature. To start, press the microphone icon on the top-right of the keyboard. An overlay appears on the screen, filling itself with the words you're saying. It's very quick and accurate, which will feel great for fast-talkers but probably intimidating for the more thoughtful among us. If you stop talking for a few seconds, the overlay disappears, and Gboard pastes what it heard into the app you're using. When this happens, tap the microphone icon again to continue talking.

Wherever you can open a keyboard while using your phone, you can have Gboard supporting you there. You can write emails or notes or use any other app with an input field.

The writer who handled the previous update of this list had been using Gboard for seven years, so it had plenty of training data to adapt to his particular enunciation, landing the accuracy at an amazing 98%. I haven't used it much before, so the best I had was 92% overall. It's still a great score. More than that, it's proof of how dictation apps improve the more you use them.

Gboard price : Free

Gboard accuracy: 92%. With training, it can go up to 98%. I tested it using the iOS app while writing a new email.

Gboard supported languages: 916 languages and dialects .

Best dictation software for typing in Google Docs

Google docs voice typing (web on chrome).

Just like Microsoft offers dictation in their Office products, Google does the same for their Workspace suite. The best place to use the voice typing feature is in Google Docs, but you can also dictate speaker notes in Google Slides as a way to prepare for your presentation.

To get started, make sure you're using Chrome and have a Google Docs file open. Go to Tools > Voice typing , and press the microphone icon to start. As you talk, the text will jitter into existence in the document.

You can change the language in the dropdown on top of the microphone icon. If you need help, hover over that icon, and click the ? on the bottom-right. That will show everything from turning on the mic, the voice commands for dictation, and moving around the document.

It's unclear whether Google's voice typing here is connected to the same engine in Gboard. I wasn't able to confirm whether the training data for the mobile keyboard and this tool are connected in any way. Still, the engines feel very similar and turned out the same accuracy at 92%. If you start using it more often, it may adapt to your particular enunciation and be more accurate in the long run.

Google Docs voice typing price : Free

Google Docs voice typing accuracy: 92%. Tested in a new Google Docs file in Chrome.

Google Docs voice typing supported languages: 118 languages and dialects ; voice commands only available in English.

Google Docs integrates with Zapier , which means you can automatically do things like save form entries to Google Docs, create new documents whenever something happens in your other apps, or create project management tasks for each new document.

Best dictation software for collaboration

Otter (web, android, ios).

Most of the time, you're dictating for yourself: your notes, emails, or documents. But there may be situations in which sharing and collaboration is more important. For those moments, Otter is the better option.

It's not as robust in terms of dictation as others on the list, but it compensates with its versatility. It's a meeting assistant, first and foremost, ready to hop on your meetings and transcribe everything it hears. This is great to keep track of what's happening there, making the text available for sharing by generating a link or in the corresponding team workspace.

The reason why it's the best for collaboration is that others can highlight parts of the transcript and leave their comments. It also separates multiple speakers, in case you're recording a conversation, so that's an extra headache-saver if you use dictation software for interviewing people.

When you open the app and click the Record button on the top-right, you can use it as a traditional dictation app. It doesn't support voice commands, but it has decent intuition as to where the commas and periods should go based on the intonation and rhythm of your voice. Once you're done talking, Otter will start processing what you said, extract keywords, and generate action items and notes from the content of the transcription.

If you're going for long recording stretches where you talk about multiple topics, there's an AI chat option, where you can ask Otter questions about the transcript. This is great to summarize the entire talk, extract insights, and get a different angle on everything you said.

Not all meeting assistants offer dictation, so Otter sits here on this fence between software categories, a jack-of-two-trades, quite good at both. If you want something more specialized for meetings, be sure to check out the best AI meeting assistants . But if you want a pure dictation app with plenty of voice commands and great control over the final result, the other options above will serve you better.

Otter price: Free plan available for 300 minutes / month. Pro plan starts at $16.99, adding more collaboration features and monthly minutes.

Otter accuracy: 93% accuracy. I tested it in the web app on my computer.

Otter supported languages: Only American and British English for now.

Is voice dictation for you?

Dictation software isn't for everyone. It will likely take practice learning to "write" out loud because it will feel unnatural. But once you get comfortable with it, you'll be able to write from anywhere on any device without the need for a keyboard. 

And by using any of the apps I listed here, you can feel confident that most of what you dictate will be accurately captured on the screen. 

Related reading:

The best transcription services

Catch typos by making your computer read to you

Why everyone should try the accessibility features on their computer

What is Otter.ai?

The best voice recording apps for iPhone

This article was originally published in April 2016 and has also had contributions from Emily Esposito, Jill Duffy, and Chris Hawkins. The most recent update was in November 2023.

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Miguel Rebelo

Miguel Rebelo is a freelance writer based in London, UK. He loves technology, video games, and huge forests. Track him down at mirebelo.com.

• Video & audio
• Google Docs

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