Five Ways To Make Your Window Speak To You

Natural Reader Free (Windows, Mac)

The free version of Natural Reader can’t export to MP3, but if you want a simpler interface for pasting and hearing text you’re going to like it. Paste any text into this window, then hit the clearly-visible play button:

It doesn’t get easier than that, right? If you like the program, but need more features, the Personal version starts at $69. Additional features include exporting to MP3 and additional voices – but it’s probably worth checking out Balabolka before you spend your cash. Still, the free version is attractive and functional so check it out.

eSpeak (Windows, Linux, Mac)

Do you want voices entirely different from those included with Windows? Try eSpeak. This program employs its own engine, and is worth checking out if you dislike Microsoft’s voices:

The program can open TXT files and export to WAV. It’s also got creepy lips that move, so if you like that sort of thing this is perfect I guess. It’s primarily a Linux program, but the Windows version comes with a unique GUI seen above. Read more about eSpeak, if you’re curious.

What’s The Best Option?

If you plan on mostly using this for Word documents, I’d recommend you stick with Word’s built-in solution. Once you’ve set it up it’s always there for you. But if you want a dedicated program to paste text into or open files directly, you probably want to try Balabolka first. It can handle a bunch of different files and can export to MP3.

But, of course, I could be wrong. What program do you use to make your computer talk to you? Share your best apps for the job in the comments below.