If you’re looking to save some money by doing your own voiceovers, or if you just want to quickly and easily convert your text into an audio file, look no further than this guide on the best free text-to-speech software of 2022. This list was created based on what was available at the time this article was written, as well as reviews from both professionals and everyday users. Be sure to check back in with this page every few years to find out if anything new has come out since then!
What is Text-to-Speech?
When the computer speaks, it is text-to-speech or TTS. The technology was initially developed in the early 1960s at Columbia University. The first computer to use TTS was IBM’s 4100 model which announced itself and replied to user’s queries with a male voice created by CTO Alan Turing.
TTS can be seen in many places today from news articles to movies. There are two main types of speech synthesis software: synthesized speech and concatenative speech. Synthesized speech uses recorded human voices while concatenative speech assembles phonemes into words that approximate the target language. Though both have advantages and disadvantages, concatenative speech is generally more accurate.
A search for free TTS programs found Dragon Naturally Speaking as the best free option available. While there are several other free options, they lack accuracy and quality in comparison to Dragon Naturally Speaking.
Best free text-to-speech software in 2022 Dragon Naturally Speaking is one of the most advanced forms of speech recognition on the market. It includes excellent features such as automated transcription, highlighting errors made during dictation (even if you’re not looking), Dictate function so you don’t need to select your sentences before you start speaking, an auto-capitalization feature that capitalizes the initial letter in each sentence unless otherwise dictated, etc.
You will have no trouble navigating your way through all these different functions. On top of this, Dragon has proven itself time and time again as being one of the most accurate forms of speech recognition out there! For those who are worried about any privacy issues with this program due to its nature being connected online through a live service; fear not!
A Brief History of TTS
Microsoft has been a dominant player in the TTS market since they introduced Windows Speech Recognition in 2001. They quickly cornered almost all market share, and their software came to be the default on virtually every desktop. This situation changed as Google, who had no experience with voice or audio at all, released an open source competitor dubbed GVoice in 2004.
Microsoft fought back by introducing speech recognition as a built-in feature in Microsoft Office 2007, but it was too little too late Google (eventually renamed Goolge) took over the TTS market for good and became its clear leader. It kept releasing new versions of GVoice and other related products, while adding many useful features like better speech recognition.
But that wasn’t enough – Google wanted to go even further and make TTS accessible to everyone around the world so they created WaveNet. WaveNet is based on a deep neural network that can generate high quality human sounding voices out of nothing. It’s not just free text-to-speech software – it’s pure magic!
Different Types of TTS Programs
There are several different types of text-to-speech programs on the market, so you should be able to find one that works for your needs. There are always things to consider when picking out a TTS program, such as what operating system do you use, how frequently do you need the software, and what features will best suit your needs.
For instance, if you use Google Android and rarely use speech recognition, then a general TTS program is probably going to work best for you. You can also customize these systems by changing their voice and language selections. However, if you have a laptop that runs on Microsoft Windows 10 or use Apple MacOS Sierra or later, then downloading an off the shelf solution might be easier than installing one yourself.
Tips for Finding the Right Program
Thankfully, there are many options to choose from in the world of text-to-speech software. In order to find the right program for you, first assess what you’ll be using it for: Will you use it at work? To communicate with friends and family on social media? For schoolwork? Let’s say your job needs a lot of talking and is important to you, which means being audible and clear when speaking is essential. Your best option might be PROWLER with an output rate of 140 words per minute (WPM).
If you want to use text-to-speech software for leisure or convenience purposes, like voice typing on your phone or listening to audiobooks while driving, AIVON NARRATOR might do the trick. If you’re looking for something specifically geared towards children or teenagers learning English as a second language and their reading abilities are limited, try ELMO TTS or ROBOT TTS. And if you’re looking for free text-to-speech software that covers most bases well but doesn’t have as high quality audio output as others, try ALEX TTS!