Text to Speech Pricing: Compare AI Voice Generator Costs (2026)
Real pricing data for 8+ TTS tools — from free tiers to enterprise plans
Quick Answer
Text to speech pricing ranges from free (limited) to $179+/month depending on the tool and usage. SpeechGeneration AI offers the best value for content creators at $5/month for 100,000 characters (~6.5 hours of audio) with commercial use included. Cloud APIs like Amazon Polly are cheapest per character ($0.004/1K) but require developer setup. ElevenLabs leads in voice quality at $5–22/month but gives fewer characters per dollar.
SpeechGeneration AI Pricing Plans
Three tiers to match every production volume.
Free Trial
Free
- 10,000 characters total
- All 3 voice tiers
- Commercial use included
- MP3 + WAV export
- No credit card required
Starter
$5/mo
~6.5 hrs/mo
- 100,000 characters/month
- $0.05 per 1K characters
- All 3 voice tiers
- Commercial use included
- MP3 + WAV export
- 5,000 chars per generation
Studio
$30/mo
~33 hrs/mo
- 500,000 characters/month
- $0.06 per 1K characters
- All 3 voice tiers
- Commercial use included
- MP3 + WAV export
- 5,000 chars per generation
TTS Pricing Comparison: 8 Tools Side by Side
All prices as of April 2026. Entry-level paid plans shown.
| Tool | Free Tier | Entry Price | Entry Chars | Cost/1K Chars | Cost/Hour* | Commercial | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpeechGeneration AIBest Value | 10K (no CC) | $5/mo | 100K/mo | $0.05 | ~$0.75 | Best value for creators | |
| ElevenLabs | 10K/mo | $5/mo | 30K/mo | $0.17 | ~$2.50 | Voice cloning, quality | |
| Murf | Preview only | $19/mo | ~48K/mo | ~$0.40 | ~$5.94 | Teams, video editor | |
| Play.ht | 1K | $31.20/mo | Varies | ~$0.31 | ~$4.65 | Voice variety (800+) | |
| Speechify | Limited | $139/yr | N/A | N/A | N/A | Reading app | |
| NaturalReader | Limited | $9.99/mo | N/A | N/A | N/A | Reading app | |
| WellSaid Labs | 1K words | $89.08/mo | 5K words/mo | High | High | Enterprise | |
| Amazon Polly | 5M chars/mo† | Pay-per-use | — | $0.016 | ~$0.24 | Developers (API) |
*Estimated at ~15,000 characters per hour of audio. †Amazon Polly free tier for first 12 months only.
Note: Speechify and NaturalReader are reading apps, not voice generators — they read text aloud but don't produce downloadable audio files for production use.
Key Takeaway
SG.ai delivers 3.3× more characters per dollar than ElevenLabs and 8× more than Murf at entry pricing. Only cloud APIs beat it on raw cost, but they require developer setup and have no web editor.
Understanding TTS Pricing Models
Subscription
SG.ai, ElevenLabs, Murf, Play.ht
Fixed monthly fee with a character allocation. Predictable costs and commercial rights included. Best for regular creators who produce content consistently.
Pay-Per-Use
Amazon Polly, Google Cloud TTS, Azure
Billed per character with no monthly commitment. Cheapest at scale but requires API integration. Best for developers building applications.
Annual / Reading Apps
Speechify, NaturalReader
Fixed annual fee for reading and listening. Not designed for production audio export. Best for personal reading assistance only.
How Much Does Text to Speech Actually Cost?
Real-world scenarios with estimated monthly character usage.
| Scenario | Content | Chars/mo | SG.ai | ElevenLabs | Murf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube creator (2 vids/week) | ~8 scripts, 1,500 chars each | ~12,000 | Free tier | Free tier | $19/mo |
| Podcast producer (weekly 15 min) | ~4 episodes/mo | ~60,000 | $5/mo | $22/mo | $19/mo |
| E-learning (10 modules) | ~10 modules, 5K chars each | ~50,000 | $5/mo | $22/mo | $19/mo |
| Audiobook (full book) | ~80K words | ~400,000 | $30/mo | $99/mo | $79/mo |
These estimates assume Studio-tier quality. Economy tier on SG.ai reduces costs by up to 90%.
Best Free Text to Speech Options
Comparing free tiers across the most popular TTS tools.
| Tool | Free Chars | Download | Commercial Use | Quality Tiers | Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG.ai | 10,000 | MP3/WAV | All 3 | No | |
| ElevenLabs | 10,000/mo | MP3 | Attribution req. | 2 | No |
| Play.ht | 1,000 | Yes | Limited | 1 | No |
| Murf | 10 min | Preview only | — | 1 | No |
| NaturalReader | 20 min/day | Browser only | — | 1 | No |
SG.ai's free tier is the most generous for production use.
Which TTS Tool for Your Budget?
Budget under $10/mo?
SG.ai Starter ($5) or ElevenLabs Starter ($5). SG.ai gives 3.3× more characters per dollar.
Need voice cloning?
ElevenLabs ($22+/mo). SG.ai doesn't offer cloning but delivers superior value for standard narration.
Need team collaboration?
Murf ($19+/mo). Built-in video editor plus team workspace features.
Developer building an app?
Amazon Polly or Google Cloud TTS. Cheapest per-character via API with no web editor overhead.
Just want to listen to articles?
Speechify ($139/yr) or NaturalReader ($9.99/mo). Not for production — these are reading-assistance apps.
High-volume audiobook?
SG.ai Studio ($30/mo for 500K chars) or ElevenLabs Pro ($99/mo for 500K). SG.ai is 70% cheaper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start creating today with the most affordable AI voice generator
10,000 characters free — no credit card required. Commercial use included.