ElevenLabs, a startup specializing in AI-powered synthetic voice tools, has launched its Reader app globally, now offering support for 32 languages. Initially released in June across the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, the Reader app allows users to upload various text formats—such as articles, PDFs, and e-books—and listen to them in multiple languages and voices.
With its global rollout, Reader now supports a wide range of languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Italian, Tamil, and Swedish. This expansion broadens the app’s accessibility, enabling more users worldwide to experience content in their preferred language and voice style.
ElevenLabs, which achieved unicorn status earlier this year after raising $80 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, has been making significant strides in the AI and synthetic voice space. The company offers an API that businesses can use for various applications, such as dubbing and text-to-speech functions. ElevenLabs’ technology is already integrated into products like the Rabbit r1 and AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, as well as audio platforms Pocket FM and Kuku FM.
Enhancing the Reader Experience
As part of the global expansion, ElevenLabs has introduced hundreds of new voices to its Reader app, each tailored to different languages. These voices were added to the platform last month, coinciding with the company’s licensing of iconic actor voices, including Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier.
The company credits its advanced Turbo v2.5 model for powering the extended language support. This model, released last month, reportedly enhances the quality of text-to-speech conversion while reducing latency, ensuring a smoother and more responsive user experience.
Competition and Future Features
Reader faces competition from apps like Speechify, which offers additional features such as document scanning, Gmail and Canvas integrations, and the ability to clone users’ voices for text narration. Other competitors include Mozilla-owned Pocket and The New York Times’ Audm-based audio app, which also provide content-listening services.
Looking ahead, ElevenLabs plans to introduce more features to the Reader app, including offline support and the option to share audio snippets. These enhancements are aimed at making the app even more versatile and user-friendly, solidifying its position in the growing market of AI-driven text-to-speech applications.
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