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The world is changing, and now people use screens so much that they sometimes don’t want to even look at something with light coming out of it. Plus, according to World Bank; around 15% of people throughout the globe experience some sort of disability, which is why you should have WCAG (website content accessibility guideline) requirements met.
This will allow people with any disability or age to benefit from your content. This is where the Text to speech tools come in. There are consumer tools such as speechify that will help people to convert any text into natural sounding voice.
However, with the WordPress plugin, you can just put one on your website, and your audience will be able to listen to the content whenever they want.
So if you are excited to know more, you should read till the end; we have suggested the seven best text-to-speech WordPress plugins.
Best Text to Speech WordPress Plugins
Table of Contents
Play.ht
The plugin offers a unique experience to people listening to audio storytelling. It offers a range of languages with tons of AI-based voices of both male and female genders. Plus, the sound quality, pitch, and other elements of the voice make it seem very realistic.
Play.ht is perfect for bloggers who just want to have a plugin they can instantly connect with their blogs and be done with it. This is one of the reasons that over 6000+ bloggers and businesses use it on their websites. Some features are:
- Supports several different languages
- Offers 100+ AI-based voices
- All voices are close to being realistic
- Comes with three different customizable audio buttons
- You get full broadcast and commercial rights to use the audio for whichever purpose you want
ResponsiveVoice
An HTML based TTS (Text-to-Speech) library that is specifically designed to add voice to WordPress content so the audience can listen to the text from desktop, tablet and smartphones. The best part of using this plugin is that it supports up to 51 languages ranging from English (UK & US) to Russian, Welsh and so on. The plugin also features 168 voices in male and female genders.
Placing the plugin on your page is a piece of cake as well, just add the shortcode to any part of the page you want, and the button will appear there. You can also customize the audio player as per your preferences.
Some of the main features are:
- Listen to the content of any post with just one tap
- No limit on the conversion of text to speech
- Makes your website listenable on almost any device
- Tons of languages with hundreds of voices
- Support is prompt and courteous
Screen Reader
Just like most of the text to speech plugins, this one also allows you to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requirements to make your website accessible to all kinds of people irrespective of their age and disabilities.
The plugin comes with different features such as font sizing that you to adjust the font for dyslexic people, choosing between 3 levels of contrast, and multiple language support. Some of its main features are:
- Optimized audio allows reading without interruption
- Can be used with keyboard keys as well
- Supports up to 51 languages
- Offers different kinds of customizations
- Supports WCAG requirements
Say It!
If you are searching for the top text to speech WordPress Plugins when it comes to ease of use and sound quality, then Say It really does wonders. Firstly, it is free to use, which is pretty awesome considering its quality, and secondly, you can integrate it with Cloud using the JSON key and you will have better sound quality.
The plugin uses modern HTML5 based speech synthesis that doesn’t require you to subscribe to anything, just install it and that’s it. Some of its main features include:
- Very simple to use, no complex settings needed
- You can add more languages using shortcodes
- It’s open-source software, so no money needed
- It doesn’t collect your data, so you are safe there as well
- Just add shortcode to content, and you are good to go
AWS for WordPress
Nothing beats the good old AWS. Be it the voice quality, smooth functioning of audio without buffering, or overall better listening experience, you can trust Amazon for that. The best part of this TTS is that it leverages advanced deep learning to replicate human voices and make it as close to original ones as possible. This will give your audience a better listening experience.
Plus, customers can integrate with Alexa to listen to the posts on your blogs directly through it. The plugin has over 8,000 active installations as of now, which is a lot considering the fact that TTS plugins are not very popular. Some more features are:
- Allows you to submit podcasts as well
- You have different filters like the type of post it should be used for
- Supports multiple languages
- Supports SSML tags
- Uses deep learning for a more natural voice
GSpeech
Unlike the AWS TTS, this one leverages Google’s power to provide the best quality of the text to speech in terms of both sound and human-like voice. The plugin allows the audience to listen to any type of text from the site making your site accessible to all kinds of people irrespective of disabilities or age.
GSpeech also has an autoplay feature making it easy for the audience to just keep the content going without having to play each piece of post individually. Some more features are:
- Supports more than 50 languages and 40 speaker types
- Different types of customizable styles
- Offers live preview via the administration panel
- Users can also listen to menus by hovering over them
- You can set greetings for users
SiteSpeaker
One of the top text-to-speech WordPress plugins mainly because of its simplicity and effectiveness. The plugin uses engaging audio to read the text that helps the audience focus on what’s being said and absorb as much information as they can.
The plugin is designed to work across all devices, making it easier for every kind of user to have better accessibility to the content of your website. Some of its main features include:
- Supports over 25 languages
- Works with all types of CMS and offers a direct plugin for WP
- Very simple and attractive button for converting posts to audio
- The straightforward installation process is provided in steps on the plugin page
Final Words
There are many more TTS plugins out there, but we have only handpicked the cream of the crop for you. If you want to provide your audience with higher accessibility and the best overall user experience, you should try any one of these plugins and see how it goes for you.
