[XB] Text to Speech: Read Aloud, Audio Playback & AI Voices

Compatible XF 2.x versions

License: Single Use License (may be used on one website)

Updates duration: 6 months ($15 renewal) / $35 - 1 year ($25 yearly renewal)

Visible branding: No

Add text-to-speech to XenForo so members can listen to posts, conversations, articles, and other supported content using browser voices or optional OpenAI-powered speech.

Make long discussions easier to follow with one-click reading, adjustable voice and playback settings, text highlighting, and pause-and-resume controls.

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.