Parrot

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

What Parrot is

Parrot is a free text-to-speech app for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Select text and press and hold a keyboard shortcut to hear it read aloud. The application runs completely offline with Kokoro-82M; its site says text remains on your computer and audio is generated without cloud transmission. GPU acceleration is used when available. Downloads include Mac Apple Silicon, Windows x64 and ARM, and Linux x64 and ARM builds. The listed Free plan costs nothing and includes selected-text reading without a subscription or cloud service. Parrot is open source under the MIT License and is a fork of Handy by CJ Pais. The maker describes it as a small, extensible starting point for accessibility features and voice-computing experiments. Its stated scope is one function: reading whatever text you select. Commercial use is allowed, and the download page lists version 26.2.4.

Who it suits

Parrot suits people who want local, selected-text speech on a desktop system. It can also suit commercial users and contributors interested in accessibility or voice-computing projects.

What it does well

Runs fully offline
Text stays on your computer
GPU acceleration when available
Open source under MIT License
Windows, macOS, and Linux builds

What to know first

Limited to reading selected text
No subscription or cloud service
One stated function only

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Reads selected text aloud · runs offline · no subscription or cloud service	Free

As tryparrot.vercel.app lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Parrot focuses narrowly on offline reading of selected text, with broad desktop coverage and an open-source license. Its single-function design is clear for users seeking local text-to-speech without a cloud service.

Facts from Parrot's own pages

Commercial use: Yes · tryparrot.vercel.app, 20 Sept 2026
Contributors: The maker invites contributors, particularly people who work with Rust, to submit pull requests. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Downloads: The download page offers Mac Apple Silicon, Windows x64 and ARM, and Linux x64 and ARM builds. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Extensibility: The maker describes Parrot as a tiny, extensible project intended as a starting point for accessibility features and voice computing experiments. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · tryparrot.vercel.app, 20 Sept 2026
GPU: Parrot runs on your machine with GPU acceleration when available. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
How to use: Press and hold a keyboard shortcut to hear selected text read aloud. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Limit: The about page describes Parrot as having one function: reading aloud whatever text you select. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Offline: Parrot runs completely offline using Kokoro-82M. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Open source: Parrot is open source and released under the MIT License as a fork of Handy by CJ Pais. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Platforms: The about page lists Windows, macOS, and Linux as supported platforms. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Privacy: The site says text stays on your computer and audio is produced without sending anything to the cloud. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Purpose: Parrot is a text-to-speech app that reads aloud text you select. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026
Version: The download page lists version 26.2.4. · tryparrot.vercel.app, 12 Oct 2026

Where Parrot stands on Freedom251

Text-to-Speech Software#86 of 223
Text-to-speech tools#128 of 232