If you’re new to Text-To-Speech (TTS) software, don’t worry. It seems like not too long ago, you could only find some robotic, unrealistic voice after inputting some text in.
But the last few years have DRAMATICALLY changed everything. Now, you put in a piece of text or Word file, and the output is so realistic, people will believe that you hired a voice artist to read out loud for you (Westworld, anyone?).
And now with the help of AI, the best text-to-speech software has various uses:
- Are you a business, creator, and entrepreneur that needs to create a podcast, videos, or promotional videos?
- Do you need a text-to-voice for personal use to reading documents out loud while busy doing other tasks (running, cleaning, gardening) or due to visual impairment?
There are many TTS software options available (you can also check out my text to speech Chrome extension list), so you’re probably wondering which one would best suit your needs. That’s why I’ve spent MANY hours of researching and compiling everything you need to know about the most popular text-to-speech software companies on the market. I’ve organized it by what features you may be looking for, so let’s get started.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
What Are the Best Text To Speech Softwares?
Table of Contents
If You’re Looking for Business or Promotional Creation:
If You’re Looking For Personal Use:
Murf.AI
Best Text-To-Speech Software for User-Friendly Studio
Murf.AI is the latest in a long line of text-to-speech software offerings. Designed to be used by anyone, regardless of their experience with computers or software, Murf.AI promises to make creating text-to-speech content easy and fun. All of this is thanks to their studio that allows you to enter your text, choose your voice, and then adjust the final product so that it works seamlessly for your video content.
Best Features of Murf.AI:
Pricing: They offer a “trial” for $9 one-time fee, which gives you 30 minutes of voice time so make sure you love the product first, before committing to a subscription.
VERDICT
If you’re a business or entrepreneur looking for studio-quality voiceovers for podcasting or promotional video content, Murf is one of the leaders in the industry.
Play.Ht
Best Text-To-Speech Software for Website Builder Integrations
Play.Ht is another highly-realistic text to speech AI voice generator. Their synthetic voices have been created by the big-name companies you’re likely familiar with, such as Google, IBM, and Microsoft. These have been highly used in commercial settings, including podcasts, e-learning, and even to create “audio” blog articles to increase time on the page and engagement. If it’s good enough for Harvard, odds are it’s good enough for your company.
Some of the critical features are:
Pricing: There is no trial or free version, but you can cancel anytime.
VERDICT
Play.Ht is one of the best text-to-speech software on the market, which is why it’s used by major players, thanks to hundreds of natural-sounding voices, integrations, and language options. But you’ll pay a bit more for it.
Well Said Labs
Best Text to Speech Software for Teams
Well Said Labs is another AI voice generator that allows text-to-speech for all of your digital products. They’ve really thought of every tiny detail for their customers, from the customizable avater voices to the servers they connect with that are HIPAA, FINRA, and ISO compliant. It’s been wonderfully optimized to work with Teams across a large organization.
Some of the great features of Well Said Labs are:
Pricing: There’s a one-week free trial you can sign up for to test out one project.
VERDICT
Well Said Labs is another fantastic text-to-speech tool for businesses looking to generate voiceovers for their promotional content using Teams applications.
Speechelo
Best Text to Speech Software That’s Subscription-Free
If you’re looking for text-to-speech software that has a significant focus on creating the most human-sounding voices possible, then Speechelo is a good choice. This software uses artificial intelligence to convert your text into speech, and the results are decidedly natural, thanks to them adding inflections and other attributes to a human speaker. What’s also great is that you simply purchase the product, no subscription needed.
Here are some of the features of Speechelo:
Pricing: There’s a 60-day money back guarantee if you don’t like your purchase.
VERDICT
If you’re looking for great natural-sounding voices that you can purchase as a one-time software, then Speechelo is a great tool.
NoteVibes
Netvibes is another company that has been used by some big names like Pepsi, Rolls Royce, and Johnson & Johnson. What’s most impressive about their platform compared to others is the advanced editor that allows you to turn one of their many AI avatars into a custom voice for your company.
Some of the best features of NoteVibes are:
Pricing: There is a personal pack, but it doesn’t let you advertise commercially, so you’ll want to upgrade.
VERDICT
Netvibes is another great platform to meet the needs of your business, and has all the features you will be needing.
Synthesys.io
This is yet another professional AI platform to meet your business needs. Where their platform really shines is the Voice to Video. Yes, they have TTS, but if you want to skip a step of video recording, then you can choose an actor/actress and add a text-to-voice with your script. And all done in a few clicks as the platform is very user-friendly.
These are some of the most remarkable features:
Pricing: They offer different price points for if your looking for TTS or the video as well.
VERDICT
Synthesis offers and affordable, user-friendly TTS, but I think it’s a better platform if you’re looking to also use text-to-video as well.
Lovo.ai
Lovo studio is another AI generated voiceover that allows you to create engaging content. They’ve been used for major companies like Yahoo. This one also comes in on the lower side of the cost spectrum, but likely due to the more limited features. But if you’re looking for a basic AI text to speech software, Lovo has you covered.
Pricing: There’s a free version available, but it’s important to note that the free version does not come with commercial rights.
VERDICT
Lovo is a great software that provides good voices at a more affordable price than some of the others.
Natural Reader
Best Text to Speech for Personal Use
Now, if you’re not a company or business looking to use text-to-speech for promotional reasons, then Natural Reader may be best for you. Natural reader allows you to upload any document, PDF file, Microsoft Word file, and more into their text-to-speech technology program. Maybe you have a long commute or need to multitask, and this is a great way to do two tasks in one.
Some of Natural Readers’ functions include:
Pricing: There’s an online version where you can use it anywhere on any computer with a monthly subscription, or you can download the software for a one-time fee.
VERDICT
If you’re looking to multitask (like take a jog or garden while listening to your emails) OR you have a visual deficiency making the text difficult to read, Natural Reader is a great TTS system.
Voice Dream
Best Text to Speech for the Writer
Voice Dream is another platform that makes it on the list of the best text-to-speech software. Voted as Apple 2021 Design Winner, this company offers both a reader, scanner, AND a writer. That means it does a little bit of everything.
As a reader, it works great for personal use by reading any Microsoft Word, PDF, Google Drive, iCloud, and you name it. The scanner is excellent if you want to quickly scan a textbook page or book to listen to out loud. The writer feature is great for writers wishing to hear their work out loud.
Here’s a list of the things you’ll find with Natural Reader:
Pricing: This a purchased app, currently available for $10
VERDICT
If you have an iPhone and are looking for an app to read your text outloud for you, this is an affordable option.
Captivoice
Best Text to Speech for Education Systems
Captivoice is an excellent option for those that want to improve their reading skills, want to enhance their lesson plans as a Teacher, or are a student looking to improve productivity. It’s been used by many leading universities and grade schools across the nation.
Here’s what makes it a great choice for the education system:
Pricing: There’s different pricing depending on if you are a university or an individual looking for personal use. Here’s the cost for personal use.
VERDICT
This is a great option for those education systems looking to integrate to help students or for personal use who wants to use desktop and mobile functions.
What is Text-To-Speech Software?
Text-To-Speech (TTS) software is a type of speech synthesis application that is used to create a spoken version of written text. TTS software allows you to input text via keyboard, file, or clipboard and generates an audio voice of your script. The voices produced by TTS software have come a long way from the old emotionless, robotic voices, with the best TTS software applications using natural-sounding voices.
There are two main types of type-to-speech software: those for personal use and those for business and promotional use.
Business Use:
Anything that you have used to hire a voice artist in the past can now be replaced with AI text-to-speech software.
- E-learning or training modules
- Podcasts
- Product review videos
- Information video embed on your website
- Adding video voiceover for your website or articles
- Audiobooks or ebook voiceovers.
Personal Use
You may be wondering what circumstances someone would want to use TTS software. Here are some scenarios demonstrating how this new, innovative software is perfect for increasing your productivity:
- Great for those with visual difficulties. If you’re someone that suffers from an optic disease making reading slow and difficult, then text-to-speech apps allow you to read anything from documents and books to articles.
- A great way to improve your language skills for foreign language learners. Are you learning a new language? By using TTS software, you can use text-to-voice software to beef up your pronunciation skills.
- Increase productivity. What if you want to want to read your emails and documents but need time in your day to fit in a morning jog? This way allows you to do two things at once.
- Enjoy two things. Maybe you don’t need to improve productivity, but it would be nice physically cook while listening to the recipe details at once.
What are the Benefits of Text-To-Speech Software?
There are many benefits of using text-to-speech software. Some of the most popular benefits include:
- Save time. You no longer need to wait for a voice actor to record your promotional work. Enter the text.
- The ability to edit. What if you want to change your promotional work or fix a line? That would mean more money and more time while a voice recorder redoes the work. Now you can update easily with synthetic custom AI voices.
- For those that have a hard time with reading, this is an excellent alternatives.
- The ability to hear written text read aloud. This can be helpful for proofreading purposes or if you want to listen to the text in a different format