9 Nuance text to speech alternatives
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Nuance is a leading professional speech recognition software. While it's effective for some people, it has many other top competitors on the market that might better fit your needs.
Nuance is the company behind Dragon, its professional speech recognition software. This software is used to take speech and turn it to text, and it is able to record around three times faster than competitors.
Dragon Professional can transcribe content and read it back to you. With Dragon on your mobile device, you can take text and convert it to speech, too, making it a valuable TTS tool on top of an STT tool.
Dragon is nationally recognized, but it’s not the only kind of software like this on the market. In this article, you’ll learn about nine alternative programs that you can try if you want something that is more affordable or that works better for your specific requirements.
Azure text-to-speech API
Microsoft Azure is a text-to-speech API that creates personalized, AI-driven output. This software is excellent for anyone looking for a free service, as it provides its first 12 months free (including Azure Cognitive Services).
Microsoft Azure can take English texts, as well as other languages, and read them out to you in human-like speech. The speech service is used for accessibility, much like other TTS programs, so those with reading struggles or disabilities can still access written content. Use it on Windows, as a mobile app, or online.
Murf.ai
Murf.ai has easy-to-use functionality that lets you convert text to speech using a versatile AI voice generator. You can create audio files with this program, letting you make studio-quality voice overs for any script. Use the lifelike voices on podcasts or have them dictate content to you in an understandable way.
Murf.ai can be used in multiple languages including Finnish, English, Chinese, Japanese, German, French, and others.
IBM Watson text-to-speech
With IBM Watson text to speech, you can use high-quality voices to read back to you any text content you have ready. Use natural-sounding voices in a number of languages with this helpful tool.
IBM Watson offers customer self-service, because Watson can answer questions as a chatbot or automated answering service. It is normally used as the Watson Assistant to help customers who are shopping online. Watson Assistant can be used within existing applications or on its own.
Yepic Studio
Yepic Studio is a TTS program that is used to generate voices for digital scripts. Using this unique software, users select an AI presenter. Then, they type in their script. Within just a few minutes, a video is produced using AI.
These videos can be used as video chatbots or to help with client prospecting. Welcome videos and other video experiences can also be produced with these AI presenters with natural-sounding, high-quality voices.
Some people may like this program if they need to produce a video quickly and don’t have time to hire an actor. Additionally, you can produce content in many different languages, including Italian, Portuguese, and others.
Amazon Polly
Amazon Polly is another text-to-speech converter that creates lifelike speech with deep learning and artificial intelligence. Available on multiple operating systems, Amazon Polly is ideal for building speech-enabled applications.
Amazon Polly states that it has neural text-to-speech voices that can be used in news narration use cases. Anyone wanting to try this program can get 5 million characters free with the AWS Free Tier.
Google Cloud text-to-speech
Google Cloud has a text-to-speech API that handles real-time text conversion using Google’s AI technologies. New customers on Android or Chrome, along with other platforms, are able to try it for free by using $300 in free credits.
Google claims that it has the widest voice selection with over 220 voices in languages like Spanish or French, Russian, and Hindi. Uniquely, you can create your own voice for your own business’s branding or to read to you if you’re using the program for eLearning or to listen to articles.
Google gives you the option of fine-tuning the voice you select, allowing you to change it up to 20 semitones from the default for a custom voice. The voice can also speak up to four times faster or slower than the normal rate.
This is one option that you can use that also includes voice to text and voice commands, so you can go both ways with the software. For one-of-a-kind voices and speech synthesis, it’s a great option.
Colossyan Creator
Another alternative program that you may be interested in learning about is called Colossyan Creator. This is a program that lets you create studio-quality videos using artificial intelligence. With this program, you make videos with your AI using the voice that you choose.
Colossyan Creator lets you create videos for all kinds of purposes, such as making eLearning content or reading off PowerPoint presentations. You can try it for free, which is helpful if you’re not sure if you need the full functionality of an AI video service.
The nice thing about the program is that it can be used to generate content without having to hire someone to work on your project. For example, you can use AI to make videos to train or onboard staff, teach students something new, or deliver instructions to a class. AI lets you avoid having to reteach the same things over and over again, because you simply play the recording for people wanting to learn from you.
Creators can use this AI program, too. Whether you’re setting up a sales funnel or trying to market to a unique audience on social media, your AI program can take the reigns and start helping convert viewers to customers.
How does this kind of program work? You start by finding the perfect actor. This synthetic AI presenter is then used to present your script. You can completely customize the video and add subtitles, so anyone, whether they’re listening to the content or need subtitles, can understand your video.
WellSaid Studio
WellSaid Studio lets you create amazing voiceovers for digital content. You can make a new voiceover in a single click, which means that much of the work you’d otherwise have to do has been automated for you.
WellSaid Studio states that its program can be used to find the right voice avatar, finish your productions more quickly, and produce a voice infrastructure that works for you. In fact, if you want to work in a more open source manner, you can bring your own voice actors and avatars to the application. Integrate new voices and create a unique avatar that works just for you.
WellSaid Studio offers a few different products including WellSaid Studio, API, Avatars, and Enterprise. If you create an account, you can try it for free, too.
For anyone looking to have real-time voiceovers for business, this is one of the preferable programs to try.
Speechify
Speechify is the #1 text-to-speech reader on the market today. It is designed differently than many others because it can be used on physical papers as well as digital text documents.
With Speechify, you can have the AI read to you with natural-sounding, HD voices at the push of a button. Speed up or slow down the voices to the rate you want, so you can listen more quickly or more slowly and retain more knowledge.
Speechify is a great choice for people of all ages. It is designed for accessibility and was created with learning disabilities in mind. Those with dyslexia, ADHD, and other conditions that make reading or focusing on text difficult will benefit from using the Speechify speech-to-text program.
Speechify reads:
- PDFs
- Emails
- Printed homework assignments
- Scanned content
- News articles
- Websites
...and so many other items. Essentially, anything you want to read can be read when you choose to use Speechify.
It’s great for eLearning, commerce, business, leisure, and all kinds of industries. Available on Apple iOS, Chrome, and Android, it is easy to use Speechify on almost any device. Additionally, as the #1 rated app in its category, there are hundreds of thousands of positive reviews showing just how beneficial this program is.
Whether you want to listen to an email on the go or you’re trying to listen to Spanish text with the correct accent, there are voices available to help you listen the way you want to.
Try Speechify for free, and you’ll see how you can do more at once when you use a TTS reader.
FAQ
What is the best text-to-speech reader?
The best text-to-speech reader on the market today is Speechify. In fact, it has over 150,000 five-star ratings as an app in its category. With so many people using it and happy with how it works, it’s clear to see why it’s the best.
What is the best text-to-speech website?
Speechify is the best text-to-speech website. The software can be used in your web browser, or you can download it to be used as an app on your Android or iOS system. It has natural-sounding speech, so when it reads an online text, you can actually understand it well the first time. The free version is available, so you can get started with it on your iPhone or other device now.
Is there a program that converts text to audio?
Yes. Speechify converts text to audio. This software uses automation to take text from the page and turn it into an mp3 file that you can listen to. With the push of a button, your text will immediately be transitioned into speech, so you can listen to the content in the voice, language, and accent you want to hear.
What is Nuance Vocalizer?
Nuance Vocalizer is a virtual assistant that is a complete, enterprise-ready program that converts text to speech quickly and easily. It provides human-like customer interactions to customers and costs less than using live voice talent.
This AI technology is designed to be used for branding purposes. It has static and dynamic speech output, multilingual support, comprehensive pronunciation dictionaries, voice refresh in multiple languages, and enhanced expressivity.
What is the difference between Nuance and other text-to-speech programs?
Every text-to-speech program is going to be a little different from the other. Nuance can listen to you and take a transcription, but it can also convert text to speech. There are tutorials available that can help you better understand how to use this program, but at the core, it is an enterprise solution that is designed for marketing and branding. It might be used as a chatbot, for example, to make a customer feel like they’re talking to a real person.
Speechify, by comparison, works more like NaturalReader and other TTS programs designed for education and enterprise. It’s more flexible, reading text of any kind. It can be used on Mac and iOS, Android, or in Chrome. It’s aimed at the general public, those with disabilities, businesses, and others, making it much more widely used.
Some TTS programs also use automatic speech recognition for controls, while others require manual text input. Depending on what you want, you should look for these kinds of differences before you select which program you’re going to use.
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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.”