The Best AI Voice Generators
Not All Tools Deliver on Their Promise
Written by
Last updated
August 18th, 2025
TL;DR: The Best AI Voice Generator
Artlist surprisingly beats ElevenLabs as the top AI voice generator, despite ElevenLabs being the expected winner, thanks to Artlist's fresh approach and unique features not found elsewhere
AI voice quality has dramatically improved and is now nearly indistinguishable from human voices, making them suitable for commercial use in ads, social media, and explainer videos, though challenges remain with natural-sounding laughter and voice cloning
Several advanced features still don't work well, including natural-sounding laughter, video dubbing capabilities, accurate voice cloning, and custom voice design - with many "free" tools not allowing audio downloads despite advertising free generation
When I started testing AI Voice Generator tools for this comparison, I was sure ElevenLabs was going to be on the first spot. I've heard from the company ever since I started this website and also at the AI meetups in Berlin 2 years ago. People were excited about how they could make themselves speak Chinese or other fun features using Voice Cloning technology. But, Elevenlabs didn't quite make it on the number one spot, but a newer contestant convinced us due to their fresh approach and features we were not able to find elsewhere: Artlist. But let's get to that more in detail later.
First I want to confess to you why I have a personal interest in voiceover apps: I have a podcast and we often joke with my co-host Jackie that it would be great if we could clone our voices and record the intros with AI instead of recording them ourselves. The idea of having AI Voiceover handle the repetitive parts while we focus on the actual conversation is appealing. So let me dive into this new technology that promises to make my life easier (with lots of excitement).
My Impression Testing AI Voice Generators
To say it short: I'm quite impressed with the AI-generated voices nowadays. They are really hard to distinguish from real voices and since I first tested AI Voices, they have come a long way. The Voice Generation capabilities are so good now, you can use AI voices for commercial purposes like ads, social media or explainer videos.
Voice Quality: Where before you could easily spot Artificial Intelligence in the speech patterns, now many AI Voiceovers sound almost Human-Like. The Speech AI has gotten better at handling pronunciation, especially when you need to generate AI Voices that sound professional. Lovo AI even offers a pronunciation feature where you can explain how something is supposed to sound, great for brand names or foreign words.
Voice Effects: Many tools allow adding pauses, emphasis or different voice styles. These really help you transport the mood and create more natural-sounding speech. You can also choose what your Voice Over is used for—for example for narration, promotion, or motivation. Voice Over Generators like Artlist also let you choose the video category you want to use your voice for, for example: commercials, social, health & wellness, trailers, characters, explainers, tutorials or documentaries.
Voice Video Editing: Often you will want to use your voice over within a video, many of the companies we've tested understand this well and the Voice And Video integration has become much smoother. Now you can edit videos and voices in the same tool, which saves you from all the different versioning and down- and uploading.
Speech to speech: Various tools let you re-create your own into a different voice and keep its unique speech melody. I think this is pretty cool, all the sudden I can be a man. Ok, just sound like one, but this is the closest I will get to it.
Some Challenges Still Remain
Laughs are still tough—even where you prompt for it they hardly ever sound natural. Only ElevenLabs was able to generate a giggle I would accept as that. I didn't come across a real laugh that felt authentic. The Voice Talent aspect is still something Human Voice actors excel at, though AI-Powered tools are catching up fast.
Dubbing: Coming back to the fact that Elevenlabs didn't actually make it to the first spot. Well, sometimes AI Voices pioneers kind of go overboard. I've seen this before when testing Descript for editing my (German) podcast "KI Plausch": It has all these shiny and good sounding features, which simply don't work: it flattened my voice so much when we tried to give it the studio sound feature and I sounded worse than before. It was the same with some of Elevenlabs' applications: I couldn't get anything useful out of the dubbing feature. Also Murf AI struggles with dubbing videos, the result is complete nonsense.
Voice Design: I wanted to prompt for a creation that sounds like a young Annie Lennox (without mentioning her name, of course you can't copy a celebrity voice). The AI Voice Generator couldn't quite capture what I was looking for- I had asked for a dark but young voice and was presented with 3 rather plain ones. I think this app simply searches its library and matches existing voices with labels that fit the prompt, instead of creating a voice from scratch.
Voice Cloning: Many Voice AI tools like to advertise AI Voice Cloning, but it was mostly disappointing. I will sadly not be able to use a generated voice for my podcast intros—it just simply sounds too different compared to real footage.
Free Voice Generation: Also lots of Voice Generators boast with Free Voices, but then don't let you download the audio files. Bummer. Therefore you'll hear a few screen recordings instead of fresh and crispy sounding voices in my video compilation of all tested tools.
Ranking & Tool | Cheapest Package | Quality of Text-to-Speech |
---|---|---|
1. Artlist | Music & SFX - $11 | 5/5 |
2. Lovo AI | Basic - $10 | 5/5 |
3. ElevenLabs | Starter - $5 | 5/5 |
4. Murf AI | Creator - $29 | 5/5 |
5. Speechify | Premium Monthly - $29 | 4/5 |
6. Domo AI | Basic - $9.99 | 3/5 |
7. Canva | Pro - $15 | 3/5 |
8. Voice Generator.io | Free Tool | 3/5 |
9. Voicemaker | Starter - $5 | 2/5 |
10. PlayHT | Professional - $39 | 1/5 |
The Best AI Voice Generators Ranking, Pricing and Quality
I guess you could say that the basics work really great, but anything beyond that might need another 1-2 years.
AI Voice Generator Comparison
My Experience With Professional Voice-overs
In my days working for Revolut I also produced voiceovers for big marketing campaigns (quick flex: even one for Wieden&Kennedy) and localizations for different countries. These were quite some productions—imagine me sitting in a video call with a Dutch Studio Engineer, the Voice Over artist, our local language expert and me. I would give instructions on how the intonation should be and which parts should be emphasized, which is really important for brands and ads. The Human Voice actors delivered Professional Voice quality that today's technology almost can deliver already.
Imagining how that production would work today and how much less money brands would have to spend is baffling to me. I could have just generated the AI Voices on my computer, write down my instructions and in most cases the AI text to speech would have sufficed. The best AI Voice Generator tools now offer Multiple Languages support and can create content for commercial purposes with just a few clicks.
Impact On Voice Actors And The Industry
I'm really sorry to say voice actors, but I think you have to look for a new job. Of course you would still do a much better job than most of the tools I've tested, but not for long anymore. If I look at what a huge jump the AI Voice Technology has made in these two years I had an eye on it, in another year you'll be in trouble (I'm sorry!). The AI Generated Content space is moving fast, and Voice Over work is definitely being disrupted.
By the way, I dived a bit deeper into the Voiceover features in this blog.
The Best AI Voice Generator FAQ You Actually Need
What is an AI voice generator and how does it work?
An AI voice generator is a tool that converts written text into spoken words using AI-powered speech synthesis. Think of it as your digital narrator, great for creating voiceovers, podcasts, or explainer videos. These tools use artificial intelligence models to generate natural-sounding voices in multiple languages, often allowing you to pick styles like cheerful, dramatic, or professional. Tools like Lovo AI and Murf AI even let you clone your own voice or tweak pronunciation for brand names.
Which tool is best for YouTube or video content creators?
Artlist is your one-stop shop for content creators. It’s more than just text to speech software; it offers voiceovers, music, sound effects, video generation, and visual editing in one place. It’s perfect if you want to generate voice content without opening five different apps. Need a trailer voice? Explainer tone? Social media-ready clips? Artlist is your voice and video playground.
What’s the easiest AI voice app for beginners?
Surprisingly, Canva wins here. Its voiceover apps may lack advanced AI flair, but they’re simple to use and perfect for beginners who want to convert text to basic speech for a presentation or video placeholder. Just upload your text, pick a voice style, and export. If you want better voice quality later, upgrade to Lovo AI or Artlist for more advanced control.
Which AI voice tool has the most cutting-edge features?
ElevenLabs leads in AI-powered text to speech technology with features like emotion control, voice cloning, and even speech-to-speech dubbing. You can clone your voice, add voice changer effects, or create a unique voice with detailed customization. The downside? Not every feature works smoothly, especially voice design and dubbing. Still, if you’re exploring the future of speech synthesis, ElevenLabs is where to start.
Which AI voice generator sounds the most human?
If you want human-like speech, Artlist is the current gold standard. The voices it generates are emotional, high-quality, and impressively hard to distinguish from a real human voice. From casual podcasts to cinematic trailers, Artlist delivers realistic AI voice results with impressive intonation and speech voice quality. Other strong contenders include ElevenLabs and Lovo AI, but Artlist’s AI-generated voices stood out most in our testing.
Are these AI voice generators allowed for commercial use?
Yes! AI voices for commercial purposes are widely supported by leading platforms like Artlist, Lovo AI, ElevenLabs, and Murf AI. Whether you're creating voiceovers for ads, tutorials, or training materials, these tools let you use AI voices directly for business, as long as you’re on a paid plan. Just double-check audio file licensing and data privacyterms when using free voices.
Which AI voice tool supports the most languages and voices?
Voicemaker supports 140+ languages and over 1,000 AI-generated voices, making it a top choice for international content strategies. Canva and Lovo AI also support dozens of voice models in various dialects. Keep in mind, though, that more isn’t always better—some voices can sound robotic, so always test before you finalize.
What’s the best AI voice generator in 2025?
Based on our side-by-side testing of the best AI voice generator tools, Artlist is the clear winner. It wasn’t our expected pick (we thought ElevenLabs had it), but Artlist impressed us with its natural-sounding voices, stylish effects, and easy-to-use platform. Whether you're doing text to speech, voiceovers, or full audio editing, Artlist nails the basics and adds creative flair, making it our top AI voice generator and text to speech tool of 2025.
Can I clone my own voice with these tools?
Yes! Tools like ElevenLabs, Murf AI, and Lovo AI offer voice cloning—letting you generate AI voices that resemble your own. However, cloning your voice isn’t perfect yet. While it's ideal for demos or placeholder voiceovers, you may notice the generated speech voice lacks the full nuance of your human speech. For now, it’s best used for content creation mockups or e-learning narration, not high-stakes production.
Which tool has the best voice editing and video integration features?
For voice and video editing in one tool, go with Lovo AI or Murf AI. Lovo offers a visual text to speech editor, subtitle syncing, and speech AI stacking, making it easy to manage multiple tracks. Murf shines with its “Say It My Way” feature, letting you customize pitch, speed, and tone using your own samples. Ideal for professional voice workflows or even e-learning content.
Are there any free AI voice generators worth trying?
Yes! If you’re looking for AI voiceovers on a zero budget, VoiceGenerator.io is a free voice generator and text to speech tool with basic options like pitch and speed control. It’s not fancy, but it works. Tools like Artlist and Lovo AIalso offer free credits so you can generate a few samples without paying, but you’ll need to upgrade to download or access premium features.