5 Best English Text-to-Speech Software: Free, Paid, & Commercial Use

Hello, thank you for always using Ondoku.

Text-to-speech software has been increasingly utilized in various situations recently.

Text-to-speech software is extremely convenient once you use it, and it will likely become an essential technology in our future lives.

Therefore, in this article, we will introduce five popular recommended text-to-speech software programs in the English-speaking world.

We will also explain whether these five text-to-speech software programs can be used commercially.

Related articles on text-to-speech software recommended for English reading

In this article, we provide a detailed explanation of text-to-speech software and web services recommended for English reading.

Please take a look.

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Recommended text-to-speech software popular in the English-speaking world

1. Ondoku
2. Amazon polly
3. Natural Reader
4. Watson
5. oddcast

Ondoku

Ondoku Official Website

Ondoku is a text-to-speech software characterized by simple, easy-to-understand pages and a user-friendly UI.

Although we called it software, it is not a download version but a SaaS that can be used on a website.

The pricing plans are clear and simple.

• Reading of 5,000 characters/month: Free
• Reading of 200,000 characters/month: 9.99USD/month
• Reading of 450,000 characters/month: 19.99USD/month
• Reading of 1,000,000 characters/month: 29.99USD/month

As you can see, it can be used for free.

Even free members can download audio, and it is a user-friendly service with a wide range of applications.

Features of Ondoku

• Commercial use is possible even with free use
• Text-to-speech can be done for free
• Variety of speakers available
• Reading can be done on the web
• MP3 download available
• UI is easy to understand and use
• Supports not only English but also 81 languages and regions

If you're unsure, we recommend trying Ondoku first!

Amazon Polly

Amazon Polly Official Website

Amazon Polly, Amazon's text-to-speech service that started in November 2016.

It supports more than 40 languages and language variants (such as regional dialects), offers over 100 voices, and covers many languages.

By using an API, it can be integrated into various software and services.

However, without the technical skill to use an API, you cannot fully utilize Amazon Polly's services.

While you can read any text and save audio files from the AWS management console, using the API is necessary to integrate it into your own software or services.

Features of Amazon Polly

• Commercial use possible
• API is required for integration
• Variety of speakers available
• Supports not only English but also more than 40 languages and language variants

Natural Reader

Natural Reader Official Website

Natural Reader is a tool developed for people who struggle with reading text or who cannot read due to disabilities.

It is a SaaS that can be used immediately on a web browser without needing to download.

When using it, the available input screens differ between:

• Personal use
• Commercial use

[Personal Use]

Free users can use "Lite Voices" up to 20,000 characters per day, and "Plus Voices" and "Cloned Voices" up to 4,000 characters per day combined.

If you wish to use more than this, a paid subscription is required.

[Commercial Use]

Free use is not available.

If you wish to use it, a paid subscription is required.

Features of Natural Reader

• Commercial use is not allowed with a standard license
• Commercial use license available
• Variety of speakers available
• Reading can be done on the web
• MP3 download available (paid version only)
• UI is easy to understand and use
• Supports not only English but also more than 90 languages

Watson

Watson Official Website

Watson is a text-to-speech service developed and provided by IBM.

Similar to Amazon, using an API is necessary to integrate it into your own software or services.

However, according to the terms, the demo page below is limited to use for personal information gathering purposes.

For commercial use, you need to sign a contract for IBM Cloud services.

https://www.ibm.com/demos/live/tts-demo/self-service/home

Features of Watson

• Demo page cannot be used for commercial purposes (commercial use possible with IBM Cloud contract)
• API required
• Variety of speakers available

oddcast

oddcast Official Website

Oddcast, a unique text-to-speech site.

It can read up to 600 characters, and on the right half of the screen, figures of people or animals are projected as if they are speaking.

Depending on the character, it might be a bit scary, but it is a unique service like no other.

Features of oddcast

• No mention of commercial use
• Variety of speakers available
• Character projection function

Why not use popular text-to-speech software for your convenience?

This time, we introduced five popular text-to-speech services.

The world is very vast, and if you look, there are several other types of text-to-speech software and sites. We will introduce those on another occasion.

Personally, my recommendation is still Ondoku.

An easy-to-view website and being able to understand how to use it instantly are very important.

Please consider it as one of your options.

We look forward to seeing you soon.