Best Voice-Over Software

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Edited by Ben Jacklin
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In this guide, we’ve looked at the best voice-over software for PC and Mac users.

Quick summary

  1. Editor’s choice: Movavi Video Editor

    A two-in-one program that lets you not only record your voice but also easily add it to a video. The editor has an intuitive and easy-to-understand interface and the price is quite affordable.

  2. For pro users: Logic Pro

    If you want some powerful audio software for a Mac computer, Logic Pro is a great option. It takes a while to get used to and it isn’t cheap, but it does come with a suite of excellent professional plugins.

  3. For Web users: Online Voice Recorder

    A free web-based application that lets you record your voice easily on any web browser. However, note that it only records in MP3 format and has no support for external mics.

  1. Movavi Video Editor – best for quick grading
  2. Murf text to speech – natural-sounding studio-quality voice-overs
  3. Audacity – best for audio recording and editing
  4. Windows Voice Recorder – multiple Windows devices
  5. Online Voice Recorder – best for audio recording and trimming
  6. GarageBand – best for users who want to make music on their Mac
  7. Adobe® Audition® – best for detailed audio editing
  8. Studio One – compressing audio
  9. Logic Pro – best for users who want a fully-featured music-making studio
  10. Pro Tools – best for syncing video and audio
  11. Sound Forge – audio restoration

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  • When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.

  • All products mentioned in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.

  • When testing, we compare key parameters, including video and audio trimming, visual effects, stabilization, video quality adjustments, saving and sharing videos, and other significant features.

  • We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.

  • We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.

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Special pick: Movavi Video Editor

Our top pick for the best voice-over software is Movavi Video Editor. By using this professional software, you can import your video and add your voice-over with ease. A lot of voice-over recording software doesn’t support video, so you need to record the audio separately and import it. With Movavi, you can quickly create a recording within the software. No need to worry about making the recording in audio editing software and then importing it, you can use the voice-over tool within the video software. Movavi Video Editor also has some really powerful editing tools and access to a library of effects and stock images.

How to choose voice-over programs

The following features should be considered when choosing a voice over program:

  • Ease of use. You may just want a simple method to record a voice-over, rather than having to learn the ins and outs of audio technology. A good voice-over program will allow you to quickly and easily create and edit a recording.

  • Compatibility. Your software needs to be compatible with your device. Whether you are using a laptop or a tablet, Windows or Mac, consider whether the software you buy is going to work for your device.

  • Cost. It’s worth investing in good software if you want to get quality, professional results. However, you may be working on a budget. If you are just looking to make an occasional recording, spending a fortune doesn’t make any sense. Consider which software is going to represent the best value for you.

  • Quality. Audio recording quality is another vital consideration. The fidelity of the recording is something that varies from one piece of software to the next. Ideally, you want to be able to record at a high bitrate and enjoy plenty of clarity and detail.

  • File types. The same applies to file types. You should look for voice-over programs with the capacity to record lossless audio, so you don’t have to worry about losing detail. Formats such as MP3 are space-saving, but they can potentially miss some of the vital detail in your vocal recording.

Best voice-over software

Murf text to speech

Best for: Natural-sounding studio-quality voice-overs

  • G2 rating

    4.6 out of 5

  • Price

    Murf offers a free trial; paid plans start at $19 per user per month

If you are looking for an AI voice generator that could help you create convincing and realistic voice-overs that sound like an actual human instead of a computer, then Murf AI is your answer. The intuitive text-to-speech platform uses AI-based algorithms and deep learning to simplify the process of creating life-like voice-overs. Murf offers access to an extensive range of 120+ AI male and female voices across multiple languages, tonalities, and genders, enabling you to create engaging voice-overs in mere minutes.

Simply choose an AI voice from Murf Studio, enter the text/script, and use the platform's customization features to include various voice effects. Murf will automatically convert your text to audio to produce flawless, human-like voice-overs at a fraction of the cost it takes to do so manually.

Pros:

  • High quality, human-like AI voices

  • Wide range of voices across different languages and accents

  • Voice customizations

  • Ability to include media such as images, videos, and presentations with the voice-over

  • Can add background music to your voice-over

  • Can also change and clone voices

  • Offers API

Cons:

  • Doesn't support text highlighting

  • Doesn't have a Chrome extension

Audacity

Best for: Professional recordings

Audacity has a lot to like. It is free, open-source software that can be downloaded for Mac or Windows computers. In spite of not costing anything, it supports high sample rates and multiple audio formats, as well as recording in high bitrates for clear audio. The software can be set up with a USB mic or an audio interface so you can use a variety of microphones. There are even some basic effects that you can use to add reverb or alter the qualities of the sound you’ve recorded, plus you can edit any errors.

Pros:

  • Free, open-source software

  • Works on Mac or Windows

  • Includes effects

Cons:

  • Quite a clunky interface

  • Multi tracking is very difficult

  • Only supports destructive editing

Windows Voice Recorder

Best for: Multiple Windows devices

  • Price

    Free

Windows Voice Recorder is something of a basic piece of software for a PC, but if you already have the capacity to add audio into a piece of video editing software, then you can make use of this simple recorder to make an audio recording. It’s especially useful if you are just making rough or basic recordings using the inbuilt mic on your device. Adding an audio interface can be difficult.

The software makes it easy to share recordings with other Windows apps and the best thing is that this works with PC, tablet, and Windows smartphones.

Pros:

  • Great compatibility across Windows devices

  • Easy to share files with other apps

  • Simple to operate

Cons:

  • Difficult to set up external microphones and interfaces

  • Only records audio in MPEG-4

  • No Mac option

Online Voice Recorder

Best for: Browser-based recordings

  • Price

    Free

The option to record within your browser using your device’s inbuilt microphone is very handy. It means that you don’t have to download and install any demanding software on your device, but you can still enjoy some basic editing functionality.

This piece of software lets you connect your microphone to your browser (you need to give permission) and then you simply hit record and it’s ready to go. You even have some very basic editing capabilities, so you can cut out the start and the end of the audio if you need to. There’s an automatic filter for background noise which also helps with the quality.

This voice recorder only records in MP3 format, and isn’t the most professional, but it is fine for a simple home video or YouTube clip.

Pros:

  • Free

  • Operate in your browser, no download of software

  • Simple cropping and editing

Cons:

  • Only records in lossy formats

  • No advanced editing or multi-tracking

  • No support for external mics

GarageBand

Best for: Apple devices

If you’ve bought an Apple device in recent years, such as an iPad or iPhone, you might have noticed that GarageBand is already installed on it by default. It’s a powerful DAW, free for Apple users.

This allows multi-track recordings and you can change the input, so you can easily set up an external mic such as a USB microphone. GarageBand also allows you to do a lot of editing, such as adding effects, cutting out sections of audio, and multi-tracking.

If you aren’t familiar with audio editing, then it can be a little daunting, but this software allows high-quality recordings. It gives you full control over the audio quality and file formats. For Mac users, this is one of the very best options you can get without paying.

Pros:

  • Powerful editing tools

  • Comes free with Apple devices

  • Allows you to use external mics

Cons:

  • Can be difficult to get used to the extra features

  • Not available for Windows

  • Projects and files are quite large

Voice-over recording software

  • PCMag rating

    4 out of 5

  • Price

    Free trial, full version for HK$439

Movavi Video Editor is a way to edit footage, animate, and work with visuals in a lot of detail. It also allows you to record a voice-over. Within the timeline of the project, there are options to record both video and audio from your computer, so you can take a feed directly from a microphone or a webcam.

Movavi Video Editor represents great value, and it is an all-in-one solution for both your video footage and audio.

Pros:

  • All-in-one for video as well as voice over

  • Professional video editing suite

  • Easy to record straight into the project timeline

Cons:

  • Not many audio effects

  • Projects can be demanding on memory

  • Takes a while to get used to the interface

Adobe® Audition®

Best for: Detailed audio editing

If you use Adobe® Suite already, and have a subscription, you may find that Audition® is incredibly easy to pick up. The layout and interface are similar. This is good software for editing the audio you have recorded in a granular way. There are some advanced effects and tools, such as a reverb reduction, which can take some of the nasty echo off if you don’t get a perfect recording. You can also add reverbs if you want to add more of an effect.

You can multi-track and use lots of presets on audio processors and vocal processing units. This means you can enjoy some complex editing without having to know too much about audio technology.

Pros:

  • Very powerful audio processing

  • “Reverb reduction” tool

  • Easy to navigate if you’re used to Adobe® Suite

Cons:

  • Expensive, with a pay-monthly membership model

  • No MIDI support so you can’t use this as a full DAW

  • Some tools are very complex

Studio One

Best for: Compressing audio

  • PCMag rating

    4 out of 5

  • Price

    Free version, pro version from $99.95

Presonus is a relative newcomer in the world of audio tech, and Studio One is their answer to a lot of the existing DAWs on the market.

This is more of a tool for composers, with MIDI support for writing music and using virtual instruments. It does fully support audio recording in a variety of formats, so it is also suitable for people who want to record voice-overs or podcast audio, for instance. You can connect an audio interface or USB microphone.

The software is good for those who want to write music and record songs too, but it may be overkill for simple audio editing. The excellent compression and “mastering” features set this apart.

Pros:

  • Great for musicians

  • Supports virtually all audio files

  • Fantastic audio compression and clarity

Cons:

  • More geared toward musicians

  • No option to save templates

  • Quite expensive

Logic Pro

Best for: Industry-standard recordings on Mac software

If you want some incredibly powerful audio software for a Mac computer, this is a good option. Logic Pro gives you professional voice-over software for Mac but it also provides a great option for musicians. It’s used a lot for recording music as well as podcasts and voice-overs.

The software takes a while to get used to, it is very powerful, and it isn’t cheap, but it does come with a suite of excellent plugins. It also supports recording in a variety of formats and at high fidelity, plus it is simple to add an audio interface or USB microphone. It’s Mac-specific and very much an upgrade to GarageBand, also made by Apple.

Pros:

  • Industry-standard software for high fidelity recordings

  • Easy for GarageBand users to get used to

  • Powerful audio plugins included

Cons:

  • A lot of tools to work out how to use

  • Some issues with third-party plugins

  • No Windows compatibility

Pro Tools

Best for: Syncing video and audio

  • G2 rating

    4.3 out of 5

  • Price

    Free trial, full version from $29.99 per month

Pro Tools is a popular industry tool for recording audio such as podcasts or even for use in a recording studio with bands and artists. If you are looking for voice-over recording software that allows for complex editing and layering, then Pro Tools could be a great solution.

Some people find the software clunky. There is a steep learning curve for those who aren’t used to audio editing. Though it feels a bit dated compared to some of the other programs, it allows you to record in full resolution and get excellent results. It supports video, so you can import a video file and synchronize the audio to within milliseconds.

Pros:

  • Easy to set up external microphones

  • Powerful plugins included

  • Professional software

Cons:

  • Outdated interface

  • Takes over the audio on your whole computer

  • Steep learning curve for beginners

Sound Forge

Best for: Audio restoration

  • G2 rating

    4.3 out of 5

  • Price

    Free trial, full version for $299

Sound Forge is excellent software for restoring audio recordings that have been made and aren’t quite up to scratch or have a lot of “noise” on them. You can remove some distortion and unwanted reverb, and while it is better to get a great voice-over the first time, this is an option for fixing errors.

Sound Forge also allows you to record in high fidelity from an interface or USB mic and perform basic edits such as cutting and duplicating audio.

Pros:

  • Great for “cleaning” audio

  • Allows you to use an external audio source

  • Relatively simple to use

Cons:

  • Large application taking a lot of storage space

  • More expensive than some competing options

  • Doesn’t integrate well with third-party tools

Summary

As well as matching voice-over software to your needs, you also need to think about compatibility. Will you be using Mac or Windows? Do you want to record on a mobile device? The options on this list cater to every user, whether you need to make professional, Hollywood-level productions or you are making a home video. Movavi Video Editor allows you to record an audio track straight into the timeline with no need for additional audio software.

Software

Best for

Price

Video editing with voice-over

Free trial, full version for HK$439

Natural-sounding studio-quality voice-overs

Free trial; paid plans start at $19 per user per month

Professional recordings

Free

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a voice-over?

What equipment do I need for voice-over work?

What is the best software for voice overs?

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