NaturalReader is text-to-speech app that reads webpages, documents, and eBooks aloud to you with our quality, natural-sounding voices. ‎Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Dictation - Speech to text. Download Dictation - Speech to text and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac OS X 10.15 or later, or Apple Watch.

In today’s digital world we have some fantastic technologies that allow us to use text and read out loud technology in different ways. A popular form of software that is seeing an increased usage is text to speech software. Such voice generator software translates text documents into audio files.

These programs use incredibly advanced technology and algorithms to analyze text and form it into coherent audio files. In ages past, the text to voice technology was limited as the software could not account for things like punctuation or understand the meaning of sentences.

Text to speech software has now progressed beyond that, however. As you will see below from the 6-best read text aloud programs we have feature. The audio files created now flow naturally, and read your text in an organic manner that sounds like an actual human – not a programmed set of coding!

1. Voice Reader Home – the most efficient text to speech app

The Best Text To Speech Software For Mac For Free

Voice Reader Home is our top choice for best TTS reader. It can be brought for a one-off fee, and after that, you are free to use it as often as you wish.

This impressive voice generator has support for 45 different languages. Also, it has 67 different voices which account for different accents and dialects. We love the simple interface and the quick processing times of text to voice. You can use this program to improve productivity and convert large text files in no time at all.

Voice Reader Home also supports various file uploads including PDFs, Word Documents, and EPUBs.

OS: Windows, Mac
Licensing: Shareware, starts at $49.00, Demo version available
Our Rating:10 / 10

ProsCons
  • Advanced text to speech program
  • 45 different supported languages
  • 67 voices available
  • Supports various audio file formats
  • No fully functional trial version available

2. Amazon Polly – enjoy text to speech online

Forget about Amazon Alexa – we’re looking at Amazon Polly. This is part of the Amazon AWS services and provides a comprehensive text to speech reader. It is a web-based application and can be used for both personal usage, and development.

Amazon Polly has deep learning techniques and can effectively translate text into realistic audio outputs. It supports various file formats including MP3, PCM, and Vorbis. Also, it has support for a large number of languages including French, German, Italian, and Russian.

OS: Web-based
Licensing: Shareware, price is variable depending on usage
Our Rating:9 / 10

ProsCons
  • Relatively easy to use text to speech app
  • Multiple languages supported
  • Must register an Amazon AWS account

3. NaturalReader – free text to speech service

Natural Reader is an excellent web-based text to voice app. The browser-based platform is simple to use. It has a clear text upload box and a control panel that clearly shows different options like voice generator and playback speed.

Download Speech To Text Software

There is a premium version of the TTS reader too that offers a greater array of features, but the free version is comprehensive. We love the dyslexic font feature too which provides additional utility for those who struggle reading. You can use Natural Reader as either a full web browser text to speech online application or a floating toolbar.

OS: Web-based
Licensing: Free plan, 3 paid plans starting from $99.5
Our Rating:9 / 10

ProsCons
  • Easy to use free text to speech utility
  • Great selection of international voices
  • Dyslexic-friendly font
  • Some of the sentences can read a little robotic

4. Capti Voice – online TTS reader

Capti Voice is another excellent browser-based text to speech online service. Like Natural Reader, it has a simplified interface that enables you to quickly enter text to be read out loud. This is a great tool that is often used for educational purposes.

Although it is a web-browser text to speech application, it can be used both online and offline. Also, it has connectivity to different cloud platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. The free version has minimal personal usage, but to use the read text aloud software freely, you will need to buy one of the subscription plans.

OS: Web-based
Licensing: Shareware, price is variable depending on the plan chosen
Our Rating:9 / 10

Software
ProsCons
  • Simple web interface
  • Integrated with cloud storage services
  • Highlights the text as it is read out loud
  • Personal versions is relatively affordable
  • The education price plan is expensive

5. Panopreter Basic – completely free text to speech tool

Panopreter Basic is an extremely simple but highly functional text to voice program. It has a basic interface that you can use to read out loud. It supports direct text inputs, but also provides support for file uploads.

Using the software you can translate text to speech and alter settings like playback speed and volume. You can also export as an audio file. Panopreter Basic also supports various languages including German, Chinese, and Italian.

Speech

OS: Windows
Licensing: Freeware
Our Rating:9 / 10

ProsCons
  • WAV and MP3 outputs
  • A basic text to voice tool that is easy to use
  • Can play music too
  • Freeware text to speech tool
  • Too plain compared to other software

6. Balabolka – well-known free text to voice reader

Balabolka is a fantastic free text to speech reader. It is one of the best freeware TTS readers available and has support for numerous file formats – both import and export. You can enter text manually, or you can upload files that the software will analyze.

The software is simple to use with a large text area and a clear toolbar for playback and editing. It supports upload documents such as DOC, PDF, and HTML, and you can read text aloud in eight different voices – all of which sound realistic.

Voice To Text Software Mac

OS: Windows
Licensing: Freeware
Our Rating:9 / 10

TheFree
ProsCons
  • Supports a great range of formats
  • Support for file uploads
  • Bookmarking tools to jump to a specific location
  • Only available for Windows devices

Dragon Speech To Text Software

We hope you have found this guide useful. You should now have a clear idea of the best text to speech software available. Voice Reader Home is an excellent program and we rate this as the top choice. However, the other 5 options are highly usable too and have some fantastic features.

If you require text translations, using the TTS readers offers a viable method. Instead of using your recording equipment and voice, you can simply use this software and generate audio files in seconds. Our guide for the best OCR software will help if you need to turn scanned documents to text for further reading.

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