Speechify vs Intelligent Speaker

If you’re looking into high-quality pieces of assistive reading software, there are two names you’ve probably come across—Speechify and Intelligent Speaker. While both programs will surely transform the way you execute your daily tasks and approach your learning material, we’re here today to help you decide which text to speech (TTS) tool is the best one for you.

Text to speech Chrome extensions

Before we get to the nitty-gritty when it comes to text to speech apps, we first have to see what they actually are.

To return to our brief introduction above and keep things short and simple, we can say that text to speech tools, in general, are a type of assistive technology meant to facilitate reading. Be it students, people with dyslexia, or auditory learners, it doesn’t matter—text-to-speech tools will help everybody looking to turn written text into audio.

Now, text to speech tools come as both software (i.e., apps) and web browser extensions. Today, we’ll be focusing on the latter, specifically those for Google Chrome.

In short, Chrome TTS extensions can be a game changer for everyone, from people with reading difficulties to students preparing for SATs to literature lovers and members of various fandoms looking to enjoy fanfics read aloud in natural-sounding voices.

What gives Chrome extensions an edge in compared to downloadable apps is their accessibility. All you need is a working internet connection and the fastest browser on the market, and voila—you can have your favorite web page narrated to you in English or many other different languages, depending on the extension of your choice.

So, let’s get into two great TTS apps, which also both offer great Chrome extensions: Speechify and Intelligent Speaker.

Speechify

We’ll start off with Speechify. It comes as both an app and a browser extension, so some of you might already be familiar with it. For the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on the pros and weigh them against those of its competitors.

So, what is Speechify, and what does it bring to the table?

Speechify is a powerful, sophisticated text to speech tool that can accommodate virtually anyone—be they content creators, businessmen, students, people with reading difficulties or visual impairments, learning disabilities, or anyone else in need of a reading assistant.

The app comes in both a premium and a free version, both of which will do wonders for your multitasking capabilities. Speechify supports all text formats and work on all major platforms and operating systems. Whether you prefer Android and Windows PCs, or you’re an Apple user through and through with Mac or want a TTS app from the App Store for iOS on iPhone and iPad, Speechify will work for you. For web browsers, Speechify has extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

Another incredible benefit to Speechify is how customizable it is—something you don’t often see in other TTS apps. You can adjust the reading speed, language, voice type, and even accent of the voice you choose to create natural-sounding speech. Combine this customization with functionality across devices and compatibility with a wide range of text files (including Google Docs, Word docs, ePub, PDF files, HTML, and more), it’s no wonder why Speechify is so popular.

The best part? Speechify features only high-quality, authentic AI voices thanks to the program’s powerful artificial intelligence and speech synthesis API. There are even some celebrity voiceover options like Gwyneth Paltrow. In other words, you won’t have to deal with those robotic-sounding voices from the days of Microsoft Sam!

Intelligent Speaker

Now we turn to Intelligent Speaker, the second contender. So, what does it offer, and how good is it?

Much like Speechify, Intelligent Speaker is an authentic-sounding, highly effective TTS Chrome extension that will work miracles for you both at work and in school. It works with web pages, e-mails, and custom text of your own, so you’ll be covered no matter what you do.

Naturally, Intelligent Speaker lets you synchronize your text with any RSS program you might already be using. In addition, it works on both desktop and mobile devices, so you’ll be able to turn your text files into podcasts to listen to on the go.

Another cool thing to keep in mind is that Intelligent Speaker features training videos that can come in helpful should you get lost. More importantly, though, it comes in both premium and free versions, so you can take your pick depending on what you’re looking for and what your wallet allows for.

Which text to speech application is best?

While both are decent tools, we’d like to present our pick for the best text to speech app—Speechify.

First, Speechify is simply miles ahead in the voice department. The different voices it offers are incredibly authentic, and they will never break your immersion when you’re listening to your books or web pages. The custom voices you can create with Speechify simply can’t be made with any other TTS program out there.

Next, Intelligent Speaker just cannot keep up with Speechify when it comes to languages. With English being its sole supported language, Intelligent Speaker has nothing to counter Speechify and the dozens of languages and regional accents it offers (English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, etc.)

Third, Speechify offers way more integration options. In other words, you can more easily connect Speechify with Gmail, Linkedin, Facebook, and many other platforms for maximum ease of access and a smoother internet browsing experience. With the premium version, you can even sync your account across all of your devices.

Finally, Speechify has a better user interface. This might not be that important to some, but to others, it will make or break any given extension. There are also many easy-to-follow tutorials to help you get the most out of the app. If you’re looking for the most user-friendly TTS reader, look no further than Speechify.

FAQ

What is the difference between Speechify and Intelligent Speaker?

In short, Speechify has more natural-sounding voices and better integration potential. Thanks to the authenticity of voices Speechify offers, your listening experience will be more productive, less stressful, and more pleasurable.

What can Speechify do?

Speechify is a versatile text to speech app, also known as a speech reader or voice aloud reader. That means it has its uses in many fields, so users of all profiles will be able to enjoy it. Parents might want to know that Speechify is perfect as a teaching tool that can turn any kind of reading material into a podcast. It can even convert actual image files, photos of books, and scanned pages into audio files (wav, mp3, etc).

What is the most natural sounding text to speech software?

There are plenty of TTS pieces of software out there that feature authentic, lifelike voices. While Speechify is the most natural-sounding text to speech software, you can find decent (but not as high-quality) voices from Amazon Polly and Natural Reader.