How to Develop a Text to Speech App Like Speechify?

In a world full of text everywhere, mastering the art of proper content consumption has become necessary. Whether you want to build a new app from scratch or improve the productivity of an existing platform, having a text-to-speech app or software is your best bet.

One app that has gained respect in this field is Speechify. With pretty decent reviews, the app is now popular in the voiceover market. Still, many don’t find the app fit for their nitty-gritty business needs. That’s why we’ve researched how you can gain the benefits, overcome challenges, and comprehend development insights surrounding text-to-speech apps like Speechify to build a similar app that can boost your business revenue.

But before we start, you should know the “why” behind text-to-speech. So imagine a world where you can easily listen to articles, documents, or books while on the go without looking at your screen. Pretty effortless, right? Still, you might not want it yourself, but your clients or audience might love it. Some stats show that 60% of people prefer to listen via text-to-speech instead of reading.

As it can be challenging for a business to build apps like Speechify, we’ve got good news! You can create a customizable, cost-effective text-to-speech app that best suits your audiences’ needs. Doing so will empower you to have a convenient and accessible means to let users interact with written content.

To reach this level, you should understand what a text-to-speech app is, how it works, its benefits, and more. So, without any further ado, let’s explore the world of text-to-speech technology and discover how it can leverage your business.

What is a Text-to-Speech App?

To cut to the chase, it’s software that converts written text into audible speech.

And the best part? It can narrate the text the way humans talk or tell stories. People simply have to download the app, and they will feel like they have a virtual reading companion or a personal digital narrator right on their phone or laptop. Moreover, there are limited restrictions on the type of written content. So, with a text-to-speech app, users can listen to articles, documents, or even the latest novel they’ve been meaning to read.

The technology behind it is advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence that analyze and interpret the text, then generate human-like speech output. Essentially, it enables users to listen to written content instead of reading it, offering a convenient and accessible means of consuming information.

Text-to-speech apps have gained popularity due to their ability to enhance accessibility, boost productivity, and provide an inclusive experience to people having visual impairments or reading difficulties.

Some of them come with customizable features and multiple voice options and languages to choose from. But, by building your own text-to-speech app with an expert AI development company as your partner, you can blow the minds of your users. Depending upon the end user’s need, you can target its core functionality which can be language learning, content consumption, or improving overall accessibility.

About Speechify

It’s a popular text-to-speech app that easily converts written text into spoken content. The key reason behind its popularity is the lifelike feel it provides to the listener. Additionally, when you use the app, you can easily convert multiple types of text, be it an e-book, article, or PDF, into an immersive audio experience.

Text-to-speech apps like Speechify are leading the voiceover software market because they’re becoming more and more user-centric. They have started respecting the need for customization and individual preferences incorporating personalization features.

For instance, you can select from various types of voices, adjust the speech speed rate, highlight the text as it’s read, and much more. In a nutshell, you can tailor their reading experience exactly like you enjoy live narration sessions.

Coming back to this particular text-to-speech app, Speechify can sync across all various devices. Now, this is something many similar apps do not provide. Whether it’s your smartphone, tablet, or computer, you can pick up right where you left off. So, listening to a book narration with Speechify will feel like having a virtual bookmark, as it can follow you even if you hold your text-to-speech practice.

Another vital aspect to note about Speechify is its excellent accessibility. It’s empathetic towards people with learning disabilities or visual impairments as it has exclusive features. For example, it can highlight text, allow each user to organize their content, and much more making it easier to follow along and comprehend the content. Such seamless functionality in a text-to-speech app makes gaining knowledge much easier for a wider audience.

Features of A Text-to-Speech App like Speechify

Looking at Speechify and other similar apps getting popular, one can jot down a few features they all swear by. We’ve summed up and listed below the most important features you should know while you develop your own text-to-speech app–

Natural and High-Quality Voice Output

As already explained, these apps produce natural and lifelike voices, all thanks to advanced speech synthesis technology. The web or mobile app development teams carefully craft the voices to include appropriate intonation, rhythm, and emphasis. It makes the listening experience more engaging and immersive for the listeners.

Also, some apps like Google Text-to-Speech and Amazon Polly use deep learning techniques, so the voices generated are high-quality and closely resemble human speech.

Multilingual Support

Speechify supports around 30 different languages and accents. This multilingual support ensures it caters to diverse users having different linguistic backgrounds. So, whether you want to convert authentic masterpieces written by exceptional thinkers like Bukowski or foreign client documents for your audience, a text-to-speech app is all you need.

Customization Options

Speechify also enables personalizing your preferences. Change the voice, accent, and speech style settings, and voila! You have narration like your favorite speaker right on your phone. The text-to-speech app also allows for adjusting speech rate, pitch, and volume. The fine-tuning adds to a surreal listening experience.

Highlighting and Visual Tracking

Apps like Speechify incorporate a visual tracking feature highlighting the text being read. So, when a reader wants to focus on a particular text, they can highlight it to follow what’s being read. They can easily navigate and comprehend the text with visual tracking. This feature makes the app a boon for people with learning disabilities or visual impairments.

Document and Text Import

A text-to-speech app should have an easy import facility for users. And that’s exactly what Speechify does. It gives you the freedom to seamlessly import several types of text files like e-books, articles, PDFs, web pages, and more. As a business, it’s wise to consider cloud integration services to import files from platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive and sync them on your multiple devices.

Multi-Platform Compatibility

Apps like Speechify are designed to be compatible with multiple platforms and devices. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or computer, users can access their converted audio content on their preferred device. Easy compatibility paves the way for convenience and flexibility for users. Partner with a company that provides iOS and Android app development services to ensure greater multi-platform compatibility.

Speed Control and Playback Options

Users can control the playback speed of Speechify’s audio output to adjust the pace according to their reading speed preference. If you prefer to listen slowly and carefully, this text-to-speech app will offer you this leisure. Such a feature improves user control allowing users to fine-tune the playback rate to their liking.

Integration with Other Applications and Services

Don’t you want to bless the app creators when you use an app that can easily integrate with relevant and popular apps? Speechify respects this popular user experience principle of integrating the platform with many apps. While building your text-to-speech app, you can consider integrating it with Kindle, Evernote, and written content-related apps to boost its efficiency.

Benefits of Text-to-Speech App Development

Various industries can gain multiple benefits when they create a text-to-speech app like Speechify. The several advantages include-

Accessibility for All

You can address the pain of people who want to read but find it challenging. With custom text-to-speech app development, you can revolutionize accessibility by making written content available to a wider audience.

You can target it for people with visual impairments, learning disabilities, or language barriers. No, it will not limit your user base. Instead, it will expand it, leaving no one out. Additionally, your business can set an example of inclusivity and equal opportunities for everyone.

Enhanced Learning Experience

Picture this, students who get bored of reading lengthy texts hear their study material just like they listen to their favorite podcast. Developing a text-to-speech app will enable you to enhance the learning experience by providing learners convenient modes of listening to their textbooks. You can cater to different learning styles, reinforce comprehension, and allow students to absorb information on the go.

Increased Productivity

Whether students or teams of business professionals, everyone wants to ease their tasks with tools. You can develop a text-to-speech app that clears the test of optimizing productivity. But make a note to allow for several types of text documents, such as textbooks, PDFs, or emails, easy to listen to.

The hands-free approach saves time and enables people to make the most of their daily routines. They can use their commuting, walking, or other spare time to learn valuable information.

Improved Language Learning

Did you quit learning a new language like many other people? While dedicated language learning apps might seem a little far to reach, learning a language while listening to important documents or text can make the task achievable.

It’s like doing something you cannot miss while also improving your pronunciation and fluency skills. So, when you show users that they can learn a language while using a text-to-speech app, you will get a competitive advantage in the industry. All you have to ensure is to promote your app also as a virtual language tutor that supports learners on their language acquisition journey.

Enriched E-Book Experience

If you have an e-book or publishing-related business, you can boost your profits by integrating it with a text-to-speech app. The integration can transform your audiences’ reading experience into an immersive audiobook-like encounter. Moreover, presenting content in various digital modes will significantly improve user retention. They will get a captivating content-consuming experience and your business, a wider user base.

Assistive Technology

Leveling the playing field digitally is challenging. But, building a text-to-speech app can serve as an invaluable assistive tool for people with dyslexia, visual impairments, or other reading challenges.

If you hit all the spots right, the app can support independent reading, boost confidence, and provide a sense of empowerment to the disadvantaged. Additionally, you won’t have to worry about a target audience, as such a tool can be useful for a wider audience.

Language Translation

People can overcome language barriers if they can convert written content into spoken words. This brings us to another benefit of building a text-to-speech app: translations.

Your users won’t need an additional translation tool while communicating using the app. It will amplify the functionality of your product as it will simplify interactions. This, in turn, will help you gain global users and expand your market reach.

Customer Engagement

Are you looking to improve the customer experience for your business? It’s time to try text-to-speech technology. Irrespective of the industry, you can hook users with audio content integrated into websites, customer support systems, or applications. This can even help you get a revived brand face that improves brand loyalty.

Content Adaptation

Do you see the boom of text-to-speech on Instagram reels and YouTube shorts? Content creators and brands are repurposing their written content into an audio format using text-to-speech apps.

Blogs, articles, and online platforms can offer audio versions of their textual content. It means you can cater to varied users’ preferences and increase content accessibility. The adaptation opens new avenues for content consumption and improves overall user satisfaction.

Challenges Businesses Face During Text-to-Speech App Development

A text-to-speech app can be a tough nut to crack for several reasons. But some of the major reasons to point are-

Research and Development

Creating a text-to-speech app is resource-intensive and time-consuming.

For instance, selecting the right speech synthesis model or algorithms for language analysis involves exploring several types of algorithms, and training models, along with experiments with various techniques to achieve the desired speech synthesis quality.

What you need for this initial development stage are skilled researchers and developers. And this can make you invest a lot of time and money.

Data Acquisition and Licensing

Acquiring high-quality speech data for training TTS models can be costly. You need diverse and extensive datasets covering multiple languages, accents, and speech styles. Additionally, if needed, licensing third-party TTS engines or technologies contributes to the overall cost.

Infrastructure and Computing Resources

Text-to-speech app development often requires substantial computing resources, including powerful hardware for training models and running inferences on large datasets.

Though obtaining them can be an issue, maintaining them can be even more difficult. It takes professionals to handle infrastructure maintenance efficiently. The challenge is to find these experts who also understand your business requirements.

Testing and Quality Assurance

Testing and quality assurance are inevitable when it comes to software development. Consider hiring dedicated resources for your text-to-speech app to identify and address glitches.

You will need a team for manual testing, user feedback collection, bug fixing, and performance optimization. Don’t think of it as the “extras.” Testing should be paramount for you during the entire app development process.

Maintenance and Updates

After successful testing comes proper and ongoing maintenance and updates of your TTS app—-It’s also a core part of the development journey, including integrating apps with several operating systems, libraries, and evolving user requirements.

And here’s a fun fact, not all development teams are great at maintaining and updating the software, especially when they deal with new technology. Therefore, it can be problematic for businesses to find the right team to maintain and update their text-to-speech app.

Scalability and Infrastructure Costs

Are you planning to target a huge user base with your application? Well, that also means handling high volumes of text-to-speech conversions. Now, this essential requirement needs a highly scalable software infrastructure that can accommodate increased demand. If it’s really what you need, you should prepare to invest in aspects like cloud services or bandwidth enhancement.

Also Read- How to Develop a Voice Recognition App?

Select Matellio for All Your Text to Speech App Development Needs

Our expert team has years of experience building apps that impart accurate information and solve user queries directly, ultimately leading our clients toward success in their respective industries.

Additionally, our team comprising consultants, developers, testers, and other professionals, have extensive knowledge of legacy as well as the latest tools and technologies, along with having their finger on the pulse of market trends of various industries.

What’s more? We suggest implementing related solutions such as enterprise mobility services, cloud integration, etc. They aid your business in staying relevant in the dynamic digital landscape.

So, let’s turn your great text-to-speech app idea into a reality! Contact us now to start the development right away. We will guide and support you throughout the process and ensure we serve you with the most appropriate technologies and cost-effective solutions for your product needs.