We are all familiar with browser extensions like ad blocker extensions for Chrome, translator chrome extensions, AI-powered Chrome extensions, etc. Similarly, text-to-speech Chrome extensions are very handy when you have difficulty reading a piece of content or are multitasking. Many of these tools come with several customisation options and offer other functionalities that extend beyond text conversion, such as, exporting recordings like podcasts or MP3 files, scan images, etc. These are some of the best Google Chrome extensions that ensure an engaging browsing experience.
The Best Text-to-speech Chrome Extensions For Seamless Web Browsing
Try out these text-to-speech Chrome extensions that are excellent for converting any type of content into speech for an enhanced reading experience.
Natural Reader
This is a great chrome extension to translate almost any kind of text ranging from PDFs, eBooks, Google Docs and emails. Its immersive reader mode ensures a distraction-free reading experience. Another advantage that this tool has is supports dyslexic fonts which facilitates reading for those with dyslexia. To get started with the tool, you simply need to press the keys Alt + R simultaneously. If you wish to read only a selected portion of the content, you can highlight the text and click on the ‘Natural Reader’ icon that appears at the end of the text.
To adjust the voice and speed of the audio, you simply need to navigate to the settings menu of the extension. From there you can also perform other functions like listen to the uploaded PDFs, save the converted audio to your mobile device and set hotkeys.
This tool comes in 20 languages including English, German, French and Spanish. Besides the Chrome extension, it supports web, iOS and Android apps as well.
Speechify
This powerful text-to-speech Chrome extension comes in 30 different languages and 130 voices. Once you download the extension, a floating widget will appear on the right side of your screen. You can start listening to the content by clicking on the Play button. To begin listening from any particular point on the web page, you simply need to enable the ‘Click to Listen’ option.
With this tool, you can save web pages to the library for listening to it at a later time. The premium plan is priced at $11.58 per month. This plan offers benefits like additional voices and languages, importing text, highlighting, skipping and listening to scanned texts.
The best part about the paid version is its ability to increase the audio speed. This extension has a mobile app for Android and iOS. It is a great tool for students who struggle with reading.
Read Aloud
This open-source text-to-speech Chrome extension comes in 40 languages. It is great for people who are more inclined towards listening to a piece of content rather than reading it. You need to select a piece of text, right click on it and then choose “Read aloud selected text”. You can also use the “Alt + P” shortcut to do the same.
This tool is compatible with formats like Google Docs, blog posts, Amazon Kindle, PDFs, Google Play Books, etc. To adjust the volume, speed and pitch of the audio, navigate to the ‘Settings’ icon and do so. You can also choose if you wish to highlight the played text.
Intelligent Speaker
This seamless TTS extension for Chrome supports 20 languages and also has the ability to auto detect a language. It allows you to read the entire web page or a selected portion of it as per your preference. It works great with any uploaded text as well as with articles, PDFs, Google Docs, etc. This tool allows you to sync your content to a podcast app with the help of which you can listen to articles on the go. This extension also allows you to download the converted audio files and is available for all the major web browsers. It functions offline too.
The only downside of it is that the free version of this extension supports only one hour of listening every month. For unlimited listening, you will have to purchase the Premium plan which is priced at $6.99 per month.
Talkie: Text-to-speech
This is a basic Chrome extension that offers limited features. It is great for those who want a simple text-to-speech Chrome extension without any additional functionalities. To read text using this Chrome extension, you simply need to select the text, right-click on it and select “Talkie” from the context menu. Its auto-detect features recognize the language, and read the text out aloud in a selected voice. However, if you wish to select a default voice, you will have to upgrade to the Premium version.
There are no word limits in this tool and it can also function offline, provided the languages are downloaded. The best part about its Premium version is that it is a pay-what-you-want scheme. This means that its paid plan does not have a particular price. You pay for the functionalities you choose.
These extensions can carry out the cumbersome task of reading lengthy documents or web pages and create a more immersive experience. It is great for students who wish to learn different languages but want to steer clear of reading lengthy research papers.
