Compare / Text to speech

Text-to-speech: PyAI Speak vs ElevenLabs and Cartesia
Find your kind of speech.

PyAI Speak, ElevenLabs and Cartesia approach realtime speech with different voices and integration choices. Listen to delivery, inspect the first-audio measurements and compare the fit for your application.

Listen to your text See the evidence

Published figures have different methods and conditions. Read the qualifications with the comparisons below.

Supporting evidence

Listen first. Inspect the numbers.

Straight talk on price: Speak is billed per minute of audio ($0.04/min), not per character. Per-character providers can undercut on bulk narration. Speak is tuned for realtime agents: low time-to-first-byte, free cloning, and a bill you can forecast.

Measure the same audio path

PyAI’s published Speak measurement is warm, in-region time to first audio byte. Model-only and end-to-end measurements are different. Use the same text, region, network and output format when measuring each provider. Listen to pronunciation and delivery before choosing a voice.

PyAI measurement conditions ElevenLabs API pricing ↗Cartesia pricing ↗PyAI pricing

Try Speak with your own words (no signup)

Try your words. Take the code.

Choose a voice and listen. The code follows your settings.

Your text

62 / 240 characters

Voice

MP3 · No signup

Live demo: up to 30 requests per day.

import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";

const response = await fetch("https://api.pyai.com/v1/audio/speech", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.PYAI_API_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "model": "pyai-speak",
    "input": "Hi, thanks for calling Acme Dental - how can I help you today?",
    "voice": "stock_ava_en_us",
    "response_format": "mp3"
  }),
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(await response.text());
await writeFile("speech.mp3", Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer()));

Set PYAI_API_KEY in your server environment. Saves your audio as speech.mp3.

Copy the code to use this text and voice, or explore the full Playground.

Open Playground

ElevenLabs offers API pay-as-you-go and subscription options. Cartesia describes character-based credits. Speak bills generated audio duration. Compare the same script and model, including subscription, voice and usage terms, before drawing a price conclusion.

Why teams pick Speak

First audio byte in ~53 ms warm (in-region); a cloned voice in ~32 ms
Voice cloning + prompt-to-voice design - free
Per-minute billing - predictable for telephony, no credit math
OpenAI-compatible /v1/audio/speech
One stack with Hear (STT) and Omni (agents)

Before you choose

Good questions. Clear answers.

How should I compare voice quality?

Listen to the same text across the voices and delivery styles that fit your application. Published first-audio measurements describe timing; they do not establish a voice-naturalness ranking.

What does Speak time to first audio measure?

The published warm in-region figure measures the first audio byte, rather than the first spoken word. Competitor figures use their own conditions. Test the same path in your deployment region before drawing a latency conclusion.

Hear it in your own voice.

Start free with $50 in free credits - clone a voice for free and stream it from the first byte.

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