Choose a Narrator voice
Compare the on-device and cloud voices in Narrator, then set the voice and speed you prefer.
Choose a voice in Settings → Narrator → Voice and playback. The list shows the voices for the Narrator model chosen in Settings → Models: the EP-1 voices on your Mac, or the cloud library.
Compare the voice types
Narrator offers one voice that runs on your Mac and a library of voices in Epilude's cloud. New installs start with a cloud voice, except on Pay Once, which starts with the EP-1 voice.
| Voice | Where it runs | Internet | Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP-1 | Your Apple Silicon Mac | Needed only for the download | No limit |
| Cloud voice | Epilude's cloud | Yes | Metered in minutes |
The EP-1 voice keeps the text and audio on your Mac during playback. Cloud voices send the text to Epilude for speech generation. Putting any narration on the web is a separate action covered in Share a narration.
Choose the on-device voice
Select a EP-1 voice when you want the text read on your Mac with no allowance. The first selection offers the voice download if it is not installed.
English is included in the main voice download, with 28 English voices to choose from. Extra English voices and the German, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese voices download when you choose one. If a sentence uses a language the EP-1 voice has no download for yet, the selected voice reads it anyway and the player says so.
The EP-1 voice needs an Apple Silicon Mac. On an Intel Mac, Narrator reads with cloud voices only.
Choose a cloud voice
To use a cloud voice, choose Cloud on the Narrator model card in Settings → Models. Then pick one in Settings → Narrator → Voice and playback, where you can search the library and preview a voice before choosing it.
The trial includes 5 minutes of cloud voice, and Pro includes 60 minutes each month. Pay Once does not include cloud voices. Read How cloud voice minutes work for what counts and what happens at the limit.
Set the speed
Change Speed in Settings → Narrator → Voice and playback, or with the speed control on the player while you listen. Narrator keeps the last speed you chose, including after you quit.
When the EP-1 voice is selected, the Reading card also lets you skip code blocks, skip citations, and change pauses at sentence and paragraph ends.