- Xenforo.com resource URL
- https://xenforo.com/community/resources/xb-text-to-speech.10196/
- Compatibile XF2 versions
- 2.2
- 2.3
Add text-to-speech functionality to your XenForo community using the Web Speech API.
This add-on allows users to listen to forum content instead of reading it, making discussions more accessible and convenient for long-form reading, multitasking, and accessibility.
Features:
Voice Controls: Choose the voice, adjust volume, pitch, and speech rate. Settings are saved in cookies and can be restored to their defaults.
One-Click Reading: Read an entire thread or all messages in a conversation with a single click.
Word Highlighting: Highlight the currently spoken word when using local voices, or the current line when using remote voices.
Playback Controls: Pause and resume playback at any time.
Ignored Elements: Exclude selected page elements from speech output.
Batch Size Limits: Configure request sizes for local and external text-to-speech services.
Per Content-Type Toggle: Enable or disable text-to-speech independently for each supported content type.
OpenAI Text-to-Speech (optional): Offer OpenAI-generated voices alongside the browser's built-in voices. Generated audio is cached server-side to avoid repeat API costs, and requests are subject to a permission and an hourly rate limit.
Cache Management: Browse, filter, and batch-delete cached OpenAI audio from the ACP, with automatic daily pruning of entries that haven't been used in a configurable number of days.
Supported Content:
Threads & Posts
Conversations & Conversation Messages
Profile Posts
Report Center Comments
XenForo Resource Manager Resources
XenAddons Article Management System Articles, Comments & Reviews
XenAddons User Blogs System Blog Entries, Comments & Reviews
Browser Compatibility:
The add-on uses the browser's native Web Speech API and works in browsers that support it, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other compatible browsers.https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesis#browser_compatibility
Known Incompatibilities:
Android WebView Browsers: Browsers based on Android WebView (such as DuckDuckGo) are not supported.
Useful for:
Accessibility: Make forum content easier to consume for users who prefer listening.
Background Listening: Follow discussions while multitasking.
Long Discussions: Listen to lengthy threads instead of reading them.
Modern Browsing Experience: Add built-in speech support without relying on external services.
Screenshots:
Firefox:
Chrome: