speech on free software

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

A masculine hand holding up a phone with a text-to-speech app running

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 .

^ Back to the top

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

Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader website screenshot

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.

Get in touch

Want to find out about commercial or marketing opportunities? Click here
Out of date info, errors, complaints or broken links? Give us a nudge
Got a suggestion for a product or service provider? Message us directly
You've reached the end of the page. Jump back up to the top ^

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

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.

John Loeffler Components Editor
Steve Clark B2B Editor - Creative & Hardware
Lewis Maddison Reviews Writer

Webflow announces acquisition of Intellimize - expanding beyond visual development to become an integrated Website Experience Platform

Square Online review 2024: Top ecommerce platform pros, cons, and features tested

This is the tablet with the biggest battery ever — small-time Chinese firm promises rugged device with a staggering 33,280mAh battery, three times the capacity of Apple's iPad Pro, and much cheaper as well

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 .

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).

The interface for Apple Dictation, our pick for the best free dictation app for Apple users

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).

The interface for Windows Speech Recognition, our pick for the best free dictation app for 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).

The interface for Gboard, our pick for the best mobile dictation software

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).

The interface for Google Docs voice typing, our pick for the best dictation software for Google Docs

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.

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'

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..

Create Your Course

The best text to speech tools in 2024 (free & paid), share this article.

Thanks to incredible advancements in AI technology, text to speech software in 2023 is now sounding less and less like a robot – and more like a human reader.

This is great news for any Creator Educators looking to make their content creation process more efficient, without compromising on quality.

Text to speech apps can take your content from dull to dynamic in just one step, helping to transform boring text into natural-sounding audio that improves accessibility, productivity and engagement for learners.

Use text to speech software to open up new revenue streams for your business by transforming your existing content into videos and audio, as well as helping to make your content accessible for everyone. With these tools, you can create professional-sounding audio content in a fraction of the time you’d spend recording yourself. It’s a win-win!

Here’s our top list of the best text to speech software to help grow your business in 2023.

Click the links below to skip ahead:

Standard TTS vs Neural TTS

The best text to speech software in 2023

Amazon polly, google cloud text-to-speech, microsoft azure speech, natural reader, voiceovermaker, why use text to speech software.

If you’re a Creator Educator looking to convert your text content into audio for videos, audiobooks, social media and more, it’s time to find text to speech software for your business.

Here are some of the top use cases for businesses:

Enhance accessibility: Use text to speech software across all your content to boost accessibility for all learners and customers
Convert education content to audio: Make your educational content accessible for learners who are visually impaired, dyslexic, or who learn better with audio
Add voiceovers to presentations: Bring your content alive by adding professional voiceovers to slides and animations
Create audiobooks: Open up a new revenue stream by capturing sales from learners who prefer to listen rather than read
Make content more engaging: Enhance your existing content with more video elements to improve the learner experience
Repurpose blogs: Turn blog content into narration for engaging videos on YouTube, social media, and more

Turn text into speech to instantly repurpose your existing content into new formats and make sure your content is accessible to all.

Standard TTS vs. Neural TTS

Before diving into the world of text to speech, here’s a quick look at the difference between standard and neural text to speech tools.

Standard TTS is the older approach to text to speech software. If you think of artificial, stiff-sounding text to speech audio, you’re thinking of standard TTS.
Neural TTS draws on neural network technology or AI to generate more natural-sounding, humalike speech. Don’t let that creep you out, though – neural TTS can create truly lifelike and listenable audio that cuts out a major chunk of time for businesses and creators, helping you reach more people with your content.

Check out these best text to speech apps in 2023 to create stunning audio content – while saving you essential time and energy.

Best paid text to speech software

The best all-round cloud-based text to speech software for Creator Educators

Pricing Options

Standard TTS: Up to 5 million characters per month for 12 months
Neural TTS: Up to 1 million characters per month for 12 months
Standard TTS: $4 per 5 million characters
Neural TTS: $16 per 1 million characters

Reasons to buy

Choose from 100+ voices across 36 languages
Stream converted speech audio on the go, without downloading files
Use Speech Marks to sync text and audio

Consistently ranked by users as the best option for text to speech software, Amazon Polly is one of the best TTS tools for generating natural-sounding audio content. Thanks to advanced AI and deep learning technology, Amazon Polly helps creators get high-quality, human-like audio that can be rolled out to a global audience. Choose from both standard and neural services to create your audio – and since it’s pay-as-you-go, there’s no need to worry about subscription fees draining your bank account when it’s not being used.

Amazon Polly also includes the handy Speech Marks feature, a tool that allows you to match your AI-generated audio with text so learners can follow along with your voiceover.

Try Amazon Polly

The best alternative with wide range of voices and languages to choose from

60 minutes per month
Standard TTS: $4 per 4 million characters
380+ voices in 50+ languages and variants
Personalize pitch with 20 semitones
Option to create a one-of-a-kind voice

As a close competitor to Amazon Polly, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech offers a comprehensive range of features as part of its text to speech software that lets you customize and control every aspect of your audio. Use voice tuning to personalize the pitch of your selected voice and use SSML tags to add pauses, numbers, and other pronunciation notes to create content that flows.

Google’s text to speech software makes use of their DeepMind speech synthesis expertise to deliver over 380 human-quality voices across a wide range of languages – ideal for tapping into a global audience with your content. Google’s TTS tool also has a custom voice generator that lets you create a unique voice for your brand – that no one else can use.

Try Google Text-to-Speech

The best choice for better data security and compliance

Neural TTS: Up to 0.5 million characters per month
Standard TTS: 5 audio hours per month
Custom TTS: $24 per 1 million characters
Better data security and privacy than other TTS apps
Zero code options available
Create and adapt custom voices for your brand

Take advantage of Microsoft’s AI-driven text to speech software and use their wide range of in-built features to help your content stand out from the crowd. Build your own custom voice and choose between different emotions and speaking styles to craft the perfect personality for your brand. This tool is also ideal for adapting your speech content to different use cases like customer support chatbots and educational content. Their no code tools also mean you don’t need to be a tech expert to take advantage of their top features.

There’s good news if you’re concerned about data security too – Microsoft’s text to speech tool comes in top for security and compliance. You don’t need to worry about speech inputs being logged during processing and you can breathe easier knowing Microsoft invests heavily in cybersecurity and privacy.

Try Azure Speech Services

The best choice for AI-powered video voiceovers

Up to 10 mins of voice generation per month
Starting at $39/month for 4 hours of voice generation per user/month
Create AI video voiceovers in minutes
120+ voices in 20+ languages
Convert home recordings to professional voiceovers

Specially tailored to video voiceovers, Murf offers text to speech software that lets users create studio-quality audio in minutes. Murf has a wide range of AI-voices to suit every context, with categories ranging from Educator to Corporate Coach to Educator to Marketer and more. Use Murf to convert any text to speech or to turn your home-recorded audio into professional, studio-quality content that’s ideal for videos, podcasts, presentations, and more.

Murf’s in-built video editor lets you add images, music and videos to your audio so you don’t need to switch between multiple platforms and apps to create your content. You can also tweak your AI voiceover to add different pitches, emphasis, and interjections. If you want to add more users and collaborate with multiple members of your team or across different organizations, opt for Murf’s Enterprise plan.

The best stripped-down text to speech software for creators who want simplicity

20 minutes of voice per day
Starting at $9.99/month for personal use
Starting at $49/month for commercial use

Reasons to Buy

Over 100 voices on paid plans
Works on mobile devices for editing on-the-go
Supports multiple text formats and includes OCR scanning

Designed for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike, Natural Reader is known for being extra user-friendly. With a simple user interface and pricing packages free of API frills, Natural Reader is a top choice for generating audio for YouTube videos, social media and education purposes. Simply paste your text into the text to speech tool and export the audio file – it’s instant and code-free.

If you want to make your voiceovers more engaging, experiment with adding extra emotions and effects in the app and use the studio editor to easily alter your audio without switching platforms. There’s one key drawback to note though – thanks to its usability, Natural Voice is popular with YouTube creators so you run the risk of choosing a voice option that’s been heard many times before.

Try Natural Reader

The best for creating multilingual voiceover content fast

Up to 800 characters per month
Starting from 9€/month (approx $9 USD/month) for 60,000 characters
Built-in easy-to-use video editor
Automatic translation into 30 languages
Uses Google’s WaveNet technology

If you’re just getting started with video, VoiceOverMaker is a quick and easy text to speech tool to help you get realistic-sounding audio content for your videos. The service uses Google’s neural WaveNet technology to create humanlike voices – and gives you a single, cloud-based app to edit your voice track and videos together. The software includes useful features like automatic translation, background music, and a built-in screen recorder tool. Plus, take advantage of VoiceOverMaker’s pay-as-you-go pricing to keep costs to a minimum.

Try VoiceOverMaker

Best free text to speech software

The best option for free text to speech software for commercial use

10,000 characters per month
Starting from $19/month for 1,000,000 characters

Reasons to use

Higher character limit than competitors
Download audio as mp3 in seconds
Powered by Google machine learning

With no registration or sign-up required, you can start using FreeTTS immediately to convert up to 10,000 characters each month – and it’s completely free! FreeTTS prides itself on being super fast, helping Creator Educators easily convert scripts into mp3 audio files in seconds, so it’s ideal for producing video voiceovers quickly and efficiently. FreeTTS uses Google’s machine learning technology to deliver decent quality results across 50+ languages and the free version is suitable even for commercial use – but it’s important to note that you can only convert 500 characters of text at a time, so it’s best for short videos.

Try FreeTTS

Straightforward, free text to speech software with mobile app

Unlimited text reading for personal use
$2/month for commercial use
Straightforward, no frills tool
Upload files, PDFs, ebooks,and more
Use online or download the iOS and Android app

On the surface, the TTSReader free text to speech software may look dated, but their free tool includes an impressive range of features. The TTSReader tool is about as utilitarian as it gets – it’s pared back but powerful, accepting a wide variety of file types that can be converted into simple audio files to listen to in your browser or save for later. The free version supports multiple languages and includes basic editing tools too. To unlock more features, you’ll need to purchase the premium plan – but at just $2 per month it won’t break the bank.

Try TTSReader

Use these top text to speech tools to engage your audience

Once you’ve started using text to speech software, there’s no going back. It’s so easy, efficient, and delivers impressive results – especially thanks to the range of new AI-driven tools on offer. To help you find the best text to speech apps for your needs, take advantage of the free plans and tools in this list and take some time to experiment with different options. Don’t forget, you can even create a unique voice for your brand!

If you’re a Creator Educator looking to earn more from your content, try Thinkific for free .

This post was originally created in 2022, it’s since been updated in June 2023.

Colin is a Content Marketer at Thinkific, writing about everything from online entrepreneurship & course creation to digital marketing strategy.

13 Best Online Coaching Platforms and Tools for 2024
Private: 10 Best Photography Courses to Take in 2023
190+ Best Creator Economy Platforms for 2023
30+ Best Business to Start With Little Money from Home (2022)
13 Profitable Digital Products And Where To Sell Them

Top 5 online course trends (updated for 2020).

What are the top trends for online courses in 2020? Here's a summary of five trends to watch in 2020 to grow your online course business.

How To Design An Effective Learning Path

Everything you need to know about designing a learning path - including examples and best practices for creating structured learning journeys that work.

Building A B2B Online Learning Experience To Grow Your Business

Read this blog post to learn how to successfully build, pitch, and sell your online courses to clients in the B2B space.

Try Thinkific for yourself!

Accomplish your course creation and student success goals faster with thinkific..

Download this guide and start building your online program!

It is on its way to your inbox

Text to Speech Voice Over with Realistic AI Voices

Murf offers a selection of 100% natural sounding AI voices in 20+ languages to make professional voice over for your videos and presentations. Start your free trial.

Quality Guaranteed, No Robotic Voices

Our voices are all human sounding and quality checked across dozens of parameters. Gone are the days of robotic text to speech, most people can’t even tell between our advanced AI voices and recorded human voices.

Text to Speech Voices in 20+ Languages

Murf offers a selection of voices across 20+ languages. Most languages have voices available for testing quality in the free plan. Some languages also support multiple accents like English, Spanish and Portuguese.

A Simple Text to Voice Converter

High-Quality Voices for Every Use Case

Not Just a Text to Speech Tool

Emphasize specific words

Want to make your voiceover sound interesting? Use Murf’s ‘Emphasis’ feature to put that extra force on syllables, words, or phrases that add life to your voiceover.

Take control of your narration with pitch

Use Murf’s ‘Pitch’ functionality to draw the listeners' attention to words or phrases expressing emotions. Customize the voice as you like to make it work for yourself.

Elevate your story with pauses

Add pauses of varying lengths to your narration using Murf’s ‘Pause’ feature to give the listener's attention powers a rest and prepare them to receive your message.

Perfect Word Pronunciation

Articulate words accurately and enhance clarity in speech by customizing pronunciation. Use alternative spellings or IPAs to achieve the right pronunciation.

Fine Tune Narration Speed

Effortlessly increase or decrease the pace of the voiceover to ensure it aligns with the rhythm and flow of the message.

Expressive Voice Style Palette

Infuse your narration with the exact emotion your content needs using Murf’s dynamic voice styles. Choose from versatile options like excited, sad, angry, calm, terrified, friendly, and more.

Text to Voice Generator Made Easy

Reliable and secure. your data, our promise..

Why Use Murf AI Text to Speech?

Murf's text to audio software changes the way you create and edit voiceovers with lifelike, flawless AI voices. What used to take hours, weeks, or even months now only takes minutes. You can also include images, videos, and presentations to your voiceover and sync them together without the need for a third-party tool. Here are a few reasons why you should use Murf's text to speech.

Save time and hundreds of dollars in recording expensive voice overs.

Editing voice over is as simple as editing text. Just cut, copy paste and render.

Create a consistent brand voice across all your customer touchpoints.

Connect with global customers effectively with our multiple language AI voices.

Build scalable voice applications with Murf’s Text to Speech API.

Tts voice over in 20+ languages.

@MURFAISTUDIO

Hear from Our Customers

Murf allows me to create TTS voiceovers in a matter of minutes. Previously, I had a tedious process of sending scripts out to agencies and waited days to get voiceovers back. With Murf, I can make changes whenever I like, diversify my speaker portfolio by picking new voices instantly, and even ramp up my course localization.

Murf it's an amazing text-to-speech AI voice generator, easy to work with, flexible and reliable. Its voices, non-pro and pro (either English, Spanish, and French), are both so real that many clients of mine have been surprised to know that they were not from professional voice-over actors.

I recently tried murf.ai and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed. The quality of the generated voice is exceptional and very realistic, which is important for my business needs. The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, and the range of voices available is impressive.

This website is so easy and clear that you will find yourself mastering all the tools in no time. The fact that regenerating the voice with different voices, punctuations, and tones does not deduct from your allowed minutes is so fair and reasonable. And the price is affordable too. Highly recommended

This is the most human-like voice I was able to find. It's very lively,and I found it suitable for many types of videos including marketing and e-learning, it kept my audience engaged!

I just started to create a video channel about historical figures, and Murf.ai really brings them to life. I found my top voice for my scripts, and the easy integration of video elements makes it a breeze to create informative videos. I also like the easy changes one can make to the tone of voice from within the editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is text to speech.

Text to speech is the generation of synthesized speech from text using AI. It was primarily designed as an assistive technology to help individuals with hearing impairments, visual and learning disabilities, and aged citizens to understand and consume content in a better manner. Today, the applications of text to voice have grown manifold, and range from content creation to voiceover generation to customer service, and more. With a touch of a button, text to speech converter can take words on a computer or other digital device and convert them into audio files. Today, the technology is used to create narratives for explainer videos or product demos , turn a book into an audio book, generate voiceovers for elearning materials, training videos, ads and commercials, YouTube videos, or podcasts, among other things.

How does text to speech converter work?

Text to speech online software leverages AI and deep learning algorithms to process the written input and sythesize a spoken output. The written text is first broken down into individual words and phrases by the text to speech AI software’s text analysis component and then various rules and algorithms are applied to determine the appropriate pronunciation, inflection, and emphasis for each word. The speech synthesis component of the software then takes this information along with pre-recorded sound samples of individual phonemes and uses it to generate the spoken words and sentences, which is then spoken out loud using a synthesized voice generated by a computer or other device.

Top Five Use Cases of Text to Speech Online Software

From increasing brand visibility and customer traction to improving customer service and boosting customer engagement to helping people with visual impairments, reading difficulties, and learning disabilities, text to voice generator is proving to be a game-changing technology across industries.

Considering the myriad of benefits offered by TTS technology and how simple they make information retention, businesses are integrating AI text to speech into their workflow in one form or another. Here is a glimpse of all the ways text to speech tool is currently being utilized:

TTS in Assistive Technology

For quite some time now, text to speech apps and software has been used as an accessibility tool for individuals with a variety of special needs linked to Dyslexia, visual impairments, or other disabilities that make it difficult to read traditional text. Using TTS readers, people facing such problems can convert text to speech and learn by listening on the go. Text to speech converters also improve literacy and comprehension skills. When used in language education, they can make learning more engaging. For example, it's much easier and faster to apprehend a foreign language when listening to the live translation of written words with correct intonation and pronunciation than when reading.

TTS in Translations

Given the fact that modern text to speech solutions come with multilingual support, brands can reach local customers by converting their content from text to audio in the local language. This will help target and connect with native-speaking customers or audiences in remote areas.

Furthermore, text to speech online solutions can also be used to translate content from one language to another. This is especially beneficial for users who come across a piece of content in a language they don't understand and can have it read aloud in their native language or a language they are adept at for better understanding.

TTS in Customer Service

With advancements in speech synthesis, it has become easier to create text and convert it to pre-recorded voices for interactive voice response calls. Today's voice text to speech technology comes with human-like AI voices that can make natural human conversations on IVR calls. This helps contact centers provide personalized customer interactions without requiring assistance from live agents.

TTS serves as both an inbound and outbound customer service tool. For example, when used in tandem with an IVR system, text to voice generators can provide personalized information to callers, such as greeting a customer by name, providing account information, confirming details about the order, payment, or appointment, and more. Furthermore, by tapping into the extensive range of languages, accents, and a wide variety female and male voices offered by TTS online software, companies can provide an experience that matches their customer's profiles or help promote an image for their brand.

TTS in Automotive Industry

Text to audio solutions help make connected and autonomous cars safer and sound truly unique, begetting an on-road revolution. They can be used in in-car conversational systems for navigational prompts and map data, infotainment systems to read aloud information about the car, such as fuel level or tire pressure, and swap music and voice assistants to place phone calls, read messages, and more.

TTS in Healthcare

In the healthcare industry, text to speech voices can be used to read aloud patient information, instructions for taking medication, and provide information to doctors and other medical professionals about upcoming appointments, scheduling calls, and more.

Why text to speech matters for businesses?

It's an exciting time to stake your claim in the realm of speech synthesis. There are a number of key industries where the text to speech technology has already succeeded in making a dent. Here are a few different ways in which businesses can harness the power of text-to- speech and save money and time:

Enhances customer experience

Any business can leverage text to voice generators to alleviate human agent workload and offer customized conversational customer support. By integrating these solutions with IVR systems, companies can automate customer interactions, facilitate smart and personalized self-service by providing voice responses in the customer's language and remove communication barriers. Furthermore, organizations can also use text to audio converters to make AI-enabled routine calls to inform customers about promotional offers, payment reminders, and much more. That said, by using text-to-speech in voice-activated chatbots, businesses can provide customers, especially the visually impaired, with a more immersive experience, thereby enriching the customer experience.

Global market penetration

Text to speech online solutions offer synthetic voices in multiple languages enabling businesses to create content in several different languages and reach customers across different countries worldwide. Organizations can build trust with customers by creating voiceovers for ads, commercials, product demos, explainer videos, and PowerPoint presentations, among other content pieces in regional dialects and native languages.

Increases Web Presence

That said, with the help of text to audio generators, businesses can provide an audio version of their content in addition to a written version, enabling more accessibility to a broader audience, who can choose whether to read or listen to it based on their preferences. This increases the brand's web presence. Moreover, using text-to-speech, brands can create a familiar, recognizable and unique voice across all their voice channels, making it easy for customers to identify the brand the second they hear it. This way, the brand shows up everywhere and improves its web presence.

Who else can benefit from text to speech tools?

Today’s online text to speech systems can generate speech that is almost indistinguishable from a human voice, making them a valuable tool for a wide range of applications, from improving accessibility for people with disabilities to providing convenient and efficient ways to communicate information.

Here is a list of everybody that can benefit immensely from using best text to speech softwares for their content and voiceover needs:

Many educators struggle to enhance the value of their curriculum while simplifying their workloads. This is where realistic text to speech technology plays a key role. Firstly, it improves accessibility for students with disabilities. Screen readers and other tools which are speech enabled can make learning an equal opportunity and enjoyable experience for those with learning and physical disabilities. Secondly, it helps teach comprehension in an effective manner. Text to speech software offers an easy way for students to listen to how words are spoken in their natural structure and following the same is easier through audio playback.

TTS software also enhances engagement and makes learning interesting for students. For example, using natural sounding text to speech voices, teachers can create engaging presentations and elearning modules that capture student’s attention.

In marketing specifically, text to speech technology can help improve data collection, facilitate comprehensive customer profiling, and better data analysis. Online text to speech tools offer an easy way for businesses to reach a broader audience and create customized user experiences.

For instance, marketing teams can create and deliver videos to prospective clients to establish a connection and brief them on queries and complicated products or services in the language and accent the customer is comfortable with. Furthermore, AI voices enable marketing teams to create crisp, high quality professional-sounding voiceovers in a few simple steps without hiring voice actors or requiring any professional recording studios.

Text to speech generators offer authors numerous advantages. One, it serves as an editing aid and helps storytellers proof read their novels and manuscripts to identify grammatical errors and other mistakes in their drafts before publishing. Listening to their stories being read aloud also allows authors to gauge the response to their work on other people. Authors can also use realistic voice generators to convert their books into audiobooks and podcasts and broaden the reach of their work.

From interviews about true crime to politics and science, there are all sorts of popular podcast formats today. And, regardless of how good your podcast topic is, it won’t matter if the host doesn’t have a good voice. That said, not everyone can have that best podcast voice like an old-school radio anchor or a news presenter. This is where text to speech platforms come in. You don’t have to record scripted intros, prologues, or epilogues, an AI narrator can do it for you. Through text to speech software, you can automatically create the narrative and voiceover for your podcast in the language and tone you want in a matter of minutes by simply uploading the script to the platform.

Creating good voice overs for your animated explainer videos or product demos or games typically meant investing a lot of money on recording equipment and hiring professional voice actors. Not anymore. With AI text to speech platforms, you can add natural sounding voices to your animated video to make them more engaging and captivating. In fact, with text to speech software, you can give each character in your animated video or game, a unique voice.

Customer Support Executives

Integrating realistic text to voice software with an IVR system enables customer service agents to concentrate more on complex customers rather than common queries. TTS-enabled IVR systems are capable of gathering information and providing responses to customers as necessary in a way that sounds just like an actual customer service agent.

Furthermore, text to voice systems also eliminate the need for IVR businesses to schedule voiceover retakes months in advance. With TTS systems, businesses can render a new voiceover in minutes creating thousands of iterations within a few clicks.

Text to speech reader is a game-changer for students of all ages and educational levels. By converting written text into spoken words, students can enhance their learning experience and comprehension. Text to speech technology can read content out aloud, making it easier for students to absorb information while multitasking. It is particularly useful for students with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning disabilities as it provides them with an alternative way to consume educational content. Furthermore, the TTS tool can also be used to add narrations to presentations, explainer videos, how-to videos, and more.

Be it corporate trainers, fitness trainers, or lifestyle instructors, text to speech can be used to create engaging and accessible learning materials. For example, fitness trainers can convert written content into audio-based workout routines and personalized exercise plans. This helps to increase engagement levels and knowledge retention among the audience.

Similarly, corporate trainers can also use text to speech converters to create presentations on employee policies and other organizational practices. It makes the coursework highly engaging and improves employee performance at many levels. Additionally, using audio course materials is a great way to respect the staff with disabilities and give everyone equal access to training.

Content Creators

Content creators, including social media users, bloggers, writers, influencers, and authors, can leverage text to speech to enhance their productivity and reach a broader audience.

This technology enables content creators to convert their written articles, scripts, blog posts, or eBooks into high-quality audio files quickly in multiple languages instead of manually recording the voiceover.

Consequently, it opens up new avenues for content consumption. This allows readers to listen to the content while performing other tasks or when reading isn’t feasible, such as during commutes or workouts.

Video Producers

Video creators can easily add voiceovers or narration to their videos, eliminating the need for hiring voice actors or spending hours recording audio. This not only saves time and resources but also ensures consistent and professional-sounding voiceovers.

Murf: The Ultimate AI Text to Speech Software

If you are looking for a text to speech generator that can create stunning voiceovers for your tutorials, presentations, or videos, Murf is the one to go for.

Murf can generate human-like, realistic, and natural-sounding voices. Its pièce de résistance is that Murf can do it in over 120+ unique voices in 20+ languages.

This TTS reader also allows you to tweak the pitch of the voice, add pauses or emphasis, and alter the speed of the output to get the output just the way you want it.

And the best part? Murf is extremely easy to use. Just type or paste in your script, choose your preferred voice in the language you want, and hit play. Murf will do the rest.

Create Engaging Content with Murf's AI Voices

Murf text to audio converter can be used in a number of scenarios to elevate the quality of your overall content. Let's look at a few use cases where Murf can help and why it’s the best text to speech reader out there:

E-learning Videos

Murf’s free text to speech reader can help you create e-learning videos in multiple languages that will make your content accessible to a global audience. You can also increase the engagement of your e-learning video by adding emotions and expressions to your content.

Presentations

Murf’s AI voices can add a touch of professionalism to your presentations to help drive home those key points. You can use Murf to narrate your slides, explain your concepts, or tell the story of your brand in the exact tone and style you envisioned.

You can also use this free text to speech reader to make your audiobooks sound as if they its been narrated by an actual person.

With Murf, you can also mix and match different voices for the various characters in the audiobook to take your storytelling up a few notches.

Sales and Marketing Videos

Murf can also enhance your sales and marketing videos with persuasive and professional voiceovers. You can use these videos to showcase your products, services, or offers and tailor them in multiple languages to advertise to a potentially global audience.

Product Demos

Finally, Murf can help you create informative and engaging product demo videos that showcase your product’s features and benefits in the best possible light.

Key Features of Murf AI Text to Speech

Apart from enabling users to enhance the quality of their voiceover content with compelling, nuanced, and natural sounding text to speech voices, Murf offers an intuitive voice user interface and the ability to customize and control the voiceover output with features like pitch, speed, emphasis, pause, pronunciation and more.

More than Just a Text to Speech Software

Tired of hearing monotonous, robotic-sounding voiceovers? Not anymore. With Murf, enhance the quality of your content with compelling, nuanced, and natural sounding text to speech that replicate the subtleties of human voice. Fine-tune your voiceover narration and add more character to an AI voice with features such as Emphasis, Pronunciation, Speed, and more! From inviting and conversational to excited and loud to empathetic and authoritative, we have AI voices that span different intonations and emotions. Murf AI text to speech (TTS) supports Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, and Turkish. Some of these languages also support multiple accents. For example, our English language AI voices support British, Australian, American, and Indian accents. Our Spanish AI voices support Mexican and Spain accents. The TTS online software also offers users the ability to add background audio or music to their content. Murf studio, in fact, comes with a curated selection of royalty-free music in their gallery that the user can choose from to add some music to their video. You can also upload your own audio files or even import from external sources like YouTube, Vimeo, and other video websites. Murf's text to sound has a voice changer feature that lets you upload your existing recording and revamp it with professional AI voice in a single click. You can change your voice to an AI voice in three simple steps: transcribe the audio, choose an AI voice, and regenerate the audio in a new voice. It's as easy as pie.

Additionally, the tool also supports an AI translation feature that enables you to convert your scripts and voiceovers into multiple languages in minutes. With Murf AI Translate, you can convert your projects into 20 different global and regional languages, making them accessible to a broader audience and expanding your reach.

Summing It Up

Murf is a powerful text to speech reader that can help you create engaging and professional voiceovers for your videos, presentations , and so much more.

To put it in short, with Murf, you can:

Save a ton of money that would have otherwise been spent on voice actors and renting out studio spaces.
Widen your reach to a global audience with its support for over 120+ unique voices in over 20+ languages.
Make your content accessible to anyone with visual or specific cognitive disabilities.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free trial of Murf today!

Murf supports Text to speech in

Important Links

How to create.

Personal Listen to your documents
Commercial Create voiceovers for professional use
EDU Group plans for personal use
Mobile For Android and iOS
Chrome Extension Listen to webpages directly
AI Voices Realistic voices using deep learning and neural networks
LLM Voices Next generation AI voices using large language models
Voice Cloning Synthetic voice replication using LLM
AskAI ChatGPT-powered assistant
PDFAI Smart document filtering

Speech to Text - Voice Typing & Transcription

Take notes with your voice for free, or automatically transcribe audio & video recordings. secure, accurate & blazing fast..

~ Proudly serving millions of users since 2015 ~

I need to >

Dictate Notes

Start taking notes, on our online voice-enabled notepad right away, for free.

Transcribe Recordings

Automatically transcribe (and optionally translate) audios & videos - upload files from your device or link to an online resource (Drive, YouTube, TikTok or other). Export to text, docx, video subtitles and more.

Speechnotes is a reliable and secure web-based speech-to-text tool that enables you to quickly and accurately transcribe your audio and video recordings, as well as dictate your notes instead of typing, saving you time and effort. With features like voice commands for punctuation and formatting, automatic capitalization, and easy import/export options, Speechnotes provides an efficient and user-friendly dictation and transcription experience. Proudly serving millions of users since 2015, Speechnotes is the go-to tool for anyone who needs fast, accurate & private transcription. Our Portfolio of Complementary Speech-To-Text Tools Includes:

Voice typing - Chrome extension

Dictate instead of typing on any form & text-box across the web. Including on Gmail, and more.

Transcription API & webhooks

Speechnotes' API enables you to send us files via standard POST requests, and get the transcription results sent directly to your server.

Zapier integration

Combine the power of automatic transcriptions with Zapier's automatic processes. Serverless & codeless automation! Connect with your CRM, phone calls, Docs, email & more.

Android Speechnotes app

Speechnotes' notepad for Android, for notes taking on your mobile, battle tested with more than 5Million downloads. Rated 4.3+ ⭐

iOS TextHear app

TextHear for iOS, works great on iPhones, iPads & Macs. Designed specifically to help people with hearing impairment participate in conversations. Please note, this is a sister app - so it has its own pricing plan.

Audio & video converting tools

Tools developed for fast - batch conversions of audio files from one type to another and extracting audio only from videos for minimizing uploads.

Our Sister Apps for Text-To-Speech & Live Captioning

Complementary to Speechnotes

Reads out loud texts, files & web pages

Reads out loud texts, PDFs, e-books & websites for free

Speechlogger

Live Captioning & Translation

Live captions & translations for online meetings, webinars, and conferences.

Need Human Transcription? We Can Offer a 10% Discount Coupon

We do not provide human transcription services ourselves, but, we partnered with a UK company that does. Learn more on human transcription and the 10% discount .

Dictation Notepad

Start taking notes with your voice for free

Speech to Text online notepad. Professional, accurate & free speech recognizing text editor. Distraction-free, fast, easy to use web app for dictation & typing.

Speechnotes is a powerful speech-enabled online notepad, designed to empower your ideas by implementing a clean & efficient design, so you can focus on your thoughts. We strive to provide the best online dictation tool by engaging cutting-edge speech-recognition technology for the most accurate results technology can achieve today, together with incorporating built-in tools (automatic or manual) to increase users' efficiency, productivity and comfort. Works entirely online in your Chrome browser. No download, no install and even no registration needed, so you can start working right away.

Speechnotes is especially designed to provide you a distraction-free environment. Every note, starts with a new clear white paper, so to stimulate your mind with a clean fresh start. All other elements but the text itself are out of sight by fading out, so you can concentrate on the most important part - your own creativity. In addition to that, speaking instead of typing, enables you to think and speak it out fluently, uninterrupted, which again encourages creative, clear thinking. Fonts and colors all over the app were designed to be sharp and have excellent legibility characteristics.

Example use cases

Voice typing
Writing notes, thoughts
Medical forms - dictate
Transcribers (listen and dictate)

Transcription Service

Start transcribing

Fast turnaround - results within minutes. Includes timestamps, auto punctuation and subtitles at unbeatable price. Protects your privacy: no human in the loop, and (unlike many other vendors) we do NOT keep your audio. Pay per use, no recurring payments. Upload your files or transcribe directly from Google Drive, YouTube or any other online source. Simple. No download or install. Just send us the file and get the results in minutes.

Transcribe interviews
Captions for Youtubes & movies
Auto-transcribe phone calls or voice messages
Students - transcribe lectures
Podcasters - enlarge your audience by turning your podcasts into textual content
Text-index entire audio archives

Key Advantages

Speechnotes is powered by the leading most accurate speech recognition AI engines by Google & Microsoft. We always check - and make sure we still use the best. Accuracy in English is very good and can easily reach 95% accuracy for good quality dictation or recording.

Lightweight & fast

Both Speechnotes dictation & transcription are lightweight-online no install, work out of the box anywhere you are. Dictation works in real time. Transcription will get you results in a matter of minutes.

Super Private & Secure!

Super private - no human handles, sees or listens to your recordings! In addition, we take great measures to protect your privacy. For example, for transcribing your recordings - we pay Google's speech to text engines extra - just so they do not keep your audio for their own research purposes.

Health advantages

Typing may result in different types of Computer Related Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). Voice typing is one of the main recommended ways to minimize these risks, as it enables you to sit back comfortably, freeing your arms, hands, shoulders and back altogether.

Saves you time

Need to transcribe a recording? If it's an hour long, transcribing it yourself will take you about 6! hours of work. If you send it to a transcriber - you will get it back in days! Upload it to Speechnotes - it will take you less than a minute, and you will get the results in about 20 minutes to your email.

Saves you money

Speechnotes dictation notepad is completely free - with ads - or a small fee to get it ad-free. Speechnotes transcription is only $0.1/minute, which is X10 times cheaper than a human transcriber! We offer the best deal on the market - whether it's the free dictation notepad ot the pay-as-you-go transcription service.

Dictation - Free

Online dictation notepad
Voice typing Chrome extension

Dictation - Premium

Premium online dictation notepad
Premium voice typing Chrome extension
Support from the development team

Transcription

$0.1 /minute.

Pay as you go - no subscription
Audio & video recordings
Speaker diarization in English
Generate captions .srt files
REST API, webhooks & Zapier integration

Compare plans

We at Speechnotes, Speechlogger, TextHear, Speechkeys value your privacy, and that's why we do not store anything you say or type or in fact any other data about you - unless it is solely needed for the purpose of your operation. We don't share it with 3rd parties, other than Google / Microsoft for the speech-to-text engine.

Privacy - how are the recordings and results handled?

- transcription service.

Our transcription service is probably the most private and secure transcription service available.

HIPAA compliant.
No human in the loop. No passing your recording between PCs, emails, employees, etc.
Secure encrypted communications (https) with and between our servers.
Recordings are automatically deleted from our servers as soon as the transcription is done.
Our contract with Google / Microsoft (our speech engines providers) prohibits them from keeping any audio or results.
Transcription results are securely kept on our secure database. Only you have access to them - only if you sign in (or provide your secret credentials through the API)
You may choose to delete the transcription results - once you do - no copy remains on our servers.

- Dictation notepad & extension

For dictation, the recording & recognition - is delegated to and done by the browser (Chrome / Edge) or operating system (Android). So, we never even have access to the recorded audio, and Edge's / Chrome's / Android's (depending the one you use) privacy policy apply here.

The results of the dictation are saved locally on your machine - via the browser's / app's local storage. It never gets to our servers. So, as long as your device is private - your notes are private.

Payments method privacy

The whole payments process is delegated to PayPal / Stripe / Google Pay / Play Store / App Store and secured by these providers. We never receive any of your credit card information.

More generic notes regarding our site, cookies, analytics, ads, etc.

We may use Google Analytics on our site - which is a generic tool to track usage statistics.
We use cookies - which means we save data on your browser to send to our servers when needed. This is used for instance to sign you in, and then keep you signed in.
For the dictation tool - we use your browser's local storage to store your notes, so you can access them later.
Non premium dictation tool serves ads by Google. Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Ads Settings . Alternatively, users can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting https://youradchoices.com/
In case you would like to upload files to Google Drive directly from Speechnotes - we'll ask for your permission to do so. We will use that permission for that purpose only - syncing your speech-notes to your Google Drive, per your request.

Generative Voice AI

Convert text to speech online for free with our AI voice generator. Create natural AI voices instantly in any language - perfect for video creators, developers, and businesses.

Click on a language to convert text to speech :

Natural Text to Speech & AI Voice Generator

Whether you're a content creator or a short story writer, our AI voice generator lets you design captivating audio experiences.

Stories with emotions

Immerse your players in rich, dynamic worlds with our AI voice generator. From captivating NPC dialogue to real-time narration, our tool brings your game’s audio to the next level.

Immersive gaming

Bring stories to life by converting long-form content to engaging audio. Our AI voice generator lets you create audiobooks with a natural voice and tone, making it the perfect tool for authors and publishers.

Every book deserves to be heard

Ai chatbots.

Create a more natural and engaging experience for your users with our AI voice generator. Our tool lets you create AI chatbots with human-like voices.

AI assistants with personality

Experience advanced ai text to speech.

Generate lifelike speech in any language and voice with the most powerful text to speech (TTS) technology that combines advanced AI with emotive capabilities.

Indistinguishable from Human Speech.

Turn text into lifelike audio across 29 languages and 120 voices. Ideal for digital creators, get high-quality TTS streaming instantly.

Precision Tuning.

Adjust voice outputs effortlessly through an intuitive interface. Opt for a blend of vocal clarity and stability, or amplify vocal stylings for more animated delivery.

Online Text Reader.

Use our deep learning-powered tool to read any text aloud, from brief emails to full PDFs, while cutting costs and time.

AI Voice Generator in 29 Languages

Generate ai voices with voicelab.

Create new and unique synthetic voices in minutes using advanced Generative AI technology. Create lifelike voices to use in videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and more.

Clone Your Voice

Create a digital voice that sounds like a real human. Whether you're a content creator or a short story writer, our AI voice generator lets you design captivating audio experiences.

Find Voices

Share the unique synthetic voices you've created with our vibrant community and discover voices crafted by others, opening a world of auditory opportunity.

Multiple languages.

Clone your voice from a recording in one language and use it to generate speech in another.

Instant Results.

Generate new voices in seconds, not hours with our state-of-the-art AI voice generator.

Find the perfect voice for any project; be it a video, audiobook, video game or blog.

Dubbing Studio

Localize videos with precise control over transcript, translation, timing, and more. Create a perfect voiceover in any language, with any voice, in minutes. Explore AI Dubbing

Transcript editing.

Manually edit the dialogue of your translated script to get the perfect audio output.

Sequence timing.

Change the speaker’s timing by clicking and dragging the clips.

Adjust voice settings.

Click on the gear icon next to a speaker’s name to open more voice options.

Add more languages.

When you’re ready to add more languages, hit the “+” icon to instantly translate your script.

Change Your Voice With Speech To Speech

Edit and fine-tune your voiceovers using Speech to Speech. Get consistent, clear results that keep the feel and nuance of your original message. Change your voice

Emotional Range

Maintain the exact emotions of your content with our diverse range of voice profiles.

Nuance Preservation

Ensure that every inflection, pause and modulation is captured and reproduced perfectly.

Consistent Quality

Use Speech to Speech to create complex audio sequences with consistent quality.

Long-form voice generation with Projects

Our innovative workflow for directing and editing audio, providing you with complete control over the creative process for the production of audiobooks, long-form video and web content. Learn more about Projects

Conversion of whole books.

Import in a variety of formats, including .epub, .txt, and .pdf, and convert entire books into audio.

Text-inputted pauses.

Manually adjust the length of pauses between speech segments to fine-tune pacing.

Multiple languages and voices.

Choose from a wide range of languages and voices to create the perfect audio experience.

Regenerate selected fragments

Recreate specific audio fragments if you're not satisfied with the output.

Save progress.

Save your progress and return to your project at any time.

Single click conversion.

Convert your written masterpieces into captivating audiobooks, reaching listeners on the go.

Powered by cutting-edge research

Introducing Dubbing Studio

Introducing Speech to Speech

Turbo v2: Our Fastest Model Yet

Frequently asked questions, how do i make my own ai voice.

To create your own AI voice at ElevenLabs, you can use VoiceLab. Voice Design allows you to customize the speaker's identityfor unique voices in your scripts, while Voice Cloning mimics real voices. This ensures variety and exclusivity in your generated voices, as they are entirely artificial and not linked to real people.

How much does using ElevenLabs AI voice generator cost?

ElevenLabs provides a range of AI voice generation plans suitable for various needs. Starting with a Free Plan, which includes 10,000 characters monthly, up to 3 custom voices, Voice Design, and speech generation in 29 languages. The Starter Plan is $5 per month, offering 30,000 characters and up to 10 custom voices. For more extensive needs, the Creator Plan at $22 per month provides 100,000 characters and up to 30 custom voices. The Pro Plan costs $99 per month with a substantial 500,000 characters and up to 160 custom voices. Larger businesses can opt for the Scale Plan at $330 per month, which includes 2,000,000 characters and up to 660 custom voices. Lastly, the Enterprise Plan offers custom pricing for tailored quotas, PVC for any voice, priority rendering, and dedicated support. Each plan is crafted to support different levels of usage and customization requirements.

Can I use ElevenLabs AI voice generator for free?

Yes, you can use ElevenLabs prime AI voice generator for free with our Free Plan. It includes 10,000 characters per month, up to 3 custom voices, Voice Design, and speech generation in 29 languages.

What is the best AI voice generator?

ElevenLabs offers the best and highest quality AI voice generator software online. Our AI voice generator uses advanced deep learning models to provide high-quality audio output, emotion mapping, and a wide range of vocal choices. It's perfect for content creators and writers looking to create captivating audio experiences.

Who should use ElevenLabs’ AI voice generator and prime voice AI services?

ElevenLabs' AI voice generator is ideal for a variety of users, including content creators on YouTube and TikTok, audiobook producers for Audible and Google Play Books, presenters using PowerPoint or Google Docs, businesses with IVR systems, and podcasters on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. These services provide a natural-sounding voice across different platforms, enhancing user engagement and accessibility.

How many languages does ElevenLabs support?

ElevenLabs supports speech synthesis in 29 languages, making your content accessible to a global audience. Supported languages include Chinese, English, Spanish, French, and many more.

What is an AI voice generator?

ElevenLabs' AI voice generator transforms text to spoken audio that sounds like a natural human voice, complete with realistic intonation and accents. It offers a wide range of voice options across various languages and dialects. Designed for ease of use, it caters to both individuals and businesses looking for customizable vocal outputs.

How do I use AI voice generators to turn text into audio?

Step 1 involves selecting a voice and adjusting settings to your liking. In Step 2, you input your text into the provided box, ensuring it's in one of the supported languages. For Step 3, you simply click 'Generate' to convert your text into audio, listen to the output, and make any necessary adjustments. After that, you can download the audio for use in your project.

What is text to speech?

Text to speech is a technology that converts written text into spoken audio. It is also known as speech synthesis or TTS. The technology has been around for decades, but recent advancements in deep learning have made it possible to generate high-quality, natural-sounding speech.

What is the best text to speech software?

ElevenLabs is the best text to speech software. We offer the most advanced AI voices, with the highest quality and most natural-sounding speech. Our platform is easy to use and offers a wide range of customization options.

How much does text to speech cost?

ElevenLabs offers a free plan which includes 10,000 characters per month. Our paid plans start at $1 for 30,000 characters per month.

#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

Compare plans

Sister Apps Developed by Our Team

Speechnotes

Dictation & Transcription

Type with your voice for free, or automatically transcribe audio & video recordings

Buttons - Kids Dictionary

Turns your device into multiple push-buttons interactive games

Animals, numbers, colors, counting, letters, objects and more. Different levels. Multilingual. No ads. Made by parents, for our own kids.

Ways to Get In Touch, Feedback & Community

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

6 best free audio-to-text converters for transcription on a budget

What type of content do you primarily create?

Manual transcription is time-consuming and requires intense focus. Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has gotten to the point where you can now transcribe audio to text automatically in a fraction of the time, with impressive accuracy. Even better, many of the best AI audio-to-text converters out there are completely free. The only problem left is figuring out which software is best for you.

To help, we compiled a list of the best free audio-to-text software. For our selection process, we thoroughly tested many audio-to-text software options, considered online reviews, and reviewed discussions in niche forums where people regularly need transcription apps. We excluded paid tools with only a free trial and transcription-level restrictions. Let's get started.

TL;DR: Best audio-to-text converters in 2024

What is an audio-to-text converter.

Audio-to-text converters use AI to transcribe recordings or voice into text accurately and efficiently, even with nuances like accents and tone variations. They save time on manual transcription and streamline the process of transforming spoken content into written form, which helps with accessibility, boosts SEO, and makes it easy to repurpose audio and video as blog posts and other written content.

Audio-to-text software can help with:

Transcribing meetings, interviews, conferences, podcasts, lectures, and customer service calls for documentation, reference, analysis, and training purposes
Creating subtitles or captions for videos to enhance accessibility, engagement, and SEO
Converting voicemails, voice notes, and interviews into text for better organization
Creation of searchable archives for audio content, such as speeches or presentations
Supporting individuals with hearing impairments by providing written transcripts of spoken content

What is the best tool to convert audio to text?

Short answer: Descript. Sure, you'd expect us to say that. But we really do believe Descript’s free audio-to-text converter is overall the best solution for quickly and accurately transcribing audio files.

Long answer: Choosing the best method for converting audio to text depends on the following:

Needs and goals
Budget and software pricing
Ease of use
Expected accuracy of the transcript
Availability of additional features (e.g., editing tools, speaker identification)
Integration with other software or platforms
Supported file formats and languages
Security and privacy of your audio content

Narrowing down the options based on the above factors will help you choose the best free audio-to-text software. But for this article, we'll focus on the tools that are best for someone looking for free options—and maybe willing to pay more for additional features.

Top 6 free audio-to-text converters

1. descript.

Descript offers automated transcription for both audio and video files, accessible through its desktop app for Mac and Windows or its browser-based editor. Drag and drop your audio files to convert to text in seconds. Descript supports 23 languages and boasts up to 95% accuracy. The tool transcribes audio verbatim, including pauses and filler words, but makes it easy to remove either with a click.

But Descript goes beyond mere transcription. It's a robust audio and video editor equipped with AI-powered features. Use its voice cloning or text-to-audio feature, Overdub , to refine recorded speech—perfect for correcting mispronunciations or adjusting pacing. Plus, you can effortlessly remove background noise and improve audio quality with just a click thanks to Studio Sound .

Transcribing any video and audio files on a computer.

Free for up to 60 minutes of transcription per month
Annual paid plans start at $12 per month

Unique features

Detects 8+ speakers and labels them automatically
Transcription glossary for custom dictionaries
Multitrack transcription for synchronized recordings
Automatic sync of the transcript to audio, including dialogue and sounds
Cloud sync and storage up to 5 GB in the free plan
Data security and privacy
AI Actions for writing summaries, blogs, and much more
Supports various audio file formats including WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, M4A, and FLAC
No mobile app
Not suitable for live transcription of online meetings
Limited to 60 minutes of transcription per month in the free plan

What are people saying about Descript?

"Saved me so much time in transcribing: I use Descript for quickly and efficiently transcribing videos I've recorded. If I'd recorded an interview or off-the-cuff teaching, it used to take me hours to transcribe it, or I had to put it out without the accessibility features. Now, it does in seconds what it used to take me hours to do. I can include closed captions, transcripts, and audio-only files, which make my courses so much more accessible. ” –Shuna M on G2

2. Otter.ai

Otter is an audio-to-text tool that offers live and automatic transcription within seconds. Out of all the transcription tools we have listed here, it's the only one with a Chrome extension, an iOS app, and an Android app. It integrates seamlessly with platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.

We found its transcription capabilities to be pretty accurate and it used proper punctuation as per the context of the message. However, it tends to exclude filler words from the transcript, making it challenging to discern the speaker's emotions during recorded calls.

Basic (free plan): 300 monthly transcription minutes; 30 minutes per conversation; allows importing and transcribing of three audio or video files in a lifetime.
Annual paid plans start at $10 per month.

Automatically transcribing meetings on platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

AI features for meeting notes, summaries, questions, and action items
Speaker identification by name
Real-time transcription and notes via the Otter app
Real-time annotation (highlights, text notes, comments, and images)
Exportable audio, text, and captions in the free plan
Editable text and speaker tags
Takeaways panel for annotations and action items.
OtterPilot automatically takes and shares notes even if you can’t join a Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet meeting.
Very limited free plan for transcribing audio files to text
Supports only the English language

Fathom is one of G2 's highest-rated conversation intelligence solutions—that's a tool that helps businesses record, transcribe, and analyze conversations between their employees and customers. It’s not a traditional audio-to-text converter per se. But it instantly records, transcribes, and summarizes your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings, allowing you to concentrate on the conversation without worrying about taking notes.

Sales teams and customer service representatives looking to simplify meeting documentation and extract actionable insights. Use it as a free Otter alternative for automatically transcribing your meetings, as there are no usage limitations on Fathom's free version.

Free with no usage limitations
The Team Edition, Fathom’s paid tier, starts at $24 per user, per month when billed annually and provides additional features for organizational deployment and insights into customer calls.

Unique features

Supports seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese.
Instant access to fully transcribed call recordings and highlighted moments.
Automatic generation and synchronization of call notes to Salesforce, HubSpot, or Close CRM.
Seamless integration with Slack for real-time sharing of specific highlights.
Integration with various productivity tools like Google Docs, Gmail, Notion, Asana, and Todoist for easy sharing of summaries and action items.
Auto-generates and syncs call notes
Hosted and developed following security best practices, including end-to-end encryption and regular security audits.
While the free version has no usage limitations, some advanced features are only available in the paid Team Edition.
Limited to integration with specific CRM platforms and productivity tools.
Transcribing is limited to seven languages.

4. MacWhisper

MacWhisper is a free audio-to-text transcription tool for Mac devices running on Ventura (13.0 and higher). It uses OpenAI's Whisper technology and offers high-quality transcription. The app ensures privacy by performing the transcription on-device, making it ideal for audio-to-text conversion of sensitive information. It's free on the developer's Gumroad page and is also available in the Mac App Store as Whisper Transcription.

Free with no usage limits
MacWhisper Pro: Starts at around $31 per license for additional features including batch transcription, system audio recording, ChatGPT integration, and translation capabilities.

People seeking fast and accurate transcription directly on their Mac, catering to diverse needs such as meetings, interviews, or educational purposes.

Record and transcribe audio files seamlessly on your Mac
Export transcripts in various formats: .whisper, .srt, .vtt, csv, dot, docx, pdf, and HTML
Metal and GPU support for rapid transcription
Supports 100 languages with accurate text transcriptions
Automatic filler word removal
Requires significant computer memory, which may cause lags on your computer
Performance may vary on older Intel-based Macs due to limited testing
Only available for Mac users
Unavailability of automatic speaker identification

5. Google Docs voice typing

Google Docs voice typing is a built-in feature of Google Docs that allows users to transcribe audio input to text directly within the document. It offers a convenient and straightforward way to convert spoken words into written text.

Google Docs Voice Typing, which is part of Google's suite of productivity tools, is available for free to all users of Google Docs.

Individuals and professionals who need a simple, free, and efficient tool for transcribing interviews, meetings, or dictation directly into text within the Google Docs environment.

Seamless integration with Google Docs: directly accessible within the document—no extra software needed
Transcribes audio input into text instantly, enabling immediate feedback and editing
Multilingual support for global accessibility
Edit and format text within Google Docs, including punctuation and styling
Control formatting and editing with voice commands
Requires internet for operation, limiting offline use.
Transcription accuracy may vary due to factors like background noise and accent
No automatic speaker identification

6. Windows voice typing and audio conversion using a virtual audio cable

Windows voice typing is Microsoft Windows’ built-in speech-to-text software. It provides a highly accurate transcript of your dictation and can be used without an internet connection—unlike Google Docs.

You can use a combination of Windows’ dictation tool with a virtual audio cable to transcribe audio into text for completely free. This YouTube tutorial demonstrates how to use the Windows Dictation tool along with a virtual audio cable to achieve this without any cost or time limits.

Both Windows Voice Typing and virtual audio cables are freely available tools.

Windows users seeking a cost-effective solution to transcribe audio files like lectures, meetings, or video recordings into text.

Windows voice typing has a simple interface for easy usage with live audio input.
Offers real-time transcription of spoken words into text
Virtual Audio Cable facilitates the routing of audio output from any application to the Dictation tool.
The combination enables flexibility in capturing audio from diverse sources for transcription.
While generally reliable, transcription accuracy may vary, and punctuation might be missed occasionally.
Users may find configuring the virtual audio cable and sound settings slightly challenging.

Choosing the best audio-to-text converter for you

After you've weighed the pros and cons, test your favorite audio-to-text converters using a short audio clip to find the perfect fit for your specific needs and preferences.

Descript, for example, is not only useful for transcribing recordings, but it can also be a valuable tool for content creators, as it allows them to easily convert their audio and video content into written form for blog posts, YouTube descriptions, and social media captions. It's also a great option if you want to collaborate with others on your audio and video projects.

Want to give it a try? Sign up for a free Descript account now.

Audio-to-text FAQs

Which ai can transcribe audio to text for free.

Many AI-powered tools can transcribe audio to text for free, including Descript, Otter.ai, MacWhisper, and Google Docs Voice Typing.

What is the best way to convert audio to text?

The best way to convert audio to text depends on your goals, what you need it for, and your budget. You can use AI-powered audio-to-text converters like Descript to transcribe audio and tools like Otter or Fathom if you need transcription software that’s integrated with meeting apps like Google Meet or Zoom. Alternatively, you can use the voice typing feature of Windows or Google Docs in combination with a virtual audio cable to convert audio into text for free.

What is the most accurate audio-to-text converter?

Determining the absolute most accurate audio-to-text converter is tricky as the accuracy can vary based on factors like audio quality, language, and accent. Plus, many transcription tools claim to provide the highest accuracy. However, some converters with high accuracy are:

IBM Watson Speech-to-Text

How do I make my voice-to-text more accurate?

To make your voice-to-text more accurate, speak loudly and clearly. Minimize background noise as much as possible to ensure the voice recognition software can focus on your voice. If you're using an external microphone, ensure it's good quality and positioned correctly for optimal voice capture.

In addition to these factors, choosing the right audio-to-text conversion software is equally important. AI-powered conversion tools like Descript are trained on a large amount of data to understand various speech patterns and accents to generate accurate text.

Is there a completely free audio-to-text converter with no limit?

You can use the combination of Windows Voice Typing or Google Voice Typing with a virtual audio cable to convert audio to text for free with no limit, though it's a bit complex to set up. MacWhisper is also a good option for Mac users who need simple audio-to-text software.

11 amazing Instagram video editing apps for creators

Discover the top Instagram video editing apps to take your Reels, Stories, and grid posts to the next level.

The 8 best apps for making Reels on Instagram

Discover the best apps for making Instagram Reels in this complete guide!

AI for Creators

8 best AI copywriting tools to save time

Discover the best AI copywriting tools for effortless content creation.

The best ways to remote record a podcast interview, ranked

An experienced audio engineer ranks the best ways to remote record a podcast interview, from lowest to highest quality.

9 AI content creation tools to supercharge your creativity

AI content creation is exploding, but some tools are better than others. Find the best in this guide.

How to write a YouTube script that engages your audience: The ultimate guide

Are you looking to create better narratives in your YouTube videos? Learn how to write a YouTube script that keeps people hooked.

Articles you might find interesting

How to nail a good podcast topic

Knowing how to turn an idea for a podcast into an actual, repeatable, compelling show is critical for any podcast creator.

Product Updates

New in Descript: Transcript Correction Wizard and more

A new version of Descript is available with some great new features!

The 9 best green screen software tools for video creators

Want to change up your background? Discover the best green screen software for seamless video editing.

Find the Best Video Format for Your Next Project

What is the best video format that you should use? We have all the answers right here, with our rundown on file formats and the differences between them.

How to write a transcript: 9 tips for beginners

Master the art of transcript writing with our comprehensive guide. Learn how to write a transcript and pick up tips and tricks for accurate and effective transcription.

Lighting for video: essential lights and techniques

No matter your budget or experience, there are some basic techniques and tools that can help you improve your lighting, upgrade the look of your videos, and set you apart.

Join millions of creators who already have a head start.

Get free recording and editing tips, and resources delivered to your inbox.

Share this article

SpeechTexter is a free multilingual speech-to-text application aimed at assisting you with transcription of notes, documents, books, reports or blog posts by using your voice. This app also features a customizable voice commands list, allowing users to add punctuation marks, frequently used phrases, and some app actions (undo, redo, make a new paragraph).

SpeechTexter is used daily by students, teachers, writers, bloggers around the world.

It will assist you in minimizing your writing efforts significantly.

Voice-to-text software is exceptionally valuable for people who have difficulty using their hands due to trauma, people with dyslexia or disabilities that limit the use of conventional input devices. Speech to text technology can also be used to improve accessibility for those with hearing impairments, as it can convert speech into text.

It can also be used as a tool for learning a proper pronunciation of words in the foreign language, in addition to helping a person develop fluency with their speaking skills.

Accuracy levels higher than 90% should be expected. It varies depending on the language and the speaker.

No download, installation or registration is required. Just click the microphone button and start dictating.

Speech to text technology is quickly becoming an essential tool for those looking to save time and increase their productivity.

Powerful real-time continuous speech recognition

Creation of text notes, emails, blog posts, reports and more.

Custom voice commands

More than 70 languages supported

SpeechTexter is using Google Speech recognition to convert the speech into text in real-time. This technology is supported by Chrome browser (for desktop) and some browsers on Android OS. Other browsers have not implemented speech recognition yet.

Note: iPhones and iPads are not supported

List of supported languages:

Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian Bokmål, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Swati, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Venda, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu.

Instructions for web app on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Requirements: the latest version of the Google Chrome [↗] browser (other browsers are not supported).

1. Connect a high-quality microphone to your computer.

2. Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser.

To go directly to microphone's settings paste the line below into Chrome's URL bar.

chrome://settings/content/microphone

Set microphone as default recording device

To capture speech from video/audio content on the web or from a file stored on your device, select 'Stereo Mix' as the default audio input.

3. Select the language you would like to speak (Click the button on the top right corner).

4. Click the "microphone" button. Chrome browser will request your permission to access your microphone. Choose "allow".

5. You can start dictating!

Instructions for the web app on a mobile and for the android app

Requirements: - Google app [↗] installed on your Android device. - Any of the supported browsers if you choose to use the web app.

Supported android browsers (not a full list): Chrome browser (recommended), Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi.

1. Tap the button with the language name (on a web app) or language code (on android app) on the top right corner to select your language.

2. Tap the microphone button. The SpeechTexter app will ask for permission to record audio. Choose 'allow' to enable microphone access.

3. You can start dictating!

Common problems on a desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Error: 'speechtexter cannot access your microphone'..

Please give permission to access your microphone.

Click on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option, and choose "allow".

Error: 'No speech was detected. Please try again'.

If you get this error while you are speaking, make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser [see step 2].

If you're using a headset, make sure the mute switch on the cord is off.

Error: 'Network error'

The internet connection is poor. Please try again later.

The result won't transfer to the "editor".

The result confidence is not high enough or there is a background noise. An accumulation of long text in the buffer can also make the engine stop responding, please make some pauses in the speech.

The results are wrong.

Please speak loudly and clearly. Speaking clearly and consistently will help the software accurately recognize your words.

Reduce background noise. Background noise from fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. can drop the accuracy significantly. Try to reduce background noise as much as possible.

Speak directly into the microphone. Speaking directly into the microphone enhances the accuracy of the software. Avoid speaking too far away from the microphone.

Speak in complete sentences. Speaking in complete sentences will help the software better recognize the context of your words.

Can I upload an audio file and get the transcription?

No, this feature is not available.

How do I transcribe an audio (video) file on my PC or from the web?

Playback your file in any player and hit the 'mic' button on the SpeechTexter website to start capturing the speech. For better results select "Stereo Mix" as the default recording device on your browser, if you are accessing SpeechTexter and the file from the same device.

I don't see the "Stereo mix" option (Windows OS)

"Stereo Mix" might be hidden or it's not supported by your system. If you are a Windows user go to 'Control panel' → Hardware and Sound → Sound → 'Recording' tab. Right-click on a blank area in the pane and make sure both "View Disabled Devices" and "View Disconnected Devices" options are checked. If "Stereo Mix" appears, you can enable it by right clicking on it and choosing 'enable'. If "Stereo Mix" hasn't appeared, it means it's not supported by your system. You can try using a third-party program such as "Virtual Audio Cable" or "VB-Audio Virtual Cable" to create a virtual audio device that includes "Stereo Mix" functionality.

How to use the voice commands list?

The voice commands list allows you to insert the punctuation, some text, or run some preset functions using only your voice. On the first column you enter your voice command. On the second column you enter a punctuation mark or a function. Voice commands are case-sensitive. Available functions: #newparagraph (add a new paragraph), #undo (undo the last change), #redo (redo the last change)

To use the function above make a pause in your speech until all previous dictated speech appears in your note, then say "insert a new paragraph" and wait for the command execution.

Found a mistake in the voice commands list or want to suggest an update? Follow the steps below:

Navigate to the voice commands list [↑] on this website.
Click on the edit button to update or add new punctuation marks you think other users might find useful in your language.
Click on the "Export" button located above the voice commands list to save your list in JSON format to your device.

Next, send us your file as an attachment via email. You can find the email address at the bottom of the page. Feel free to include a brief description of the mistake or the updates you're suggesting in the email body.

Your contribution to the improvement of the services is appreciated.

Can I prevent my custom voice commands from disappearing after closing the browser?

SpeechTexter by default saves your data inside your browser's cache. If your browsers clears the cache your data will be deleted. However, you can export your custom voice commands to your device and import them when you need them by clicking the corresponding buttons above the list. SpeechTexter is using JSON format to store your voice commands. You can create a .txt file in this format on your device and then import it into SpeechTexter. An example of JSON format is shown below:

{ "period": ".", "full stop": ".", "question mark": "?", "new paragraph": "#newparagraph" }

I lost my dictated work after closing the browser.

SpeechTexter doesn't store any text that you dictate. Please use the "autosave" option or click the "download" button (recommended). The "autosave" option will try to store your work inside your browser's cache, where it will remain until you switch the "text autosave" option off, clear the cache manually, or if your browser clears the cache on exit.

Common problems on the Android app

I get the message: 'speech recognition is not available'..

'Google app' from Play store is required for SpeechTexter to work. download [↗]

Where does SpeechTexter store the saved files?

Version 1.5 and above stores the files in the internal memory.

Version 1.4.9 and below stores the files inside the "SpeechTexter" folder at the root directory of your device.

After updating the app from version 1.x.x to version 2.x.x my files have disappeared

As a result of recent updates, the Android operating system has implemented restrictions that prevent users from accessing folders within the Android root directory, including SpeechTexter's folder. However, your old files can still be imported manually by selecting the "import" button within the Speechtexter application.

Common problems on the mobile web app

Tap on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option and choose "allow".

TERMS OF USE
PRIVACY POLICY
Play Store [↗]

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

Hazem Abbas

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

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.

"audapolis": The Revolutionary Editor Empowering Spoken-Word Media Editing

"audapolis" is an incredibly advanced and feature-rich editor designed for editing spoken-word media. It offers a user-friendly wordprocessor-like experience, ensuring that users can easily and conveniently edit their spoken-word content. With its automatic transcription feature, users can save valuable time and effort by having their audio files transcribed

Koodo Reader: open-source ebook reader (Free app)

Koodo Reader is a modern ebook manager and reader with sync and backup capacities for Windows, macOS, Linux and Web Features * Format support: * EPUB (.epub) * Scanned document (.pdf, .djvu) * DRM-free Mobipocket (.mobi) and Kindle (.azw3, .azw) * Plain text (.txt) * FictionBook (.fb2) * Comic book archive (.cbr, .cbz, .cbt, .cb7) * Rich text

16 Open-source Web-based Text-to-Speech Apps and TTS JavaScript Libraries

Open-source JavaScript libraries are ideal sources to build rich applications. In recent years, we have seen a substantial increase in the demand for text-to-speech (TTS) technology. This technology is an excellent example of assistive technology that has been developed to help individuals with visual impairments and those who have difficulty

Best 10 Free Text To Speech (TTS) Services

Text-to-speech (TTS) technology is a valuable tool for individuals and businesses alike. With TTS, you can convert text into spoken audio, allowing you to listen to written content instead of reading it. This is particularly useful for people who have difficulty reading, such as those with dyslexia or visual impairments,

11 More Free Open-source Text-To-Speech Apps

What is TTS? Text-to-speech is a technology that allows you to convert and read written text into a digital text aloud which you save in an audio format file. Many also call it "Read aloud". TTS apps are handy tools in converting text or text files into a

FreeTTS: Cross-platform Text-To-Speech App

FreeTTS is a speech synthesis system written entirely in the JavaTM programming language. It is based upon Flite: a small run-time speech synthesis engine developed at Carnegie Mellon University. Flite is derived from the Festival Speech Synthesis System from the University of Edinburgh and the FestVox project from Carnegie Mellon

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

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

is there an ai for speech to text.

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.

Which AI converts audio to text?

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.

How do I convert AI voice to text?

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.

What is the AI that converts voice to text?

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.

Previous Real-Time AI Dubbing with Voice Preservation
Next AI Speech Recognition: Everything You Should Know

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.

Recent Blogs

AI Speech Recognition: Everything You Should Know

Real-Time AI Dubbing with Voice Preservation

How to Add Voice Over to Video: A Step-by-Step Guide

Voice Simulator & Content Creation with AI-Generated Voices

Convert Audio and Video to Text: Transcription Has Never Been Easier.

How to Record Voice Overs Properly Over Gameplay: Everything You Need to Know

Voicemail Greeting Generator: The New Way to Engage Callers

How to Avoid AI Voice Scams

Character AI Voices: Revolutionizing Audio Content with Advanced Technology

Best AI Voices for Video Games

How to Monetize YouTube Channels with AI Voices

Multilingual Voice API: Bridging Communication Gaps in a Diverse World

Resemble.AI vs ElevenLabs: A Comprehensive Comparison

Apps to Read PDFs on Mobile and Desktop

How to Convert a PDF to an Audiobook: A Step-by-Step Guide

AI for Translation: Bridging Language Barriers

IVR Conversion Tool: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Providers

Best AI Speech to Speech Tools

AI Voice Recorder: Everything You Need to Know

The Best Multilingual AI Speech Models

Program that will Read PDF Aloud: Yes it Exists

How to Convert Your Emails to an Audiobook: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

How to Convert iOS Files to an Audiobook

How to Convert Google Docs to an Audiobook

How to Convert Word Docs to an Audiobook

Alternatives to Deepgram Text to Speech API

Is Text to Speech HSA Eligible?

Can You Use an HSA for Speech Therapy?

Surprising HSA-Eligible Items

Ultimate guide to ElevenLabs

Speechify text to speech helps you save time

Popular blogs.

The Best Celebrity Voice Generators in 2024

YouTube Text to Speech: Elevating Your Video Content with Speechify

The 7 best alternatives to Synthesia.io

Everything you need to know about text to speech on tiktok.

The 10 best text-to-speech apps for Android

How to convert a PDF to speech

The top girl voice changers, how to use siri text to speech, obama text to speech.

Robot Voice Generators: The Futuristic Frontier of Audio Creation

PDF Read Aloud: Free & Paid Options

Alternatives to fakeyou text to speech, all about deepfake voices, tiktok voice generator, text to speech goanimate, the best celebrity text to speech voice generators, pdf audio reader.

Only available on iPhone and iPad

To access our catalog of 100,000+ audiobooks, you need to use an iOS device.

Coming to Android soon...

Join the waitlist

Enter your email and we will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

You’ve been added to the waitlist. We will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

Internet Archive Audio

This Just In
Grateful Dead
Old Time Radio
78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
Audio Books & Poetry
Computers, Technology and Science
Music, Arts & Culture
News & Public Affairs
Spirituality & Religion
Radio News Archive

Flickr Commons
Occupy Wall Street Flickr
NASA Images
Solar System Collection
Ames Research Center

All Software
Old School Emulation
MS-DOS Games
Historical Software
Classic PC Games
Software Library
Kodi Archive and Support File
Vintage Software
CD-ROM Software
CD-ROM Software Library
Software Sites
Tucows Software Library
Shareware CD-ROMs
Software Capsules Compilation
CD-ROM Images
ZX Spectrum
DOOM Level CD

Smithsonian Libraries
FEDLINK (US)
Lincoln Collection
American Libraries
Canadian Libraries
Universal Library
Project Gutenberg
Children's Library
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Books by Language
Additional Collections

Prelinger Archives
Democracy Now!
Occupy Wall Street
TV NSA Clip Library
Animation & Cartoons
Arts & Music
Computers & Technology
Cultural & Academic Films
Ephemeral Films
Sports Videos
Videogame Videos
Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

Wayback Machine (iOS)
Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

Explore the Collections
Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

tv Free Speech Nation GB News April 29, 2024 12:00am-2:01am BST

Free Speech Nation GB News April 29, 2024 12:00am-2:01am BST

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code).

IN COLLECTIONS

Uploaded by TV Archive on April 28, 2024

US Supreme Court will not halt Texas age verification for online porn

By Andrew Chung

(Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to block a Texas law requiring online age verification in order to access pornographic websites in a case pitting the Republican-led state's effort to keep adult content away from minors against constitutional free speech protections.

With no publicly noted dissents, the justices denied a request by a trade group representing adult entertainment performers and other challengers to the law to put on hold a lower court's ruling that the measure likely did not violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment safeguards against government interference with freedom of speech.

The 2023 law requires any websites whose content is more than a third "sexual material harmful to minors" to require all users, including adults, to submit personally identifying information verifying that they are at least 18 years old to gain access. Several other states have enacted similar laws.

The Texas law's challengers, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and others, have said that it poses security and privacy concerns by exposing users to possible identity theft, tracking and extortion. They also said that its effectiveness is undermined given that it would not restrict social media or search engines, where pornography is rampant.

In any event, the challengers added, content-filtering software works better to protect minors than laws like this.

The plaintiffs include the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association of adult content performers, producers and distributors, as well as companies that run several pornographic websites including Pornhub.com and xnxx.com.

Free Speech Coalition spokesperson Mike Stabile noted that the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether or not to hear the group's appeal challenging the legality of the Texas measure.

"We will continue to fight for the right to access the internet without intrusive government oversight," Stabile said.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the court's decision in a social media post.

"Children will continue to be protected from harmful content in Texas," Paxton wrote.

The plaintiffs contend that the case is straightforward given the Supreme Court's own precedents that treat non-obscene sexual content as constitutionally protected. These precedents allow governments to limit access by minors to sexual material but, under the First Amendment, they may not burden access by adults to such content.

Texas said its law is necessary because smartphones have made it much easier for children to instantly access "virtually unlimited" hardcore pornography.

The law, Texas said in a filing, "simply requires the pornography industry that (makes) billions of dollars from peddling smut to take commercially reasonable steps to ensure that those who access the material are adults."

Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra issued a preliminary injunction in Austin blocking the law on the day before it was set to take effect. Ezra noted that "constitutionally protected speech will be chilled" and could sweep in non-porn websites hosting R-rated movies or sex education materials for high school students.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the law's enforcement while it reviewed the case, and in March ruled that the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed in their First Amendment challenge to the age verification requirement, lifting Ezra's injunction on that provision.

The 5th Circuit upheld the judge's injunction against a separate provision of the law requiring websites to display "health warnings" about the effects of viewing pornography.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

FILE PHOTO: The United States Supreme Court building is seen as in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Supported by

Congress Passed a Bill That Could Ban TikTok. Now Comes the Hard Part.

President Biden has signed the bill to force a sale of the video app or ban it. Now the law faces court challenges, a shortage of qualified buyers and Beijing’s hostility.

Share full article

A crowd of people, all holding signs that support TikTok.

By Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe

Sapna Maheshwari reported from New York, and David McCabe from Washington.

A bill that would force a sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance — or ban it outright — was passed by the Senate on Tuesday and signed into law Wednesday by President Biden.

Now the process is likely to get even more complicated.

Congress passed the measure citing national security concerns because of TikTok’s Chinese ties. Both lawmakers and security experts have said there are risks that the Chinese government could lean on ByteDance for access to sensitive data belonging to its 170 million U.S. users or to spread propaganda.

The law would allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States if ByteDance sold it within 270 days, or about nine months, a time frame that the president could extend to a year.

The measure is likely to face legal challenges, as well as possible resistance from Beijing, which could block the sale or export of the technology. It’s also unclear who has the resources to buy TikTok, since it will carry a hefty price tag.

The issue could take months or even years to settle, during which the app would probably continue to function for U.S. consumers.

“It’s going to be a royal mess,” said Anupam Chander, a visiting scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard and an expert on the global regulation of new technologies.

TikTok pledged to challenge the law. “Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere,” its chief executive, Shou Chew, said in a video posted to the platform. “We are confident, and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts.”

Here’s what to expect next.

TikTok’s Day in Court

TikTok is likely to start by challenging the measure in the courts.

“I think that’s the one certainty: There will be litigation,” said Jeff Kosseff, an associate professor of cybersecurity law at the Naval Academy.

TikTok’s case will probably lean on the First Amendment, legal experts said. The company is expected to argue that a forced sale could violate its users’ free speech rights because a new owner could change the app’s content policies and reshape what users are able to freely share on the platform.

“Thankfully, we have a Constitution in this country, and people’s First Amendment rights are very important,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s vice president of public policy, said in an interview with a creator on the platform last week. “We’ll continue to fight for you and all the other users on TikTok.”

Other groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, which has been a vocal opponent of the bill, may also join the legal fight. A spokeswoman for the A.C.L.U. said on Tuesday that the group was still weighing its role in potential litigation challenging the law.

The government will probably need to make a strong case that ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok makes it necessary to limit speech because of national security concerns, the legal experts said.

TikTok already has a strong record in similar First Amendment battles. When he was president, Donald J. Trump tried to force a sale or ban of the app in 2020, but federal judges blocked the effort because it would have had the effect of shutting down a “platform for expressive activity.” Montana tried to ban TikTok in the state last year because of the app’s Chinese ownership, but a different federal judge ruled against the state law for similar reasons.

Only one narrower TikTok restriction has survived a court challenge. The governor of Texas announced a ban of the app on state government devices and networks in 2022 because of its Chinese ownership and related data privacy concerns. Professors at public universities challenged the ban in court last year, saying it blocked them from doing research on the app. A federal judge upheld the state ban in December, finding it was a “reasonable restriction” in light of Texas’ concerns and the narrow scope affecting only state employees.

Small Buyer Pool

Analysts estimate that the price for the U.S. portion of TikTok could be tens of billions of dollars.

ByteDance itself is one of the world’s most valuable start-ups , with an estimated worth of $225 billion, according to CB Insights, a firm that tracks venture capital and start-ups.

The steep price tag would limit the list of who could afford TikTok. Tech giants like Meta or Google would probably be blocked from an acquisition because of antitrust concerns.

Private equity firms or other investors could form a group to raise enough money to buy TikTok. Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in March that he wanted to build such a group. And anyone who can pony up the money still has to pass muster with the U.S. government, which needs to sign off on any purchase.

Few others have expressed public interest in buying the app.

The last time the government tried to force ByteDance to sell TikTok in 2020, the company held talks with Microsoft and the software company Oracle. (Oracle and Walmart ultimately appeared to reach an agreement with ByteDance, but the deal never materialized .)

A Complicated Divestment

Even if TikTok approaches a sale, the process of separating TikTok from ByteDance is likely to be messy.

The legislation prohibits any connection between ByteDance and TikTok after a sale. Yet TikTok employees use ByteDance software in their communications, and the company’s employees are global, with executives in Singapore, Dublin, Los Angeles and Mountain View, Calif.

It’s unclear if ByteDance would consider selling TikTok’s entire global footprint or just its U.S. operations, where the company has nearly 7,000 employees.

Breaking off just the U.S. portion of TikTok could prove particularly challenging. The app's recommendation algorithm, which figures out what users like and serves up content, is key to the success of the app. But Chinese engineers work on that algorithm, which ByteDance owns.

During Mr. Trump’s attempt to force a sale in 2020, the Chinese government issued export restrictions that appeared to require its regulators to grant permission before ByteDance algorithms could be sold or licensed to outsiders.

The uncertainty around the export of the algorithm and other ByteDance technology could also deter interested buyers.

China’s Unpredictable Role

The Chinese government could also try to block a TikTok sale.

Chinese officials criticized a similar bill after the House passed it in March, although they have not yet said whether they would block a divestment. About a year ago, China’s commerce ministry said it would “firmly oppose” a sale of the app by ByteDance.

Chinese export regulations appear to cover TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm, giving Beijing a say in whether ByteDance could sell or license the app’s most valuable feature.

It “is not a foregone conclusion by any means” that China will allow a sale, said Lindsay Gorman, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund who specializes in emerging tech and China.

China may retaliate against American companies. On Friday, China’s Cyberspace Administration asked Apple to remove Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store, according to the iPhone manufacturer. The Chinese government cited national security reasons in making the demand.

Sapna Maheshwari reports on TikTok, technology and emerging media companies. She has been a business reporter for more than a decade. Contact her at [email protected] . More about Sapna Maheshwari

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019. More about David McCabe

Skip to main content
Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

As protests consume college campuses, where's the line between safety, free speech?

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, about campus protests, free speech and student safety.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

IMAGES

Free text to speech software with natural voices
The Best (Free) Speech-to-Text Software for Windows
BEST TEXT TO SPEECH SOFTWARE FOR YOUTUBE VIDEOS (FREE ONLINE SOFTWARE)
Top Voice Recognition Software, Best Speech to text Software
Best Text to Speech Software (Balabolka)
Top 5 BEST Text To Speech Software

VIDEO

Best FREE Speech to Text AI
Top 5 BEST Free Text To Speech SOFTWARE (2024)
12 Best Text To Speech Software || Completely FREE TTS (2022)
Text to Speech Software: 5 Tools You NEED To Know
3 BEST FREE Text to Speech (AI Voice Over) AI Tools
best text to speech software

COMMENTS

Best free text-to-speech software of 2024
Limited free voices compared to paid plans. 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 ...
Best 33 Free Text to Speech Software Picks in 2024
Market Segment. Best free Text to Speech Software across 34 Text to Speech Software products. See reviews of Synthesia, Murf.ai, HeyGen and compare free or paid products easily. Get the G2 on the right Text to Speech Software for you.
The Best Text-to-Speech Apps and Tools for Every Type of User
TTSMaker. Visit Site at TTSMaker. See It. The free app TTSMaker is the best text-to-speech app I can find for running in a browser. Just copy your text and paste it into the box, fill out the ...
The Best (Free) Speech-to-Text Software for Windows
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.
The best dictation and speech-to-text software in 2024
The best dictation software. Apple Dictation for free dictation software on Apple devices. 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.
Free Text to Speech Online with Realistic AI Voices
Text to speech (TTS) is a technology that converts text into spoken audio. It can read aloud PDFs, websites, and books using natural AI voices. Text-to-speech (TTS) technology can be helpful for anyone who needs to access written content in an auditory format, and it can provide a more inclusive and accessible way of communication for many ...
13 Best Text-to-Speech Software of 2024 (Free, Paid & Online)
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.
Free Text to Speech Software (TTS)
Google charges for the number of characters used. But you can find tools like Wideo Text to Speech that have already integrated Google TTS technology and offers a free option. Convert text to voice with this onlie text to speech software. It's easy and free. Write your message and download it as mp3 file.
The Best Text To Speech Tools in 2024 (Free & Paid)
The Good - Straightforward, no frills text-to-speech software with flexible pricing. The Bad - Voices are already widely used by YouTube creators. VoiceOverMaker. Best for making multilingual video voiceovers. The Good - Blend multilingual audio and video together using in-built editor. The Bad - Fewer features than other TTS tools.
Free Text to Speech Online with Realistic AI Voices
Murf: The Ultimate AI Text to Speech Software. If you are looking for a text to speech generator that can create stunning voiceovers for your tutorials, presentations, or videos, Murf is the one to go for. Murf can generate human-like, realistic, and natural-sounding voices. Its pièce de résistance is that Murf can do it in over 120+ unique ...
Free Speech To Text Software, Free Voice Recognition Software, Free
LilySpeech allows you to type with your voice anywhere in Windows. Download LilySpeech for FREE today to start dictating your emails and documents. Extremely accurate recognition is made possible by leveraging Google Chrome voice to text technology.
AI Voices
NaturalReader is a powerful text to speech software with AI voices. Try it online for free or download the app for more features and languages.
Free Speech to Text Online, Voice Typing & Transcription
Professional, accurate & free speech recognizing text editor. Distraction-free, fast, easy to use web app for dictation & typing. Speechnotes is a powerful speech-enabled online notepad, designed to empower your ideas by implementing a clean & efficient design, so you can focus on your thoughts. We strive to provide the best online dictation ...
Free Speech to Text Converter
Descript is an AI-powered audio and video editing tool that lets you edit podcasts and videos like a doc. Creation captioned videos and subtitle files from the transcript generated when you convert speech into text with Descript. Type with your voice or turn what you type into your voice with AI-powered voice cloning and Overdub.
AI Voice Generator & Text to Speech
Rated the best text to speech (TTS) software online. Create premium AI voices for free and generate text-to-speech voiceovers in minutes with our character AI voice generator. Use free text to speech AI to convert text to mp3 in 29 languages with 100+ voices.
#1 Text To Speech (TTS) Reader Online. Free & Unlimited
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.
6 Best Free Audio-to-Text Converters for 2024
MacWhisper is a free audio-to-text transcription tool for Mac devices running on Ventura (13.0 and higher). It uses OpenAI's Whisper technology and offers high-quality transcription. The app ensures privacy by performing the transcription on-device, making it ideal for audio-to-text conversion of sensitive information.
The Best Speech-to-Text Apps and Tools for Every Type of User
The Best Free Antivirus Software for 2024; All Antivirus; VPN. ... Speech-to-text software is different from voice control software, although some apps do both. Voice control is the accessibility ...
SpeechTexter
SpeechTexter is a free multilingual speech-to-text application aimed at assisting you with transcription of notes, documents, books, reports or blog posts by using your voice. ... Voice-to-text software is exceptionally valuable for people who have difficulty using their hands due to trauma, people with dyslexia or disabilities that limit the ...
16 Open-source and Free TTS (Text-To-Speech) Programs for Windows
7- wSpeech. 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.
AI Voice Generator: Free Text to Speech Online
Engage your audience with the perfect voice you can create with the free AI voice generator. Upload your script and choose from over 120 AI voices in 20+ languages, including Spanish, Chinese, and French. Infuse a human element by customizing the voice's speed, pitch, emotion, and tonality. Seamlessly add a voice to any Canva video, design ...
AI Speech To Text: Revolutionizing Transcription
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.
Free Speech Nation : GBN : April 29, 2024 12:00am-2:01am BST : Free
welcome back to free speech naﬁon welcome back to free speech nation . later in the show, i'm nation. later in the show, i'm going to be turning agony uncle. with the help of my wonderful panel with the help of my wonderful panel, paul cox and nick dixon. and we're going to help you deal with your unfiltered dilemmas. so if you've got any ...
Free Speech Pessimism On the Rise Among America's Elites
Free speech pessimism is on the rise among America's elites. "Free Speech Is Killing Us," read a 2019 op-ed in The New York Times. Recently, an article in The New York Times Magazine concluded ...
How to Reboot Free Speech on Campus
From that point forward, I would defend free speech. It's been more than 30 years since that first campus protest, and over that time I've seen countless protests, I've defended countless ...
US Supreme Court will not halt Texas age verification for online porn
In any event, the challengers added, content-filtering software works better to protect minors than laws like this. The plaintiffs include the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association of adult ...
Biden Signs TikTok Ban Bill Into Law. Here's What Happens Next.
The company is expected to argue that a forced sale could violate its users' free speech rights because a new owner could change the app's content policies and reshape what users are able to ...
line between campus safety and free speech : NPR
line between campus safety and free speech NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, about campus protests, free speech and student safety.

Best free text-to-speech software of 2024

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

The best free text-to-speech software overall

1. Natural Reader

Reasons to buy

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

2. Balabolka

The best free text-to-speech software for beginners

3. Panopreter Basic

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

4. WordTalk

The best free text-to-speech software for websites

5. Zabaware Text-to-Speech Reader

The best free text-to-speech software: FAQs

What is SAPI?

Should I output files to MP3 or WAV?

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

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

Get in touch

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Most Popular

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

Comparing Speech Recognition Software: Dragon Vs. Google Vs Microsoft

1. Dragon Speech Recognition

2. Windows Speech Recognition

3. Google Docs Voice Typing

Speech-to-Text Testing Methods

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

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

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

Are Free Transcription Services Worth Using?

The best dictation software in 2024

The best dictation software

What is dictation software?

What makes a great dictation app?

What about AI?

Tips for using voice recognition software

The best dictation software at a glance

Best free dictation software for Windows

Best customizable dictation software

Best free mobile dictation software

Best dictation software for typing in Google Docs

Best dictation software for collaboration

Is voice dictation for you?

Related articles

Improve your productivity automatically. Use Zapier to get your apps working together.

Free Text to Speech Software (TTS)

Why do you need narration in your videos?

How does text to speech software work?

Tutorial Video

Promo Video

App Demo Video

Create Your Course

The best text to speech software in 2023

Standard TTS vs. Neural TTS

Best paid text to speech software

Best free text to speech software

Use these top text to speech tools to engage your audience

Related Articles

How To Design An Effective Learning Path

Building A B2B Online Learning Experience To Grow Your Business

Try Thinkific for yourself!

Text to Speech Voice Over with Realistic AI Voices

Quality Guaranteed, No Robotic Voices

Text to Speech Voices in 20+ Languages

A Simple Text to Voice Converter

High-Quality Voices for Every Use Case

Not Just a Text to Speech Tool

Emphasize specific words

Take control of your narration with pitch

Elevate your story with pauses

Perfect Word Pronunciation

Fine Tune Narration Speed

Expressive Voice Style Palette

Text to Voice Generator Made Easy

Why Use Murf AI Text to Speech?

Save time and hundreds of dollars in recording expensive voice overs.

Editing voice over is as simple as editing text. Just cut, copy paste and render.

Create a consistent brand voice across all your customer touchpoints.

Connect with global customers effectively with our multiple language AI voices.