TTS FAQ — 25+ Questions
Everything you need to know about text to speech in 2026. From "What is TTS?" to advanced topics like SSML, multi-speaker mode, and commercial use — all answered in plain English.
What is text to speech (TTS)?
Text to Speech (TTS) is a technology that converts written text into spoken audio using AI. Modern TTS uses neural networks to produce natural, human-like speech in 100+ languages. TTS Now offers 322+ voices in 75+ languages for free.
Is TTS Now really free?
Yes. TTS Now is completely free with no signup, no daily limits, no API key required, and free for commercial use including YouTube monetization, audiobook sales, and podcast distribution.
How many voices does TTS Now have?
TTS Now has 322+ AI voices covering 75+ languages including 32 Arabic voices, 47 English voices, 45 Spanish voices, 14 Chinese voices, 8 Japanese voices, and many more.
Do I need to create an account?
No. TTS Now works immediately without account creation, email verification, or API keys. Just visit ttsnow.vercel.app and start converting.
Can I use TTS Now audio for YouTube?
Yes. TTS Now allows free commercial use without attribution. YouTube's 2026 monetization policy allows AI voiceovers if the content is original and adds educational, commentary, or artistic value.
What audio formats does TTS Now support?
TTS Now outputs MP3 (default, 24kHz, 96kbps), WAV (24kHz, 16-bit PCM), and MP4 (AAC, 128kbps). MP3 is recommended for most use cases.
How does TTS Now compare to ElevenLabs?
TTS Now is free with 322+ voices and 75+ languages. ElevenLabs costs $5-$99/month with 9 free voices and 29 languages. ElevenLabs wins on voice cloning; TTS Now wins on price, voice variety, and language coverage. See our full comparison.
What languages does TTS Now support?
TTS Now supports 75+ languages including Arabic (8 dialects), English (6 dialects), Spanish (5 dialects), French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, and many more.
Can I use TTS Now for commercial projects?
Yes. All audio generated by TTS Now is free for commercial use without attribution required. Use it on YouTube, podcasts, audiobooks, advertisements, e-learning, IVR systems, anywhere.
Is TTS Now WCAG compliant?
Yes. TTS Now output can be used in WCAG 2.1 AA compliant implementations. Provide audio descriptions alongside visual content for full accessibility compliance.
Can I use TTS Now for podcasts?
Yes. TTS Now supports single-host and multi-host podcast production. Use [S1] and [S2] markers in your script for two-voice dialogues. Output MP3 at 96kbps (you can re-encode at 192kbps with Audacity).
How do I create an audiobook with TTS?
Generate each chapter as separate MP3 using TTS Now. Combine chapters using Audacity (free) or FFmpeg. Normalize loudness to -18 LUFS (ACX standard). Export and upload to Audible ACX, Apple Books, or Google Play Books.
Does TTS Now support Arabic?
Yes. TTS Now offers 32 Arabic AI voices covering 8 dialects: Egyptian, Saudi, Algerian, Levantine (Syrian/Jordanian/Lebanese/Palestinian), Gulf (UAE/Kuwait/Bahrain/Qatar/Oman/Yemen), Maghrebi (Morocco/Tunisia/Libya), Iraqi, and Modern Standard Arabic.
Can I use TTS Now for e-learning courses?
Yes. TTS Now is perfect for Udemy, Coursera, Teachable, Kajabi, and LMS platforms. Generate audio for each lesson, import into your video editor, sync with slides, and export as MP4.
What is the difference between TTS and STT?
TTS (Text to Speech) converts written text to audio. STT (Speech to Text) does the opposite — converts audio to written text. TTS Now offers both: TTS at the homepage and STT at /transcribe.
How fast can TTS Now generate audio?
TTS Now generates audio in real-time. A 1,000-word article (about 7 minutes of audio) takes 5-10 seconds to generate. Longer texts are split into chunks and combined automatically.
Can I adjust the speech speed?
Yes. TTS Now supports adjustable speed from 0.5× to 2.0×. Default is 1.0×. Use 0.95× for educational content, 1.05× for tech reviews, 1.2×-1.4× for high-energy content.
Can I adjust the pitch?
Yes. TTS Now supports pitch adjustment from -50Hz to +50Hz. Use lower pitch for horror/mystery content, higher pitch for kids/educational content.
Can I insert pauses in the speech?
Yes. Use [pause:Nms] markers in your text. For example: "Hello [pause:500ms] How are you?" produces a 500ms pause between sentences.
Does TTS Now support multi-speaker dialogues?
Yes. TTS Now supports multi-speaker mode. Use [S1] and [S2] markers in your script to assign different voices to different speakers. Perfect for interviews, podcasts, and conversational content.
Is TTS Now better than Google Translate TTS?
Yes. Google Translate TTS produces robotic single-voice output with no controls. TTS Now offers 322+ neural voices, adjustable speed/pitch, pause insertion, multi-speaker mode, and MP3/WAV/MP4 output — all free for commercial use.
Can I use TTS Now on mobile?
Yes. TTS Now is fully responsive and works on iOS Safari, Chrome Android, and all modern mobile browsers. No app installation required.
Does TTS Now store my text?
No. TTS Now generates audio in your browser via a Cloudflare Worker proxy. Your text never touches our servers — it goes directly from your browser to Microsoft Edge TTS and back.
Can I integrate TTS Now into my app?
Yes. TTS Now offers a free API at /api/tts. POST your text, voice, speed, pitch, and format to receive MP3/WAV/MP4 audio. No API key required. See /api-docs for documentation.
What is SSML?
SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) is an XML-based markup for controlling TTS pronunciation, speed, pitch, and pauses. Example: <prosody rate="slow">Hello</prosody>. TTS Now supports SSML-style pause markers.
How does neural TTS differ from old TTS?
Neural TTS uses deep learning to produce human-quality speech. Old TTS (formant, concatenative) sounded robotic. Neural TTS (WaveNet, Tacotron, FastSpeech) matches human quality. TTS Now uses Microsoft Neural TTS.
Related: What is TTS? · TTS Glossary · Complete TTS Guide