Orate

Orate is a free macOS menu-bar application designed to convert any highlighted text into speech using a single hotkey. It leverages bleeding-edge AI voice technology to provide natural-sounding voices with perfect intonation and emphasis, offering ultra-low latency for near-instant text-to-speech. It works across various applications on your Mac, including browsers, documents, and emails.

To use Orate, simply highlight any text on your Mac, then press the global keyboard shortcut ⌘ + E. Orate will immediately read the selected text aloud with natural voices. You can also adjust the reading speed to your preference.

• Turns any highlighted text into speech
• Single hotkey activation (⌘ + E)
• Natural-sounding AI voices (premium options available)
• Global keyboard shortcut (works everywhere on Mac)
• Adjustable reading speed control
• Ultra-low latency (~75ms)
• Multilingual support (Premium tier)
• Mix and Match premium and standard voices (Premium tier)

• Listening to articles, documents, or emails instead of reading them.
• Quickly consuming information without sacrificing comprehension.
• Providing accessibility for users who prefer or require audio content.
• Reviewing written content by listening to it aloud.