1. Suno’s Bark – A Promising Start but Lacks Updates

Overview: Suno’s Bark made a big impact when it launched in mid-2023, offering impressive voice synthesis capabilities. However, there haven’t been many updates since its release, as Suno has shifted focus to its Chirp feature.

Key Features:

• Can generate speech with different speaker styles.
• Works well for basic TTS applications.
• Supports multiple languages.

Limitations:

• Output can sometimes sound unnatural.
• Lacks frequent updates and improvements.

Verdict: While Bark was impressive upon release, it hasn’t evolved much, making it less competitive compared to newer models.

2. Valley X – Decent, but Still Robotic

Overview: Valley X is another open-source TTS model that, like Bark, can perform voice cloning. While it offers some flexibility, it often struggles with generating natural-sounding speech.

Key Features:

• Supports voice cloning.
• Can generate speech from user-recorded audio.
• Decent text synthesis capability.

Verdict: A decent TTS model with some voice cloning abilities, but its output quality isn’t the most natural.

3. StyleTTS 2 – High-Quality and Fast Speech Generation

Overview: StyleTTS 2 stands out for producing high-quality voices with impressive speed. Many users have trained their own voices with this model, resulting in some excellent outputs.

Key Features:

• High-quality speech synthesis.
• Can be trained on specific voices for better results.
• Fast processing compared to other models.

Verdict: A powerful TTS tool that delivers excellent quality with proper training.

4. XTTS – A Strong Alternative to Bark

Overview: XTTS (eXtended TTS) is a refined version of Tortoise TTS, using HiFi-GAN for better speech synthesis. It offers improved voice quality compared to Bark and Valley X.

Key Features:

• Produces clearer, more natural speech.
• Works faster than some other models.
• Compatible with multiple languages.

Verdict: A solid open-source TTS alternative with good quality output.

5. Tortoise TTS – The Best for Voice Cloning and Natural Speech

Overview: Tortoise TTS is considered one of the best open-source TTS models, offering high-quality voice cloning and excellent intonation. It is often used alongside Retrieval-Based Voice Conversion (RVC) to enhance accuracy.

Key Features:

• Best quality among open-source TTS models.
• Works well for audiobook generation.
• Can be fine-tuned to sound highly realistic.

Verdict: The best choice for high-quality, natural voice synthesis.

Final Thoughts – Which One Should You Use?

If you’re looking for the most realistic TTS with voice cloning capabilities, Tortoise TTS is the top choice, especially when combined with RVC. If you need fast speech generation with good quality, StyleTTS 2 is a strong option. Meanwhile, XTTS provides a balance between quality and speed, making it a solid alternative.

For those who want simple TTS solutions, Bark and Valley X can still be useful, but they are not as advanced as the others.

Each of these models has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best one for you depends on your specific use case. Whether you’re generating audiobooks, cloning voices, or experimenting with AI-generated speech, these open-source options provide excellent starting points.

What are your thoughts on these TTS models? Have you used any of them before? Let us know in the comments!