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Play.ht Alternative

Unreal Speech is up to 10x cheaper, making it the best Play.ht alternative.

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Text to speech API - Unreal Speech

Unreal Speech

Cost-effective, scalable Text-to-Speech API with realistic human-like AI voices.
Text to speech API - Play.ht

Play.ht

Transform written content into high-quality, lifelike voiceovers with AI-powered text-to-speech technology.

Voice Quality

Mean Opinion Score
Fiction
4.72
Non-Fiction
4.37
Conversation
3.91
Mean Opinion Score
Fiction
4.17
Non-Fiction
4.17
Conversation
3.48
Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is a numerical measure that represents the perceived quality of audio samples, commonly used in evaluating text-to-speech systems. The score ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating poor quality and 5 signifying excellent quality. These scores are derived from comprehensive, professionally-conducted evaluations, and are anonymized to ensure unbiased results.
  • Unreal Speech outperforms Play.ht in voice quality across all categories, with its highest rating in fiction at 4.72 compared to Play.ht's 4.17.
  • It indicates a more realistic and engaging listening experience, particularly in narrative content.
  • Unreal Speech maintains a consistent lead in mean opinion scores, suggesting superior overall voice quality.

Features

Voice Cloning
Multi-lingual
Per-word Timestamps
Pitch Control
Speed Control
Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)
Voice Cloning
Multi-lingual
Per-word Timestamps
Pitch Control
Speed Control
Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)
  • Unreal Speech offers a solid set of features for text-to-speech applications, including per-word timestamps, pitch and speed control, and support for phone formats, but it lacks voice cloning and multi-lingual support.
  • In contrast, Play.ht provides voice cloning and multi-lingual capabilities, along with per-word timestamps and speed control, but does not offer pitch control.
  • Both services support phone formats like pcm_mulaw, catering to diverse audio processing needs.
  • The choice between Unreal Speech and Play.ht hinges on specific feature priorities, such as the need for voice cloning or pitch adjustment capabilities.

Pricing & Plans

Free
$0/mo
250,000 characters
Basic
$49/mo
3M characters
Extra: $16 per 1M chars
Plus
$499/mo
42M characters
Extra: $12 per 1M chars
Pro
$1499/mo
150M characters
Extra: $10 per 1M chars
Enterprise
$4999/mo
625M characters
Extra: $8 per 1M chars
Free
$0/mo
12,500 characters
Creator
$39/mo
250,000 characters
Unlimited
$99/mo
2.5M characters limit
  • Unreal Speech offers a free tier with 250,000 characters, making it significantly more generous than Play.ht's free tier, which provides only 12,500 characters.
  • In terms of paid plans, Unreal Speech offers more value, especially at the higher tiers.
  • For instance, its Pro plan provides 150M characters for $1499/mo, compared to Play.ht's closest Unlimited plan offering only a 2.5M characters limit for $99/mo.
  • This makes Unreal Speech not only cheaper on a per-character basis at higher usage levels but also suggests it's designed to scale more cost-effectively for heavy users.
  • In summary, Unreal Speech is substantially more economical than Play.ht, especially for users requiring a large volume of characters.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
Average of 10 ratings from leading review sites.
Customers appreciate Unreal Speech's Text-to-Speech API for its affordability, ease of setup, and generous free tier. They find the API to be a cost-effective solution compared to competitors, with clear documentation and responsive customer support. The API is praised for its natural-sounding voices and seamless integration into various projects. However, customers express a desire for more voice customization options, support for multiple languages and improvements in voice realism.
Affordability
Ease of setup
Voice quality
Documentation
Voice realism
Multilingual support
Customization
4.6 out of 5
Average of 293 ratings from leading review sites.
Play.ht is highly praised for its diverse and realistic voice options, ease of use, and excellent customer support. Users appreciate the ability to create audio content efficiently, especially for multilingual and varied voice needs. However, some users note issues with natural inflection, especially with complex terms, and express concerns about the pricing structure and occasional technical glitches. The platform's continuous updates and addition of new features are well-received, though some desire more control over voice modulation and better integration with certain plugins.
Voice diversity
Ease of use
Customer support
Pricing
Natural inflection
Technical reliability

Summary

  • Unreal Speech excels in voice quality, offering superior mean opinion scores across fiction, non-fiction, and conversation categories compared to Play.ht.
  • However, it lacks voice cloning and multi-lingual capabilities, features that Play.ht provides.
  • While Play.ht offers a lower entry point for free usage, Unreal Speech provides significantly more characters at higher subscription tiers, catering to users with large-scale needs.
  • Both services offer per-word timestamps, speed control, and support for phone formats, making them versatile choices for different text-to-speech requirements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How easy is it to switch from Play.ht to Unreal Speech?
  • Very easy, it only takes a few minutes. We give you 250,000 free characters per month, so you can start using our simple text-to-speech API right away.
How do the pricing plans of Unreal Speech and Play.ht compare for someone just starting out?
  • For new users or those with minimal needs, Unreal Speech offers a free plan with 250,000 characters per month, whereas Play.ht's free plan includes 12,500 characters.
  • This makes Unreal Speech's free offering significantly more generous in terms of character allowance for those just starting out.
How does Unreal Speech offer a more cost-effective solution for high-usage customers compared to Play.ht?
  • Unreal Speech stands out as the more cost-effective option for high-usage customers due to its pricing structure and character limits at higher tiers.
  • For instance, the Pro plan from Unreal Speech is priced at $1499 per month, offering up to 150 million characters.
  • In contrast, Play.ht's closest equivalent for high usage is the Unlimited plan at $99 per month, which has a significantly lower limit of 2.5 million characters.
  • This stark difference in character allowances makes Unreal Speech a far more economical choice for users with extensive Text-to-Speech needs, providing a greater volume of characters for a price point that, while higher, delivers substantially more value per dollar spent, especially for enterprise-level usage or applications requiring large amounts of speech output.
Can Unreal Speech and Play.ht both support high-quality voiceovers in phone formats, and how does this impact users looking for telephony applications?
  • Yes, both Unreal Speech and Play.ht support high-quality voiceovers in phone formats, such as pcm_mulaw, which is a critical feature for users aiming to deploy Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology in telephony applications, including IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems, customer service hotlines, and other phone-based services.
  • This compatibility with phone formats ensures that the TTS output is optimized for the bandwidth and audio specifications unique to telephone communication, offering clear and intelligible voiceovers even over limited-quality phone lines.
What makes Unreal Speech more suitable for high-quality voiceovers in fiction?
  • Unreal Speech boasts a higher Mean Opinion Score (MOS) for fiction voiceovers, scoring 4.72, compared to Play.ht's 4.17.
  • This indicates that Unreal Speech offers more realistic and engaging voiceovers for fictional content, making it the preferred choice for creators looking for superior voice quality.
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