Recommended Text-to-Speech Software Summary: 7 Selections for Commercial Use [Free and Paid]
AI text-to-speech services are recommended for art museum audio guides! Thorough explanation of benefits and implementation methods
Jan. 26, 2026
I want to introduce an audio guide to the museum!
Audio guides can significantly boost the satisfaction of visitors coming to art museums.
By introducing an audio guide (voice guidance), you can clearly convey the appeal of the exhibited works and the highlights of the exhibition, encouraging visitors who are not usually familiar with art to visit repeatedly.
But have you given up because you think introducing an audio guide is expensive?
In fact, with a text-to-speech service using AI, museum audio guides can be introduced easily and at a low cost!
By introducing voice guidance, why not provide a service that rivals even those of famous national or prefectural museums at the art museum you operate or work for?
Recommended text-to-speech service for museum audio guides
If you are producing audio for a museum audio guide, Ondoku is recommended!
Ondoku is a web service that uses the latest AI to read text aloud in "easy-to-hear voices" and "realistic voices like actual human beings."
It can be easily used from a web browser just by entering text.
Since it supports 100 languages, you can prepare audio guides in foreign languages such as English, Chinese, and Korean to improve services for inbound tourists.
Furthermore, Ondoku can be used for free!
- Without registration: 1,000 characters/month
- With registration: 5,000 characters/month
Since you can have these amounts read aloud, it is fully possible to create one special exhibition's worth of audio guides for free!
When producing museum audio guides, why not try using Ondoku?
What are the benefits of introducing an audio guide to a museum?
Audio guides (voice guidance) have become common at large-scale art museums and special exhibitions.
However, small-scale museums and private art museums may often be hesitating to introduce them.
In fact, audio guides can be introduced easily and at a low cost!
Moreover, there are many benefits to introducing them.
Benefit 1. Improved visitor satisfaction
The greatest benefit of a museum audio guide is improved visitor satisfaction.
The purposes and knowledge of visitors coming to art museums vary.
Writing captions and explanations for visitors who are knowledgeable about art is too difficult, but if the content is simplified, art fans won't be satisfied...
Have you ever had such a worry?
By introducing an audio guide, you can solve that problem!
By using an audio guide to explain the key points of works clearly to visitors who are not usually familiar with art, you can convey the appeal of art and increase repeat visitors.
Benefit 2. Increased revenue for the museum
Of course, audio guides also help increase the revenue of the art museum!
The market price for renting an audio guide is around 300 to 500 yen.
For a relatively small museum with about 10,000 annual visitors, if 20% of visitors rent a guide, the revenue increases by 600,000 to 1,000,000 yen.
This is by no means a small amount of income for the operation of a museum.
Of course, by advertising catalogues and the museum shop within the audio guide, you can expect even further revenue growth!
Benefit 3. Improved accessibility
Additionally, introducing an audio guide can improve accessibility.
For elderly visitors, who are common on weekdays, reading the small text of captions is very difficult.
However, if the captions are made too large, the calm atmosphere of the exhibition room will be lost.
By introducing an audio guide, it is possible for more visitors to enjoy the exhibition.
You can also prevent accidents where people get too close to works to try to read the captions and damage them.
Introducing an audio guide is also recommended for achieving universal design.
Benefit 4. Supporting inbound tourists
By introducing an audio guide to the museum, you can also improve services for inbound tourists.
While the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan is steadily increasing, many curators likely find that in their busy work, they cannot quite get around to multilingualizing captions and explanatory texts.
In such cases, we recommend starting with the introduction of audio guides.
The greatest benefit is that you can support foreign languages without modifying the exhibition room.
Since there is no need to change the placement of captions and explanatory texts, you can prevent situations like "the explanations for the permanent exhibition are covered in correction stickers."
If you are going to introduce them, it is recommended to start with English, Chinese, and Korean, which are the languages of many tourists visiting Japan.
By writing "Foreign language audio guides are available" in each language on the official website, it is also possible to increase inbound visitors!
![[Preserved Version] Solving Inbound x Overtourism Issues! Methods for Multilingual Guidance Created with Latest AI Tools | Text-to-Speech Software Ondoku](https://storage.googleapis.com/ondoku3/image/20241215_inbound_overtourism_tmb_930.webp)
How to introduce an audio guide to a museum?
If you are introducing an audio guide (voice guidance) to a museum, using an AI text-to-speech service is recommended!
It can be introduced at a much lower cost and in a shorter time than before!
Introducing an audio guide with an AI text-to-speech service
Previously, to introduce an audio guide to a museum, it was necessary to have professional narrators or voice actors record the audio.
Not only were the costs high, but a long period was required from writing the script to completing the audio, and revisions during the exhibition period were also difficult.
Therefore, we recommend a text-to-speech service using the latest AI.
AI text-to-speech services can generate realistic and easy-to-hear audio just by entering text.
Since a single curator can create audio while remaining at the museum, you can introduce an audio guide much more easily than by requesting a narrator or voice actor.
Of course, AI text-to-speech services are low cost.
For example, Ondoku allows you to read up to 5,000 characters/month for free just by registering an account!
If you are introducing an audio guide (voice guidance) to a museum, an AI text-to-speech service is recommended!
Can respond in detail to permanent exhibitions and small special exhibitions
What museums really want people to see is not special exhibitions, but permanent exhibitions.
However, many curators likely struggle with not being able to increase the attraction of permanent exhibitions.
With an AI-powered audio guide that can be introduced at a low cost, it is possible to realize service improvements for permanent exhibitions that were previously impossible.
You can respond in detail even to small-scale original exhibitions that are not touring exhibitions.
Of course, municipal-level museums with relatively small budgets or small-scale museums such as private art museums are also fine.
To increase the museum's appeal, improve profitability, and above all, popularize art more widely, an audio guide using an AI text-to-speech service is ideal.
Ondoku: The recommended AI text-to-speech service for introducing audio guides
If you are introducing an audio guide (voice guidance) to a museum, Ondoku is recommended!
Ondoku is an AI text-to-speech service that can generate realistic, easy-to-hear, high-quality audio with latest AI.
Since it is a simple operation of just entering text, you can create audio smoothly and without stress in the middle of busy curator duties.
Since it also supports filling out security sheets, use in public museums is also OK!
Because it supports foreign languages such as English, Chinese, and Korean, you can also create audio guides for inbound tourists.
Moreover, Ondoku is free!
By registering an account, you can read up to 5,000 characters/month, so you can create the audio for one exhibition for free.
Also introduced at the National Museum of Ethnology
Ondoku has also been introduced at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku)!
Because museum audio guides contain many technical terms, it is recommended to use a service with a proven track record.
Why not try introducing an audio guide using Ondoku, the AI text-to-speech service perfect for museums?
[3 Steps] How to make a museum audio guide
How do you make a museum audio guide?
Finally, I will specifically explain how to make a museum audio guide using an AI text-to-speech service!
1. Write the script
First, write the script for the audio guide.
The point is to clarify the target.
Referring to the trends of regular visitors,
- A segment not usually familiar with art
- Knowledgeable art fans
- Children
- Inbound tourists
Write the script conscious of what kind of visitors will listen to the audio guide.
If you're unsure, it's better to target segments that don't usually visit museums or light art fans without making the content too technical.
Since knowledgeable art fans are likely to buy catalogues, leave technical content to those and recommend writing scripts for light segments to aim for them to become repeaters.
Also be conscious of changes in visitors each season
During seasons with many children and families, such as summer and spring breaks, writing scripts for children is also recommended.
When writing scripts for inbound tourists, it is also recommended to research changes in inbound tourists by season, such as preparing an English script for the New Year holidays and a Chinese script for the Lunar New Year.
Utilize AI translation sites for foreign language scripts
When writing foreign language scripts, it is recommended to utilize AI translation sites.
Specifically,
- English: DeepL
- Chinese: Baidu Translate
- Korean: Papago
are standard AI translation sites.
However, watch out for mistranslations.
Especially for technical terms, artist names, and work titles, it is recommended to research standard translations in each language.
2. Create audio files with Ondoku
Once the script is ready, create audio files using Ondoku.
Open the Ondoku top page from here.
Enter the script text into the text box.
Select the language.
Select the voice.
*You can listen to audio samples on these pages.
Press the "Read Aloud" button and audio file generation will begin.
The audio file will be completed in a few seconds.
When the audio file is completed, the display will switch, and you can listen to the generated speech.
If there is no problem, press "Download" to save the file.
The storage format is MP3.
At this time, if you save the files with sequential numbers for each chapter of the audio guide, it will be convenient to play the audio in order.
In this way, creating audio files for guides with Ondoku is very easy!
Why not try Ondoku from here first?
3. Provide as an audio guide
Once the audio files are completed, provide them to visiting guests as an audio guide.
There are 3 main methods of providing audio guides.
1. Dedicated audio guide equipment
What is used in many art museums is playback equipment dedicated to audio guides.
In addition to purchasing them, you can also introduce them through leasing.
However, since it is dedicated business equipment, the drawback is that it is expensive for both purchase and leasing.
In exchange, you can have the manufacturer or leasing company respond in case of trouble.
2. MP3 players
Simple consumer MP3 players with only play, stop, rewind, and fast-forward functions are also recommended.
The benefit is that they can be introduced at a very low cost.
The drawback is that in case of trouble such as failure, the museum must handle it itself.
This is recommended equipment when you want to introduce them while suppressing costs anyway, such as at small-scale museums.
Lending neck speakers instead of earphones is also recommended
When lending equipment to visitors, it is also recommended to lend speakers worn around the neck instead of earphones.
This is a method increasingly adopted for lending equipment at large museums recently.
Unlike earphones, the benefit is that they are superior in hygiene because they do not directly touch the skin.
Also, since surrounding sounds can be heard, accidents such as visitors bumping into each other can also be prevented.
3. Have visitors play them on their smartphones
It is also a recommended method to post audio files on the museum's official website and have visitors listen to them.
The benefit is that no equipment introduction is necessary and no lending effort is required.
The drawback is that if you simply post them, no rental fee will be generated, and it takes effort for visitors to prepare their own earphones.
This is a recommended method when the purpose is to increase revenue through museum shop sales and increasing repeaters without seeking revenue from the audio guide alone.
■ AI voice synthesis software "Ondoku"
"Ondoku" is an online text-to-speech tool that can be used with no initial costs.
- Supports approximately 50 languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, and German
- Available from both PC and smartphone
- Suitable for business, education, entertainment, etc.
- No installation required, can be used immediately from your browser
- Supports reading from images
To use it, simply enter text or upload a file on the site. A natural-sounding audio file will be generated within seconds. You can use voice synthesis up to 5,000 characters for free, so please give it a try.
Text-to-speech software "Ondoku" can read out 5000 characters every month with AI voice for free.
You can easily download MP3s and commercial use is also possible.
If you sign up for free, you can convert up to 5,000 characters per month for free from text to speech.
Try Ondoku now.
HP:
ondoku3.com
Email: ondoku3.com@gmail.com
Email: ondoku3.com@gmail.com
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"Ondoku" is a Text-to-Speech service that anyone can use for free without installation. If you register for free, you can get up to 5000 characters for free each month. Register now for free
