The Best Text-to-Speech Apps To Read Custom Text Out Loud

Verbally is an easy-to-use, comprehensive Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for the iPad. Verbally brings speech to those without and enables real conversation with its simple, intuitive design. Just tap in what you want to say and Verbally speaks for you. Premium Features available with an in-app purchase.

PRAISE AND RECOGNITION
"The beauty of Verbally is that it works right out of the gate. There is no need to learn grids, import photos, or spend hours customizing." -The iMums

"The program is a dream for Speech/Language Pathologists. I use it in so many different ways with different ages and different disabilities." - Catherine Marchand, MSc, LCSP, Speech Pathologist

"Verbally is by far the best AAC app that I have seen" -Technology in (Spl) Education

"Priceless app! Patients will be able communicate without spending a fortune" - iTunes review, Dr NT

WHY CHOOSE VERBALLY?
Unlike other AAC solutions, Verbally's simple design allows users to communicate quickly and effectively, with very little physical effort. So intuitive, you can have a conversation immediately!

• Core Words Grid - contains 50 essential words to save you over 50% of the taps required to input your sentences.
• Core Phrases Grid - offers common phrases to enable faster & easier conversation.
• Text Prediction - learns the words you use and makes self-expression easier. Even import your contacts, to better predict names you use the most.
• Choice of 3 keyboard layouts or use a Bluetooth keyboard -just press Enter to Speak!
• Choice of male or female voice.
• Choice of settings for speaking method. Turn on “Speak Each Word” to have the app speak as soon as each word is completed or when you tap a phrase. Turn it off to speak after you’ve completed your sentence and tap “Speak”. You can also tap “Repeat” to say the last sentence again.
• A handy chime to get someone’s attention.
• Steady Hands feature – if you have limited fine motor abilities this feature makes it easier to type. With this set to “on”, the app will only register when you lift your finger off of the intended letter on the keyboard.
• No Wi-Fi or 3G connection required.

VERBALLY PREMIUM available with in-app upgrade:
• Add your OWN favorite phrases! Create and save all of your most commonly used phrases and organize them in your own way. This will allow even greater speed in your conversations.
• 5 high quality voices (3 English-US voices, 2 English-UK voices) that speak with greater clarity, realism and inflection.
• Conversation history is saved for you to easily scan through and tap what you would like to say again. Delete unwanted phrases from your history to make it even more effective.
• Connect via Email! Easily compose your message using all of Verbally's features and tap a button to send it through your email account.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM VERBALLY?
Verbally is an invaluable communication aid for people with a speech disability due to such things as autism, aphasia, apraxia, ataxia, ALS, stroke, traumatic brain injury, parkinson's, cerebral palsy, down syndrome or muscular dystrophy.

Whatever the need, Verbally is an easy to use, invaluable tool to have a conversation and speak for yourself. Easily. Expressively. Verbally.

Verbally is the first powerful app from Intuary, named to Bloomberg Businessweek.com’s 2011 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs. Intuary is committed to empowering users through intuitive design.
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Verbally acknowledges the contributions of Amy Roman, M.S., CCC-SLP, augmentative alternative communication specialist, and creator of The AlphaCore™ Method © 2006.
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For news & more info, Like Verbally on Facebook: http://facebook.com/verballyapp or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/verballyapp

http://verballyapp.com/
help@verbally.com

Tap an image and your thoughts come alive with speech! Wants and Needs selection. Phrase building. You name it! Avatalker AAC is the easiest, most powerful communication app for the nonverbal on the market today.

As a full-featured augmentative and alternative communication solution designed for the iOS platform (iPad and iPad Mini), Avatalker AAC gives nonverbal children and adolescents the ability to quickly communicate wants and needs, or build phrases and sentences pictographically, which are converted to clear, audible speech. It features a 2,000 word vocabulary and the Aurora symbol set library that is easy to navigate and fun to use!

Two Skill Stages for a wide range of ability!

Stage 1 is for lower functioning users who are capable of making simple selections on a touch screen for every day wants and needs. Fully customizable, Stage 1 can use your own photos and phrases. Buttons may be made bigger or rearranged as needed.

Stage 2 is a full-featured, robust AAC communication solution! Easily customizable and scalable to a user's specific needs, It features unprecedented ease of navigation and grammar tools that make any sentence or phrase easy and fast to build! Visit aurorasymbols.com for a demo!

Navigation made simple:

In Avatalker® AAC, the categories are visible at all times, with their contents appearing in a horizontal window at the bottom of the screen. No more nested folders-within-folders or forgetting where things are located! Finding and selecting words is a breeze with Avatalker® AAC! All content is horizontally-scrolled, as opposed to vertical. This is easier for the eye to track peripherally and the brain's visual cortex to process. Your child will breeze through Avatalker's categories to the words they need in no time! Avatalker's categories even learn your child's favorite words and present them FIRST!

High Quality Voice Engine:

Avatalker AAC® features high quality, natural-sounding voices from Neospeech. Each voice may be adjusted by speed and pitch to your child's preference.

We are Here to Help!

Aurora Symbols is here when you need us. Visit our website for helpful articles in the blog section and connect directly with our user community via our Facebook page. Our app also has a feedback form in the settings panel when you have a concern or question. We respond to all emails!

What Parents and Caregivers are saying:

Jennifer S.– IL (5yrs)
"Beautifully designed. Very intuitive. Keeps kids engaged. I love the endless options of nouns, verbs, adjectives. Any sentence seems possible. Can be used by a beginner, an advanced user or wide variety of ages. Very versatile; worth the money. I and our speech therapist very impressed with its simplicity of use but complexity of options and possibilities. Amazing app!!"

Lisa K.– IL (7yrs)
"The customizing helped; made it very easy for her to request. I used it with a few other children (Stage 2); they navigated very well. When sentence building was clear to them they seemed to enjoy being able to express themselves. This by far the best app available and better than another device I have seen or used."

Susan S.– CA (14yrs)
"My son has taken a lot of interest in this app. He chooses to use it as much as some of his game apps. With time he will be able to communicate much more effectively with this app. His school IEP will be soon, it will be added as a goal and used in his speech therapy sessions. This app will be an essential device used in the field of SLPs in the near future."

Victoria W.– NM (11 yrs)
“My grandson is getting auditory processing therapy but we could never get an accurate test on the hearing ranges he could not tolerate. We set up 2 buttons on Stage 1: “That sound is ok” and “Oh no! That’s too loud!” We are proud and pleased to report that he completed the ENTIRE screening, and answered every question by touching the buttons then reading them! We are SOOO excited! Thank you Avatalker and Aurora Symbols!”

MyTalkTools is an award-winning app that enables over 100,000+ people with communication difficulties to express their needs and desires to those around them. A good solution for people with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing or visual impairments, autism or other diagnoses that impair communication ability. It supports users, teachers, therapists, caregivers and parents with many innovative features.

Complete Solution

MyTalk Mobile is a complete stand-alone solution. No other software is required. But, we include a 30 day trial of MyTalk Workspace. Together, they represent a major breakthrough in augmentative alternative communications (AAC) by making it easy to customize how you communicate through a variety of images, video and audio files including human voice. The only solution that simultaneously supports browser, Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and iTouch.

Quick Start

In 5 minutes, you can download standard content, and customize it for your needs, to communicate in a way that YOU choose. MyTalk offers ease of use and time-savings in a portable, effective, and cool communication tool. Take the iTunes University Course, to see how simple it is. https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/enroll/ERF-ASN-WAB

Keep your work safe

Don’t worry about losing your device. All information is backed up on MyTalk Workspace. Every version you create is kept. Don’t worry about experimenting. You can always back up to almost any point in time with undo/redo or restore.

Community Sharing & Resources

Create and participate in family and professional communities by creating and sharing libraries of boards, cells, or other media with others. Get pre-programmed boards from our public submissions library. Using our paid app - MyTalkTools Mobile - you can share PDFs, or on-line working previews with parents, family members, or teachers through email or texts, and have you have access to 20,000+ Symbolstix images.

Accessibility

Works without internet access. Using our paid version - MyTalkTolls Mobile - you have many scanning features to customize to the user’s specific needs. Works directly with many popular switches and can be programmed to support most BT switches. Additional features for visual impairment and other physical limitations including auditory scanning and fine motor adjustments. Print hard copy for use without access to a device.

Language Generation

Keep core words in standard locations through our repeat function. Grammar support with word variants. Use Fitzgerald or Goosen encoding to categorize words. Use phrase bar to generate complete phrases. Use popup lists to customize variant selections or select simple choices. Popup keyboards for users to add custom words and phrases. Popup Recents, Most-Used or Predicted word lists for quick access to relevant choices.

Text-To-Speech

A free text-to-speech voice is included. Our paid app MyTalkTools Mobile, allows you to purchase in-app over 100 different voices.

Media

Photographs, videos and recorded audio are supported. Use videos to enable modeling. Download photos and images from your device, the web, or community libraries.

Innovative Author Features

Authoring is limited to small sample boards in this free version. But you can experiment with variable cell sizes, drag-and-drop arrangement, copy or link pages, user logging with geo-context to provide continuous refinement. Search MyTalkTools content using apple global search. Integrate with apps – like Pandora, FaceTime or others. Multiple authors can support a single page using our patented sync technology to merge all changes. Many, many user interface customization options.

MyTalk LLC is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: all
Categories: Early Learning, Special Needs, Parents

Voice Dream Writer helps everyone write better: Text-to-speech proofreading reduces mistakes, phonetic and meaning search help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you organize and improve the structure of your writing.

• Featured in the US App Store Education Collection.

• "Voice Dream Writer's technically designed for people with reading disabilities, but it's useful for just about anyone who needs a little help proofing." - Lifehacker

Text-To-Speech Proofreading. Professional proofreaders recommend reading out loud as the best way to catch mistakes. Like a personal proofreader, Voice Dream Writer reads your writing using text-to-speech, so you can easily spot awkward sentences, grammatical errors and typos. Also, it can read words and sentences as you type or voice dictate. This way, you can type faster because you no longer have to look up to check the text you just wrote.

Word Finder. Voice Dream Writer helps you find the right words using phonetic search and meaning search. For example, search for "inuf" phonetically, and you will find "enough", and search for "Fast Africa Cat" by meaning and you will find "Cheetah." Word Finder also shows you the dictionary definition of a word as you type without you having to select anything or open another program.

Outline. As you write, Voice Dream Writer automatically creates an outline of headings, paragraphs and sentences. The Outline helps you structure your document better by giving you an always-on overview. You can also quickly navigate to a section in a long document without endless scrolling. Finally, you can drag and drop elements in the Outline to organize your writing. No more selecting, cutting and pasting large blocks of text.

Besides these unique features, Voice Dream Writer also comes with everything you would expect from any great writing tool:

• Comprehensive settings for text appearance
• Uncluttered writing area
• Search for text
• Search for misspelled words
• Word count
• Synchronize and backup with iCloud
• Import and export for Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box
• Preview and print with multiple themes
• Markdown support for formatting
• Export to Microsoft Word format (compatible with Apple Pages)
• Support for Bluetooth keyboard

The app is not only fully accessible, it was designed with students and adults with print disabilities in mind. There are special tools for VoiceOver users to manage the cursor, select text, and find and correct misspelled words by stepping through them. Voice-based Proofreading and Phonetic Search are invaluable for people with dyslexia. Also included is the research-proven Dyslexie font.

Voice Dream Writer will continue to evolve. We would love to hear from you!

urVoice is an easy-to-use, highly customizable, affordable text-to-speech solution. You type it - urVoice speaks it or you can save it as a Quick Phrase to be used later (you can even include a picture).

Works great as an Augmentative and alternative communication device.

We have designed an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that you can customize any way you want based on your individual needs.

Features:
• Text to speech
• Save and play Quick Phrases
• Include pictures from your camera or photo library to customize your Quick Phrases.
• Quickly search saved phrases
• Intuitive, easy-to-use design
• Customize for an Adult or a Child
• Simple and clean UI
• Male voice and multiple female voices
• No Internet connection required

Download urVoice now!

If you have Feedback or Questions, please email us at: ClericSoftware.technical@verizon.net

Check our free lite version of urVoice, to experience the functionality and feel of the full version. urVoice Lite has all of the functionality offered in urVoice, but limits the number of saved Quick Phrases to 3 and is ad supported. The full version/premium upgrade has no limit on the number of saved Quick Phrases and removes ads.

The cheapest AAC app compared to others offering the same features.
Chatterboards was professionally developed, in collaboration with Speech Therapists and end users, with the aim of providing people in need with an AAC app that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars or require monthly subscriptions.

ChatterBoards is an easy to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) aid for people of any age who have speech or language difficulties. This can include people with autism, aphasia, apraxia, stroke, downs syndrome, or any other disability that causes the individual to have difficulties in communicating or expressing their needs.

Continually updated with new features and enhancements. All suggestions and/or requests are considered.

Full feature list:

- Create and use vocabulary boards, including multiple paged vocabularies, for forming sentences.
- Board levels. Levels provide a way to progressively build up a user's vocabulary. A limited set of words can be displayed at each level, progressively building up the number of words shown until the full board is used. Words/Tiles do not move position between boards, allowing users to remember and learn a number of words at a time without them moving.
- Create and use basic phrase boards which associate a basic full phrase/sentence to an individual button, providing quick responses or questions for basic communication needs.
- Ability to create and switch between different profiles, each with their own set of boards and settings. Ideal for households with multiple users, or specialists with multiple clients.
- All board dimensions supported up to and included 16x16 (rows x columns) per page.
- Fully customisable buttons. Change their text, colour (border and background), image and audio playback
- Change a buttons image from either your devices photo library, camera, or from over 4000 sample symbols.
- Includes over 3500 symbols provided by Mulberry Symbols (https://mulberrysymbols.org/)
- Includes over 500 symbols designed by Freepik and distributed by Flaticon.
- Save images from the internet, or from your own symbol libraries, into your photo library for use.
- Supports text-only and image-only buttons.
- Fully customisable button audio. Use the Text to Speech synthesiser or record your own voice(s) using your devices microphone.
- Keyboard input mode. Alternatively to using symbols, manually enter desired vocabulary with keyboard input.
- Text to Speech supports all iOS packaged languages (over 50 languages/dialects). Includes multiple male and female voices for English.
- Change rate, pitch and/or volume of Text to Speech synthesiser.
- Set App wide voice/language, rate, pitch and volume default values for the Text to Speech synthesiser.
- Fully customisable boards. Change dimensions anytime, add, delete and move buttons as desired.
- Copy existing boards to create new permutations
- Copy/paste individual tiles
- Share boards with other users of ChatterBoards. Use Apple AirDrop, Mail, Message, or any other valid installed application on your device.
- The ability to lock controls, e.g. editing. Like a parental control.
- Supports both iPhone and iPad

Also a number of Arasaac Symbols are included as samples (approx. 20).
These pictograms used are property of Aragon Goberment and have been created by Sergio Palao to ARASAAC (http://arasaac.org) which distribute them under Creative Commons License (BY-NC-SA)

A collection of linked augmentative communication pages for an adult in the home environment. Includes over 100 pages for eating, drinking, feelings, needs, getting dressed, washing up, books, music, movies, games, puzzles, cooking, social interactions, and much more.

Specifications:
Age: Adult
Setting: Home
Voice: Male (AT&T Natural Voice)
Language: US English
Grid size: 4 rows x 4 cols
No. pgs: 102 (plus 30 Core Words pgs)

Features Include:
• Emphasis on Core Words
• Easy editing and customization
• Add an unlimited number of speaking, linking pages
• Camera image acquisition directly in each cell
• Access to all provided images
• Easily show, dim, or hide cells
• Dimmed cell opacity is fully adjustable
• Dimmed cells remain active or can be disabled
• 'Restore mode' brings deleted pages from the provided page set back to their original state
• iOS text-to-speech (TTS) and recorded audio
• Adjust iOS TTS voice, speech rate, pitch, and volume
• Configure different TTS voice output settings for the user's voice and the auditory preview voice (when in scanning mode)
• International language support, including right-to-left text entry
• Word prediction with a 150k word library
• Optional word learning and tracking of frequency of word use
• 1x-3x cell magnification for low vision (scanning and direct select modes)
• List of pages includes page previews and a search bar
• Undo button
• 30-day user activity log in AAC Institute's LAM format
• Data tracking with privacy toggle and recording indicator
• Data logs may be copied for printing, sharing, and PeRT analysis
• Send messages to email and SMS & MMS text via email
• Pages may be backed up to a computer with iTunes File Sharing and a USB cable
• iCloud backup may be enabled

Switch support:
• One- and two-switch scanning
• Sequential and row/column scanning
• Auditory preview
• Bluetooth and direct touch scanning
• Supports RJ Cooper, AbleNet, Therapy Box, and Inclusive Technology Bluetooth switches

HandySpeech Is The Gift Of Voice!

APPROVED: Dr. Bernard Grela, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Interim Department Chair
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
University of Connecticut

The only handwriting-to-speech application for iOS devices, HandySpeech provides people with speech and hearing disabilities a quick and easy conversational tool.

The application’s ability to translate handwritten text into spoken language makes HandySpeech easier to use and more natural than commercially available keyboarding solutions.

Because HandySpeech can be used on mobile devices, it is portable and readily accessible. The application remembers frequently used phrases, learns the user’s handwriting style, understands cursive, print and mixed writing styles and contains a dictionary for unusual words. The application generates natural sounding, best on the market male and female voices in a total of 12 languages.

HandySpeech is a valuable tool for individuals with a variety of speech and language impairments, including those who are living with oral, head and neck cancer, Muscular Dystrophy, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or autism; have experienced stroke or brain injury; and those with post-operative voice difficulties. It is quick to learn conversational tool for people with vocal cords impairments due to surgery, paralysis, vocal nodules and others.

HandySpeech can listen too: with speech recognition module, powered by Nuance, HandySpeech can be used by deaf and hard of hearing people for two way “verbal” conversation with the hearing individuals.

The application was created by a twelve-year-old boy who was inspired by his sister, an autistic young girl with speech disabilities. “I invented HandySpeech to give a voice to people who find it difficult to or are unable to speak,” said Eric Zeiberg. “The application is dedicated to courageous people who struggle every day to overcome their disabilities. I hope that HandySpeech will provide much needed help and open new opportunities for people in need.”

HandySpeech:
•Assistive Speech Technology
•Easy to use, intuitive interface, portable
•It remembers you favorite and frequently used phrases for use at the store, doctor's office, on the phone ("I am using assistive device - please be patient") - even quicker ability to say something.
•Advance handwriting recognition technology:
- corrects written words based on user's intention;
- improves ability to recognize user's handwriting over time;
•Can be used anywhere - either WIFI of Cell connection and even with NO connection
•One time payment includes iPad, iPhone, iPod and all future updates.
•Alternative keyboard and whole screen input


What People are saying about HandySpeech
* "The app has given my best friend back to me. It's not my husband's voice, but it's his words"
* "A nice contribution to quality of live for speech impaired folks."
* "HandySpeech is the Gift of Voice"
* "We can't believe - it's a God send!"
* "What you have done is beyond expectation!"
* "Sounds like a winner for so many!"
* "This app will help so many who have struggled throughout their lives to be heard."

To learn more about the HandySpeech application visit www.iSpeak4U.com.

HandySpeech was created by iSpeak4U, LLC., a provider of software products and services, iSpeak4U is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities through innovations in assistive technologies. Its mission is to create easy-to-use mobile applications to help people with disabilities to achieve an independent lifestyle, open new opportunities, and reach their full potential.