TL;DR
TTS vendors price in different units: characters, credits or seconds of audio. Convert every quote to rupees per 1,000 characters at a stated date and exchange rate, then add the hidden costs. We do not list competitor prices here because they change often; check each vendor's live pricing page.
Comparing TTS API pricing is harder than it looks because every vendor uses a different unit. This guide shows how to put quotes side by side honestly, including for ElevenLabs and other global providers.
Why we do not print a price table
Vendor prices change often and vary by plan, region and currency. A table copied today could be wrong next month, and a wrong competitor price is unfair to readers and to the vendor. Instead, use the method below with current numbers from each vendor's own pricing page, and record the date.
Step 1: find the billing unit
Common units:
- Per character. Billed on the text you send.
- Credits. The vendor converts characters into credits at a plan-specific ratio.
- Per second or minute of audio. Billed on generated speech.
Step 2: convert to ₹ per 1,000 characters
- From per-character: multiply by 1,000.
- From credits: price per credit × credits per 1,000 characters.
- From audio time: 1,000 characters is roughly one minute of speech at a typical pace, but measure it on your own text.
- From dollars: multiply by the exchange rate on the date you record.
Hypothetical example. If a plan charges $0.20 per 1,000 characters and the rate is ₹85 per dollar, the cost is 0.20 × 85 = ₹17 per 1,000 characters. These numbers are an illustration of the arithmetic, not a vendor quote.
Step 3: add the hidden costs
- Taxes and currency conversion fees.
- Extra charges for premium or cloned voices.
- Concurrency limits that force a higher plan.
- Unused monthly allowance that expires.
- Commercial-use rights and attribution rules.
Step 4: compare quality, not only price
A cheap voice that callers dislike costs more in lost conversions. Run a blind listening test on the same ten sentences, with numbers, names and a Hinglish line.
Where Swarvo TTS stands
Swarvo TTS is a private test service without public rates. See TTS pricing and our ElevenLabs alternative in India page. If you need the voice inside a phone agent, the cost is bundled into AI voice agent pricing.