Cartesia
Low-latency text-to-speech, speech-to-text and voice agent platform for developers.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is Cartesia free?
Free plan, plus paid plans
- Starting price:
- $5/month (Pro)
- Free plan:
- 20K credits per month
Checked on Cartesia's site Nov 8, 2026
Full Cartesia pricing and plansSwitch from Cartesia to
All 4
ElevenLabsStarting price: $6 per month (Starter)
WellSaidStarting price: $10 a month, billed annually (Starter)
TypecastStarting price: $5/month (Basic)
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 4
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Cartesia
Cartesia makes speech models built for real-time use. Sonic is its text-to-speech model, Ink handles streaming transcription, and Managed Agents lets teams run phone-based voice agents for support, scheduling or sales calls on top of both. The models run on state space model architecture, which the company uses to keep response times short, and it supports speech in more than 40 languages. Instant and professional voice cloning are available on paid tiers, and there is a web playground for trying voices, though the product is mainly an API for developers building voice apps. Plans are credit-based: a free tier for testing, low-cost monthly tiers for commercial use, and enterprise contracts with on-premise or VPC deployment and compliance agreements. It suits engineering teams who care about latency more than creators who want a polished voiceover editor.
Best for: Developers building real-time voice agents or apps that need fast TTS.
Cartesia pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Cartesia's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 20K credits per month | Nov 8, 2026 | cartesia.ai |
| Starting price | $5/month (Pro) | Nov 8, 2026 | cartesia.ai |
Pros and cons
What works
- TTS, STT and voice agents under one account and one credit system
- Free tier plus low-cost paid tiers with commercial use
- On-premise and VPC deployment available for enterprises
Why people leave
- Free plan has no commercial licence or voice cloning
- Professional voice cloning starts on the Startup tier
- Built for developers; no timeline editor for long-form voiceovers
Cartesia vs ElevenLabs, WellSaid and Typecast
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Cartesia | ElevenLabs | WellSaid | Typecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Verified price | $5/month (Pro) | $6 per month (Starter) | $10 a month, billed annually (Starter) | $5/month (Basic) |
| Free plan | 20K credits per month | Yes, 10,000 credits/month | Yes | Unlimited generation, 3,000 download credits |
| Open source | No | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
Top Cartesia alternatives
See all 4- 1ElevenLabs68.8
Larger voice library, dubbing and a creator studio alongside its own low-latency API.
- 2WellSaid61.8
Studio-focused TTS for corporate training and marketing voiceovers.
- 3Typecast59.4
Creator-friendly editor with emotion controls and a mobile app, plus its own TTS API.
- 4
Murf AI57.5Offers a low-latency streaming TTS API alongside a studio for voiceovers, with many voices and languages.
Why people left Cartesia
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Cartesia, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of Cartesia
Cartesia: common questions
What is Cartesia?
Cartesia: Low-latency text-to-speech, speech-to-text and voice agent platform for developers. Best for developers building real-time voice agents or apps that need fast TTS. Available for Web.
Is Cartesia free?
Cartesia has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: 20K credits per month (checked on Cartesia's own site).
How much does Cartesia cost?
Cartesia is free with paid plans. Free plan: 20K credits per month; Starting price: $5/month (Pro). Checked on Cartesia's own site, November 2026.
Is Cartesia open source?
No, Cartesia is not open source.
What platforms does Cartesia run on?
Cartesia is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Cartesia?
The highest-ranked Cartesia alternatives right now are ElevenLabs, WellSaid and Typecast. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Cartesia vs ElevenLabs: what's the difference?
Both Cartesia and ElevenLabs are free with paid plans. Verified prices: Cartesia $5/month (Pro), ElevenLabs $6 per month (Starter). Only ElevenLabs runs on iOS and Android.