How Much Does It Cost to Build an App Like Speechify?

Costs involved when developing a TTS App like Speechify are, Major phases involved in the process. The awareness of the key driver of development cost is essential for business planning and setting cost targets in the specific project. In this blog, these key aspects are explained and cost analysis for constructing a TTS app is also outlined in detail and how Biz4Group, an AI development company can help you with the services of developing an app like Speechify.

• According to Maximize Market Research, the Text-to-Speech market globally was valued at $2.93 billion in the year 2023, and it is expected to grow with CAGR of 13.8% for forecast period 2024-2030. It is expected to reach $7.25 billion by the end of 2030.

• As per Allied Market Research, the growing adaptation of smart speakers and voice assistants contributing towards market expansion, as they all heavily rely on Text-to-Speech technologies.

What is Speechify App?

Speechify is a tool that transforms text into audio allowing for easier consumption of written content. You can find the app on both the App Store and Google Play with mobile app development services. It is also compatible as a Chrome extension or desktop application.

This tool is beneficial for individuals with reading challenges like dyslexia or ADHD well as those who prefer auditory learning, enthusiasts, and people learning a second language.

Additionally, it comes in handy for multitasking purposes, such as listening to PDFs or web pages while focusing on activities.

Read More: Top 11 Speechify Alternatives in 2025

8 Key Features of a Text-to-Speech App

When determining the likely cost that will be incurred for the development of an app like Speechify, it is essential to first determine the basic functionalities of the app, which are:

1. Text Processing

Functionality: Text processing is the core of any TTS app like Speechify. Text processing must be done properly and feed the application with the input text of different formats such as plain text, PDF, or any web page. This involves reducing the text into sentences and words while retaining the format.

Development Cost: It must be noted that implementing ideal functionality for text processing might take a lot of time and may require a considerable amount of effort depending on the accuracy level that is to be achieved and the kind of text format the app is to handle.

2. Speech Synthesis

Functionality: This feature is the most basic one, which transfers the processed text to speech. The app should also be developed to use sophisticated AI-based voice engines that can produce natural human voices. The quality of the speech synthesis is one of the key issues that define the app’s effectiveness.

Development Cost: It is also time-consuming and capital-intensive, involves AI integration services and requires computation power to come up with such AI models.

3. Voice Customization

Functionality: Today’s users expect to have a personal touch in their applications. An app like Speechify should allow users to choose from different voice types such as male, female, accent, British, American, etc., and even the speed and pitch of the voice.

Development Cost: Hence, the implementation of voice customization depends on the number of available options and the quality of voice models. Every feature or voice option that is included increases the cost of the model or development.

4. Multi-Language Support

Functionality: The current global market requires such applications to support the use of multiple languages to attract more clients. It should also be able to handle speech or text input in different languages and then perform translations without distortion.

Development Cost: The cost rises with the different number of languages that the application program is to support. It includes the means of testing and checking the app in different linguistic options is also involved in the process.

5. User Interface

Functionality: It is critical to understand that simplicity and user engagement are essential when it comes to the user interface (UI). The interface layout should allow the users to type text using a keyboard, switch between voices, and perform other actions with ease.

Development Cost: In the case of UI development, the costs include acquiring designs, creating prototypes, testing them, and modifying them to fit the user experience.

6. Offline Mode

Functionality: Having an offline mode is beneficial as it enables the users to interact with the application features when there is no connectivity. This is especially helpful in areas where internet connectivity is varying and useful for individuals who like to work with the application offline.

Development Cost: Implementing offline support requires extra coding and testing time and effort, especially in making the app compatible across devices, as well as in providing a smooth transition between online and offline modes.

7. Accessibility Features

Functionality: Availability is important, especially for the apps that are meant to help their users with disabilities. Such options as screen readers, voice commands, and high contrast modes will make the application usable for the partially sighted or aged person.

Development Cost: It requires more work in design and development, and most importantly, the testing phase aims at the app's accessibility to individuals with different types of disability.

8. Cloud Integration

Functionality: Cloud integration leads to the storage of users’ data and preferences to ensure the users’ settings are only accessible through different devices. It also allows updating the content and adding new features without a user’s need to install the updated versions of the application.

Development Cost: Some of the costs inherent in cloud integration include: the cost of development of the program, the cost of maintaining the server, and the cost of storage of data per unit of time.

Read More: The Future of Listening: How AI Music Apps Are Changing the Game

Factors Influencing Development Costs

Several factors contribute to the overall cost of developing a TTS app like Speechify:

1. Development Team Location

Based on the geographical location of your development team or center, it’s possible to have higher costs. The cost of developers also differs from country to country, with those in North America, Western Europe, and Australia charging more hourly than those in Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa.

Impact on Cost: For instance, the senior developer working in the United States will probably charge $100-$200/hour while the developer from India or Eastern Europe will charge $25-$50/hour. This can grossly affect the cost of the project since some resources are more expensive than others.

2. App Complexity

Determined by the number of options and features that your app is going to have, largely depends on the amount of time and money that will be spent on its creation. Applications that need to support the features of higher level, like real-time calculation, voice setting, or multi-language will take more to develop.

Impact on Cost: A simple TTS app would require 3 to 6 months to build, but an app that is loaded with generative AI opportunities, which will allow the app to learn from the user, and various options will take 9 to 12 months or more to build.

3. Technology Stack

Selecting a technology stack means choosing programming languages, frameworks, and tools, that will be used for application development. The stack you employ will impact not just the time you will spend to develop the app but also its maintainability as well scalability of the application.

Impact on Cost: The technology stack including state-of-the-art technologies like TensorFlow for machine learning and Google Cloud for the platform would entail the services of developers with higher charges. In the same way, proprietary technology may cost licensing fees or royalties depending on the agreement that was made on the technology.

4. Platform Choice

Creating an app for different platforms such as iOS, Android, and web-based adds to the cost due to the differences in each platform requiring different codes. Hybrid App development tools such as Flutter or React native, help to cut costs, but they may not yield the App performance of a native App.

Impact on Cost: Since the single-platform application will be developed in one language, it will cost about 30-50% less than a cross-platform application depending upon the tools utilized.

5. Maintenance and Updates

After the launch, each app should be updated frequently to solve issues, improve its security, add more features, and adapt it to newer versions of the OS. This recurrent job must be added to the total cost of the owners since they incur it periodically.

Impact on Cost: Yearly maintenance costs are generally said to be between 15% and 20% of the first cost of development. For the $100,000 app, this could amount to $15,000—$20,000 per year.

Read More: Most Innovative AI Case Studies of 2024 – Success Stories

How Much is Speechify App Alike Cost?

The cost of developing a TTS-like speechify app can range widely based on the factors mentioned above. Here’s a breakdown of potential costs:

1. Basic App:

• Features: It can only perform simple functions such as simple text-to-speech conversion and vice versa with little or no adjustment.

• Estimated Cost: Ranging from $20,000 to $50,000.

• Development Time: 3-6 months.

• Target Users: Anyone who does not want any special features and wants basic TTS or speech synthesis.

2. Intermediate App:

• Features: Voice customization, multi-language support, and an interface that anyone can easily use are some of the features that are included.

• Estimated Cost: It is between $50,000 and $100,000.

• Development Time: 6-9 months.

• Target Users: Companies or ventures that seek to provide a product that feels more refined and packed with more capabilities.

3. Advanced App:

• Features: A paid version with more features such as natural-sounding speech, offline mode, integration with the cloud, and additional settings for accessibility.

• Estimated Cost: $100000, $200000 or more.

• Development Time: 9-12 months or more.

• Target Users: Software development companies or other big enterprises who wish to set up a superior TTS app like Speechify in their market area.

Additional Considerations

There are some additional considerations as well. Let’s explore them:

1. Licensing Fees:

If the app involves third-party APIs with the help of on-demand application development services, then there might be licensing costs per usage.

Impact on Cost: Such fees differ with the number of API calls and the cost structure of the service provider company. Sometimes it is necessary to include these in the total costs in order not to face unforeseen expenses.

2. Marketing and Launch:

It is important to note that you need to have a good marketing plan for your app so that it gets to the public.

Impact on Cost: Marketing expenses are also likely to be high if you’re considering running paid ads, Facebook/Instagram promotions, or collaborations with influencers. Depending on your chosen strategy it could be as little as a few thousand dollars on up to $10,000-$100,000 or more.

3. Compliance and Security:

It is also important to ensure that your app meets data protection laws (like GDPR) and is safe for users to use, especially if it allows for the input of sensitive information.

Impact on Cost: To secure the application, extra work will be needed to develop and maintain the security features delineated above, which could cause an extra 10–15% increase in cost.

Conclusion

Speechify app costs hefty, and to build an app like Speechify will depend on several factors that include the following: Through careful consideration of these markers and strategy planning, there is a high probability of creating a quality TTS app like Speechify that is ideal for the consumers and profitable for the commercial business.

If you need a more detailed estimate of all expenses and the factors influencing the development of a TTS app like Speechify, it is always possible to turn to experienced developers who will provide a quote for a definite application depending on the detailed requirements.

At Biz4Group, our AI consulting services can provide services to enrich your journey of AI app development. If you’re interested in utilizing the services to create an app like Speechify, our expertise is here to be hand in hand for the creation of AI powered solution.

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