Spokio turns text into speech on your Mac — offline, with no cloud uploads for text, audio, or voice samples. The free plan covers basic use, with Pro options available for larger workflows.
If you are new to local TTS or just new to Spokio, this guide walks through the complete workflow: installing the app, writing or importing text, choosing a voice, generating audio, and exporting the result.
What you need
- A Mac running macOS 15.6 or later (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- Spokio installed from the Mac App Store
- Text to convert — a script, a draft, a paragraph you want to hear aloud
Step 1: Install Spokio
Download Spokio from the Mac App Store, install it, and open the app. No API keys are required.
When you first open Spokio, it prepares Chatterbox Turbo for local voice generation. Initial load time depends on your Mac.
Step 2: Write or paste your text
Spokio opens to a clean text area. Type directly or paste a script from your notes, drafts folder, or writing app.
For your first voiceover, start with a short paragraph — around 50 to 100 words. This lets you hear the voice quality and pacing before committing to longer content.
The text area shows your character count. The starter (free) tier supports up to 1,000 characters per synthesis, which covers most short-form scripts, product descriptions, and narration segments.
Step 3: Select a voice
Spokio includes built-in voices for Chatterbox Turbo. Open the voice selector to browse available voices.
Spokio is built for English voice generation. Choose the voice that best fits your script, or use local voice cloning from a short sample when you need a custom voice.
Click a voice to preview a short sample. Preview generation runs locally, so you can audition voices without uploading your script.
Step 4: Generate the audio
Click the generate button. Spokio processes the text through Chatterbox Turbo on your Mac.
Generation time depends on your Mac’s hardware and the length of the text:
- Apple Silicon (M-series): Optimized for local generation
- Intel Mac: Supported, with generation time depending on the machine
The generated audio is available for review. If the phrasing or voice does not match what you wanted, adjust the text or switch voices and generate again.
Step 5: Listen and revise
Hearing your text aloud often reveals things reading silently does not. Awkward phrasing, repeated words, rhythm issues — they become obvious when spoken.
Make edits directly in the text area and generate again. The local workflow means you are not waiting for a cloud upload.
Repeat until the voiceover sounds right.
Step 6: Export the audio
Once you are satisfied, export the audio. Spokio supports multiple formats:
- MP3 — good for social media, web use, rough drafts
- WAV — highest quality, suitable for professional editing
- AIFF — standard for audio production workflows
- M4A — efficient compression for storage and sharing
Choose the format that matches your destination. For YouTube voiceovers, WAV or AIFF gives your video editor the best quality to work with. For quick drafts or team review, MP3 is sufficient.
The export saves to your chosen location. Name the file and it is ready to drag into your video editor, podcast software, or presentation.
Step 7: Organize with projects (Pro)
If you are generating multiple voice clips for the same video, course, or audiobook, the Spokio Pro queue manager helps you stay organized.
Add multiple text segments to the queue, set voice and export preferences for each, and process them all at once. The job history lets you revisit past generations, export them again, or create variations without re-entering the original text.
The full loop
The complete Spokio workflow — write, generate, listen, revise, export — stays on your Mac. Your script is not uploaded to a cloud TTS service, and generation does not depend on a remote server.
For a first voiceover, start small, review the result, and then expand into longer scripts or batch export workflows.
Where Spokio fits
Spokio is useful whenever you need a private, local voiceover workflow on your Mac. It fits naturally into writing workflows, video production, podcast editing, course creation, and other contexts where text needs to become speech without cloud uploads.
If you have not tried local TTS yet, download Spokio from the Mac App Store and generate your first voiceover locally.
