Kokoro
The project behind the small, pleasant English voice.
Installer only · Some setup · Free
Read text aloud
Natural voice for articles, books or messages.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
4 results
Most tools here are free.
Audio & Music Not on the chat board
A warm small voice
Fits on:· needs ~0.3 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
Audio & Music Not on the chat board
Tiny and plain
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~0.1 GB · Free to download · License: GPL-3.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Read text aloud?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsThe text stays on your machine
- Cost: Local winsUnlimited reading for free
- Quality: Cloud winsStudio voices sound more human
- Ease: TieBoth can read a document you already have
Local AI
Piper and Kokoro read text aloud on your computer, offline and for free.
- Nothing is sent to a voice vendor
- Fine for articles and short chapters
- Works with the screen off the network
Where it falls short
- Voices are less expressive than the best cloud studios
- A long book still sounds a bit flat
Cloud & apps
ElevenLabs and similar studios sound more human, and they upload the text.
- EElevenLabsCloud AIFreemiumPopular choice
The most natural voices, including a voice you clone from a sample.
Best for: Natural voicesAudiobooks
The text is uploaded
- SSpeechifyAppFreemium
Reads articles and PDFs in a phone or browser app.
Best for: ArticlesCommuting
Documents can be uploaded
Our take
Read privately and for free with a local voice. Pay for a cloud studio when the voice itself has to sound human.
Choose local if…
- You read a lot
- The text is private
Choose cloud if…
- You want a natural voice
- You want a cloned voice
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example ComfyUI or Kokoro. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Kokoro 82M page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for audio & music. These are normal links to the maker's site.
REAPER
A digital audio workstation for recording and mixing.
REAPERAudacity
A free editor for cutting and cleaning recordings.
AudacityAbleton Live
A music studio for recording, arranging, and performing.
Ableton Live