Voice over software is a computer program that lets users add spoken-word audio to their videos for narration or commentary. This is done by recording someone speaking with a microphone—but text-to-speech programs are also used for the same purpose.
When voice-over software is used, the video is provided with an extra layer of information that correlates and corroborates the video’s visuals. This is perceived as higher quality and more professional by viewers, as it makes the content more understandable.
If you use software that turns text into speech, choose programs that generate fluid dialogue and retain the natural intonations and inflections that are characteristic of a real person’s voice. While doing so in multiple languages is a challenge, the best voice over recording software have language support features that prevent poor word choices and improper grammar.
The Geekflare team has compiled a well-researched list of the best voice-over services based on factors such as audio quality, ease of use, customization, compatibility, and price.
- 1. Murf.ai – Best for Text-to-Speech Conversion with Natural Voices
- 2. BunnyStudio Voice – Best for Marketing Videos and Podcasts
- 3. LOVO – Best for Personalized AI
- 4. Notevibes – Best for Training Videos
- 5. VoiceOverMaker – Best for Multilingual Creation
- 6. WellSaid Labs – Best for Authentic Text-to-Speech Creation
- 7. Resemble AI – Best for Realistic Voice Cloning for Interactive Media
- 8. Replica Studios – Best for AI Voice Acting for Video Games and Animations
- 9. Voices.com – Best Comprehensive Database of Voice Talents
- 10. Voice123 – Best for Finding Voice-Over Professionals
- 11. Audacity – Best for Recording and Editing Voice-Overs
- Show less
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1. Murf.ai
Best for Text-to-Speech Conversion with Natural Voices
If you’re looking for a text-to-speech program with the most natural-sounding voices, consider using Murf.ai. It has a diverse and realistic set of AI voices, and viewers of your videos will believe that they’re hearing a real person speaking. Alongside Murf Studio, you can use it as video voice-over software for a seamless audio production process. Furthermore, some of Murf.ai’s tools allow you to use it as a voice changer.
Despite the quality of the software, Murf.ai’s refund policy and pricing plans are unclear and can be confusing for first-time users. As such, potential customers are advised to pay close attention to the wording of the purchase agreement to avoid any confusion in the future.
In addition to being a decent tool for content creators, educators, and marketers, professionals in other industries can also take advantage of Murf.ai’s versatile voiceover software. For example, independent authors can use it to produce an audiobook version of their novels.
Murf.ai Pros
Natural-sounding AI voices
Integrates with other Murf video production software solutions
Useful in multiple industries, such as audiobook publishing
Murf.ai Cons
Pricing plans are obscurely worded and can cause customer confusion
The refund policy is not in the customer’s favor
Poor customer service reputation
Pricing of Murf.ai
- Free plan: $0
- Creator plan: $19/month
- Business plan: $66/month
2. BunnyStudio Voice
Best for Marketing Videos and Podcasts
Those in need of voiceover for marketing and podcasts should try out BunnyStudio’s audio software. It has an extensive voice library of samples from over 13,000 voice actors, offering plenty of options to the user. To enhance your production process, BunnyStudio also offers creative services such as audio editing and scriptwriting.
BunnyStudio Voice’s offerings are high-quality and reliable. This is in part thanks to BunnyStudio Voice’s excellent support staff, as the company considers customer satisfaction a high priority.
Creative individuals who need to make audio ads, podcasts, and audiobooks can use BunnyStudio Voice. Additionally, animators who need dialogue recorded for their work will also find BunnyStudio Voice helpful.
BunnyStudio Voice Pros
Thousands of voice actor samples are available
Excellent customer support
There’s a money-back guarantee
BunnyStudio Voice Cons
The voiceover services are expensive
No set pricing plans
Prices for voiceovers are inconsistent
Pricing of BunnyStudio Voice
BunnyStudio Voice offers its services for a high price. Furthermore, the cost of voiceovers varies greatly depending on the language you choose. To give you a frame of reference, 5 minutes of voiceover in US English (midland) costs $517.
3. LOVO
Best for Personalized AI
LOVO offers realistic AI voices for your videos. Based on the sample tester on LOVO’s homepage, we can verify that the AI basing the software is sophisticated, processing and speaking in a manner that’s similar to a real person. We also tried inputting sound and audio effects instead of words (beep, boop, etc.) and using a variety of improper grammar—the sample tester provided the results that you’d expect from a person.
LOVO’s AI voices are decent in terms of realism and audio quality. However, there are issues regarding loss of work due to corrupted files and other technical problems.
Content creators can use LOVO’s voice over editing tools for quick and easy video production. In addition, educators, marketers, and those needing to generate audiobooks will also find LOVO’s program useful.
LOVO Pros
High-quality AI voices
Sophisticated AI understands a variety of words, sounds, and punctuation
The software is easy to use
LOVO Cons
The stability of online file storage is questionable
The customer support is not good
There are hidden paywalls revealed after subscribing to the free plan
Pricing of LOVO
- Free plan: $0
- Basic plan: $24/month
- Pro plan: $24/month
- Pro+ plan: $75/month
4. Notevibes
Best for Training Videos
Those in need of voiceovers for training videos should try Notevibes. It’s a voice over app for PC that you use in conjunction with a text-to-speech generator. This allows you to place emphasis on certain words, change the pitch of the voice, add pauses, and more.
Despite the hype surrounding Notevibes online, there aren’t many user reviews. The few reviews that do exist are polarizing—half the reviews state that Notevibes is the best, while the other half say that it’s not.
Nonetheless, companies that need to make instructional videos for employees will find Notevibes the most useful. Other than for corporate education videos, Notevibes is a good choice for those who require a quick solution for sales videos.
Notevibes Pros
The interface is intuitive
Adjusting the tone of the voiceover is convenient
Offers a pay-as-you-go price plan
Notevibes Cons
You can’t test the text-to-speech capabilities besides listening to default samples
The voiceovers sound robotic
Updates to the software and website are not frequent
Pricing of Notevibes
- Personal plan: $8/month
- Commercial plan: $90/month
5. VoiceOverMaker
Best for Multilingual Creation
If you need to turn text into speech for multiple languages, VoiceOverMaker is an excellent choice. You can choose from custom voices in over 30 different languages. More importantly, these AI voices sound fairly realistic compared to many other AI voice generators.
Although VoiceOverMaker’s website claims to have over 100,000 users and that it is trusted by more than 3,100 companies, genuine user reviews are rarely found online. Neither Trustpilot nor Reddit (or any other public review or discussion board) has people discussing VoiceOverMaker’s AI audio services.
Unlike many other voiceover services that require you to sign up for a monthly paid plan, VoiceOverMaker only charges you for what you use. As such, it’s an affordable choice for people who need to translate and generate speech in different languages—like students or businesses that interact with people from different countries.
VoiceOverMaker Pros
Very affordable
Translating text and speech is easy
Lots of compelling choices for AI voices
VoiceOverMaker Cons
Almost no user cases make it difficult to judge before a signup
The AI lacks emotional voices
The payments are charged by the character instead of by word or by minute
Pricing of VoiceOverMaker
- Free use (800 characters)
- Standard use costs $11 (60,000 characters)
- Medium use costs $16 (120,000 characters)
- Large use costs $37 (300,000 characters)
6. WellSaid Labs
Best for Authentic Text-to-Speech Creation
As a text-to-speech converter, WellSaid Labs provides lifelike AI voices. Most of the demo voices on WellSaid Labs’ homepage speak with varying inflections and realistically simulate emotions. There’s a lot of focus on how individual words are pronounced in WellSaid Labs’ software for voice over videos—which makes a big difference in quality.
This voice generator has advanced features, but WellSaid Labs’s customer support is not of much help in dire situations. There have also been instances where customers have been charged unnecessarily for services that they have not used.
Since WellSaid Labs’s AI provides human-like voice overs, it is one of the few text-to-speech services usable for podcast creation and social media videos on YouTube and TikTok. Such content needs to sound human to connect well with viewers, and WellSaid Labs’s offerings match these requirements.
WellSaid Labs Pros
AI voices sound realistic
Control of individual word pronunciation helps further improve AI voice quality
The user interface of the software is simple and intuitive
WellSaid Labs Cons
Poor customer support
Payment issues can arise, albeit rarely
Plans are expensive
Pricing of WellSaid Labs
- Free plan: $0
- Maker plan: $44.08/month
- Creative plan: $89.08/month
- Business plan: $179/month
7. Resemble AI
Best for Realistic Voice Cloning for Interactive Media
Instead of simply turning text into speech, Resemble AI takes a different approach to AI voiceover software by cloning your voice. In addition to allowing you to create more content that uses your own voice, Resemble AI also has security elements like Deepfake detection. There is also a safeguard against others stealing your voice through Resemble AI’s AI Watermarker. Among its competitors, Resemble AI is one of the best AI voice cloning software options.
While Resemble AI’s voiceover software has quite a few unique features, users may face issues with Resemble AI’s voice cloning process. Despite hours of work and many accepted voice samples, the software is very sensitive and difficult to use.
Content creators who don’t have enough time to record audio can use Resemble AI to increase their video production rate. Users who do a lot of public speaking and want to test how they sound can also use this AI voiceover software.
Resemble AI Pros
Decent security measures, such as Deepfake detection
Cloning your own voice is more useful than generating one for content creators
AI watermarks prevent others from stealing your voice
Resemble AI Cons
Voice cloning software is difficult to use
Pricing is expensive when charged by the second
The free trial is very short
Pricing of Resemble AI
- Basic plan: $1/month
- Professional plan: $99/month
8. Replica Studios
Best for AI Voice Acting for Video Games and Animations
With a focus on video game production, Replica Studios provides game developers with high-quality recordings of AI voice acting for a variety of gaming projects. By taking samples from real voice actors, Replica Studios creates AI dialogue that’s full of expression and unique inflections. You can create many different lines for characters to speak in your game.
There aren’t too many user cases to examine. However, there are a few discussions online about the quality of generated voice lines for video game characters. A few game developers have asked for opinions on Reddit regarding Replica Studios’ AI voice acting, and the majority of users say the quality is high but unconvincing in some aspects. Many of the voice lines fall into the “uncanny valley” category.
Replica Studios is an option for game developers to try—particularly those who can’t afford to pay multiple real voice actors. Independent game developers, in particular, can find this AI voice-acting platform useful.
Replica Studios Pros
High specialization in the gaming industry results in high-quality AI voices
The cheapest payment plan is free for one month
There’s a decent variety of AI voices to choose from
Replica Studios Cons
Some of the voices are in the uncanny valley of realism
Pricing plans revolve around a credit-based system, which is confusing
Pricing of Replica Studios
- Starter plan: $8/month
- Indie plan: $24/month
- Pro plan: $80/month
9. Voices.com
Best Comprehensive Database of Voice Talents
Instead of exclusively focusing on AI voiceovers, Voices.com works as a platform to connect customers to real voiceover artists. However, Voices.com is in the process of testing its AI voiceover software. Currently, Voices’ AI software is in the beta testing phase.
Voices.com has plenty of satisfied customers in terms of the quality of its offerings. However, many voice talents complain about unethical business practices. It seems that after signing up, voiceover artists need to pay to be active on Voices.com after a certain point. As such, Voices.com is more enticing to customers than to voice talents.
Those interested in acquiring high-quality voiceover work from real talents will find Voices.com to be helpful. A large portion of the work done on Voices.com pertains to narration and the creation of audiobooks.
Voices.com Pros
Easy for customers to use
Uses mostly real human voices as opposed to AI voices
The output quality of delivered audio files is high
Voices.com Cons
Voice talents may have a hard time finding success on Voices.com’s platform
Only English, French, and Spanish voice talents are available
Requires a lot of research to find the voice talent you want
Pricing of Voices.com
Voice talents are divided into multiple categories. If cost is the main factor for you, you can search for voiceover artists through price filters. Alternatively, you can search by language, audio content type, and delivery time.
10. Voice123
Best for Finding Voice-Over Professionals
Similar to Voices.com, Voice123 helps connect you to professional voice actors. Customers start by browsing and filtering search results until they find promising voice talent. Next, users listen to samples and—if they like what they hear—they purchase dialogue lines.
Your experience with Voice123 heavily depends on client-talent relations. For example, if you’re a customer, you could hire a promising voice talent only for them to deliver sub-par audio files. Voice123 does have policies in place to prevent poor-quality interactions, but customers are responsible for outlining exactly what they want, and voice talents are in charge of delivering what the client needs. However, the prices of Voice123’s services are comparatively high when you take a look at its competitors.
Consider using Voice123 if you’re looking for real-person voiceover work for various projects, such as educational videos, advertisements, and more.
Voice123 Pros
Voice123’s website is easy to navigate
There are lots of voice talents on Voice123’s platform
Complaints about voiceover quality are rare
Voice123 Cons
Membership fees for voice talents can get expensive
Since voice talents set their prices, there’s no standardization of charging fees
A lot of communication is needed to get the voice lines you want
Pricing of Voice123
As with other human voice talent platforms, the costs are based on who you hire for your audio recording project. Thankfully, Voice123’s website has intuitive and helpful search features. You can sort results by price, voice type, location, and more.
11. Audacity
Best for Recording and Editing Voice-Overs
Audacity is an excellent option and a holistic solution for recording and editing voiceover audio. From music projects to podcasts, Audacity offers versatility. The cross-platform potential is decent for moving files between computers using different operating systems, which is further simplified thanks to Audacity’s support for a huge number of audio formats, such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more. Users also refer to Audacity as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
Audacity is considered by most to be an excellent free voice over software for working on audio. Audacity is easy to use yet complex enough for professional use by sound engineers in a recording studio.
Indie musicians favor Audacity, as it’s free and robust in terms of its functions. Podcast creators and audio production professionals who need to tweak files can also use Audacity. Compared to expensive programs like Adobe Audition, Audacity provides value for money with its extensive library of features.
Audacity’s editing potential is high, as seen through key features like background noise reduction, which is basic but a requirement in many audio editing cases. Overall, it’s a good choice for beginners, and seasoned professionals will also find valuable tools that they can use for free.
Audacity Pros
Easy to use audio editor
Completely free operation
Can be used by everyone, regardless of their requirements
Audacity Cons
The program runs slowly at times
Doesn’t have as many audio tracks as other audio editing software
Has a steep learning curve for beginners
Pricing of Audacity
Audacity is free, including its sound effects and samples. It’s a no-cost option for audio recording and editing that’s available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Best Voice Over Software Comparison
The table below compares the voice over software on this list based on the level of voice realism they provide, their cheapest pricing options, and the number of languages they support.
Voice Over Software | Voice Realism | Number of Languages | Pricing (Cheapest Option) |
---|---|---|---|
Murf.ai | High | 20+ | Free |
BunnyStudio Voice | Real Human Voice | 70+ | Variable (you pay per job; there are no pricing plans) |
LOVO | High | 100+ | Free |
Notevibes | Moderate | 25+ | $19/month |
VoiceOverMaker | Moderate | 30+ | Free |
WellSaid Labs | High | 1 (English) | Free |
Resemble AI | Low | 100+ | $0.006 per second |
Replica Studios | High | 1 (English) | $10/month (the first month is free) |
Voices.com | Real Human Voice | 100+ | Variable (you pay per job; there are no pricing plans) |
Voice123 | Real Human Voice | 60+ | Variable (you pay per job; there are no pricing plans) |
Audacity | Real Human Voice | Any | Free |
What Are Human Voice Over Services?
Human voice over services refers to using a real person’s voice for your audio project. This entails hiring voice talent to record narration or lines of dialogue you’ve written.
What Is An AI Voice?
An AI voice is a program that imitates human speech. By learning from language models, an AI program learns to say words and form sentences based on the data it is fed. AI voice services use such audio editing software to turn text into realistic speech. This is designed to be used in place of real human voice talents.
Benefits of Voice Over Software
There are 5 main benefits of a voice over software.
- Provides professional-quality audio, as users can tinker and experiment with audio recordings to enhance the audio clarity as per their requirements.
- Enhances audio customization through options for adjusting the timing, cutting out improper pronunciations, and manipulating the recording through voice modulations.
- Increases productivity with advanced features such as batch processing and automated editing, based on parameters set by the user.
- Offers versatility and can be used in creating videos for e-learning modules, providing the narration for audiobooks, explainer videos, and voices in commercials, video games, and podcasts.
- Reduces cost as users are not required to hire professional voice actors or purchase recording equipment at exorbitant prices.
Features of Voice Over Software
There are 4 main features of voice over software, and are listed below.
- Voice Quality & Realism: Multiple sets of AI voices that come in a wide variety of languages, speaking tones, and intonations, to help the user reach their target audience.
- Customization & Control: Audio tools to adjust the pitch, volume, tone, word inflection, add effects, and layering allow a high level of customization. It is also able to distinguish and separate audio elements as required, and even act as a source audio editing software.
- Workflow Efficiency: Streamlining your process via automation, pre-configured templates, and customizable keyboard shortcuts leads to faster project completion.
- Collaboration Features: Sharing files with your coworkers via the software’s built-in tools helps you optimize your production process and reduce the time you spend on a project.
Tips and Tricks for Using Voice Over Software
Here are 12 tips and tricks that you can remember when using a voice over software.
- Familiarize yourself with the interface. Every program and service has a different look, which means features consistent among various options may not always be in the same spots. Learn where the features that you use the most are placed in the software’s interface.
- Using high-quality equipment results in high-quality files. Don’t skimp on useful products, services, and equipment, such as a decent microphone. However, you shouldn’t buy a product or service simply because it’s expensive; weigh the pros and cons by reading articles to determine whether or not an option is right for your needs.
- Practice reading scripts aloud if you’re recording yourself. Your tone, pronunciation, inflection, and delivery will improve as you deliver more lines. This is also important if you’re trying to incorporate a range of voices into your videos.
- Optimizing the input volume of your recordings saves you work later on. To do so, adjust your microphone’s input level so that it’s within the range you want. Ideally, recorded voice audio should be between -6 dB and -12 dB (decibels).
- Take advantage of all your editing features. Understanding the tools at your disposal is vital for producing a high-quality product. Check out the menu and experiment with everything at least once, especially if the software has powerful features, such as audio separation and voice modulation. Furthermore, learning the keyboard shortcuts for valuable tools saves you time in the long run.
- Enhance sections of audio with effects. The sound of delivered lines can be improved. For example, try using the EQ (equalizer) tool—which is standard among most programs—to get rid of reverb, background noise, and other unwanted sound defects. With enough practice, audio restoration is possible.
- Save and back up your projects often! Ensure that your work files are backed up frequently. Make a habit of saving early and often. Additionally, export your project once in a while in case later versions get corrupted.
- Export files in the correct format. Although the file format you need will vary from project to project, you should begin a job knowing (or asking a coworker) what you need in the end. MP3, WAV, and FLAC files all work differently, as they use different encoding processes. Some projects have specific encoding needs, so file types are not interchangeable. Furthermore, converting one file type to another compresses the data, which you should avoid when possible, as this decreases the quality of audio files in most cases.
- Never stop learning! New products, services, and industry standards are emerging every day. You don’t want to get left behind, as that leads to lower-quality work. Check out blogs, podcasts, articles, and videos to keep up to date with the most novel audio editing trends.
- Take breaks and protect your voice. Your vocal cords are muscles that produce words and sounds. Like any muscle group, your vocal cords can get strained and torn if overused and stressed. To avoid this, drink water frequently, rest between recording sessions, don’t allow sessions to go on for more than one hour at a time, and use throat-soothing aids like honey.
- Network and collaborate to improve your work. Even if you’re proficient with audio design, it’s best to get extra help when required. When you collaborate with others, you decrease your workload and increase the chances of learning something new—both of which improve the quality of your work. Additionally, you could be invited to collaborate on other projects as well!
- Create templates for future use. If you have recurring projects that follow a set procedure, create a template to drastically cut down on the time needed to prepare and edit them. Streamlining your workflow like this lets you increase the number of projects you can complete.
Bonus Voice Over Services
If you’re looking for another service that lets you find a solution for your voice over needs, Fiverr helps you find the ideal voice for your project. Fiverr is a platform that connects customers to freelancers easily and intuitively.
Another website that offers a similar service is Upwork. Like Fiverr, you can search for voice talents to hire for your audio or video needs.
For a quick and easy smartphone app that lets you record and generate audio, the best mobile voiceover app is Speechify. The interface is straightforward and has a gentle learning curve.
FAQs
Yes, Audacity lets you record and edit voice lines easily.
Many basic apps let you record voice over lines. Some are available on your phone, tablet, and computer by default. For example, most modern Windows computers come with an app called Sound Recorder—which does exactly what it sounds like. Use your preferred option to record your voice over and then import the audio file into a program to edit it.
To make voice over audio, record yourself or another person speaking. Then, import the audio file into a program that lets you edit it and potentially add it to a video. Alternatively, you can use an AI voice for the first step.