Video is a multimedia format and it depends on both visual and audio channels to deliver the key messages to the audience. That’s why YouTube content creators need software tools that help them produce both of these elements and combine them into a great-looking clip. In particular, software that automates creative processes and eliminates the need for live recording has a lot of value in this niche.

The emergence of AI-based text-to-speech generators has made video creation a whole level more accessible and lowered the entry barriers for beginners. While it still takes some skill to make top-notch YouTube clips, the amount of time, effort, and money needed for optimal results has been greatly reduced. We present 10 of the finest text-to-speech software apps that can be used for YouTube video creation, and we’ll let you be the judge which one is the best.

Why You Need Text to Speech Generators for YouTube Videos

If you tried making a YouTube video before, you know that compiling the audio can be harder than preparing the visuals. There are fewer sound libraries on the web than stock image and video sites, so it’s consequently much harder to find ready-made audio without recording it on your own. There are many reasons why creators would rely on text-to-speech algorithms to instantly create audio, including the following:

• It would be too expensive to hire live voice artists to record the required audio
• The creator lacks the recording equipment to create high-quality audio
• There is a need to record a voiceover in a foreign language or translate an existing one
• You want to use a specific type of voice in the video
• A series of videos are being made and computer-generated audio is the only way to produce a sufficient quantity of sound material
• The creator wants to automate the video-making process with AI tools and scale up his business

Top 10 Text-to-Speech Generators for YouTube

Narakeet

With this AI-powered software, anyone can almost instantly generate audio clips of any length. Narakeet is very intuitive to use and has a minimal learning curve, which is contributing to its rapid adoption and growing popularity. Many experts consider it to be the best text to speech software for YouTube, and there are plenty of arguments in favor of this claim.

Core features:

• Simple text-to-speech tool that can be accessed from a web browser
• Supports lots of different languages and offers multiple voices for each language
• Text can be imported from a Word file or typed directly into the web interface
• Entire videos can be created from text using the Markup language

Critical shortcomings:

• Not all of the offered voices are of the same quality
• Free version can’t be used for commercial purposes

Pricing: Charged per audio/video duration, with prices ranging from $0.20 per minute to as low as $0.05

User feedback:

• G2: N/A
• Capterra: N/A

Murf

Thanks to the deep learning algorithms it deploys, this platform streamlines voiceover creation and saves a lot of resources in the process. Murf is frequently used to prepare audio for YouTube videos, as well as TV commercials, interactive tutorials, etc. There is a reason why this software is among the fastest-growing text-to-speech platforms in the world at the moment.

Core features:

• AI-based voiceover tool that instantly translates text into high-quality audio
• Features 120 very realistic AI voices in more than 20 different languages
• It’s possible to upload a voice and sync it with an AI voice
• Users can control speed, pitch, and points of emphasis in the voiceover

Critical shortcomings:

• The possibilities for voice customization are relatively limited
• AI algorithm has trouble pronouncing more complicated words

Pricing: Free plan is available, Basic plan costs $19 per user monthly, Pro plan is priced at $26 per user/month, Enterprise plan is offered for $75 per user per month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.6 (98 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5 (4 reviews)

Deepbrain AI Studios

The level of realism you can achieve with this AI text to video program is truly impressive, and you don’t have to be an expert to do it. All it takes is a text description and you can produce fresh videos within minutes. AI Studios is a part of the larger Deepbrain software suite, which aims to minimize the need for human labor in various aspects of business operations.

Core features:

• Fully integrated cloud based AI platform for video production
• Ready-made video templates and humanlike avatars are provided to users
• Avatars can pronounce text in more than 80 different languages
• Many realistic celebrity voices are offered

Critical shortcomings:

• There is no audio editor in which voiceovers could be changed
• Rendering time is slower than for simpler text-to-speech tools

Pricing: Starter plan costs $30 per month, Pro plan is offered for $225 per month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.5 (147 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6 (38 reviews)

Speechify

This audio software utilizes AI technology in smart ways, considerably shortening the time needed to create a voiceover from scratch. It can be used as an extension for Chrome or Safari, and it produces very authentic output that can be used professionally. That’s why Speechify is an important item in the toolbox of every serious YouTuber.

Core features:

• Very user friendly text-to-speech software that positively impacts productivity
• Users can choose between over 150 pre-made AI voices for their projects
• Delivers very fast pronunciation up to 900 words per minute
• Existing documents can be uploaded to the site and converted to text input

Critical shortcomings:

• Many of the voices lack emotion and nuance
• Lack of advanced sound editing tools

Pricing: Free plan is available, Premium plan costs $139 per year

User feedback:

• G2: 4.4 (4 reviews)
• Capterra: 3.8 (5 reviews)

Descript

With this powerful audio tool you can instantly translate text into audio and vice versa, giving you full complement of options when working with YouTube videos. It can also create captions, capture the screen or webcam feed, and perform several other creative tasks. Basically, this is an all-in-one digital production studio that can help you pump out YouTube clips in rapid succession.

Core features:

• Two-way converter between text and audio equipped with additional recording and editing capabilities
• Audio and video can be edited simply by changing the input text
• Multi-track audio editing is enabled with plenty of advanced features and filters
• Includes a dedicated video clip maker for social media

Critical shortcomings:

• Integration with other business applications needs to be improved
• The software has several bugs and sometimes clashes with the device OS

Pricing: Free plan exists, Creator plan costs $12 per user/month, while Pro plan is priced at $24 per user/month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.5 (336 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8 (160 reviews)

Listnr

As a relative newcomer in this niche, Listnr has attracted a lot of attention lately. This is a simple but effective AI audio suite that allows for effortless crafting of voiceovers and other media formats. Since Listnr can produce both the visuals for a YouTube video and let you choose the perfect voice to go with it, you might not need any other video making software.

Core features:

• AI based application that turns text prompts into audio or video
• There is a huge library of over 900 voices in more than 140 languages
• Extremely simple web-based interface that creates audio within seconds
• Finished voiceovers can be downloaded as MP4 and WAV files

Critical shortcomings:

• There is no possibility to control speed or pitch of the audio
• This software frequently lags and occasionally experiences bugs

Pricing: Forever free version is available, Student plan costs $9 per month, Individual plan is offered for $19 per month, Solo plan costs $35 monthly, while Agency plan can be acquired for $99 per month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.7 (12 reviews)
• Capterra: N/A

HeyGen

If you are serious about producing high-end videos for YouTube, HeyGen is a tool you might find very useful. This text to speech generator relies on AI algorithms to translate your input into crisp audio and amazing-looking video at a press of a button. Not only it greatly reduces the cost of video production, but it also lets people without technical skills express their creative ideas.

Core features:

• Virtual video making studio that eliminates the need for camera, crew, or actors
• More than 100 stock characters and 300 unique AI voices are offered
• Very high standard of data security, with adherence to SOC 2 protocol
• You can clone a voice from an audio recording and assign new lines to it

Critical shortcomings:

• Rendering times for audio and video are not great
• It can be tricky to properly optimize all parameters for automated video creation

Pricing: Free plan is offered, Creator package is priced at $24 per month/ Business package costs $72 monthly

User feedback:

• G2: 4.8 (457 reviews)
• Capterra: N/A

WellSaid Studio

This text-to-speech software comes pretty close to faithfully replicating human voice and it performs admirably in a number of business contexts. It takes only a few clicks to create a custom audio starting from nothing more than a text-based script. The software allows users to build their own collection of voices and use them whenever needed to quickly produce new content.

Core features:

• Text-to-speech generator suitable for marketing, educational, and social media videos
• In addition to ready-made voices, users can create Voice Avatars for their projects
• Thanks to WellSaid API, AI voices can be integrated into different applications
• The entire team can collaboratively work on an audio project

Critical shortcomings:

• Significantly more expensive than other TTS solutions
• English is the only language supported

Pricing: Free trial is provided (1 week), Maker package costs $44 per month, Creative plan is offered for $89 monthly, Team plan costs $179 per user/month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.7 (66 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 (13 reviews)

LOVO

If you are looking for the ultimate text-to-speech generator that will excel in any role, LOVO might be the right answer. This is enterprise-grade software that empowers YouTube creators as well as marketers to up their multimedia game and deliver amazing videos on a budget. It comes equipped with a palette of AI-based creative tools that won’t take too long to master.

Core features:

• Generative AI platform that includes a text-to-speech module and several other tools
• Voice generator named Genny assists users with crafting professional audio
• A collection of more than 500 realistic AI voices is available, while voice cloning is possible
• Includes an online video editor in which you can combine your audio with visuals

Critical shortcomings:

• There is a sharp learning curve for new users
• Additional diversity of AI voices would be welcome

Pricing: Free plan is available, Basic plan can be purchased for $19 per month, Pro plan costs $24 monthly, and Pro+ plan is offered for $75 per month

User feedback:

• G2: 4.3 (26 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5 (56 reviews)

HumanTalk

With AI tools contained in this software, you can write your scripts from scratch and have them turned into human-sounding audio, all within a few minutes. The idea is to reduce the amount of manual work to the greatest extent possible and allow creators to produce more videos with minimal resources. It’s definitely worth trying if you are an aspiring YouTuber.

Core features:

• All-in-one AI platform that combines automated text writing with a text-to-audio function
• Includes over 800 human voice clones available to use instantly
• AI voices are capable of giving an emotionally nuanced performance
• Voices can be sorted by age, language, gender, and emotion

Critical shortcomings:

• Too complicated sign up and deployment may turn away some users
• Limited number of emotions can be simulated

Pricing: One-time payment of $49

User feedback:

• G2: N/A
• Capterra: 4.8 (813 reviews)

FAQs about Text to text-to-speech Generators for YouTube

What affects the performance of text-to-speech programs based on artificial intelligence?

The most important factor is naturally the quality of the AI algorithm used to interpret the text. Complexity of the text, speed of pronunciation, chosen language & accent, and other factors can significantly decrease the quality of output, so creators should be careful when preparing their scripts.

Can AI-generated voiceovers replace human actors in high-end video productions?

While some text-to-speech generators produce authentic-sounding audio, at this stage it’s difficult to imagine AI voices replacing voiceover artists in major productions. AI-generated audio is better suited to low-budget projects, for example creating promotional YouTube videos.

Are online text-to-speech generators good enough to use professionally?

Yes, many of the best free text to speech for YouTube videos listed in this article can be accessed through a web browser using any smart device. However, purchasing an advanced plan is recommended if professional use is the primary intention, as you will likely need the extra features.

Conclusion

Text-to-speech generators based on generative AI technology are making it possible to create videos without a large budget and lots of equipment. There are many competing products in this class, and not all of them offer the same quality. We tried to survey the field and identify the most promising software platforms for audio generation, but it’s important to understand this is a young, highly dynamic industry and all of the described products are being frequently updated with new functions. What’s your opinion on this subject – which text-to-speech application would you recommend to YouTube video makers?