Being vocal is the best way to connect with your audience. If you're keen on producing voice content with a text-to-speech app but want to check the nuances first, you are in the right place. Using a text-to-speech app allows businesses to convert content files into audio files to create language-friendly content that is available to the masses. It is not just a transformative strategy to optimize brand content; it also increases accessibility, comprehensiveness, and clarity for people speaking different dialects or who are visually impaired.
In this article, I have rounded up the 8 best free text-to-speech apps that handle these tasks and add variety to your content in 2026.
8 best free text-to-speech apps in 2026
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AI Studios: Best for AI-generated videos with human-like voiceovers
For creating studio-quality videos using text-to-speech, realistic avatars, and multilingual voice narration from a single platform. -
Colossyan Creator: Best for text-to-speech video presentations with avatars
For transforming written scripts into professional videos with contextual avatars, animations, and natural-sounding speech. -
Descript: Best for creators editing audio and video through text
For converting text to speech while editing podcasts, videos, and screen recordings using transcription-based workflows. -
ElevenLabs: Best for high-quality, realistic AI voice generation
For producing natural-sounding voiceovers, voice cloning, dubbing, and short audio content with precise control. -
HeyGen: Best for AI avatar videos with multilingual text-to-speech
For generating engaging marketing and training videos using AI presenters and lifelike voice synthesis. -
Murf.ai: Best for professional voiceovers and narration
For turning scripts into studio-quality audio with customizable AI voices, pitch control, and language support. -
Synthesia: Best for corporate training and explainer videos
For creating text-to-speech videos without cameras or microphones using AI avatars and multilingual voice options. -
VEED: Best for quick text-to-speech voiceovers with video editing
For generating voiceovers, subtitles, and edited videos from text in a simple, browser-based editor.
*The software list is arranged alphabetically. These tools offer free trials, free forever options, or freemium models.
Using natural language processing (NLP) features, these text-to-speech apps can read data from various website marketing sources and convert it into studio-quality audio.
Comparison of the best free text-to-speech apps
Here is a comparison of the 8 best free text-to-speech software in 2026. Compare their pricing and G2 ratings.
| Software | G2 rating | Free plan | Paid plan |
| AI studios | 4.3/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $24/mo/editor |
| Colossyan Creator | 4.6/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $19/mo/editor |
| Descript | 4.6/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $16/mo/person |
| ElevenLabs | 4.5/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $4.17/mo |
| HeyGen | 4.8/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $24/mo/user |
| Murf.ai | 4.7/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $19/mo/editor |
| Synthesia | 4.7/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $18/mo for 1 editor, 3 guests |
| VEED | 4.6/5 ⭐ | Yes, limited features | $12/mo/editor |
*All pricing details mentioned in the article are billed annually and based on publicly available data at the time of publication and are subject to change.
8 best free text-to-speech apps I recommend
The text-to-speech market is growing rapidly as audio-first and accessibility-focused content becomes the norm across marketing, education, and product experiences. The global text-to-speech market is expected to reach nearly USD 11.07 billion by 2035, driven by advances in AI-generated voices, multilingual support, and wider adoption across digital platforms.
As teams look to scale voiceovers, training content, and videos without recording equipment or voice talent, text-to-speech software has become a practical, cost-effective solution. It helps businesses repurpose written content into natural-sounding audio while improving accessibility and reach.
How did I find and evaluate the best free text-to-speech software?
To create this list, I analyzed G2’s free text-to-speech software category, focusing on tools with strong ratings, consistent user satisfaction, and broad adoption across content, education, and accessibility use cases. This helped narrow the list to platforms that perform reliably in real-world scenarios.
I then reviewed feature sets, product documentation, and verified G2 reviews to evaluate voice quality, language support, customization options, and ease of audio generation and export.
Because this roundup highlights free tools, I closely examined what each free plan actually offers and whether the free tier is practical for ongoing use or primarily suited for testing.
Any screenshots in this article may come from vendor G2 profiles or publicly available product resources.
The list below shows real user reviews from the best free text-to-speech software category page on G2. Please note that in this list's context, software that requires payment after a free trial is considered free.
To be included in this category, a solution must:
- Convert written text to natural-sounding speech
- Integrate with applications and websites via a connector such as an application programming interface (API)
- Control aspects of the synthesized voice, such as volume, pitch, and emotion
This data was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
Want to learn more about Text to Speech Software? Explore Text to Speech products.
1. AI Studios: Best for AI-generated videos with human-like voiceovers
AI Studios integrates voice recognition with content management systems (CMS) to make your content easier to understand and more user-friendly. With this software, you can add voice-based narration to your videos and develop marketing assets to show a more humanized, empathetic brand.
AI Studio offers machine learning model integrations to automate voice training and conversion processes. It helps you create multiple audiobooks to explain your product more clearly and in greater depth.
Pros of AI Studios |
Cons of AI Studios |
| Multi-language text-to-speech | Limited avatar styling |
| Mimics human speech and gestures | No provision for text editing |
| Studio quality sound for more understandability | Robotic voice-overs |
What G2 users like best:
"I love how I can create a video for anything by typing in my prompt and selecting any filters. There are many things to choose from, so I am never bored while creating content."
- AI Studios review, Leslie Briana S.
What G2 users dislike:
"I dislike that AI Studio does not let you edit the script alongside the video clip scenes to provide the most customized experience for the user."
- AI Studios review, Malembala M.
2. Colossyan Creator: Best for text-to-speech video presentations with AI avatars
Colossyan Creator enables you to build video presentations and decks with good-looking graphics, animations, and avatars. It also reads textual data from online or offline sources and generates a human-like video. This tool has globalized customer service and presentation delivery across businesses.
Pros of Colossyan Creator |
Cons of Colossyan Creator |
| Accurate speech synthesis from multiple text formats | Weak lip-audio sync |
| Democratization of video content | Insufficient formatting and editing of textual dialogues |
| Enables contextual avatar interaction | Weak avatar movement |
What G2 users like best:
“I have used several AI video creation products, and Colossyan Creator is the best! The text-to-speech capability is identical to everyday speech. The avatars are incredibly life-like. Multiple scenes with animations and transitions make the videos stunning. Their technical support is very responsive when help is needed. I highly recommend Colossyan Creator for your next video project.”
- Colossyan Creator review, Robert C.
What G2 users dislike:
"The character limit on some avatars, the fact that not all avatars have speech emotions, and speech emotions are unrealistic."
- Colossyan Creator review, Pedro M.
3. Descript: Best for creators editing audio and video through text
Descript transcribes documents or audio recordings into professional text-to-speech experiences. It also offers a consolidated proofreading and grammar-checking assistant to rule out inconsistencies and spelling errors. The tool converts text-to-speech and speech-to-text without causing any lags or system failures.
To get started with Descript, simply enable screen share or screen recorder and start dictating or writing the script. Its powerful AI-based engine efficiently parses text and voices.
Pros of Descript |
Cons of Descript |
| Direct editing of media clips | Could use a few more video automations |
| Easy and intuitive video interface | Speech-to-text transcription is weak |
| Automated and standardized video editing | Weak audio editing and rendering |
What G2 users like best:
"Descript is simply one of the easiest video editors available. Transcription-based editing speeds up the process. Instead of spending all the time shaving off seconds and milliseconds before the speaker utters a word in another nonlinear editing (NLE) software, here I can just cut the timeline with backspace. AI tools like Eye Contact are easy to use and much cheaper than other solutions. All in all, a must-have editor for most audiences, especially in software as a service (SaaS) marketing."
- Descript review, Nidhin M.
What G2 users dislike:
"While Descript is packed with features, some advanced editing tools can be limited compared to dedicated audio and video editing software. The occasional lag when dealing with large files can be frustrating.
The transcriptions end up adding up from a single project sometimes."
- Descript review, Yash C.
4. ElevenLabs: Best for high-quality, realistic AI voice generation
ElevenLabs converts technical content documentation into short video clips. You can use it to make different voices according to your project's theme and value proposition. You can produce, synthesize, record, and dub audio from one platform.
ElevenLabs also offers AI cloning, voice annotation, and text overlays or subtitles for your script. It allows you to add pauses and timestamps at regular intervals.
Pros of ElevenLabs |
Cons of ElevenLabs |
| Voice variation for text-to-speech | Lacks emotive expressions |
| Voice cloning and dubbing accuracy | Voice speeding at irregular intervals |
| Quick audio podcast creation | Weird noises and missed pronunciation |
What G2 users like best:
"Eleven Labs can do voice-to-voice, which, as a voice-over artist, allows me to get the perfect inflection and intonation when I need it."
- ElevenLabs review, Jon G.
What G2 users dislike:
"Professional voice cloning needs improvement, and for instant voice clones, there is no option to change accents, so voices may sound unrealistic."
- ElevenLabs review, Archith R.
5. HeyGen: Best for AI avatar videos with multilingual text-to-speech
HeyGen is an AI-powered video and text-to-speech platform that helps users create professional-quality videos using realistic AI avatars and natural-sounding voiceovers. It’s for teams wanting quick, engaging videos from scripts, without cameras, mics, or tech skills.
With support for multilingual text-to-speech, AI voice cloning, and lifelike avatars, HeyGen is commonly used for marketing videos, training content, explainers, and internal communications. Its intuitive interface makes it especially appealing to non-technical users, while its AI clone and avatar realism help elevate production quality beyond basic voiceover tools.
Pros of HeyGen |
Cons of HeyGen |
| Easy, no-code video creation | Minute-based pricing feels restrictive |
| High-quality AI voices and realistic avatars | Limited avatar customization and facial control |
| Fast production without recording equipment | Rounding and credit consumption can make usage hard to predict |
What G2 users like best:
“The AI avatar quality is impressively realistic, allowing for professional video content creation without the need for filming equipment or appearing on camera. The video translation feature maintains accurate lip-syncing across languages, making it ideal for connecting with international audiences. Additionally, the platform is user-friendly and produces videos rapidly, saving significant time compared to traditional video production methods.”
- HeyGen review, Evgenii B.
What G2 users dislike:
"The main challenge is understanding the credit system at the beginning, especially for new users who are experimenting and regenerating videos. Credits can be consumed quickly without realizing it. Clearer explanations or warnings around credit usage and regeneration would make the experience even better for first-time users."
- HeyGen review, Shadi S.
6. Murf.ai: Best for professional voiceovers and narration
Murf.ai provides artificial intelligence (AI) audio generation capabilities within its text-to-speech tool, so you can upload full-fledged, resourceful videos across social media platforms.
With its end-to-end audio and video rendering platform, you can narrate your text script aloud. It also integrates audio with text, simplifying the web interface and improving the user experience.
Murf.ai also produces real-time studio-quality audio and lets you improvise scripts after each playback run.
Pros of Murf.ai |
Cons of Murf.ai |
| Creation of voice actors and avatars | No free full application version |
| Language translation in audio production | Limited number of voice profiles |
| Intuitive and easy to navigate | Weak support for video editing |
What G2 users like best:
"Murf is a fantastic text-to-speech app for AI-generated voices! The variety and quality of the available voices in the free version are impressive, allowing me to create professional audio content quickly and easily. The intuitive user interface makes it simple for beginners to achieve top-notch results. The extensive customization options enable me to produce exactly the sound I need. The customer service is also excellent, responding promptly to questions and concerns. Murf has exceeded my expectations and is an essential tool for anyone working with voice recordings. Highly recommended!"
- Murf.ai review, Magic M.
What G2 users dislike:
"Since I don't know much about editing pitch, emphasizing words, and pauses to convey the emotion I want, I had to play around to figure it out. If there were presets where they suggest a combination of pitch, emphasis, etc, to try and see which sounds good quickly, it would be helpful. It would also be good to save those settings to my presets so I can apply them quickly and easily.”
- Murf.ai review, Pareena K.
7. Synthesia: Best for corporate training and explainer videos
Synthesia records audio from written content to improve productivity for your content, sales, and customer service teams. It offers human voice modulations for text sourced from Google Docs, HTML web pages, or other domains.
Synthesia offers multilingual translations in Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, and many other languages.
Pros of Synthesia |
Cons of Synthesia |
| Zero camera or crew support needed | Incorrect pronunciation of words |
| Language translation in audio production | Poor moderation process and weak customer support |
| Variety of customizable options and avatars | Inability to position the clicker during audio recording |
What G2 users like best:
"I like how you can import media as well as screen records. Adding your script and using an AI voice-over is useful and time-saving, since you don't have to record yourself. The customer support is beneficial and responds quickly."
- Synthesia review, Amira P.
What G2 users dislike:
“Besides pauses, there isn't any other way to control speech, such as emphasizing words, speed of speech, etc. I prefer a usage-based payment system, e.g., credits, rather than a monthly subscription. There may be months when I use it sparingly.”
- Synthesia review, Steve G.
8. VEED: Best for quick text-to-speech voiceovers with video editing
VEED generates voice-overs and audio recordings of written text. It has natural-sounding speech recognition features to parse text into relevant, natural-sounding audio. It also offers video editing and presentation tools to optimize your business workflows.
With VEED, you also get video production services, audio recording, audio editing, and slideshow template credits to better resonate with your audience.
Pros of VEED |
Cons of VEED |
| Easy video editing and captioning | Slow site reloading |
| Auto-generation of subtitles | Glitches in audio editing |
| High-quality and professional production | Cumbersome uploading of personal media |
What G2 users like best:
“One of VEED's standout strengths is its seamless integration with ChatGPT. This combination has proven extremely useful for generating scripts, developing ideas, and structuring content. The ability to receive text suggestions and improvements directly from ChatGPT has revolutionized my workflow, helping me work more creatively and efficiently.”
- VEED review, Nicholas E.
What G2 users dislike:
“There are a few things that they could improve about this platform. First, I've noticed that when I try to go back in and edit a video, many things need to be saved, including transitions and, sometimes, even text.
In addition, the platform randomly shuts down a lot if the file is more extensive. They can also improve the voice-overs that they have on file. It would be nice if they could adjust the tone. I've seen platforms where you can adjust the tone of certain words for voiceovers, which helps make it sound less AI-like.”
- VEED review, Carolyn H.
Free text-to-speech apps: Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Got more questions? We have the answers.
Q1. Do free text-to-speech apps sound natural?
Many free text-to-speech apps use AI-powered neural voices that sound fairly natural, especially for short-form content. However, free plans may limit access to premium voices, emotional controls, or advanced speech tuning compared to paid tiers.
Q2. What languages do free text-to-speech tools support?
Most free text-to-speech tools support multiple languages and accents, including English, Spanish, French, German, and more. Language availability and voice variety may be restricted on free plans, with broader support unlocked through paid subscriptions.
Q3. Can free text-to-speech apps export audio files?
Yes, most free TTS apps allow users to export audio files in formats like MP3 or WAV. That said, export limits, watermarks, or file-length restrictions may apply depending on the tool and plan.
Q4. Can I use free text-to-speech tools for commercial projects?
Some free text-to-speech apps allow limited commercial use, while others restrict usage to personal or non-commercial projects. Always review licensing terms before using generated audio in marketing, ads, or monetized content.
Q5. What are the limitations of free text-to-speech software?
Free plans often come with limits on usage credits, voice selection, audio length, exports, or customization options. They’re ideal for testing and light content creation, but scaling typically requires a paid upgrade.
Q6. How do I train the text-to-speech algorithm for follow-up customer queries?
To generate follow-up customer interactions, train your TTS tool with relevant human-entered questions. The TTS tool can shortlist specific human annotators and categorize data before converting it into audio.
Trademark your voice!
With text-to-speech apps, you can cut down on a lot of workload for content creation teams. By letting customers choose whether they want to read or listen, you come one step closer to gaining their trust and loyalty. We hope this list of the best free text-to-speech tools was useful to you!
Want to take text-to-speech a step further? Explore the best AI video generators on G2 to see how teams turn scripts into full videos using AI avatars and voiceovers.
This article was originally published in 2024. It has been updated with new information.
Shreya Mattoo
Shreya Mattoo is a former Content Marketing Specialist at G2. She completed her Bachelor's in Computer Applications and is now pursuing Master's in Strategy and Leadership from Deakin University. She also holds an Advance Diploma in Business Analytics from NSDC. Her expertise lies in developing content around Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, Peer Review Code, and Development Software. She wants to spread awareness for self-assist technologies in the tech community. When not working, she is either jamming out to rock music, reading crime fiction, or channeling her inner chef in the kitchen.
