Whether you prefer articles read to you while you do something else or trying to grasp a new foreign language or even for specially abled students, TTS (short for text-to-speech) has proved to be very useful.
Certainly there are lots of great Mac browsers out there. Surely, you can find that browser that you can use other than Safari and still get the speed and reliability that you need. Out of the hundreds of browsers that could work great in a Mac, here is the top 10 best Mac web browser rounded up for you to give you an idea of what could be the.
- Sublime Text is probably one of the most famous text editors available for Mac and for all the right reasons. The software brings a ton of features including syntax highlighting and folding, a high level of customizability, easy to navigate interface, multiple selections, powerful API and package ecosystem, and more.
- One of the benefits of using IE on a Mac is that is makes operating multiple machines simpler. There are a lot of people using Internet Explorer at work and Mac’s browsers at home with no way to synchronize the Internet sessions and migrate their data easily. Secondly, Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser on the planet.
In our previous articles we saw some of the best text to speech apps for Windows and Android. And today, we take a look at some of the best TTS options available for Macs.
Text To Speech For Mac
1. macOS TTS
Before we get too ahead of ourselves and start downloading third party apps, it is very trivial to know that macOS itself comes with a built-in TTS and you can use it anywhere on your computer from the Notes app to any browser.
To get started, highlight or select the text which you want to be read and then right click, go to Speech and then to Start Speaking; and your Mac should start reading the text to you. It also supports a lot of other languages other than English and there are a lot of voices to choose from in all the languages. To change the language option simply go to Accessibility > Speech. Although some voices are very robotic, there are a few which aren’t and sound more like a human.
But the TTS is far from perfect; it is very basic and barebones and lacks options like pause/play, picking up from a selected word instantly and a lot more.
Quick Tip: It blew my mind and might even blow yours to know that the native TTS on Mac also supports converting your text into audio files. Just select the required text, right click and go to Services > Add to iTunes as a spoken track. The text will be converted to an audio track and added to your iTunes library.
Pros:
– Built-in system wide
– Lots of voice options
– Converting text to iTunes track
– Built-in system wide
– Lots of voice options
– Converting text to iTunes track
Cons:
– No Pause/Play
– Have to select manually all the words to be read
– No instant pickup
– No Pause/Play
– Have to select manually all the words to be read
– No instant pickup
Verdict:
Overall, the TTS that comes with macOS is very barebones without all the bells and whistles and should be perfect for somebody looking for a basic TTS experience without even buying or installing any third party software.
Overall, the TTS that comes with macOS is very barebones without all the bells and whistles and should be perfect for somebody looking for a basic TTS experience without even buying or installing any third party software.
2. Invicta TTS
Invicta TTS is a very simple free Text To Speech app available on the Mac App Store.
Once you open up the app, it presents you with a text box where you can enter or paste any text which will be then converted to speech. The app is very lightweight and minimal in nature with everything being to the point.
Once you open up the app, it presents you with a text box where you can enter or paste any text which will be then converted to speech. The app is very lightweight and minimal in nature with everything being to the point.
Although the app is very basic, unlike the built in TTS of Mac OS, it does add the option of playing or pausing the audio which becomes crucial when listening to long texts or articles. The voice settings cannot be changed but the in built voice does the job pretty good enough.
Pros:
– Minimal and Light
– Play/Pause Option
– Minimal and Light
– Play/Pause Option
Cons:
– Cannot read documents automatically
– Supports only English
– Cannot read documents automatically
– Supports only English
Verdict:
If you need a simple and light TTS app and might be listening to long articles, Invicta TTS does the job pretty well but do remember that it can only read English.
If you need a simple and light TTS app and might be listening to long articles, Invicta TTS does the job pretty well but do remember that it can only read English.
Link: Get Invicta TTS on the App Store
Price: Free
3. Natural Reader
The next app on our list is Natural Reader which is an extremely powerful TTS software available not only on Mac OS but also on Windows, iOS, Android and even has an online reader.
The app comes in many flavours, each with its fair share of features for the price. The free version comes with basic TTS features along with the ability to read directly from file formats such as Docx, PDF, ePub and Txt. It also has a floating bar which can be used to read text while you are in other applications. The next option or the Personal version, at a steep $100, allows you to read web pages directly, converting text to audio files and syncing everything between your phone apps. There are also Professional and Ultimate versions which add OCR support and a bunch of natural voices.
Pros:
– Support for file formats
– Convert to audio files
– Cross Platform
– OCR Support
– Support for file formats
– Convert to audio files
– Cross Platform
– OCR Support
Cons:
– Pricey
– No instant pickup
– Pricey
– No instant pickup
Verdict:
All the features of Natural Reader definitely come at a price and you should be able to decide whether it is a suit for you with respect to your investment in TTS, but even for a casual user the free version works really well. Overall, Natural reader is not just best text to speech software with natural voices, but since it also support PDF, it’s also a good option for those who are looking for PDF Voice Reader for macOS.
All the features of Natural Reader definitely come at a price and you should be able to decide whether it is a suit for you with respect to your investment in TTS, but even for a casual user the free version works really well. Overall, Natural reader is not just best text to speech software with natural voices, but since it also support PDF, it’s also a good option for those who are looking for PDF Voice Reader for macOS.
Pricing Options: Pricing for Natural Reader
Link: Download Natural Reader from here
4. Read Aloud
Read Aloud is not exactly a stand alone Mac app but instead a Chrome extension which might appeal to some people. Considering how many posts and articles are read on the internet everyday, we had to include Read Aloud.
It is completely free and once you install it, its icon will appear in the extension bar which you can now use to read any webpage or any online article, just by a single click. When it is in work, you get a play/pause button along with a forward or rewind button which can be used to advance or backtrack paragraphs. Considering it is free, the voice options are really good and feel very natural and premium.
Text Browser For Mac Shortcut
Pros:
– Great natural voice
– Forward or rewind by paragraphs
– Listen to webpages
– Great natural voice
– Forward or rewind by paragraphs
– Listen to webpages
Cons:
– Works only on Chrome
– Works only on Chrome
Verdict:
Suggesting Read Aloud is very straight forward; if you are someone who reads a lot on the internet and are looking for a free TTS software for that, nothing beats Read Aloud.
Suggesting Read Aloud is very straight forward; if you are someone who reads a lot on the internet and are looking for a free TTS software for that, nothing beats Read Aloud.
Price: Free
Link: Download Read Aloud from the Chrome Store
5. Capti Voice
Capti Voice is probably the most polished and well rounded TTS software available for the Mac and the award are only there to justify that. Starting off, Capti Voice uses your browser for the app to function instead of a stand alone Mac application. Don’t worry, you can still use it while you are offline as it stores all its data locally and personally I have had no issues.
Capti Voice has a subscription based model and even the free version has a lot to offer from various file format supports to text search while the premium versions add features like creating playlists, OCR Support and intelligent dictionary lookup. The voices offered across all the platforms are very high quality and commendable.
Quick Tip: Don’t forget to use the Chrome extension which allows you to save articles or webpages to be read later by Capti Voice.
Pros:
– Cross platform with mobile apps
– Create Playlists
– Dictionary lookup
– Shortcuts to get around
– Cross platform with mobile apps
– Create Playlists
– Dictionary lookup
– Shortcuts to get around
Cons:
– No standalone app
– Syncs only when you add to cloud storage
– No standalone app
– Syncs only when you add to cloud storage
Verdict:
Overall, Capti Voice is a really compelling app with features packed to the brim and is very similar to natural Reader but with a subscription based model. It is really the best TTS experience you can get on Mac OS.
Overall, Capti Voice is a really compelling app with features packed to the brim and is very similar to natural Reader but with a subscription based model. It is really the best TTS experience you can get on Mac OS.
Pricing Info: Pricing Options for Capti Voice
Link: Download Capti Voice from here
6. Honorable Mentions
CereProc has some of the most natural sounding computer speeches available on the market, which you can use to replace the default voice on your Mac (also available for other platforms). There are a lot of high quality voice packs to choose from and each costs around $35.
Zamzar is a free online service which you can use to convert your text to audio files or mp3s. Unlike the iTunes spoken track which you can use only on Apple devices, you can use it on any platform without any hassle.
Wrapping up: Best Text to Speech for Mac
So these were some of the TTS software available on the Mac and we hope we made your decision a little bit easier. If you are someone who reads mainly on the internet, Read Aloud is by far the best free option. Although a little limited, the built-in TTS feature seems to work just fine, but it can be a pain for long stretches of texts or long articles for which there is Invicta which is also free.
Natural Reader and Capti Voice both are spectacular TTS apps with a lot of plans to choose from, but I guess what it comes down to is the paying model. Natural reader is a one time purchase and should be better if you feel you will be invested in TTS for a long time whereas Capti Voice follows a subscription based model also with a one week free trial. Thanks for reading and do comment below which one is your favorite TTS app on Mac OS.
Read: Make your Devices Read Out Text, With Text to Speech
If you are a developer or an entry-level programmer for Mac then text editor is a must for you. Nowadays, the necessity of text editor is essential for any computer user. Any OS has its own built-in tool but most of them have some limitations. If you want more functionality you need the best tool for your work done. Let us look at some of the best text editors for Mac.
Best Text Editors for Mac
1. Brackets
Bracket is the simplest and the most famous text editor for Mac. It is an open source and has been developed by Adobe. Bracket is unique from other text editors due to its interface and design. It consists a feature named “Extract” which permits you to take different fonts, colors and measurements. You can use these features and select them from a PSD file interested in a clean CSS file that is prepared to use for a web page. Bracket also consists some other features like extension support, previews and inline editors.
Get it from here
Also Read: Best Free PDF Editor For Mac
2. BBEdit 11
BBEdit 11 text editor has to be on this list of best text editors for Mac. It is the most powerful text editor developed by the Bare Bones. It consists rich text and HTML editor which is specially designed for web designers. It also includes various features like searching, modification in text and advanced editing etc. This tool also permits the user to use command files, text, folders and servers in a single utility. The special feature of this Code editor for Mac consists “biggest syntax of text support” along with color coding which helps the user in a good vision of coding.
Get it from here
3. TextWrangler
TextWrangler is the most popular text editor between Mac users after Bracket. Like BBEdit tool, it has also come from the box of Bare Bones. It is the smaller version of BBEdit. TextWrangler is used by most of program designers instead it is not designed for them. It is made for normal user as it can be used for general editing like you can perform the basic function change columns to CSV.
Get it from here
4. TextMate
Text Mate is also a free tool for text editing which carries Apple’s tactic to Mac OS into the text editor’s world. This is the most powerful tool for UNIX command with a very interactive GUI. Basically, it is created for novice user and programmers. It consists various features, for example, it permits auto-indentation, word completion, column selection, regular expression support etc. Using this tool, you can build XCode projects. It also contains various themes to look nice.
Get it from here
Also Read: Best Free MP3 Tag Editor For Mac
5. Atom
Atom is the latest text editors for Mac and it is a very advanced text editor from recent periods. Atom is open source and free tool for editing. It is maintained by GitHub. It contains a huge packaged library along with key features like fuzzy search, code folding, quick edition, multiple panes for editing, extension library etc.
6. Sublime Text
Sublime Text Editor is a famous and powerful text editor. It seems user-friendly and simple due to its remarkable interface. Sublime Text Editor supports the same style as code and markup. This best code editor for Mac consists a speediest search engine which offers many shortcuts and amazing features. The tool has a powerful API and a user can customize it as per his need. To use the full features of Sublime Text Editor you need to purchase the full version of it. However, if you wish to use limited functionality, you can use the free version.
7. Textastic
Best Web Browsers For Mac
Textastic is a versatile cross-platform text editor for all the apple users. We called it versatile due to its availability for all platforms like Mac, iPhone and iPad. It consists a huge collection of features for coders like you can sync all your work done on the cloud, so it will help you to access from anywhere whether you work on iPad or Mac. It will help you for on-the-go edits for the real-quick fix. It is the most versatile tool which supports around 80 coding and markup languages.
Also Read: 15 Best Anti-Malware Software For Mac
8. CodeRunner 2
It is a good choice for the hardcore programmers as it offers more than prose writing. However, it does not have a free version, you need to pay some amount to use this tool. It offers the variety of features like autocomplete for words, symbol navigation, argument execution with input sets, bracket matching, an impressive console, and much more. It is the best tool for Mac which you can use for coding.
9. UltraEdit
UltraEdit designed by IDM Computer Solutions, they have their established reputation in the market as they have already developed many more user-friendly utilities from the past years. The main strength of the company is for HTML, JavaScript, PHP, C/C++, Python, Perl, and many more other programming languages. This tool also consists of the variety of features like you can highlight the syntax, file/data sorting, column/block editing etc. It also supports SSH/telnet. It is a paid utility.
10. MacVim
MacVim is version of popular Vim text editor for Mac OS X. It is a tool with a full bundle of features and it has the primitive graphical interface. The most important feature of the MacVim is standard shortcuts of OS X keyboard. It has a are transparent backgrounds along with full- screen mode which is very helpful for distraction-free coding. It is the tool which supports tabs and multiple windows with ODB.
Also Read: The Best Antivirus Software For Mac
11. Emacs
Emacs is powerful text editor which consists of an effective file manager and customizable keyboard for editing. It includes various specifications with an extension language called Emacs Lisp. File manager of Emacs permits you to distinguish between two files. It also gives you the visual selection and text objects. It is a very good text editor with perfect features.
That’s all folks! These were our best 11 picks in text editors for Mac OS X. We hope this post will helps you decide one from the list of best text editors available for mac. If you have any comment or suggestion you can write in comment section below.
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