Text-to-voice tools have existed for years. With artificial intelligence, the technology is more advanced, transforming an article, ebook, newsletter, or other text into an audio conversation.
Here are three AI tools to turn text into engaging, conversational podcasts.
Wondercraft
Wondercraft
Wondercraft converts a newsletter or entire post into an audio podcast. Choose whether you want one or two speakers discussing your content in dialogue, and optionally change speakers for different chapters and sections.
Select the tone (“Casual/Engaging” or “Professional/Formal”) and the length of each episode. Then input your article URL, click “Create script,” and edit it as needed. I chose the casual style, but the script was too formal, requiring my edits.
Once you’ve completed the audio, click “Produce track.” The tool will add music to the intro.
Wondercraft’s free trial allows four audio minutes per month. Paid plans start at $29 per month for 60 audio minutes.
HearTheWeb
HearTheWeb
HearTheWeb offers limited controls but the quality in my testing was excellent. Paste your text (or input your URL), choose male or female speakers, and let HearTheWeb do the rest.
The podcast is conversational, with one voice as a host (introducing the topic and asking questions) and the other as an expert.
Edit the transcript, and the tool can reproduce the audio, although in my testing the initial version needed no changes.
Of all the three tools I tested, HearTheWeb provided the best quality. It turned my content into an engaging conversation and required no editing.
HearTheWeb’s plans start at $15 per month for five episodes of any length.
Podcastle
Podcastle
Podcastle offers multiple AI features for podcast creators, including audio editing, transcriptions, and more.
To create an episode from text, choose “Text to speech” and paste your document. The tool will generate audio. Then, review and edit the transcript or choose a different voice before exporting. Podcastle has no option for creating conversations, but the AI-generated text-to-audio quality was excellent in my testing.
A handy collaboration feature allows remote teams to co-create and edit episodes. Add music from the tool’s library or upload your own file.
Podcastle starts at $$14.99 per month for eight hours of text-to-speech with AI voices.