Acapela Group has a powerful text to speech platform, but there a number of other options worth exploring.
If you are looking for an alternative to Acapela Group’s text-to-speech tool, there are a couple of options you might want to check out. TTS apps can be a great tool for e-learning, authoring, and they can save you so much time.
But the goal is to find the app that offers high-quality voices and that works on any imaginable device or text.
High quality text to speech
Today, you can find many great apps if you are in need of text to speech software. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to choose which one to use.
Some people stick to the built-in text to speech tool their devices offer, while others want something more. And both of these methods are viable. One of the examples of TTS tools you can check out comes from Acapela Group, the Swedish-Belgian company.
One of the main features and selling points of Acapela’s app is that you can create custom voices for the app. But if you are not willing to spend a lot of money on the project, there might be a couple of better options.
AI TTS readers
Users that just want to use the app with existing text-to-speech voices without creating one for themselves can use any of the available apps. This includes those available on smartphones, PCs, tablets, and anything else.
But if you plan on going for the speech converter that is designed specifically to offer text-to-speech, you will notice that the quality is a lot better. These AI voice synthesizers can turn online text into audio, and they can improve accessibility of the device.
What might be a problem for some users is picking the one app to check out. And the simplest way to achieve it is to check out some of the entries on the list.
Speechify
Speechify has been one of the best (if not THE best) text-to-speech software you can find today. It offers support for numerous languages, it’s easy to use, and the natural-sounding voices will allow you to easily understand why Speechify is a go-to app for so many people.
One of the unique features you won’t find on other apps is a built-in OCR that allows you to convert physical text into audio as well. This means that Speechify will work on any text you can find.
The app is available on Apple iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and you can use it for web pages with the Chrome extension. If you want to explore it even further, you will notice that you can choose between several different AI voices, including the voice of Gwyneth Paltrow!
In just a couple of clicks you will be able to turn text into speech.
Azure
Azure is a cloud computing service developed by Microsoft, and one of many functionalities it offers is text-to-speech. The quality of this speech generator is quite good. Azure allows you to create unique TTS voices, and customize them to your liking.
As you can probably guess, the app allows you to choose between many different languages and voices, and it can be a nice alternative for Acapela Group’s software. Azure also offers voices in different styles, such as shouting, whispering, and many others.
One downside for users might be the price. While there are several pricing categories you can find, it can be too high for people who just want to use speech synthesis. It is worth mentioning that Azure offers speech-to-text, as well as other interesting features.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is a virtual assistant available on various mobile devices and home automation systems. Needless to say, the software is developed by Google, and the quality is quite good.
As with other virtual assistants, you can communicate with the device by talking to it thanks to IVR. This means that Google Assistant has a built-in voice recognition that allows it to understand commands.
Furthermore, you can explore voice reader options and let your VA read the text aloud. The mobile app is free, it offers plenty of customizable options, and some people prefer it over Siri. So, whether you are an iPhone or Android user, you can check out this assistant.
Audio file formats
One thing many users enjoy is having an app that can convert text into audio files. While all of the apps on the list can read aloud in real time, not every gives you the option to convert it to audio format.
So, if you are looking for a way to customize audio output, you can export a text into wav or mp3 files, the best option is Speechify. Comparing all the apps on the list just shows how versatile Speechify is. And why so many people love using it.
Whether you are dyslexic, have problems with sight, have a learning disability, or just want to relax while listening to the latest news article, Speechify is the answer.
FAQ
What is the most natural sounding text to speech?
If you are looking for an API that will sound as good as human voices, the answer is Speechify. While other apps can be quite good, they don’t offer the same feel and experience as Speechify.
And having the option to use the synthetic voice of Gwyneth Paltrow only increases the immersion. You will forget that you are using the app, and it will change the way you feel about reading.
What's the best text to speech engine?
The best text-to-speech engine is Speechify. This voice synthesizer can convert any type of written text into audio, and thanks to the built-in OCR, it can work on physical texts as well. Furthermore, the app is easy to use, and you won’t need a tutorial to navigate it.
Speechify supports English, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and many other languages. You can also choose between male or female voices, various accents, and so much more.
What is the most realistic text to speech app?
There are plenty of TTS apps you can find today, and some of them are quite good.
If you are looking for the best text-to-speech solutions that offer lifelike voices, you can check out Speechify, Voice Dream Reader, Motoread, ReadSpeaker, NaturalReader, Amazon Polly, AT&T Natural Voices, and many others.
Tyler Weitzman
Tyler Weitzman is the Co-Founder, Head of Artificial Intelligence & President at Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews. Weitzman is a graduate of Stanford University, where he received a BS in mathematics and a MS in Computer Science in the Artificial Intelligence track. He has been selected by Inc. Magazine as a Top 50 Entrepreneur, and he has been featured in Business Insider, TechCrunch, LifeHacker, CBS, among other publications. Weitzman’s Masters degree research focused on artificial intelligence and text-to-speech, where his final paper was titled: “CloneBot: Personalized Dialogue-Response Predictions.”