Text-to-speech is a type of technology that can convert written digital text into spoken words. It is a valuable assistive technology for people with reading disabilities to read or learn a new language or those who want to reduce eye strain. Whatever you want, a text-to-speech program is needed for converting any text to natural-sounding words. If you’re looking for such a program, here are some recommendations of the best text to speech software for PC.
Narrator - Windows Built-in Text to Speech Software for PC
Narrator is a screen reader built into Windows 10 and 11, designed for visually impaired users to read and interact with items on the screen. With this feature, users can navigate and complete tasks without a mouse. More specifically, people can embrace these features of this text to speech software for Windows.
Key features:
- Read text from documents, web pages, and user interface elements
- Adjust the voice’s speed, pitch, and volume to your preference.
- Control the verbosity levels
- A scan mode lets you navigate with the arrow keys
- Allows people to read content in Braille
- Reassign Narrator commands to different keyboard shortcuts
Pros:
- Free and requires no download or setup
- Continuous updates
- Compatible with popular browsers
Cons:
- Limited advanced features
- Inconsistent performance
- Occasional bugs
- Potential for system lag
iTop Screen Recorder - Feature-rich Tool with an Audio Recorder
If you want a feature-rich text to speech software for PC, iTop Screen Recorder is exactly what you need. With its AI-powered text-to-speech tool, you can convert any written text into natural-sounding narration. There are up to 57 different voices for you to choose from. Additionally, it is integrated with recording and editing functions that can help you create more engaging and informative content. With its screen recorder, you can record any activity that happens on your screen. For example, screen record Instagram DM. For more features of iTop Screen Recorder, refer to the following list.
Features:
- Provides lifelike AI voices for instant text-to-speech
- Supports over 50 different languages
- Allows for adjusting the voice’s speed, pitch, and volume
- Allows for adding pauses of custom duration at specific points
- Record and edit your voice with a set of tools
- Work as a screen recorder for restricted apps
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Customization options
- Hassle-free recording
Cons:
- It is currently only available for Windows
Pro tips: iTop Screen Recorder is not just a text to speech software for Windows. Actually, it can do more than just convert text to speech. It also has the ability to record your screen, webcam, or both together along with audio. That makes it a perfect option to record Zoom meeting or some streaming services. If needed, you can even use it to screen record protected videos.
Speechify - Top-tier Text-to-speech Software for All Platforms
Speechify is a versatile AI-powered text-to-speech application for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Thanks to its wide compatibility, you can access it on different platforms, catering to people who need to switch devices regularly. With a wide range of high-quality voices to choose from, you can convert text to some well-known celebrities and figures like Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow. What sets it apart is its adjustable playback speed, allowing you to customize the audio to match your reading pace. This feature can save you a considerable amount of time, making it a perfect choice for converting any text into audiobooks.
Features:
- Converts any written text to natural-sounding speech
- Offers a wide variety of voices
- Allows you to adjust the playback speeds
- Supports many formats, including PDFs, web pages, and emails
- Extra features like focus mode and progress tracking
- Includes a voice cloning feature, which allows for creating personalized audio
- Convert text from images and scanned documents into audio
Pros:
- Accessibility and customizability
- Convenient and user-friendly
- Cross-platform sync
- Offline mode allows for text-to-speech listening without an internet connection
Cons:
- The subscription is pricey.
- Limited voices on its free version
- Possible bugs with uploads and text formatting
- Limited offline access
NaturalReader - Best Overall Free Text-to-Speech Software
NaturalReader is praised as one of the best overall text-to-speech programs. It offers 200 AI-powered voices and 20+ different native and regional languages that cater to different needs for text-to-speech conversion. Like other converters that allow you to adjust the playback speed or other settings, NaturalReader also offers some customization options to improve the overall user experience. So, you can adjust the speed and pitch of the audio or customize the pronunciation of some words. Below are more features of NaturalReader.
Features:
- AI voice cloning capability
- Convert text from various formats like webpages, PDFs, and Doc
- OCR and MP3 conversion
Pros:
- Compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
- Easy to use without a steep learning curve
- Various customization options
Cons:
- Possible improper punctuation
- Unreliable OCR feature
- Some AI voices sound robotic
- Occasional bugs
TTSMaker - Online Tool with a Selection of Natural-sounding voices
TTSMaker is a free and online text-to-speech tool that offers a vast library of voices and languages. It simply converts your written words into audio that sounds completely natural, much like other speech software does. Pretty straightforward. Want to master a new language or finally conquer a reading disability? This incredible tool helps you do exactly that. For more features of TTMaker, you can check the following feature list.
Features:
- Supports a wide range of languages and dialects
- Offers various natural-sounding voices
- Allows you to generate audio for commercial use
- Supports variety of voice styles
Pros:
- Wide language and voice support
- User-friendly interface
- Support for commercial use
- Customizable voice settings
- High-quality audio
Cons:
- Limited features in the free version
- Potential interface overwhelm
- Occasional captcha requirement
Balabolka - Free Tool with Custom Voice Control Option
Balabolka is a free text to speech software Windows 10 to convert written text into spoken words and audio files. It supports a wide variety of file formats, such as DOCX, EPUB, PDF, and more. You can save audio as MP3, WAV, and other formats. Before converting, you can even customize the speed, pitch, volume, and pronunciation of the audio. Anyway, it helps a lot when it comes to converting text to speech. Here are some of its key features, pros, and cons. After weighing, you can decide whether to use it or not.
Features:
- Text to speech conversion
- Read text from various file types, such as DOC, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, PDF, and more.
- Save the text into audio files like MP3, WAV, and OGG.
- Save synchronized text in external LRC files
- Reads text directly from the computer's clipboard
Pros:
- Free of charge
- Easy of use
- Supports a wide range of document types
- Allow users to multitask by listening to content while performing other activities
Cons:
- The default voices are not as natural-sounding as those found in premium
- A license must be purchased for commercial use
- No mac version
How to Convert Text to Speech Using iTop Screen Recorder
After learning about the key features, advantages, and disadvantages of text to speech software for PC, it’s time to see how they work to convert text to speech. Let’s take iTop Screen Recorder as an example and see how to convert text to speech. If you want to learn how to record TV shows or other live streamings using this text to speech for PC, you can directly download it and give it a try!
Step 1. Get this text-to-speech software for PC free download on your Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11.
Step 2. From the main screen, choose Text to Speech from the bottom menu.
Step 3. Choose a voice from the left-hand menu and enter your text into the right blank area. Once done, click Generate Audio to proceed.
Step 4. Then, iTop Screen Recorder will start converting your text to speech. Once finished, you can save your audio to your computer and check it whenever you want.
The Bottom Line
There is so many text to speech software for PC on the market, but iTop Screen Recorder stands out for its advanced AI technology, customizability, and rich features. As one of the most popular text-to-speech apps for PC, it allows you to convert any written text to speech. In addition to that, it also allows you to do other live streamings on your computer. Whatever, get this free text to speech software for Windows - iTop Screen Recorder download—and give it a try!