Speechmatics Text to Speech

Best for: Prototypes and side projects - free to start, no sales call; Regulated or enterprise workloads - compliance attestations and an enterprise plan; Cost-sensitive teams - low, transparent entry price

Pricing model

Hybrid (base + usage) [2]speechmatics.com/pricing“Free 1 million characters (~20hrs) per month”speechmatics.com/text-to-speech“$0.011 per 1k characters”

Published pricing

✓ Yes [3]speechmatics.com/text-to-speech“$0.011 per 1k characters — making Speechmatics one of the most affordable TTS options available.”speechmatics.com/company/articles-and-news/best-tts-apis-in-2025-top-12-text-to-speech-services-for-developers“at $0.011 per 1,000 characters, Speechmatics is 11–27× cheaper than ElevenLabs”

Free tier

✓ Yes [4]speechmatics.com/pricing“Free 1 million characters (~20hrs) per month”

Free tier details

1 million characters (~20 hours) per month included free on Free and Pro plans, English language only. [5]speechmatics.com/pricing“Free 1 million characters (~20hrs) per month”

Self-serve signup

✓ Yes [6]portal.speechmatics.com/signup/“Self-serve signup available at portal.speechmatics.com/signup/”

Requires sales call

✗ No

Enterprise plan

✓ Yes [7]speechmatics.com/pricing“SaaS or On-premises deployment”

• Real-time streaming

Supported actions

synthesize_speech, streaming_tts, low_latency_synthesis [8]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“The API supports streaming audio output (you can play audio as it arrives), but not full bidirectional streaming.”

Regions

global (SaaS), on-premises deployment

Languages

English (US), English (UK) [9]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“We support English. We plan to launch additional languages in 2025.”speechmatics.com/text-to-speech“Currently available in English (both British and American variants).”

Input types

plain text

Output types

wav, pcm [10]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“Raw PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) data”

Webhooks

✗ No [11]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“Webhook and callback support is not available. This feature may be added in future releases for handling long-running synthesis requests.”

Sandbox / test mode

✗ No [12]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“Text to speech is currently in preview and free to use.”

SDK languages

Python, Node.js, .NET, Rust [13]docs.speechmatics.com/integrations-and-sdks/sdks“TTS (Python) - Convert text to speech — available in the speechmatics-python-sdk repository, sdk/tts directory.”docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“Official SDKs for different programming languages are not available yet. The API can be accessed using standard HTTP requests as shown in the quickstart example. We will release official SDKs later.”

MCP server

✗ No [14]speechmatics.com/flow“Speechmatics' Flow platform allows integration with existing services, LLMs, chatbots, LangGraph agents, and MCP servers”

SOC 2

SOC 2 Type II [15]speechmatics.com/security“Trusted where privacy matters most - SOC 2 Type II-certified.”

HIPAA

✓ Yes [16]speechmatics.com/security“Fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).”

GDPR

✓ Yes [17]speechmatics.com/security“Compliant with privacy and compliance directives such as the GDPR”

ISO 27001

✓ Yes [18]speechmatics.com/security“Privacy and compliance built in with our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 accreditation.”

PCI DSS

✗ No [19]speechmatics.com/security“SOC 2 Type II-certified... ISO/IEC 27001:2022 accreditation... Fully compliant with HIPAA... GDPR”

Published SLA

✗ No [20]speechmatics.com/security“No SLA or uptime commitment mentioned on the security or trust pages.”

Rate limits

No specific numeric rate/concurrency limits published for TTS. Documentation notes: "If you encounter rate limit errors, use retry with exponential backoff." Initial audio latency: less than 200ms, with subsequent chunks faster than real time. [21]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“We expect to support high concurrency when released. If you encounter rate limit errors, use retry with exponential backoff.”docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“The initial audio chunk typically returns in less than 200ms, with subsequent audio chunks returning faster than real time.”

Known restrictions

English language only (US and UK voices); additional languages in development, No SSML support documented, No bidirectional streaming - output streaming only, No voice speed/pitch/emphasis controls, Python SDK only (TTS-specific); no official Node.js/other SDK for TTS yet, Input text and generated audio retained during preview to improve the service; production will offer non-retentive option, 4 voices only: Sarah (UK Female), Theo (UK Male), Megan (US Female), Jack (US Male), Audio output at 16 kHz, 16-bit, mono only, Product still in preview (billing announced for October 2025) [22]docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“During preview, input text and generated audio are retained to improve the service. Production will offer non-retentive and data-retentive options.”docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart“No voice control for speed, pitch, or emphasis yet”

• Docs
• Status page

Docs rendering: static

API style

rest

Base URL

https://preview.tts.speechmatics.com

Versioning

none

Stability

beta

Auth methods

api_key, jwt

Idempotency keys

✗ No

Error format

vendor-specific

SDKs

• Python speechmatics-tts · repo
• Python speechmatics-python-sdk · repo
• Node.js @speechmatics/real-time-client · repo
• Node.js @speechmatics/batch-client · repo
• .NET speechmatics-dotnet · repo
• Rust speechmatics-rs · repo

• Auth docs
• Quickstart

Launched

2006-01-01

Notable customers

VAPI, LiveKit, AI Media, Content Guru, Echo360, Pipecat, Ubisoft (Blue Mammoth Games)

• ElevenLabs Text to Speech

  "Text to Speech with high quality, human-like AI voices"

  Hybrid · free tier · public pricing · self-serve

• Azure AI Text to Speech

  "Text to speech enables your applications, tools, or devices to convert text into human like synthesized speech. The text to speech capability is also known as speech synthesis. Use human like standard voices out of the box, or create a custom voice that's unique to your product or brand."

  Usage · free tier · public pricing · self-serve

• Amazon Polly

  "Amazon Polly is a cloud service that converts text into lifelike speech. You can use Amazon Polly to develop applications that increase engagement and accessibility."

  Usage · free tier · public pricing · self-serve

• Google Cloud Text-to-Speech

  "Cloud Text-to-Speech converts text or Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) input into audio data of natural human speech."

  Usage · free tier · public pricing · self-serve

• Cartesia (Sonic)

  "The fastest and most natural text to speech model"

  Hybrid · free tier · public pricing · self-serve

• Murf AI

  "Enterprise-grade AI voice generation with 150+ natural-sounding voices across 35 languages and 20+ speaking styles."

  Usage · public pricing · self-serve

Speechmatics Text to Speech alternatives · Speechmatics Text to Speech vs ElevenLabs Text to Speech · All Text-to-Speech APIs APIs

Each field above carries a numbered source - hover for a preview, click to jump here.

1. ↑Description: speechmatics.com
2. ↑Pricing model: speechmatics.com · speechmatics.com
3. ↑Published pricing: speechmatics.com · speechmatics.com
4. ↑Free tier: speechmatics.com
5. ↑Free tier details: speechmatics.com
6. ↑Self-serve signup: portal.speechmatics.com
7. ↑Enterprise plan: speechmatics.com
8. ↑Supported actions: docs.speechmatics.com
9. ↑Languages: docs.speechmatics.com · speechmatics.com
10. ↑Output types: docs.speechmatics.com
11. ↑Webhooks: docs.speechmatics.com
12. ↑Sandbox: docs.speechmatics.com
13. ↑SDK languages: docs.speechmatics.com · docs.speechmatics.com
14. ↑MCP server: speechmatics.com
15. ↑SOC 2: speechmatics.com
16. ↑HIPAA: speechmatics.com
17. ↑GDPR: speechmatics.com
18. ↑ISO 27001: speechmatics.com
19. ↑PCI DSS: speechmatics.com
20. ↑Published SLA: speechmatics.com
21. ↑Rate limits: docs.speechmatics.com · docs.speechmatics.com
22. ↑Known restrictions: docs.speechmatics.com · docs.speechmatics.com

Every field change, who made it, and when - from our audited data pipeline and editors.

1. 2026-06-21 Capabilities: {} → {"streaming":true}
2. 2026-06-21 Summary Md: (none) → Speechmatics Text to Speech is a REST API for low-latency speech synthesis aime…
3. 2026-06-21 Score Setup Speed: (none) → 85
4. 2026-06-21 Score Pricing Transparency: (none) → 100
5. 2026-06-21 Score Docs Quality: (none) → 15
6. 2026-06-21 Score Procurement Friction: (none) → 100
7. 2026-06-21 Score Trust Readiness: (none) → 70
8. 2026-06-21 Best For: (none) → Prototypes and side projects - free to start, no sales call, Regulated or enter…
9. 2026-06-21 Scoring Methodology: (none) → Scores are computed deterministically from this profile's published, sourced fi…
10. 2026-06-21 Score Agent Friendliness: (none) → 30
11. 2026-06-21 Robots Allows Agents: (none) → Yes
12. 2026-06-21 Status Page URL: (none) → https://status.speechmatics.com
13. 2026-06-21 Docs URL: (none) → https://docs.speechmatics.com/
14. 2026-06-21 Rendering: (none) → static
15. 2026-06-21 Has Structured Data: (none) → Yes
16. 2026-06-21 Llms Txt Present: (none) → No
17. 2026-06-21 Pricing Model: set to hybrid
18. 2026-06-21 Has Published Pricing: set to Yes
19. 2026-06-21 Free Tier Available: set to Yes
20. 2026-06-21 Requires Verification: set to No
21. 2026-06-21 Free Tier Details: set to 1 million characters (~20 hours) per month included free on Free and Pro plans,…
22. 2026-06-21 Self Serve Signup: set to Yes
23. 2026-06-21 Requires Sales Call: set to No
24. 2026-06-21 Enterprise Plan Available: set to Yes
25. 2026-06-21 SOC 2: set to type_2
26. 2026-06-21 HIPAA: set to Yes
27. 2026-06-21 GDPR: set to Yes
28. 2026-06-21 ISO 27001: set to Yes
29. 2026-06-21 PCI DSS: set to No
30. 2026-06-21 SLA Published: set to No
31. 2026-06-21 Data Retention Policy URL: set to https://www.speechmatics.com/legal/terms-of-service
32. 2026-06-21 Documented Rate Limits: set to No specific numeric rate/concurrency limits published for TTS. Documentation no…
33. 2026-06-21 Known Restrictions: set to English language only (US and UK voices); additional languages in development, …
34. 2026-06-21 Auth Methods: set to api_key, jwt
35. 2026-06-21 Auth Docs URL: set to https://docs.speechmatics.com/get-started/authentication
36. 2026-06-21 API Style: set to rest
37. 2026-06-21 Base URL: set to https://preview.tts.speechmatics.com
38. 2026-06-21 Versioning Scheme: set to none
39. 2026-06-21 Stability: set to beta
40. 2026-06-21 Quickstart URL: set to https://docs.speechmatics.com/text-to-speech/quickstart
41. 2026-06-21 Idempotency Supported: set to No
42. 2026-06-21 Error Format: set to vendor-specific
43. 2026-06-21 Slug: set to speechmatics-tts
44. 2026-06-21 Price Basis: set to 1,000 characters
45. 2026-06-21 Free Tier Limit: set to 1,000,000 characters/month
46. 2026-06-21 Launched At: set to 2006-01-01
47. 2026-06-21 Notable Customers: set to VAPI, LiveKit, AI Media, Content Guru, Echo360, Pipecat, Ubisoft (Blue Mammoth …
48. 2026-06-21 Fields Not Found: set to pci_dss (not mentioned on security page - set false), sla_published (security p…
49. 2026-06-21 Source Confidence: set to high
50. 2026-06-21 Extractor: set to claude-subagent:sonnet

This profile is crowd-editable - agents and humans can leave a review or propose a correction with a simple API call. No auth; requests are rate-limited and every submission is reviewed before it goes live. For a field edit, use any key from the Agent JSON in place of FIELD, and include a citation.

curl -X POST https://apio.sh/api/feedback/speechmatics-tts \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"kind":"review","rating":5,"body":"Your experience with this API…"}'

curl -X POST https://apio.sh/api/suggest/speechmatics-tts/FIELD \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"value":"corrected value","citations":[{"url":"https://source.example/page","excerpt":"supporting quote"}],"note":"what changed and why"}'

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