Text To Speech Google Chrome

Natural Reader Chrome Extension

Best For Desktop & Mobile Users

Natural Reader is one of the major players on the best text-to-speech chrome extension list. Its available on both Mac and PC desktops, and a huge feature is the ability to pivot over your mobile app. As it supports most files, its also one of the most versatile text-to-speech Chrome extensions on the market.

Here are some of Natural Readers pros and cons:

• Once the extension is downloaded, itsvery easy to use. A little box appears with a play and pause button. Highlight the text you wish to read, and it will begin playing.
• You could move forward and back on the speech if you missed something that was read.
• You can make different customizations, including changing the voice and listening speed.
• Listen to PDF files , Google Docs, emails, Kindle books, and web pages.
• You can easily switch from desktop to the mobile app, which is a pretty nice feature.
• There is a new limit on the voices in the Plus service, which can be annoying when youre paying.

Pricing: There is a free version, but it only gives you 20 minutes per day. Upgrade to the Premium and Plus depending on how much time per day you need it for one-time payments.

VERDICT

Overall, Natural Reader is one of the leaders in the best text-to-speech chrome extensions for a reason. It accurately grabs the text you want to read without accidentally skipping over important sections.

Text To Speech Tools And 5 Ways Your Students Can Use Them

text to speech toolsfive ways students can benefit from text to speech toolsthree of the best Chrome extensionsview the short video read the rest of the postAssistance for readingMultiple modalitiesSelf-editing for writingWorld language fluencyMultitaskingChrome Web Store linkpremium version for freeSpeakIt!Chrome Web Store linkAnnouncifyChrome Web Store linkPost by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at and on Google+ at

Are Dictanote And Voice In Different Products

Yes, Dictanote and Voice In are two separate products built by the same team addressing different use cases.Dictanote is a note-taking app with built-in voice-to-text integration. Writers use it to write their books, students use it to take notes, etc. Dictanote automatically syncs your notes to the cloud and makes them available on all your devices. Learn more about Dictanote.Voice In is a chrome extension that lets you use speech-to-text to type on any website in Chrome. Use it to type emails in Gmail, enter data into Teladoc, write blogs in WordPress, etc.

Don’t Miss: Does Freedom Of Speech Include Hate Speech

The Most Popular Text To Speech Chrome Extensions For 2022

Text To Speech software was initially used by those with visual or reading disabilities. And although that still holds true, an entire alternative market has opened up: entrepreneurs or individuals looking to speed up their productivity.

Have a PDF or file to read? Why not get text-to-speech software to read it aloud while youre simultaneously working on something else? And since many people utilize Google Chrome, Ive done the footwork to find the best text-to-speech Chrome extensions.

If youre looking for a comprehensive list of Text To Speech software for personal and business use, Ive created that list for you too.

Now, lets determine which Text to Speech chrome extension will best serve your needs.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Ill receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Best Text To Speech Chrome Extensions

Chrome extensions are a great way to make your life easier and more comfortable. They can be installed as a browser add-on and are designed to boost your productivity, enhance your workflow, and enrich as well as customize your user experience. Chrome extensions are handy tools that help you perform a particular task within a minimal time and with less effort. Today, millions of bespoke chrome extensions eliminate the need to use traditional apps or separate software to perform tasks quickly, and one such extension is text to speech.

Have you ever been interrupted while reading a blog post or an article and lost track of the information? Or come across an article with an intriguing subject matter but didn’t have time to read it? This happens more often than you can imagine, and users find themselves spending more time finding information than actually reading it. This is where text to speech chrome extensions play their part.

Before we mention the most useful text to speech chrome extensions, let us look at the ‘must-have’ features of a TTS chrome extension.

Also Check: What Languages Are The Bible Written In

Speechify Text To Speech Voice Reader Pricing

This Text to Speech Voice Reader has a free plan and a premium version plan.

The free trial plan includes 10 standard default voices to be used, a speed of 1x for selected text read aloud, and it can be used in operating system iOS, Android, Chrome and Google Docs

The premium plan costs $139 per year and allows you to use more than 30 natural premium voices.

This plan also gives you access to 20+ languages which are designed for human-sounding speech.

Scans the readability of the text and turns it to audio.

• Listen at speeds up to 1x
• Listen anywhere

• 30+ high quality, natural reading voices
• 20+ different languages
• Scan and listen to any printed text
• Listen at 5x faster speeds
• Powerful highlighting + note taking tools
• Advanced skipping and importing

Our Top Pick: Speechify

Launched in 2016, Speechify comes with an ever-evolving text to speechAPI. Both the mobile app and its browser extension counterpart offer support in different languages and a great selection of natural-sounding voices.

It supports multiple written content formats. Users can put it to work and improve their understanding of PDFs, documents, online articles, emails, and many more digital resources.

In addition, the desktop version of Speechify comes with optical character recognition technology capable of turning entire documents into understandable audio narrations. This is one of the most popular trends in TTS due to its implications in the real world and interaction with hard-copy templates.

The reading accuracy, voice clarity, and adjustable speed can help struggling students or employees on tight deadlines go through important files at two or three times the speed without compromising their understanding of the information. The AI voices are some of the best around and maintain their reading accuracy through all speed settings. Add to that the flexibility and cross-platform functionality, and Speechify is easily a top solution among TTSapps.

Going one step further, Speechify offers its users top-tier customer support. Unlike some competitors, Speechify counts on trained individuals to resolve most of their customers issues instead of the more traditional chatbot support function.

Recommended Reading: How Does Speech Therapy Work

Can Google Docs Read Out Loud

Once youve opened the Google Doc in question, select the Accessibility menu from the toolbar at the top of the screen. Choose the Speak option. At that point, you can click on the button labeled Speak Selection from the drop-down menu.

Once this is activated, you can have Google Docs read out loud from the point that your cursor is currently positioned at. Keep in mind, however, that when the ChromeVox functionality is turned on, it will begin reading out loud for every tab that you have open in your browser.

However, Speechify is the better alternative. Try it free! No matter where you use Google Docs laptop or mobile device, Safari or Google Chrome, Speechify is the best rated app for text to speech.

Read& write For Google Chrome

includes a range of features for supporting reading, writing, studying and research, including:

• text-to-speech to hear websites, articles and documents aloud
• speech-to-text to dictate material
• collection of highlighted material for reference and studying

Read& Write for Google Chrome is free to try with all features for 30 days. After 30 days some features, including text to speech, remain free.

You May Like: Because Internet Understanding The New Rules Of Language

Natural Reader Text To Speech

Natural Reader Text to Speech features & specifications summary

• Fewer free voice options than Read Aloud
• Requires registration to access advanced settings
• Some features are locked behind a paywall

Natural Reader has most features that Read Aloud supports. You can use it from the right-click menu, or click to play the text or the page. Offline playback is a nice bonus to have. The extensions best feature is its widget, its not a floating panel but it places several useful options at your disposal. The playback interface is almost like a music players, and easy to use. Clicking the gear icon expands the widget, to display a settings panel, from which you can switch languages/voices, customize the add-ons behavior, etc. It even has a minimal mode that you can toggle. The immersive reader is a bonus feature that removes images, sidebars, and other visual elements, allowing you to read the page in a distraction-free mode.

Since Natural Reader relies on Googles text-to-speech voices, the experience isnt any different than other services. The extension supports a couple of dozen voices, and about 18 languages for free, while the rest require a premium account to use. You may use the companion Android app to save articles and listen to them on your mobile phone.

Download the Natural Reader Text to Speech Chrome extension here.

Android: Google Voice Typing

The best voice recognition tool for Google Docs, Google Voice Typing , used to be found only on Android devices. Install the Google Docs app, open a document, and tap the microphone icon located to the left of the space bar on the on-screen keyboard. Then talk. Google Voice Typing turns your speech into text.

Figure A

On Android, Google Voice Typing turns speech into text accurately and quickly.

Also Check: The Abc In Sign Language

How Tts Can Help You In Your Browser

Not all TTS tools are created equal. Some are more limited in their capabilities and functionality. However, many TTS tools can use their assistive technology for high-quality interpretation of written digital content.

Children, people with reading disabilities, or anyone interested in improving their multitasking can use a TTS tool to read entire web pages, transcriptions, and other text-based content. Text to speech audio can even help people go through entire PDF documents. Document reading assistance on mobile devices can also prove invaluable due to the smaller screens and general lack of readability when it comes to documents with small font sizes.

TTS tools are perhaps even more helpful to children and students with dyslexia. A TTS browser extension can help students use digital educational tools and keep up with everyone else in the class. The assistance TTS tools provide can give a massive boost to a students sense of self-worth and keep them motivated.

TTSapps are available in different languages and can provide high-quality, real-time narrations from text files, , Microsoft Word documents, and other types of digital content.

So, what are the best text to speech Google Chrome extensions? Lets find out.

Apple And Windows Systems

Apple devices and Microsoft Windows systems also offer speech recognition options. Dictation on Apple mobile devices works much like Google Voice Typing on Android: tap the microphone to the left of the keyboard, then talk . On Mac OS devices, turn on Dictation. Microsofts speech recognition system requires a settings change, followed by a brief training session for the system to learn your voice in Windows 7, 8/8.1, and 10.

Figure D

Apple also offers Dictation, which provides speech recognition on iOS that works with the Google Docs app.

Read Also: Is Freedom Of Speech In The Constitution

I Want An Extension That Can Read Aloud My Documents Which One Should I Use

Some of these extensions, such as Natural Reader, have an online service that you can upload documents to, and get the extension to read it to you. However, for the sake of privacy, you should avoid uploading sensitive data. You are probably aware that Chrome can open PDFs, so you can use the browser to open the file directly. Did you know that Microsoft Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 have a Read Aloud option in the Review tab? If you are looking for a free and secure way to read the documents, paste the text content in your email composer, or Google Docs, or Microsoft Office Online, and use the select to read feature that these extensions provide.

Google Docs On The Web: Add

A third-party Add-on for Google Docs on the web also enables Speech Recognition . Unlike the on-screen keyboard, the Add-on works only within a Google Doc the Chrome OS on-screen keyboard works with all text fields.

Figure C

In Google Docs on the web, use the third-party Speech Recognition Add-on.

To install the Speech Recognition Add-on, open a Google Doc, choose Add-ons, and then select Get add-ons. Next, search for Speech, then choose the + Free button to add it. Every time you want to start voice recognition, go to the Add-ons menu, choose Speech Recognition, and click Start. A sidebar will appear to the right of your document. Choose your language and dialect, select the blue Start button, and then start talking.

Also Check: 5 Languages Of Appreciation In Workplace

Five Best Text To Speech Google Chrome Extensions

Assistive technology liketext to speech or read-aloud technology is rapidly progressing. These days, TTS features can be found in multiple digital services, and they can help users with reading issues take full advantage of opportunities in the virtual space. Web browser text to speech extensions are incredibly easy to use. Naturally, there are many text to speech available, and were taking a look here at the top five.

Text To Speech Extension For Google Docs

Speechify supports Google Docs text to speech across all devices. From Android, Chrome, Safari, and iOS. Once the Speechify TTS extension is installed, all you have to do is press the play button from the toolbar. Speechify will then read everything to you, creating a perfect audio experience that helps you retain more information and better understand the content in front of you.

All told, using text to speech in Google Docs is a great way to empower your ability to communicate and collaborate with both friends and colleagues. Because Google Docs is cloud-based, any changes that someone else makes to a document will be displayed on your own machine in real-time.

Therefore, if you were collaborating on a project with a co-worker for example, and that co-worker added a few new paragraphs of text to the file, you could have the Speechify extension read that specific information, or the entire thing, immediately after the changes have been made.

That way, you dont have to worry about delaying progress on whatever project youre working on. Regardless of whether you have some type of visual impairment or you just retain more information when it is presented via audio as opposed to text alone , this is a highly efficient way to help accomplish your goals.

Read Also: Most In Demand Programming Languages 2022

What Is A Text To Speech Software

A text to speech software is a computer program that converts written text into spoken words.

The text is usually read aloud in a natural sounding voice.

This type of software is often used by people who have difficulty reading, or by people who want to listen to text instead of reading it.

There are many reasons for using text to speech software.

Some people use it to assist with reading difficulties, others use it to help with writing, and still others use it for ADHD, dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

Additionally, this software can be used to convert text into audio files, which can be played back on devices such as smartphones or MP3 players.

You can obtain the files in different formats such as WAV, MP3 and OGG.

Finally, text to speech software can be used to create voice-over narration for videos or presentations.

There are multiple use cases like the creation of audios for customer support, for audiobooks, explainer videos, tutorial, news narrationvoice assistans and podcasts.

Such software is designed for people who prefer to use an external voice, than using their own voice for a multiple number of reasons, like being shy, not being able to pronounce a certain type of language, or it is faster to create the audios based on the text you want to read.

As artificial intelligence is improving, so it is the quality of the voice options that are handled by the text-to-speech applications.

Getting Started With Speechify

Getting started is easy if you want to be one of 20 million users to improve their knowledge assimilation abilities with Speechify.

Installing Speecifys Chrome extension is no different than adding any other extension to your browser. The cloud-based version of Speechify has about one million users, and anyone can try it for free. The setup takes just a few minutes, after which you can enjoy browsing written content with the desired voice and at whatever speed you find most comfortable.

Upgrading to the affordable pricing premium version enables support in over 20 languages, scanning hard-copy content, five read speeds, content skipping, and practical note-taking tools.

Recommended Reading: Farher Of The Bride Speech

How To Read Aloud With Speechify Best Text To Speech Chrome Extension

Go to the Google Chrome Extension marketplace.

Search for Speechify Text to Speech Voice reader.

Select the Text to audio extension.

In the options page, select the language you want to use for text-to-speech extension, the pitch, reading speed and rate of the voice, and whether you want to enable word highlighting.