Q.What is Orate?
A.Orate is a free macOS menu-bar app that converts any highlighted text into speech using a single hotkey, leveraging AI voice technology for natural-sounding audio.
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Orate
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💲Freemium
Orate is a macOS app that turns highlighted text into AI speech with a simple hotkey. It offers natural-sounding voices, adjustable speed, and multilingual support. The free tier provides substantial character limits, while the paid 'Whisper' tier unlocks premium voices and expanded features.
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Platform
web
AI VoiceAccessibilityAudio GenerationNarrationProductivity ToolSpeech SynthesisTTS
What is Orate?
Orate is a macOS menu-bar application that converts any highlighted text into AI speech using a single hotkey. It leverages advanced AI voice technology to provide natural-sounding voices with perfect intonation and emphasis, offering ultra-low latency for near-instant text-to-speech. Orate works across various macOS applications, including browsers, documents, and emails, making it ideal for users who prefer or require audio content for accessibility, productivity, or information consumption.
Core Technologies
- AI Voice
- Speech Synthesis
- Natural Language Processing
Key Capabilities
- Converts highlighted text to speech
- Single hotkey activation
- Multilingual support
- Adjustable reading speed
- Ultra-low latency
- Premium voice options
Use Cases
- Listen to articles, documents, or emails instead of reading them
- Quickly consume information without losing comprehension
- Provide audio access for users with visual impairments
- Review written content by listening to it aloud
- Enhance accessibility for users who need audio content
Core Benefits
- Converts text to speech instantly
- Accessible for users who prefer audio
- Improves productivity by allowing quick content review
- Offers customizable reading speed
- Supports multiple languages in premium tiers
- Works seamlessly across all macOS apps
Key Features
- Converts highlighted text into speech
- Single hotkey activation (⌘ + E)
- Natural-sounding AI voices
- Global keyboard shortcut for universal use
- Adjustable reading speed control
- Ultra-low latency (~75ms)
- Multilingual support (premium tier)
- Mix and match premium and standard voices
How to Use
- 1Highlight any text on your Mac.
- 2Press the global keyboard shortcut ⌘ + E to trigger speech.
- 3Adjust the reading speed to your preference.
- 4Switch between standard and premium voices (if subscribed).
Pricing Plans
Free
$0.00 /month
300k characters (≈ 6 hours ≈ A whole book!) each month – Limited to the first 1000 users! English Only, Standard Voices. Resets every billing cycle.
Whisper
$9.99 /month
Everything in Free, plus Premium voices. Multilingual Support (30+ languages in Premium, 7+ languages in Standard). Mix and Match premium and standard voices. 6x the free-tier usage!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.How do I use Orate?
A.Simply highlight any text on your Mac and press the global keyboard shortcut ⌘ + E. Orate will then read the text aloud.
Q.What kind of voices does Orate offer?
A.Orate offers standard voices in its Free tier and premium, natural-sounding AI voices with perfect intonation and emphasis in its paid 'Whisper' tier. The Whisper tier also includes multilingual support.
Q.Is Orate free to use?
A.Yes, Orate offers a Free tier with a monthly character limit and standard English voices. There is also a paid 'Whisper' tier for more features, premium voices, and higher usage.
Q.What is the latency for text-to-speech with Orate?
A.Orate boasts ultra-low latency of approximately 75ms, meaning it begins speaking almost immediately after you trigger the shortcut.
Pros & Cons (Reserved)
✓ Pros
- Free tier available with substantial character limits
- Extremely easy to use with a simple hotkey
- Provides natural-sounding AI voices
- Works universally across macOS applications
- Offers speed control for customized listening
- Features ultra-low latency for immediate speech generation
- Premium tier includes multilingual support and more voices
✗ Cons
- Only available for macOS
- Free tier is limited to English only and standard voices
- Free tier is limited to the first 1000 users
- Character limits apply to both free and paid tiers
Alternatives
No alternatives found.