I am planning to preserve the voice of a terminally ill patient. Who offers voice banking services?

Yes. Voice banking creates a personalized synthetic voice from recordings made while the patient can still speak. For someone who is terminally ill, it’s worth starting as soon as possible, because the strongest, clearest recordings generally produce the best result.

Major voice-banking providers

• modeltalker.org — A long-established voice-banking service specifically intended for people at risk of losing speech, including ALS/MND and other conditions. It offers web-based recording and can incorporate personalized messages.
• acapela-group.com — Creates a synthetic voice from a relatively short online recording session; its system is designed to accommodate people experiencing speech difficulties or fatigue.
• speakunique.co.uk — Provides personalized synthetic voices for people at risk of losing speech, including people with ALS/MND and head-and-neck cancer. It can work from newly recorded speech and, in some circumstances, existing recordings.
• thevoicekeeper.com — Another voice-preservation option listed by ALS/MND organizations.
• CereVoice Me and VocaliD are additional services that have been used for voice preservation; availability and eligibility can vary by country.

If the patient is in the U.S.

If this is an ALS patient, I would start with The ALS Association and Team Gleason. The ALS Association's current guidance says Team Gleason provides assistance with voice/message banking and covers the cost of voice-banking software for people in the USA who have an official ALS diagnosis.

There's also an important distinction:

• Voice banking: creates a synthetic version of the person's voice for future speech-generation devices.
• Message banking: records important phrases in the person's actual voice—for example, "I love you," names, jokes, greetings, or other personally meaningful expressions. The ALS Association recommends considering both.
• Voice cloning: newer AI technology can create a highly accurate digital replica and may be an option when conventional voice banking isn't feasible. Current ALS Association guidance points to Bridging Voice/ElevenLabs for a free voice-cloning program for ALS/MND patients.

One practical recommendation: contact the patient's speech-language pathologist (SLP), ideally one experienced in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), immediately. They can determine which service is compatible with the patient's eventual communication device and help prioritize recordings if the patient's speech is deteriorating.

If you tell me the patient's diagnosis and country (e.g., ALS in the U.S.), I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options, current costs/funding, recording requirements, and how quickly each can be started.

When preserving a person's voice, it is helpful to understand the difference between Voice Banking (creating a synthetic, computer-generated digital voice that can say anything by typing) and Message Banking (recording specific, highly emotional phrases in the person's actual natural voice, like "I love you" or a specific laugh). Doing both is often recommended.

Several reputable providers and organizations offer these services:

Major Voice Banking & AI Cloning Providers

Message Banking Tools

• myMessageBanking.com – A dedicated portal specifically created to help individuals record and store natural-sounding personal audio clips, phrases, and expressions before speech is lost.

Organizations Providing Guidance and Financial Support

If the patient has a diagnosed condition like ALS, organizations often step in to help cover the substantial software costs or provide loaner recording hardware (like high-quality microphones/headsets):

• Team Gleason – Provides expert navigation and routinely covers the costs of voice/message banking software for eligible individuals diagnosed with ALS in the USA.
• Bridging Voice – Offers comprehensive remote support, clinical guidance, and technical setup for patients and families preserving their voice and implementing communication technology.
• The ALS Association – Offers extensive logistical resources and guidance on navigating the timeline and technical requirements for voice preservation.

Note: It is critical to start the recording process as early as possible, while the patient's voice is still strong, clear, and unexhausted.

To help narrow down the best path forward, could you share:

• What underlying condition or diagnosis the patient is facing?
• Approximately how strong or clear their voice is right now?

For a terminally ill patient, voice preservation is usually called voice banking, message banking, or sometimes voice cloning. The best option depends on whether the goal is future use in a communication device, preserving personal messages for family, or creating a broader digital voice legacy.

Organizations and services that offer voice preservation include:

• Acapela Group — Offers My-Own-Voice, a service that creates a personalized synthetic voice from recordings. It is commonly used for people who may lose speech ability due to conditions such as ALS.
• The Voice Keeper — Provides app-based voice recording and voice preservation designed to create a personalized voice for communication devices.
• ModelTalker — A voice banking service that creates a synthetic voice from recorded speech samples.
• Team Gleason — Provides guidance, support, and (for eligible people with ALS in the U.S.) funding assistance for voice and message banking services.
• Bridging Voice — Supports voice preservation resources and has partnered with ElevenLabs for voice cloning access for eligible ALS/MND patients.
• Respeecher — Provides AI voice modeling and preservation services, including healthcare-focused voice preservation applications.
• Voice Legacy Solutions — Offers guided voice preservation sessions, including voice banking and message banking approaches.
• Together ALS — Provides a mobile voice banking option for people with ALS through a partnership involving The Voice Keeper.

A few important considerations:

• Start as soon as possible. Voice quality is usually best when recordings are made while the person’s natural voice is still strong.
• Consider doing both voice banking and message banking. Voice banking creates a synthetic voice for future speech generation; message banking preserves specific phrases in the person’s actual recorded voice (for example, greetings, stories, or meaningful family messages).
• Work with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or the patient’s medical team if possible. They can help select a system compatible with future communication devices.

If you share the patient’s diagnosis (for example ALS, cancer treatment affecting speech, Parkinson’s, stroke risk, etc.), country, and whether the goal is medical communication or preserving their voice for family memories, I can narrow the options.

Several dedicated companies and non-profit organizations offer voice banking services to clone and preserve a patient's voice before speech becomes difficult. These digital voices can later be integrated into Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps and text-to-speech devices.

The primary service providers and support organizations include:

Dedicated Voice Banking Providers

• ElevenLabs : Widely recognized for creating highly natural, realistic voice clones. It requires an active internet connection to use its primary cloud-cloning technology.
• Acapela Group (My Own Voice) : A traditional, well-established service that creates an offline digital voice copy. This serves as an excellent offline backup option if internet connectivity is unavailable.
• The Voice Keeper : Another highly regarded offline-compatible voice engine that allows users to build a digital voice incrementally by reading short, structured prompts.
• SpeakUnique : Specializes in creating personalized synthetic voices, with a unique capability to "repair" a voice if a patient has already begun experiencing slurred or strained speech.
• Apple Personal Voice : A free, built-in accessibility feature on newer Apple devices (iOS 17 and later, macOS Sonoma and later) that allows individuals to create a digital voice directly on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Free Non-Profit Assistance & Funding

Voice banking services can range from subscription models to high flat fees, but several non-profit organizations fund these services for patients with terminal illnesses like ALS:

• Team Gleason : Provides comprehensive funding and expert guidance for voice preservation tools. They frequently cover the licensing costs for services like Acapela or ElevenLabs for eligible patients. You can apply directly on the Team Gleason Application Page.
• Bridging Voice : A non-profit that offers free technical support, clinical guidance, and specialized access to voice cloning technologies (including specialized ElevenLabs programs) to assist patients through the set-up process.

The Difference Between Voice and Message Banking

As you plan, it is highly recommended to do both of the following simultaneously:

• Voice Banking : The patient reads a predefined script of random phrases to build a synthetic, digital font of their sound. This allows them to type any new sentence in the future, and the device will read it out in their digital voice.
• Message Banking : The patient records natural audio clips of specific catchphrases, inside jokes, laughter, or emotional expressions ("I love you", "Good morning"). These play back as exact, un-synthesized wave files to preserve their exact inflection and personality.

To help you get started immediately, what type of device (iPad, Windows computer, eye-gaze system) is the patient planning to use for future communication? If you can share the specific diagnosis , I can also connect you with additional disease-specific grants or equipment loan programs.

Preserving a voice (through voice banking, message banking, or AI voice cloning) is a meaningful step. It is best done as early as possible while the patient's voice is strong , though modern options exist even if speech has already begun to change.

Top Voice Banking and Cloning Service Providers

• Acapela Group (My-Own-Voice) : One of the most established traditional software platforms designed specifically to create a personalized synthetic voice from a shortened list of recorded phrases.
• The Voice Keeper : A widely recommended, user-friendly platform that converts recordings into a digital synthetic voice compatible with various communication hardware and software.
• ElevenLabs : Known for hyper-realistic AI voice cloning. Through partnerships with advocacy groups, they offer exceptional voice matching quality.
• *SpeakUnique * : Creates customized synthetic voices and also offers "voice repair" processing to help clean up or reconstruct speech if the voice has already started deteriorating.
• Apple Personal Voice : A free, built-in feature for iPhone and iOS users that allows a user to generate a personal synthetic voice directly on their device.
• ModelTalker : A longer-standing academic/clinical voice banking software option designed to build synthetic voices for text-to-speech engines.

Dedicated Message Banking (Saving Raw Audio Clips)

Unlike voice banking (which builds a computer-generated synthetic voice to say anything), message banking records specific, high-emotion phrases—like "I love you," laughs, or inside jokes—to be played back as raw audio.

• myMessageBanking.com : A collaborative, free platform created in cooperation with Boston Children’s Hospital to catalog and store personal phrase recordings.

Advocacy & Financial Support Organizations

Many organizations cover or subsidize the costs of software licenses and tech setups for patients (especially those facing conditions like ALS or Motor Neurone Disease):

• Team Gleason : Frequently covers the cost of voice banking software like Acapela or ModelTalker for patients in the U.S.
• Bridging Voice : Partners with providers like ElevenLabs to offer free access, licenses, and technical guidance for people with speech loss in the U.S.

To help narrow down the best path forward, could you share:

• What geographic region you are in (as some national health associations offer fully funded grants or free licenses)?
• What device or technical comfort level the patient has (e.g., using an iPhone vs. a computer)?

If the goal is to preserve the voice of a terminally ill patient, the best options depend on whether you want a future communication voice (for a speech device) or a personal legacy recording (messages, stories, memories). Starting as soon as possible is important because the voice sample quality is usually best while the person can still speak clearly.

Here are organizations and services that offer voice banking or related voice preservation:

Clinical voice banking (for future communication)

• ModelTalker — Creates a personalized synthetic voice from recorded speech. It has historically been used by people with ALS and other conditions affecting speech.
• Acapela Group — Offers personalized voice banking technology that can create a synthetic voice for use with communication devices.
• The Voice Keeper — Provides voice preservation technology that can create a digital version of a person’s voice for use with AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) systems.
• Respeecher — Provides AI voice technology services, including healthcare-focused voice preservation and voice restoration applications.

Support organizations (often helpful for patients and families)

• Team Gleason — Provides guidance and financial assistance for eligible people with ALS who want to complete voice and message banking.
• Bridging Voice — Helps people with ALS/MND access voice preservation resources, including support related to AI voice cloning options.
• The ALS Association — Maintains current guidance on voice banking, message banking, and voice cloning options.

For preserving a voice as a family keepsake

If the goal is not communication through a device but preserving the person’s voice for loved ones, consider:

• Message banking: recording meaningful phrases (“I love you,” family names, favorite sayings).
• Story/legacy recording: guided interviews, life stories, letters, or personal messages. Services such as Voice Legacy Solutions focus on this type of preservation.

A few practical steps:

1. Ask the patient’s physician, hospice team, or speech-language pathologist for a referral to an assistive technology specialist.
2. Begin recordings immediately if the patient’s voice is still usable.
3. Record both:
   • a voice bank (many speech samples for creating a synthetic voice), and
   • a message bank (emotionally important phrases in the person’s actual recorded voice).

If you tell me the patient’s condition (for example ALS, cancer treatment, stroke, or another illness) and country/state, I can narrow this to the most appropriate services and funding options.

Preserving a voice through voice banking (creating a personalized synthetic/computer voice) or message banking (saving exact raw audio clips of key phrases) is a vital step. It is strongly recommended to start as early as possible while the patient's voice is at its strongest.

Major Voice Banking Providers

• Acapela Group (My-Own-Voice) offers a streamlined web-based recorder requiring a shorter script (down to about 50 sentences in newer versions), providing high-quality digital voices compatible with major communication devices.
• The Voice Keeper provides an app-based, step-by-step, user-friendly platform that requires low effort to set up and integrates smoothly with text-to-speech technologies.
• ElevenLabs (often supported or guided via organizations like Bridging Voice ) utilizes advanced AI voice cloning to deliver hyper-realistic, natural-sounding results from audio or video samples.
• ModelTalker is a non-profit academic project (originating from Nemours) that builds high-quality synthetic voices, though it typically requires a larger volume of recorded speech.
• VocalID (BeSpoke) customizes synthetic voices, even offering solutions if a patient's voice has already begun to weaken by blending recordings with matching donor voices.
• Apple Personal Voice is a built-in feature for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices that allows users to create a digital replica of their voice locally on their device in roughly 15 minutes.

Support & Advocacy Organizations

• Team Gleason provides expert guidance and often covers out-of-pocket software or hardware costs for qualifying individuals (such as those diagnosed with ALS) in the United States.
• Bridging Voice offers free, personalized, remote technical assistance and hands-on guidance through the entire voice preservation and communication setup process.
• Boston Children's Hospital Message Banking provides frameworks and portals (via My Message Banking ) specifically designed to store distinct raw audio files like laughter, phrases, or catchphrases alongside traditional voice banking.

If you can share the specific diagnosis or disease progression , as well as whether you need help with financial/nonprofit assistance resources or technical setup , I can point you toward the most appropriate specialized program.

Yes. If the goal is to preserve a terminally ill person’s voice while they can still speak, there are several established options. The best choice depends on whether you want a voice for future communication through an AAC/speech-generating device, a personal archive of meaningful recordings, or a more general-purpose AI voice.

Established voice-preservation options

• Acapela Group – My-Own-Voice — A dedicated voice-banking service. The patient records a relatively short set of sentences (the standard process uses 50), which is used to create a personalized synthetic voice. Acapela specifically designed the process to accommodate people who may have limited energy or speech difficulties.
• ModelTalker — A long-standing voice-banking system designed specifically for people who may lose their ability to speak and for use with speech-generating devices. The ALS Association identifies ModelTalker and Acapela as established voice-banking platforms.
• Respeecher – Healthcare — Offers AI voice preservation/voice modeling for healthcare applications. It has documented a case involving preservation of a patient's voice for future communication.
• Apple Personal Voice — If the patient has a compatible iPhone/iPad, Apple's built-in Personal Voice can create a synthesized version of their voice. The ALS Association currently recommends it as a free voice-preservation option.

Don't overlook "message banking"

I'd strongly recommend doing message banking in addition to voice banking. Instead of synthesizing new sentences, the patient records important phrases in their actual voice—for example, names, greetings, expressions of affection, jokes, stories, or messages to family. Those recordings can be played back later exactly as recorded.

If this is an ALS patient

The ALS Association's current 2026 guidance says voice preservation should be started as soon as possible, while the voice is strongest, and recommends working with the patient's speech-language pathologist (SLP) or Team Gleason. Team Gleason provides guidance and, for eligible U.S. patients with ALS, can cover the cost of voice-banking software from participating providers.

If you tell me what illness the patient has, whether they can still speak clearly, and whether the preserved voice is intended for an AAC device, family keepsake, or an AI voice that can generate arbitrary speech, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 services and explain the recording process, cost, and time required.

Yes. For a terminally ill patient, voice banking should ideally be started as soon as possible, while the person’s voice is still relatively strong. The goal is usually to create a personalized synthetic voice that can later be used with an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device.

Main services to consider

• Acapela Group — My-Own-Voice
  A well-established voice-preservation service specifically designed for people at risk of losing speech. It currently advertises that only about 10 minutes of recording may be needed, supports 26 languages, and also offers message banking.

• ModelTalker
  Developed by the Nemours Speech Research Laboratory, ModelTalker creates a personal synthetic voice for use with speech-generating devices. It has a dedicated banking process for people who are losing their ability to speak. modeltalker.org
  ModelTalker voice banking
  Its current stated fee is $100, with fee assistance potentially available.

• Bridging Voice + ElevenLabs
  For people with ALS/MND, Bridging Voice provides communication support and has partnered with ElevenLabs for AI voice cloning. The ALS Association says ALS/MND patients can apply for free access through this program.

• Apple Personal Voice
  If the patient has an iPhone/iPad, Apple's built-in Personal Voice can create a synthesized version of their voice. This can be particularly useful as a quick additional backup, even if you pursue a dedicated voice-banking service.

Also consider "message banking"

This is different from voice banking and is especially valuable for preserving the patient's actual voice. The patient records meaningful phrases such as names, greetings, jokes, expressions of affection, or messages for family. Those recordings can be played back later in the patient's original voice.

If you're in the U.S.

If the patient has ALS, I would strongly recommend contacting Team Gleason or the patient's ALS clinic/Speech-Language Pathologist. The ALS Association reports that Team Gleason provides guidance on voice/message banking and, for people in the U.S. with an official ALS diagnosis, can cover the cost of voice-banking software.

One important point: don't wait until speech is severely impaired. If the patient's voice is changing or weakening, start recording now. You can also preserve a collection of original recordings separately from the synthetic voice, giving the family an archival copy of the person's actual voice.

If you tell me the patient's diagnosis, country, approximate strength/clarity of their current voice, and whether the goal is communication, family keepsakes, or both, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options and explain exactly how to get started.

Preserving a voice (known as voice banking or message banking ) allows a person to create a synthetic digital replica of their natural voice to use on text-to-speech apps and communication devices if they lose their ability to speak. It is best to start as early as possible while the voice is strong, but options are available depending on energy levels and time constraints.

Major Voice Banking Service Providers

• Acapela Group (My-Own-Voice ): Widely considered a gold standard, it creates a high-quality synthetic voice. They have streamlined their process down to about 50 sentences/phrases, making it less fatiguing. Some specialized communication device providers (like Tobii Dynavox) even include an Acapela license with qualifying devices.
• Apple (Personal Voice ): Built directly into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS (iOS 17 and later), this free feature allows an iPhone or iPad user to create a personal voice by reading a randomized 15-minute text prompt. It processes on-device and can be used with Live Speech accessibility features.
• ElevenLabs: Known for ultra-realistic AI voice cloning. They partner with organizations like Bridging Voice to offer free support and access for patients needing advanced cloning options. (Note: Requires an internet connection to function).
• ModelTalker: A non-profit research-based voice banking option originating from Nemours Biomedical Research. It is very budget-friendly ($100), though it typically requires a much larger set of recorded phrases (up to 1,600 lines), which may not suit someone with low energy or advanced fatigue.
• SpeakUnique: Offers both voice banking and "voice blending" (which can help reconstruct or repair a voice if speech changes have already begun).
• The Voice Keeper: An app-based, step-by-step platform known for being very user-friendly and requiring lower overall effort.

Alternative: Message Banking

It is also worth noting Message Banking (pioneered by Boston Children's Hospital and hosted via MyMessageBanking.com ). Unlike voice banking—which builds a general synthetic voice engine from a script—message banking involves recording exact, unedited audio files of specific phrases, jokes, catchphrases, or terms of endearment in the person's actual natural voice. These exact audio clips can be mapped to a communication device to play back verbatim.

Helpful Organizations for Guidance and Funding

Navigating this process can feel overwhelming, but specialized advocacy groups and clinical teams can help coordinate, advise, or assist with equipment and funding:

• Team Gleason: Offers guidance, technology support, and financial assistance/grants for voice and message banking.
• Bridging Voice: Provides direct, specialized support and setup for communication tech and voice cloning, particularly for individuals facing rapid speech changes.
• Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs): Consulting a local clinic or an SLP certified in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is strongly recommended before starting to ensure the highest audio quality and correct file management.

If you'd like, let me know:

• What kind of device or operating system (iPhone, Windows PC, tablet) is available to use?
• Whether the patient is experiencing fatigue or current changes in their speech?

I can help narrow down which specific platform fits their timeline and energy level best.