What's the cheapest TTS API for a few thousand characters a month?

For a few thousand characters per month, the cheapest TTS API is usually the one with a free tier, because your usage is so low.

Most likely cheapest options

1. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech

   • Has a free tier: typically 1 million characters/month for standard voices and WaveNet free tier is much smaller/limited depending on region and current policy
   • If your usage is only a few thousand characters, this can effectively be free
   • Very good quality, widely used

2. Amazon Polly

   • Also offers a free tier for new AWS accounts: often 5 million characters/month for 12 months on standard voices
   • After that, pricing is still low
   • Good if you’re already in AWS

3. Microsoft Azure Speech

   • Free tier exists, but the details depend on the plan and region
   • Can be competitive, especially for standard voices

4. ElevenLabs

   • Excellent quality, but usually not the cheapest
   • Better if voice quality matters more than cost

If you want the absolute lowest cost

• For just a few thousand characters, pick whichever provider gives you a free tier or trial credits.
• If you’re okay with basic quality, Amazon Polly standard voices or Google standard voices are usually among the cheapest paid options.

Quick rule of thumb

• Cheapest overall: free tier from Google/AWS/Azure
• Cheapest paid: AWS Polly standard or Google standard voices
• Best quality but pricier: ElevenLabs

If you want, I can give you a current price comparison table for Google / AWS / Azure / ElevenLabs based on your monthly character count.