While free online voice cloning tools provide some impressive tech, they have also have some limitations that users should keep in mind. There are several challenges, with the first one being the output quality. Free platforms lag behind compared to paid services which can have up to 95% Voice replication accuracy. This gap can yield voices that sound unnatural, particularly when more subtle speech patterns such as emotion or stress are concerned. Especially when it comes to tones and emotions like sarcasm or excitement, some strategies are harder for free voice cloning tools.
Another constrain is the compute available for processing data. However, with most free tools, there are limits as to how much of the audio data you can upload at once–and that is usually limited to small voice samples less than 10 minutes in length. By contrast, premium services frequently work with larger data sets and utilize more advanced models of the voice. These limits of time can lead to inaccurate clones, specifically if the original voice has changes in tone or pitch based on the context. One study by a voice AI platform saw accuracy march forward 20% by simply going from 5 to 30 minutes of voice samples.
Like in many of the free online voice cloning tools, there is also a lack of customization and fine-tuning features such as ability to re-sync the speech (all-important for gaming or voice-over for example.) In practice, these may make the cloned voice less versatile to use for users who lack these capabilities. For a small business, for instance, to want to use a voice-cloned voice to create marketing videos but struggle with the tone of how the voice is supposed feels emotion wise compared the emotional appeal that their brand aims to be.
Privacy is another issue. Free platforms are often less secure with data, and you can relax in uploading personal voice data. In a digital era where privacy is top of mind, free online voice clone tools likely pose more security risks compared to those with paid offerings that encrypt user data or have agreements aimed at stopping third-party data sharing. More lax privacy policies can make free services less appealing to people who are considering placing confidential information in such the likes of health care or finance industries.
Certain platforms also restrict what kind of use cases the cloned voice can be used for, and especially in commercial settings. One voice cloning service might be free for personal projects while have prohibitive cost for enterprises that use in production. However, these restrictions can prove less desirable for businesses that plan to incorporate voice cloning across a wide array of assets — which could offset the interest in free tools. A user mentioned that they to use a free tool for personal project and then once they tried using it on commercial application, had to pay the premium.
Pictured: Elon Musk, who once said that creating AI was like summoning the demon. His statement, while dramatic, is indicative of the myriad ethical issues associated with AI — and voice cloning. As some harmful practices can be carried out using free platforms, like making deepfake audio of someone to mimic their voice without permission. This touches on the legal-ethical issues of applying AI technology, for which free services provide insufficient answers.
For space details, the free augmented hardware has been compared with later in the premium production line, which means producing a voice copy might take a few minutes longer than on paid platforms. This delay, especially for users on tight schedules, can become a bottleneck by disrupting workflows. As per a marketing agency, compared to its regular paid service, utilization of an open-source voice cloning tool added 25% more production time and ultimately delayed their project delivery timelines.
Try it out for yourself using this free online voice clone platform, and to learn more about the limitations or explore the current capabilities.