Last Updated on May 25, 2024 by Jhonni Jets

Text-to-speech (TTS) applications can be extremely useful tools for people who need assistance reading written text out loud. Whether due to visual impairments, learning disabilities, or other accessibility needs, TTS software allows content to be transformed into accessible audio. While Microsoft Windows comes with its own basic text-to-speech capabilities built-in, there are also many excellent third-party apps that offer expanded functionality and customizability. This article will explore the 10 best Windows apps for text-to-speech and the unique features each one provides.

1. NaturalReader

NaturalReader is one of the most full-featured commercial TTS programs available for Windows. It supports over 200 voices for dozens of languages and accents. Voices can be customized with settings for pitch, rate, volume, and more. NaturalReader offers smooth playback of text from a variety of sources including files, text on the screen, web pages, ebooks and more. It has robust formatting support to preserve elements like bullets, headers, and hyperlinks in source documents. Other premium features include syncing of bookmarks, notes and settings across devices. A lifetime license is available at a onetime cost, and frequent software updates add new capabilities.

2. TextAloud

TextAloud touts itself as the “most natural sounding” TTS software, and its voices do deliver very lifelike and smooth audio. It supports reading text from files, copied text, text selection and clipboard monitoring. TextAloud includes male and female voices covering many accents. Voices can be altered through detailed editing tools for pitch, rate, volume and more. The app lets you save voice presets for different needs. TextAloud understands basic formatting and also uses context-sensitive pronunciation of words. A premium subscription unlocks additional voices and advanced capabilities. There’s also a lightweight portable version for reading files on the go.

3. Speechify

Speechify is one of the easiest Windows TTS apps to use, with its simple interface focused around a large play button. It supports reading text from files, copied or selected text, clipboard monitoring and text input. A wide range of natural-sounding voices is included covering many accents and languages. Speechify allows customizing voices through basic controls for rate, pitch and volume. It understands basic formatting and handles context-sensitive pronunciation well. Notable features include highlighting read text, ability to save files as audio, and integration with Microsoft Edge. Speechify makes a solid free option, or a one-time purchase unlocks additional voices and extended support.

4. ReadPlease

ReadPlease includes high quality text-to-speech voices with natural intonation and pronunciation. It supports reading documents, web pages, ebooks and scanned PDFs. ReadPlease features a clean interface with controls to start/pause/resume reading and adjust playback speed. The app allows uploading documents for on-device or online TTS conversion. ReadPlease automatically detects the text format (including formats like Markdown) for proper rendering. An interesting capability is text summarization, which generates audio summaries of long documents. Other notable features include highlighting read text, audio file export, text formatting support and cloud sync of settings. A basic license is free, with premium upgrades available.

5. Speechify It

Speechify It provides a versatile suite of text-to-speech tools wrapped in a simple and lightweight program. Its reading capabilities cover files, text selection, clipboard monitoring, text input and text on screen. Voices used are high quality with natural fluency. Unique tools include a dictation recorder for translating spoken audio to text, spell checker, text expander and OCR. Speechify It can export read text as MP3 audio files. Notable interface features are large playback controls and optional dark mode. The app packs many functions while having a clean and intuitive design. A one-time purchase activates all premium features and ongoing support.

6. Read2Go

Read2Go focuses on creating engaging audio books from documents like ebooks, PDFs and web articles. Its text-to-speech voices are very natural sounding with contextual pronunciation. The interface provides playback controls along with bookmarks, notes and highlighting features for navigation. Read2Go can open multiple documents simultaneously and sync progress across devices. Some handy tools include text reformatting, dictionary lookup, night mode and speech rate adjustment. You can export readings as mp3 files for listening offline. Read2Go works well for creating portable audio versions of long-form content hands-free. A free version supports basic usage, while premium unlocks all capabilities.

7. TextAloud 3

TextAloud 3 builds upon the foundation of TextAloud with upgraded text-to-speech voices and new capabilities. It reads text from files, selections, clipboard, screenshots and monitor text recognition. The voices are very smooth and natural-sounding across different languages and accents. You get granular controls for fine-tuning voices along with profile presets. TextAloud 3 offers advanced formatting support, auto-scanning of documents, and OCR for images. Other handy tools include a text explorer, dictionary lookup, and note-taking. PDF documents are smoothly converted to audio. You can customize verbosity and speed reading with this feature-rich program.

8. eSpeak NG

eSpeak NG is a free and open source text-to-speech program that can run offline without an internet connection. While its voices may not match the highest quality offerings, they cover many languages and are improving through ongoing development. eSpeak NG supports basic reading of text files, selections, and clipboard. It includes straightforward playback buttons and volume slider alongside voice customization options. Perhaps the app’s biggest selling point is its portability – you can run eSpeak NG from removable media on any Windows machine. Overall it provides a no-frills but capable option for basic TTS needs without cost.

9. Voice Dream Reader

Voice Dream Reader focuses on text-to-speech and reading support functionality for users with vision impairments. It carries high quality voices in many languages and accents. Beyond standard reading features, Voice Dream Reader offers advanced accessibility tools like image description, selective highlighting, dictionary lookup and formatted Braille output. Other strong accessibility features are zoom controls, color themes and optional large fonts. The app handles TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML and picture files seamlessly. Voice Dream Reader aims to make absorbing written content as easy as possible through its extensive, thoughtful set of inclusive accessibility features.

10. Anthropic

Anthropic is a newer AI-powered text-to-speech option that boasts some of the most realistic voices currently available. Its neural voices were trained using vast amounts of data to mimic natural human speech patterns nearly perfectly. Anthropic supports reading text from input, files or selections using either web or desktop apps. Unique features include optional paralinguistic controls to alter elements like emotion and emphasis. The voices are continually improving through ongoing machine learning advances by Anthropic. While still in early access, it shows potential to push text-to-speech quality to new heights with its cutting-edge AI techniques.

Conclusion

Text-to-speech software plays an invaluable role in making written information accessible to people with different needs. The apps highlighted here represent some of the best options for transforming text to high-quality, natural-sounding audio on Windows devices. Whether open source, free or premium, these programs offer a diverse range of features from basic reading to sophisticated tools for productivity, education and accessibility. Choosing the right text-to-speech application depends on one’s specific usage requirements and budget. But all of these help bridge the gap between the visual and auditory worlds.