Text-to-speech · Head to head
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech vs Amazon Polly: which is better?
Short answer
They are priced differently ($4 / 1M characters vs $4 / 1M characters). Pick Google Cloud Text-to-Speech for pay-as-you-go cloud voice API; pick Amazon Polly for AWS-based pay-as-you-go speech API.
| Fact | Google Cloud Text-to-Speech | Amazon Polly | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Pay-as-you-go cloud voice API | AWS-based pay-as-you-go speech API | — |
| Free plan | Yes, 4M characters/mo Standard, 1M Neural2 | Yes, 5M Standard characters/mo | Tie |
| Entry plan | Standard voices: $4 / 1M characters | Standard voices: $4 / 1M characters | Tie |
| Mid plan | Neural2 voices: $16 / 1M characters | Neural voices: $16 / 1M characters | Tie |
| Top plan | Chirp 3: HD voices: $30 / 1M characters | Long-Form voices: $100 / 1M characters | Google Cloud Text-to-Speech |
| 1st year | Usage-based | Usage-based | — |
| Platforms | API | API | Tie |
Edge = the better published number or limit; we do not test the tools hands-on.
Which has the better free plan, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech or Amazon Polly?
Neither stands out: Google Cloud Text-to-Speech: Yes, 4M characters/mo Standard, 1M Neural2; Amazon Polly: Yes, 5M Standard characters/mo.
Should you pick Google Cloud Text-to-Speech or Amazon Polly?
Pick Google Cloud Text-to-Speech if
- you want pay-as-you-go cloud voice API
- the free plan is enough (4M characters/mo Standard, 1M Neural2)
Pick Amazon Polly if
- you want AWS-based pay-as-you-go speech API
- the free plan is enough (5M Standard characters/mo)
Sources
| Vendor page | URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Text-to-Speech pricing | cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/pricing | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Amazon Polly pricing | aws.amazon.com/polly/pricing/ | 27 Oct 2026 |
Prices in USD as published by each vendor, billed yearly where offered. How we compare