As a remote software developer, I spend a lot of time communicating via text, and I’m pretty good at it. But I’ve always dreamed of the day when voice communication would be able to keep up with the speed of my thoughts.
I was so excited when I first discovered Dragon, but it’s kind of unreliable, and even if you train it well, it only works on Google Docs. I tried using Dragon from the command line, but that was even worse—it was just too hard to get working!
So, I thought to myself: why not try writing my own? And here we are.
This extension is simple and lightweight: instead of recording audio directly into your browser (which may introduce security risks), it records audio on your computer’s microphone, uses the SpeechRecognition API on the audio file, and writes the text right into your browser window. It also allows you to save all of your recordings in a json file so you can practice writing them out later!
Chrome Extension For Voice To Text
Speech to text, or voice to text, technology uses the power of speech recognition to enable you to navigate the web using simple voice commands. Several platforms have already adopted this technology popular among them is Google Search. With a single click on the mic icon in Google Search box you will be able to voice type your query as Google types it out for you. The same with Google Docs, you can use its built-in voice recognition service to voice type an entire article.
There are also a wide variety of speech to text extensions to use on your Chrome for voice dictation. Below are some of the best titles to try out. Using these extensions, you and your students will be able to use voice commands to browse the web the way you want. You can watch videos, click on hyperlinks, switch between opened tabs and web pages, fill in forms, write emails and blog posts, and more.
Also, these speech to text extensions provide you with the possibility to create custom voice commands so that you can easily voice type your frequently used phrases and expressions. And yes, the extensions support different languages and dialects and some of them even work offline.
1. Speech to Text
As its name indicates, Speech to Text enables you to convert your voice to text. The way it works is simple: First install the extension from Chrome Web Store, click on the microphone icon, grant access to your microphone, start voice typing. You can copy your captured text and use it anywhere online. Speech to Text recognizes various languages and dialects and, best of all, it works offline. No need for Internet connection to use it.
2. Speech Recognition Anywhere 365
Speech Recognition Anywhere is a speech to text Chrome extension that enables you to voice type anything you want using simple voice commands. The extension works on several websites and platforms including Google Docs, Microsoft Word online, Gmail, Outlook, and more. Users can create custom commands as shortcuts to type whatever they want.
Some other things you can do with Speech Recognition extension include text to speech, select the language or dialect of your choice, use voice commands to toggle between next and previous web pages or to switch tabs, scroll page up and down, highlight text, copy and paste, scripting, and many more.
3. LipSurf
LipSurf is another speech to text Chrome extension that allows you to browse the web using your own voice. You can open web pages, watch videos, click on links, etc., using voice commands. Like other extensions, LipSur supports multiple languages with the ability to add more languages via the extension forum. The app offers over 100 built-in commands to choose from. It is also integrated with several applications including: Gmail, YouTube, Duolingo, Reddit, and more.
Using LipSurf you can write emails and dictate forms (premium), control videos (e.g., play, pause, mute), voice activation via push-to-talk key, navigate tabs, zoom in and out, add custom corrections to your transcripts, and many more.
4. Voice in Voice Typing
Voice in Voice Typing enables you to easily voice type in your browser. The extension supports over 40 different languages including English, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, French, among others. Voice in Voice also supports various integrations including Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and many more. The basic free plan allows you to dictate but comes with very limited features. Premium plans offer more functionalities including custom voice commands and the ability to unlock dictation on more than 1000 sites using advanced mode.
5. DictationBox
DictationBox is a voice to text Chrome extension which supports over 100 languages and dialects. The way it works is similar to the previous ones: install the extension, grant access to your microphone, click on the icon to start speaking.
DictationBox instantly converts your voice to text. You can adjust the settings of the extension to your preferences (e.g., you can add your own auto-text commands). Handy voice commands include ‘go to sleep’ or ‘wake up’ to ‘switch microphone between standby and listening modes, and ‘Next field’ to navigate to next field’.
best speech to text extension for chrome
Text-to-speech programs can come in very handy, whether you need to use the extension for reading difficulties, or just because you like having text read aloud. Chrome extensions are the perfect format to use these programs as you browse the web.
So, here we’ve listed the seven best text-to-speech extensions for Chrome.
1. Natural Reader
An intelligent extension, Natural Reader works great for almost any type of text, including PDF, Google Docs, eBooks, and emails.
Natural Reader also has an immersive reader mode that lets you read without any distractions. For those with dyslexia, the immersive reader mode supports dyslexic fonts to make reading easier.
To instruct Natural Reader to start reading, you can use the hotkey Alt + R. Alternatively, if you want to listen to only a part of the text, simply select the text and click on the Natural Reader icon at the end of the selected text.
The extension has four tabs: one for adjusting voice and speed, the second for changing settings, the third for saving to mobile, and the last for listening to PDFs or uploaded texts.
Natural Readers supports 16 languages including English, Spanish, French, and German. Other than the Chrome extension, Natural Reader has web, iOS, and Android apps.
Though the extension is free to use, you can get more voice options with Premium and Pro plans, starting from $10 per month.
2. Capti Voice
Capti Voice is another popular text-to-speech Chrome extension. The notable feature of Capti Voice is that you can save complete articles for later and listen to them whenever you’re free.
To save an article for later, press Alt + A. Capti Voice extracts all the content, excluding ads, and saves it to the cloud. Later, you can go to its web app and listen to the saved articles. Furthermore, it lets you create playlists to organize the saved pieces.
You can, however, also instantly listen to any article or document. Simply, select the text and click on the Play icon below the selected text.
Capti Voice supports several languages and voices. But in the free plan, only U.S. English is available. Moreover, with the premium plan, you can view the word definitions and translate text.
Though the Capti Voice is intended for educational purposes, it’s still a good extension for people who don’t want to read long text or have difficulty in reading.
3. Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader
Read Aloud is an open-source project that is specially designed for people who prefer listening to content rather than reading it. It offers support for 40 languages.
Read Aloud can read different formats like Google Docs, blog posts, PDFs, Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books, etc. To listen to any piece of text, select and right-click it, then choose Read aloud selected text. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Alt + P.
It lets you adjust the reading speed, volume, and pitch from the Settings icon. Moreover, you can choose whether to highlight the played text.
Read Aloud has around four million downloads on Chrome Web Store, so it’s definitely a popular TTS extension for Chrome.
4. Snap&Read
Snap&Read is a feature-rich reading extension that lets you listen to any kind of text. Other than webpages, Google Docs, and PDFs, Snap&Read can also read text from images and scanned documents using OCR.
To listen to any text, select the Loud Speaker icon from the sidebar, then click on the text from where you want Snap&Read to read.
For listening to text from screenshots or images, select the Rectangular Selection icon. Select the area from where you want Snap&Read to detect and read text.
Moreover, Snap&Read can translate the text into other languages and adjust the readability of the text. Using this extension, you can remove distractions and change the spacing and number of words per line to create a better reading experience.
Snap&Read is a great TTS extension, especially for students. It costs $4 per month, but you can access a free trial.
Download: Snap&Read for Chrome ($4 per month)
5. Talkie: Text to Speech
Talkie is a simple text-to-speech Chrome extension that supports multiple languages. As it is quite a basic extension, Talkie is a good choice if you need limited features.
To make Talkie read any text, select the text, right-click it, and choose Talkie from the context menu. Talkie automatically detects the languages, selects a voice, and reads the text for you. For setting a default voice, you’ll have to upgrade to Premium.
It doesn’t have any word limits and can work offline if the languages are downloaded. Best of all, you can download more TTS languages and voices for your operating system, and Talkie can auto-detect and use them.
Most of the features are free, but you can also upgrade to Premium for more options. Talkie Premium does not have a fixed price but is a pay-what-you-want subscription.
6. Intelligent Speaker
Whether you want to listen to articles, PDFs, Google Docs, or uploaded text, Intelligent Speaker got you covered.
This extension supports 20 languages and automatically detects the language. You can read complete web pages as well as selected text. To make the voice sound more natural, you can turn on breathing.
Available on desktop and mobile, Intelligent Speaker lets you sync your content to a podcast app, so you can listen to articles on the go.
You can even download the converted audio file using this extension. Intelligent Speaker works offline and is available for all major browsers.
The free plan supports only one hour of listening each month, so you’ll have to subscribe to Premium, which costs $7 per month, for unlimited listening.
7. Text to Speech
Text to Speech Chrome extension by Hewzio is a simple yet useful extension. It can read the entire web page for you, supporting 30 languages.
To listen to any article, simply click on the extension icon or right-click the screen and choose Read Page. The extension will start reading the page from the beginning. To listen to selected text, play the audio and click on the sentence from where you want it to read.
Text to Speech also has a distraction-free reader mode. You can sync articles across devices, including mobile phones, and create podcasts from articles using Text to Speech by Hewzio.
The free plan does the basic job of converting text into audio, but the paid plans offer more features, including the dark mode. There are three paid plans, ranging from $1 to $10 per month.
Let the Extension Read Out the Screen for You
Whether you want to read webpages, documents, or images, these Chrome extensions can read out the screen for you. These extensions are a great way for students to learn different languages and avoid reading long research papers.
Similarly, these text-to-speech extensions are really useful for people with vision impairment or reading difficulties like dyslexia.
Conclusion
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines