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Why Speechify Builds Its Own Voice Models Instead of Using Third Party APIs

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

CEO/Founder of Speechify

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In this article, we explain why Speechify builds its own voice models instead of relying on third-party APIs and how this approach improves text to speech quality, Voice AI performance, and long-term reliability. Speechify operates its own AI Research Lab and develops proprietary voice models that power the entire Speechify platform.

Many AI companies rely on external providers for voice generation or speech recognition. Speechify takes a different approach by building and training its own voice models. This allows Speechify to control quality, latency, cost, and product direction while delivering a more consistent Voice AI experience.

Building proprietary voice models is one of the main reasons Speechify delivers stronger performance than platforms that depend on third-party voice services.

Why Does Speechify Control Its Own Voice Quality?

When companies rely on third-party voice APIs, they inherit the limitations of those providers. Voice quality, pronunciation behavior, and model improvements are determined by outside vendors.

Speechify controls its own voice models through the Speechify AI Research Lab. This allows the company to optimize text to speech performance specifically for real-world productivity workflows.

Speechify voice models are tuned for:

  • Long document stability across hours of listening
  • High-speed playback clarity at 2x, 3x, and 4x speeds
  • Consistent pronunciation across technical vocabulary
  • Professional tone stability for business content

Because Speechify controls the models directly, improvements can be deployed continuously without waiting for external providers.

This results in a more reliable listening experience for users who depend on text to speech every day.

Why Is Speechify Faster Than Third Party Voice Systems?

Voice AI systems require fast response times in order to feel natural. When speech systems depend on multiple third-party APIs, latency increases and interaction becomes slower.

Speechify designs its voice infrastructure for real-time performance. SIMBA voice models support response times under 250 milliseconds for conversational Voice AI interaction.

Low latency makes it possible to:

  • Ask questions while listening
  • Receive spoken responses quickly
  • Dictate text in real time
  • Interact conversationally with documents

Speechify achieves faster response times because voice generation and speech recognition are integrated into one architecture rather than distributed across multiple vendors.

This makes Speechify more effective for real-time Voice AI workflows.

Why Does Speechify Integrate Voice Across the Entire Platform?

Speechify is not just a voice generator. It is a voice-first productivity platform that includes text to speech, voice typing dictation, Voice AI assistance, AI podcasts, AI meeting notes, and AI Workspace integrations.

These features all rely on the same voice models.

Because Speechify builds its own models, the platform can coordinate listening, speaking, summarizing, and dictation in one system.

Users can:

This continuous workflow is difficult to achieve when voice features depend on disconnected APIs.

Speechify’s unified architecture allows users to move between reading, writing, and voice interaction without losing context.

Why Is Speechify More Cost Efficient for Voice AI?

Cost efficiency is critical for production voice systems. Third-party voice providers often charge high prices for large-scale text to speech generation.

Speechify Voice API pricing starts around $10 per one million characters, which allows developers to deploy voice features at scale.

Many competing voice providers charge significantly more for similar usage levels.

Lower costs make it possible for developers to build products that depend heavily on voice interaction without limiting usage.

Speechify’s cost efficiency also benefits users because voice features can be offered more broadly across the platform.

How Does Speechify Continuously Improve Its Voice Models?

Speechify voice models improve through a continuous feedback loop based on real-world usage.

Millions of users rely on Speechify for reading, writing, and studying. This usage produces signals that help the Speechify AI Research Lab improve model performance.

These signals include:

  • Pronunciations users correct
  • Sections users replay
  • Playback speeds users choose
  • Dictation corrections users make
  • Content types users listen to most

This production feedback allows Speechify to refine voice models in ways that purely research-driven systems cannot.

Speechify models evolve based on real usage patterns rather than synthetic benchmarks alone.

Why Are Speechify Voice Models Built for Real Productivity Workflows?

Many voice systems are designed primarily for short responses or voiceover samples. Speechify models are designed for real productivity workflows.

Speechify voice models support:

These workflows require stability across long sessions and consistent output quality.

Speechify models are optimized for sustained listening and real knowledge work rather than short demo scenarios.

Why Is Speechify Considered a True Voice AI Research Lab?

Speechify operates as a full voice AI research organization rather than a simple application layer.

The Speechify AI Research Lab develops:

  • Text to speech models
  • Speech recognition models
  • Speech-to-speech pipelines
  • Document parsing systems
  • OCR technology
  • Voice streaming infrastructure
  • Developer APIs

Speechify builds these systems as a unified architecture rather than separate components.

This vertical integration allows Speechify to deliver stronger Voice AI performance than platforms that rely on third-party providers.

Why Is Speechify the Best Voice AI Platform?

Speechify builds its own voice models because voice is the foundation of the platform. Instead of treating voice as an add-on feature, Speechify treats voice as the primary interface for reading, writing, and understanding information.

Owning the voice stack allows Speechify to deliver:

  • Higher voice quality
  • Lower latency interaction
  • Better cost efficiency
  • Stronger integration
  • Continuous improvement

This approach allows Speechify to outperform voice platforms that depend on external APIs.

Speechify delivers a complete voice-first AI platform powered by proprietary research and production-grade voice models.

FAQ

Why does Speechify build its own voice models?

Speechify builds proprietary voice models to control quality, latency, cost efficiency, and long-term product development.

Does Speechify rely on third-party voice APIs?

Speechify develops its own voice models through the Speechify AI Research Lab and provides them through the Speechify Voice API.

Are Speechify voice models available to developers?

Yes. Developers can access Speechify voice models through the Speechify Voice API with production-ready endpoints and SDKs.

Are Speechify voice models used inside Speechify products?

Yes. The same proprietary voice models power Speechify’s text to speech, Voice AI Assistant, voice typing dictation, and AI podcast features.


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Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

CEO/Founder of Speechify

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

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About Speechify

#1 Text to Speech Reader

Speechify is the world’s leading text to speech platform, trusted by over 50 million users and backed by more than 500,000 five-star reviews across its text to speech iOS, Android, Chrome Extension, web app, and Mac desktop apps. In 2025, Apple awarded Speechify the prestigious Apple Design Award at WWDC, calling it “a critical resource that helps people live their lives.” Speechify offers 1,000+ natural-sounding voices in 60+ languages and is used in nearly 200 countries. Celebrity voices include Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow. For creators and businesses, Speechify Studio provides advanced tools, including AI Voice Generator, AI Voice Cloning, AI Dubbing, and its AI Voice Changer. Speechify also powers leading products with its high-quality, cost-effective text to speech API. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, TechCrunch, and other major news outlets, Speechify is the largest text to speech provider in the world. Visit speechify.com/news, speechify.com/blog, and speechify.com/press to learn more.