Google Cloud Text-to-Speech vs. Amazon Polly

The best way to compare Google Cloud Text-to-Speech vs. Amazon Polly: audio samples, features, plans, pricing, and more.

Live Demo

Non-Fiction

Fiction

News

Blog

Conversation

0/250

Voice

Sierra

Autumn

Melody

Hannah

Emily

Ivy

Kaitlyn

Luna

Willow

Lauren

Sierra

Noah

Jasper

Caleb

Ronan

Ethan

Daniel

Zane

Rowan

Language

🇺🇸 US English

🇺🇸 US English

🇬🇧 UK English

🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese

🇮🇳 Hindi

🇪🇸 Spanish

🇧🇷 Portuguese

🇯🇵 Japanese

🇫🇷 French

🇮🇹 Italian

Format

Standard

Standard

MP3

Phone Call

PCM µ-law

Normal

Speed

1.0

Pitch

Bitrate

192k

192k

128k

96k

64k

48k

32k

16k

Synthesize

Speed

0 s

Filesize

0 kb

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech

Allows developers to create natural-sounding, synthetic human speech as playable audio.

Amazon Polly

Text-to-speech service to transform text into natural-sounding speech using deep learning technologies.

Voice Quality

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech Samples

Mean Opinion Score

Fiction

3.93

Non-Fiction

3.82

Conversation

3.42

Amazon Polly Samples

Mean Opinion Score

Fiction

3.00

Non-Fiction

2.51

Conversation

2.63

Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is a numerical measure that represents the perceived quality of audio samples, commonly used in evaluating text-to-speech systems.

The score ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating poor quality and 5 signifying excellent quality.

These scores are derived from comprehensive, professionally-conducted evaluations, and are anonymized to ensure unbiased results.

Voice Quality - Conclusion

  • Based on the Mean Opinion Scores provided, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech generally offers higher voice quality across fiction, non-fiction, and conversation categories compared to Amazon Polly.
  • Google's service achieves particularly notable superiority in fiction and non-fiction voice quality.
  • This suggests that for applications requiring more natural and engaging speech output, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech might be the preferable choice.

Features

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech Features

Voice Cloning

Multi-lingual

Per-word Timestamps

Pitch Control

Speed Control

Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)

Amazon Polly Features

Voice Cloning

Multi-lingual

Per-word Timestamps

Pitch Control

Speed Control

Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)

Features - Conclusion

  • Both Google Cloud Text-to-Speech and Amazon Polly offer a range of features that cater to developers' needs for creating natural-sounding, synthetic speech, including multi-lingual support, pitch and speed control, and compatibility with phone formats.
  • However, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech distinguishes itself with the capability for voice cloning, a feature not available in Amazon Polly.
  • Conversely, Amazon Polly provides per-word timestamps, an option not offered by Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, potentially enhancing synchronization in applications requiring precise timing.

Pricing & Plans

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech Pricing

Free

$0/mo

1M characters

Pay As You Go

$16 per

1M characters

Amazon Polly Pricing

Free

$0/mo

1M characters (for first 12 months only)

Pay As You Go

$16 per

1M characters

Pricing & Plans - Conclusion

  • In terms of pricing, both Google Cloud Text-to-Speech and Amazon Polly offer competitive pay-as-you-go plans at $16 per 1M characters.
  • The primary distinction lies in their free tiers; Google Cloud Text-to-Speech provides a potentially indefinite free allowance of 1M characters per month without a specified time limit, whereas Amazon Polly's free tier is limited to the first 12 months only.
  • This makes Google Cloud Text-to-Speech a more appealing option for users looking for long-term value without exceeding the free usage limit.

Customer Reviews

Google Cloud Text-to-Speech Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Average of 163 ratings from leading review sites.

Customers appreciate Google Cloud Text-to-Speech for its multilingual support, high-quality voices, and ease of integration. It is praised for its ability to handle various languages and accents, making it versatile for different applications. However, users are dissatisfied with its dependency on internet connectivity and find the pricing structure confusing and potentially costly. The lack of offline functionality is a significant drawback for many. Despite these issues, the service is valued for its accessibility features and seamless integration with other Google services.

  • Multilingual support
  • Voice quality
  • Ease of integration
  • Internet dependency
  • Pricing transparency
  • Offline functionality

Amazon Polly Reviews

4.4 out of 5

Average of 68 ratings from leading review sites.

Customers appreciate Amazon Polly for its natural-sounding voices, ease of use, and integration with AWS services. They find it beneficial for various applications like IVR systems, content creation, and multilingual support. However, concerns about cost, limited customization options, and occasional unnatural inflections in the voices are common. The service's scalability and fast response times are highlighted as significant advantages, helping businesses efficiently manage large-scale projects.

  • Ease of use
  • Natural-sounding voices
  • Integration with AWS
  • Scalability
  • Voice inflection
  • Cost
  • Customization options

Summary

  • Overall, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech surpasses Amazon Polly in voice quality, particularly in fiction and non-fiction categories, and offers unique features like voice cloning, making it a superior choice for applications requiring high-quality and engaging speech output.
  • While both services provide competitive pay-as-you-go pricing, Google's indefinite free tier offers better long-term value.
  • However, Amazon Polly's exclusive feature of per-word timestamps may appeal to users needing precise speech synchronization, highlighting the importance of choosing a service based on specific project requirements.