The Birth of Readvox: Text to Speech Chrome Extension

So, there I was, munching on breakfast and getting lost in web blogs, thinking, There's got to be a better way to consume all this content, especially while eating! I started searching for a Chrome extension that could read the articles to me, but the options I found? Either super robotic voices or way too expensive for a decent one.

That's when I thought, Why not make my own? The first version of Readvox was pretty basic, just something I used myself for about a month. But then I shared it with a friend, got some encouraging feedback, and decided to polish it up. After a few months of tweaks, I finally published it on the Chrome Web Store: Check out Readvox.

Product Hunt Adventure

In January 2024, I posted Readvox on PH without much hope. At first, it was slow—hardly any votes or likes. I stopped checking the stats. But then, a friend messaged me, Check this out… and sent a link to Readvox's PH page. Readvox on Product Hunt.

I was blown away! Likes and follows were pouring in, way beyond my expectations. And the best part? User feedback started rolling in—over 90 comments!

Here are some inspiring comments from reviewers:

So helpful for my father whose eyes aren’t what they used to be. - Larry Hartman

It's awesome that you've identified a gap and filled it with a solution that can help so many of us enjoy content hands-free. - Alex Dulub

Ah nice, this was much needed since we already have many other page summarizing tools. - Shushant Lakhyani

Readvox is fantastic! The natural voices are a game-changer, and the option to change narrator voice is a nice touch. Plus, the fact that it's free is a huge bonus. Great job! - Nicola Lanzilotto

As someone who learns best through sound, Readvox has become my new best friend. - Payal Singhvi

This handy extension transformed my way of consuming online content. I highlight a paragraph, hit play, and suddenly, I'm learning on the go! Readvox is a multitasking game-changer! My only wish? A bookmarking feature to save articles for later 'listen-and-do' sessions. - Glorian Maiyapnoor

This small extension opens up a world of knowledge and entertainment for everyone. I love the ease of use – highlighting text and activating Readvox takes just a click. And the quality of the voices is impressive! It's clear, natural, and even conveys emotion. Bravo, Readvox team. - Rahul Prihar

Of course, there were also some helpful critiques:

Nice! It would be more interesting if some game characters were added. I like it. Congrats! - Rick Fan

Congrats on the launch! Super useful - would love to be able to save my articles somewhere and listen to audio versions on the go, with this! - Akshata Mohanty

Now, if only Readvox could tackle PDFs too... - Payal Singhvi

On a different note, I'm getting an untrusted for safe browsing alert. Might want to check with the Chrome tools team? - Akshata Mohanty

The feedback was invaluable and drove further development. I restructured the code, which wasn’t super visible to users but improved stability and allowed for new features.

Chrome Store Success

The buzz from Product Hunt carried over to the Chrome Store. Reviews started coming in, not as many as on Product Hunt, but still very encouraging and insightful.

Here are a few highlights:

After trying out Read Aloud, Speechify, and README, I discovered that Readvox offers the most satisfying experience. Unlike Speechify's free version, Readvox does not impose voice limitations and does not require users to create an account, plus it's completely free to use. - Angela Lauro

Such sweet voices that feel natural. I can’t recommend it enough. Really is supremely nice when you just want stuff to be read for you without watching a screen. - USHiRi

Not for nothing product of the day on Product Hunt. Many thanks to the developers. - Rob Goodspeed

Not hiding from my long reads in Google Docs any more - Michael Anderson

One particularly interesting review came from Ryan:

Curious - what's the business model? No pro version, ads, or even donate options makes me skeptical on privacy disclosure but... if I'm wrong then it's too good to be true and I apologize! Works great, haven't hit any limits, well designed, floating widget is smartly draggable and simple to use. - Ryan

I was thrilled that Ryan thought it was too good to be true. At this moment, Readvox runs on my server resources to process text to speech. If user numbers keep growing, I’ll need a plan because I don’t want delays or pauses due to server overload.

My reply to Ryan:

Regarding how it works and the business model - I left my story in the Product Hunt listing. Check it out here. In short: I just built it for myself and am sharing it with people who have the same struggles, while my resources are not capped. If they are, I'll need to come up with something :-)

To Be Continued…

I'm excited about where this journey will take me and will keep posting updates in this blog. Feel free to leave a message if you have questions or suggestions. And if you want to be notified about the next chapter, leave your email in the form below.