AI Text to Speech Cost Calculator
How AI Text to Speech Pricing Works
AI text to speech (TTS) platforms usually charge based on how many characters their system processes. Characters typically include letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation in your script. Some providers count only your input text, while others bill on internal tokens or phonemes. On top of this, some vendors charge extra for premium voices, certain languages, or frequent voice switching within one project.
This calculator gives you a simple, linear model for estimating costs before you commit to a specific platform or upload any content. You enter how many characters you expect to synthesize, the provider’s price per one million characters, and how many distinct voices you plan to use. The tool then estimates a total cost so you can compare scenarios for podcasts, audiobooks, training videos, product tutorials, or accessibility features.
Cost Formula Used in This Calculator
The calculator assumes a straightforward, per-character pricing model. The cost formula is:
Cost = (Characters × Number of Voices × Price per 1,000,000 characters) ÷ 1,000,000
Where:
- Characters is the total number of characters you plan to synthesize.
- Number of Voices is how many distinct voices you will use for the same content.
- Price per 1,000,000 characters is your provider’s quoted rate for one million characters.
In mathematical notation, the same idea can be written as:
with:
- C = estimated total cost in dollars
- c = total character count
- v = number of distinct voices
- p = price in dollars per 1,000,000 characters
If you run the same 50,000-character script through three different voices, the model treats that like processing 150,000 characters in total.
How to Use the Cost Calculator
- Estimate your character count. You can copy your script into a word processor or code editor to see an approximate character count, or base it on word count (roughly 5–6 characters per word in English, including spaces).
- Find your provider’s pricing. Look for a rate expressed as dollars per 1,000,000 characters. If your provider quotes “$15 per 1M characters”, enter 15.
- Choose the number of distinct voices. Count how many different voices you plan to use on the same content. If you run the full script once with a single voice, use 1. If you will generate separate full versions with three voices, use 3.
- Review the estimated total cost. The output is a simplified estimate and does not include taxes, minimum monthly charges, or discounts.
Sample Provider Pricing (Illustrative Only)
The table below shows example pricing tiers to help you sanity-check your own provider’s quote. These are not live prices.
| Provider Tier | Price per 1M Characters (USD) | Typical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | $0 | Limited to around 20k characters; for testing only |
| Standard | $15 | General-purpose and most languages |
| Premium / Neural | $30 | Higher-quality or brand voices, broader usage rights |
Always check your provider’s documentation for current pricing, quotas, and any region-specific rules. Many services update prices regularly and may lower costs for high-volume usage.
Worked Example: Multi-Voice Technical Manual
Imagine you want to create AI-narrated audio for a technical manual. Your rough estimates are:
- Characters to synthesize: 50,000
- Price per 1M characters: $15 (standard tier)
- Number of distinct voices: 3 (intro, main content, tips)
Using the calculator’s formula:
Cost = (50,000 × 3 × 15) ÷ 1,000,000
The combined character volume is effectively 150,000 characters (50,000 characters per voice × 3 voices). Multiplying by $15 per million and then dividing by 1,000,000 yields:
Cost = 2.25
So the estimate is $2.25 to generate this manual with three separate voices on a standard TTS tier. If you instead used a premium tier priced at $30 per 1M characters, the same project would be estimated at $4.50.
These numbers might look small for a single project, but they add up quickly when you scale across many documents, languages, or frequent content updates.
Interpreting Your Result
The number produced by the calculator is best understood as a baseline estimate. Use it to:
- Compare different providers at a glance by plugging in their per-million-character rates.
- Test scenarios, such as increasing the number of voices or translating content into multiple languages.
- Plan budget ranges for proposals, client quotes, or internal projects.
If your estimate is much lower than you expect, ask whether your provider charges minimum monthly fees, higher prices for certain languages, or additional costs for commercial usage. If your estimate is higher than expected, check whether your provider offers lower pricing above a certain monthly volume.
Assumptions and Limitations
The calculator is intentionally simple so that you can explore ideas quickly. It makes several important assumptions:
- Linear pricing. It assumes the same price per character regardless of volume. Real plans may offer tiered discounts or higher prices above certain limits.
- No free tiers or credits. It ignores free quotas and promotional credits that might reduce your bill, especially for low-volume or trial usage.
- No minimum charges. Some providers have minimum monthly billing or per-request minimums. Those are not included in the estimate.
- Uniform character counting. It assumes your provider counts characters in a straightforward way. Some platforms bill by tokens, by time (per audio minute), or count SSML tags differently.
- Same rate for all voices. The model uses a single price per 1M characters for all voices. In reality, premium or custom voices may be billed at higher rates.
- Excludes taxes and regional adjustments. Taxes, currency conversion fees, and region-specific pricing are not reflected.
Because of these assumptions, actual invoices may be higher or lower than the output shown here. Always confirm your final pricing in the provider’s dashboard or sales documentation before committing budget.
Typical Use Cases for This Calculator
People commonly use this kind of estimate when planning:
- Podcasts and interview shows where introductions, ad reads, or entire episodes are generated with AI voices.
- Audiobooks and long-form narration that span tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of characters.
- Product tutorials and onboarding flows that must be updated regularly as features change.
- eLearning and training content where scripts are localized into multiple languages and accents.
- Accessibility features, such as voice versions of blog posts, articles, or documentation.
Comparing Text to Speech Pricing Scenarios
The table below compares three simplified scenarios using the same base formula:
| Scenario | Characters | Voices | Price per 1M Characters | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short promo video | 10,000 | 1 | $15 | $0.15 |
| Training module (two voices) | 30,000 | 2 | $15 | $0.90 |
| Full audiobook, premium tier | 100,000 | 1 | $30 | $3.00 |
These examples illustrate how increasing characters, voices, or the per-million rate changes your budget. You can adapt the same logic with your own values in the calculator.
FAQ: Common Questions About TTS Costs
How many characters are in an hour of audio?
A rough rule of thumb is that one hour of spoken English contains about 7,500 to 10,000 words. At roughly 5–6 characters per word (including spaces), that is about 40,000 to 60,000 characters per hour. Actual values depend on speaking speed, language, and how dense the text is.
How do free tiers affect my budget?
Free tiers can significantly reduce costs for small projects or prototypes. However, once you exceed the free allowance, you may be billed at the regular per-character rate or moved automatically to a paid plan. The calculator does not account for free quotas, so you may want to subtract the free allowance from your character estimate before entering your values.
Do premium or custom voices cost more?
Yes, many providers charge more for advanced neural, expressive, or custom-branded voices. In that case, use the higher price per 1M characters for those voices in your estimate, or run separate estimates for standard and premium tracks.
When was this information last reviewed?
Pricing models for AI text to speech are evolving quickly. The example numbers shown here are illustrative and may not match any specific provider. For accurate, current pricing, always refer to your provider’s official pricing page or console.