Awareness, not analytics
You learn to hear and feel your own voice — which is what actually changes how you speak. Nobody built confidence by staring at a graph.
Astound vs VirtualSpeech
VirtualSpeech simulates the room. Astound trains the voice you walk in with.
VirtualSpeech is a training platform: soft-skills courses, AI-avatar roleplays, and optional VR. Astound doesn't simulate the audience. Confidence is built in the voice itself — breath, resonance, articulation — and a virtual room is not a real person.
A course is not a voice.
Avatars and VR rehearse a scenario. The voice you use with a real audience is trained.
Astound vs VirtualSpeech, side by side
VirtualSpeech is a soft-skills course platform. Astound is a voice coach.
| Feature |  | VirtualSpeech |
|---|---|---|
| Taught by a voice coach & speech therapist | Included | Not includedCourses + AI avatars |
| Breath-support training | Included | Not included |
| Physical voice work | Included | Not included |
| Tension-release stretches | Included | Not included |
| Warmups for the moment | Included | Not included |
| Recordings stay on your phone | Included | Not includedAnalysed by AI |
| A few minutes, any time | Included | PartlyCourse sessions |
| Native iPhone app | Included | Not includedBrowser; VR optional |
| Filler-word counts & speech scores | Not includedOn purpose | Included |
Try Astound for free
Free download · Premium cancellable anytime
What VirtualSpeech can’t give you
Breath first
A steady voice sits on steady breath. Diaphragmatic breathing and breath support are the foundation of every routine.
Expert-led
Every lesson is taught by Leila Bostic, a voice coach and speech therapist with 15 years of work with teachers, doctors, managers and actors.
We don’t care about filler-words. Or graphs.
Your favourite speakers say “um” too. What they have is breath, presence, and a voice that carries. That’s what we train.
Which one is right for you?
VirtualSpeech is a broad programme: a soft-skills course library, certificates, AI-avatar roleplays, and optional VR. The courses run in a browser; a headset is only for the VR exercises. It suits companies and schools.
Choose VirtualSpeech if…
- Your organisation wants certified soft-skills courses
- You want AI-avatar roleplays or optional VR scenarios
- You need an enterprise or education training platform
Choose Astound if…
- You want to train the voice itself, not sit a course
- You don't believe an AI avatar prepares you for a real person
- You want a few minutes on your iPhone — no headset, no curriculum
- You want a warmup right before the real moment
Why our users prefer Astound
4.7 stars from 1,300+ reviews on the App Store.
Great first step
Astound makes it easy to get your reps in every day. It's easy to find 3-5 minutes for the exercises and builds confidence in my voice.
Simple, interesting, effective
Voice lessons for anyone who does not have access to a personal voice coach IRL. Marvellous.
Questions
What's the difference between Astound and VirtualSpeech?
VirtualSpeech is a soft-skills course platform with AI-avatar roleplays and optional VR. The courses run in a browser; a headset is only for the VR exercises. Astound doesn't do courses or simulated audiences. It trains the voice itself — breath, resonance, articulation and tension release — on iPhone, with lessons from a speech therapist.
Do I need a VR headset for Astound?
No. Astound runs on your iPhone. Most routines take a few minutes, so you can do them before a call or on the way to a presentation. VirtualSpeech's VR is optional too — their courses work in a browser — but that is still a course and a simulation, not voice training.
Leila Bostic
Voice coach & speech therapist
A real coach. A few minutes a day. A voice that shows up when it matters.
Start your first lessonMore comparisons
AI speech scorecard
Orai prints numbers on a screen. Astound builds your awareness and confidence over time.
AI feedback app
Speeko scores the recording. Astound trains the voice that made it.
vocabulary & speaking curriculum
Wellspoken works on what you say. Astound works on how you sound.
AI roleplay simulator
Yoodli practices on an AI. Astound trains the voice you take to a person.
weekly speaking club
Toastmasters is a club that meets once a week. Astound is a voice coach, every day.