Description
Speechify is a voice AI company with two connected products: the consumer Speechify app, a text-to-speech and voice AI assistant used by more than 60 million people to read PDFs, books, and web pages aloud; and SpeechifyAI, its developer platform for building text-to-speech and real-time voice agents through one API. The same underlying voice models power both products, including Simba, Speechify’s in-house TTS model, currently ranked #1 on the Artificial Analysis TTS leaderboard. SpeechifyAI’s API bills text-to-speech and voice-agent minutes from a single shared balance rather than separate credit systems, with no LLM passthrough fees on voice agent calls.
Key Features
- 1,500+ voices, 30+ languages — available through the SpeechifyAI API, alongside a larger 1,000+ voice, 60+ language library on the consumer app.
- Simba TTS model — Speechify’s in-house model, ranked #1 on the Artificial Analysis TTS leaderboard as of Simba 3.2.
- All-in-one voice agent minutes — a single per-minute rate covers LLM inference, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and telephony orchestration.
- Voice cloning — available from the Starter API plan and as a consumer feature on the Speechify app.
- Bring-your-own-carrier — connect your own SIP trunk or Twilio account on any API plan, including Free.
- Consumer Voice AI Assistant — reads, summarizes, dictates, and answers questions by voice across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome/Edge.
How It Works
On the consumer side, a user uploads a PDF, document, or link into the Speechify app, and the Voice AI Assistant reads it aloud, summarizes it, or answers questions about it by voice, using the same TTS engine that powers the developer API. On the developer side, SpeechifyAI exposes that engine as two APIs: Build, for text-to-speech, streaming, and SSML, and Agents, for real-time voice agents with tools, memory, and telephony. Both APIs draw from one shared prepaid balance rather than separate credit systems, and a voice-agent minute bills as a single line item covering the LLM, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and call orchestration together, instead of the five separate metered charges most competing voice-agent platforms itemize.
Technical Architecture & Overview
- Core Engine: Speechify’s proprietary Simba TTS model, currently Simba 3.2, plus premium LLM options (GPT-4o, GPT-4.1) for voice agents.
- Deployment: Consumer apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome, and Edge; SpeechifyAI Build and Agents APIs for developers.
- API Surface: Two REST APIs (Build for TTS, Agents for voice agents), billed from one shared balance, documented at docs.speechify.ai.
- Known Limits: The Free API tier is a hard cap with no auto top-up; phone numbers require a paid plan unless using bring-your-own-carrier.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Voice-agent minutes bill as one line item instead of five separate metered charges. | The Free plan is a hard cap with no overage or auto top-up. |
| The Free API tier includes 50K TTS characters and 60 agent minutes with no credit card. | Phone numbers are BYOC-only until the Starter plan. |
| Simba 3.2 currently ranks #1 on the Artificial Analysis TTS leaderboard. | Enterprise pricing isn’t published and requires contacting sales. |
| Bring-your-own-carrier is available on every plan, including Free. | Consumer app subscription pricing isn’t listed on the pages sourced for this article. |
| The consumer app and developer API share the same underlying voice models. | Professional voice cloning requires at least the Pro plan. |
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0/month (50K TTS chars, 60 agent min, hard cap) |
| Starter | $10/month (1M chars then $10/1M, 120 min then $0.075/min) |
| Scale | $499/month (10M chars then $6/1M, 6,000 min then $0.068/min) |
Platform Availability
iOS | Android | Mac | Windows | Chrome | Edge | API
Best For
Readers and students wanting a voice AI assistant that reads PDFs, books, and web pages aloud | Professionals wanting hands-free dictation and voice-based research | Developers building text-to-speech or real-time voice agents on a single shared-balance API
Similar Tools in This Directory
Also worth comparing: ElevenLabs, a voice generator known for realism and a separate developer API | Play.ht, a flat-rate text-to-speech platform with a large multilingual voice library | Murf AI, a studio-focused voice generator with Canva and PowerPoint integrations | LOVO AI, a text-to-speech and video platform built around the Genny studio
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Speechify have a free plan?
Yes. The SpeechifyAI API includes a free tier with 50,000 TTS characters and 60 voice-agent minutes a month, with no credit card required, according to Speechify’s official pricing page.
How much does Speechify’s API cost?
SpeechifyAI plans start at $10/month on Starter and scale up to $499/month on Scale, with custom Enterprise pricing above that; voice-agent minutes fall from $0.075/min on Starter to $0.068/min on Scale, according to Speechify’s official pricing page.
Does Speechify offer a text-to-speech API?
Yes. Speechify’s Text to Speech API powers all of its own products and includes instant voice cloning, streaming, SSML, and speech marks, according to Speechify’s official site.
