Creators from video producers, small business advertisers and even game developers are looking to generate voice over recordings using an AI. This type of software is commonly known as an AI voice generator and their quality is getting better all the time.
The landscape is quickly changing with the availability of AI voice generators becoming easier to find, with many free options ready to use.
Top AI Voice Generators for 2023
- Google Text-to-Speech (Free/Paid): Google’s Text-to-Speech API provides access to AI-generated voices in multiple languages and accents. It offers both free and paid plans, with the free tier having limited functionality.
- Amazon Polly (Free/Paid): Amazon Polly is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that uses deep learning to generate lifelike speech. It has a wide range of voices, languages, and accents. Polly provides a free tier with some limitations and offers paid plans for more extensive usage.
- IBM Watson Text to Speech (Free/Paid): IBM Watson Text to Speech is a cloud-based AI service that converts written text into natural-sounding speech. It supports several languages and voices. IBM offers a free tier with limited usage, while more extensive options are available through paid plans.
- Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services Speech Service (Free/Paid): Microsoft’s Azure Cognitive Services offers a text-to-speech API that generates realistic speech. With various voices, languages, and accents, this service provides a free tier with limitations and paid plans for more extensive use.
- iSpeech (Free/Paid): iSpeech is a text-to-speech platform that offers a range of natural-sounding voices, languages, and dialects. It provides both free and paid options, with the free version being more limited.
Established AI Voice Tech Companies
In addition to the big tech players who each have their own AI voice generator, there are several tech companies who have been working on their own voice synthesis technology for many years.
Acapela Group: A provider of TTS solutions that offers a wide range of voices and languages for various applications, such as assistive technology, e-learning, and entertainment. Acapela Group offers a wide variety of natural-sounding voices in multiple languages. They provide a range of products and services, including an API for developers. Acapela Group doesn’t have a free version, but they offer several pricing options for their services.
Neospeech: A TTS solution provider offering high-quality voices for various applications, including automotive, e-learning, and telecommunications. Neospeech offers high-quality text-to-speech solutions with a range of voices, languages, and accents. They don’t have a free plan, but their paid plans provide access to their full suite of features.
CereProc: A TTS technology company that specializes in creating natural-sounding, characterful voices using deep learning and AI techniques. CereProc is a text-to-speech (TTS) technology company founded in 2005 and based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They specialize in developing advanced TTS solutions for a wide range of applications, including telephony, mobile apps, public address systems, and more. CereProc’s TTS technology stands out due to its focus on creating highly expressive, characterful, and emotionally rich synthetic voices. Their voices are designed to convey not only the content of the text but also the emotion and personality behind it. This makes their TTS solutions particularly suitable for applications where a high level of expressiveness is desired, such as entertainment, gaming, and personal assistants.
ReadSpeaker: A global voice specialist that provides TTS solutions for multiple industries, such as education, media, and transportation. ReadSpeaker is a global voice technology company that specializes in text-to-speech (TTS) solutions. Founded in 1999, ReadSpeaker was one of the pioneers in the development and implementation of TTS technology for various applications, including websites, mobile apps, e-learning platforms, and public announcement systems.
Established AI Voice Startups in 2023
Beyond the big tech companies and established players, several startups have launched in the last few years and are gaining traction as low-cost, innovative solutions.
ResponsiveVoice: A lightweight and easy-to-use TTS solution that can be embedded in websites and mobile applications.
Voicery: A TTS startup that uses deep learning and AI techniques to generate high-quality, natural-sounding voices for various applications.
As the space continues to evolve, one thing for certain is that we’ll see new start-ups be established while others will certainly get acquired and the industry will consolidate.