ElevenLabs' text-to-speech application, Reader, has recently been launched globally. The startup, recognized for its AI-powered solutions for generating and editing synthetic voices, has extended the app's reach to encompass 32 languages. Initially launched in June in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, Reader enables users to upload text-based content such as articles, PDFs, or e-books and have it narrated in a selection of languages and voices. The expanded language support now includes Portuguese, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Italian, Tamil, and Swedish, among others.
ElevenLabs, a company that recently achieved unicorn status by raising $80 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, offers an API for various applications such as dubbing and text-to-speech. They are responsible for powering voice interactions on the Rabbit r1 and providing text-to-speech capabilities for AI-driven platforms including Perplexity, as well as audio services such as Pocket FM and Kuku FM. Reader is ElevenLabs’ first consumer-oriented product.
The startup has also expanded its library by incorporating numerous new voices, tailored for various languages. In a recent development, ElevenLabs obtained licenses for the voices of esteemed actors including Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier to be integrated into the application.
The company's enhanced language capabilities are powered by the Turbo v2.5 model, which was introduced last month to reduce latency in converting text to speech while simultaneously improving its quality.
A primary competitor of Reader is Speechify, which provides functionalities such as text scanning, integration with Gmail and Canvas, as well as allowing users access to voice cloning capabilities for reading text. Additionally, Mozilla's Pocket and The New York Times' Audm-based audio app enable users to consume content through listening.
ElevenLabs is considering expanding Reader by incorporating additional features such as offline support and the capability to share audio snippets.