# Play.ht Alternative

Unreal Speech is up to 10x cheaper, making it the best Play.ht alternative.

# Live Demo

## Voice Options

- **Non-Fiction**
- **Fiction**
- **News**
- **Blog**
- **Conversation**

## Voice Selection
- **Sierra**
- **Autumn**
- **Melody**
- **Hannah**
- **Emily**
- **Ivy**
- **Kaitlyn**
- **Luna**
- **Willow**
- **Lauren**
- **Sierra**
- **Noah**
- **Jasper**
- **Caleb**
- **Ronan**
- **Ethan**
- **Daniel**
- **Zane**
- **Rowan**

## Language Options
- 🇺🇸 US English
- 🇬🇧 UK English
- 🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese
- 🇮🇳 Hindi
- 🇪🇸 Spanish
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese
- 🇯🇵 Japanese
- 🇫🇷 French
- 🇮🇹 Italian

## Format Options
- Standard
- MP3
- Phone Call
- PCM µ-law

## Synthesize Settings
- Speed: 1.0
- Pitch: 
- Bitrate
    - 192k
    - 128k
    - 96k
    - 64k
    - 48k
    - 32k
    - 16k

## [Unreal Speech](/content/site-root.html)

Cost-effective, scalable Text-to-Speech API with realistic human-like AI voices.

## [Play.ht](https://play.ht/)

Transform written content into high-quality, lifelike voiceovers with AI-powered text-to-speech technology.

### Voice Quality

#### Unreal Speech Samples

| Category        | Mean Opinion Score |
|----------------|--------------------|
| Fiction        | 4.72               |
| Non-Fiction    | 4.37               |
| Conversation    | 3.91               |

#### Play.ht Samples

| Category        | Mean Opinion Score |
|----------------|--------------------|
| Fiction        | 4.17               |
| Non-Fiction    | 4.17               |
| Conversation    | 3.48               |

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

- **Unreal Speech** outperforms **Play.ht** in voice quality across all categories, with its highest rating in fiction at 4.72 compared to **Play.ht**'s 4.17.
- It indicates a more realistic and engaging listening experience, particularly in narrative content.
- **Unreal Speech** maintains a consistent lead in mean opinion scores, suggesting superior overall voice quality.

### Features

#### Unreal Speech Features

- Voice Cloning
- Multi-lingual
- Per-word Timestamps
- Pitch Control
- Speed Control
- Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)

#### Play.ht Features

- Voice Cloning
- Multi-lingual
- Per-word Timestamps
- Pitch Control
- Speed Control
- Phone Formats (e.g. pcm_mulaw)

#### Features - Conclusion

- **Unreal Speech** offers a solid set of features for text-to-speech applications, including per-word timestamps, pitch and speed control, and support for phone formats, but it lacks voice cloning and multi-lingual support.
- In contrast, **Play.ht** provides voice cloning and multi-lingual capabilities, along with per-word timestamps and speed control, but does not offer pitch control.
- Both services support phone formats like pcm_mulaw, catering to diverse audio processing needs.
- The choice between **Unreal Speech** and **Play.ht** hinges on specific feature priorities, such as the need for voice cloning or pitch adjustment capabilities.

### Pricing & Plans

#### Unreal Speech Pricing

| Plan       | Price     | Characters 
|------------|-----------|------------|
| Free      | $0/mo     | 250,000    |
| Basic     | $49/mo    | 3M         |
| Plus      | $499/mo   | 42M        |
| Pro       | $1499/mo  | 150M       |
| Enterprise | $4999/mo | 625M       |

#### Play.ht Pricing

| Plan       | Price     | Characters 
|------------|-----------|------------|
| Free      | $0/mo     | 12,500     |
| Creator    | $39/mo    | 250,000    |
| Unlimited  | $99/mo    | 2.5M       |

#### Pricing & Plans - Conclusion

- **Unreal Speech** offers a free tier with 250,000 characters, making it significantly more generous than **Play.ht**'s free tier, which provides only 12,500 characters.
- In terms of paid plans, **Unreal Speech** offers more value, especially at the higher tiers.
- For instance, its Pro plan provides 150M characters for $1499/mo, compared to **Play.ht**'s closest Unlimited plan offering only a 2.5M characters limit for $99/mo.
- This makes **Unreal Speech** not only cheaper on a per-character basis at higher usage levels but also suggests it's designed to scale more cost-effectively for heavy users.
- In summary, **Unreal Speech** is substantially more economical than **Play.ht**, especially for users requiring a large volume of characters.

### Customer Reviews

#### Unreal Speech Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Average of 10 ratings from leading review sites.

Customers appreciate **Unreal Speech**'s Text-to-Speech API for its affordability, ease of setup, and generous free tier. They find the API to be a cost-effective solution compared to competitors, with clear documentation and responsive customer support. The API is praised for its natural-sounding voices and seamless integration into various projects. However, customers express a desire for more voice customization options, support for multiple languages and improvements in voice realism.

#### Play.ht Reviews

4.6 out of 5

Average of 293 ratings from leading review sites.

**Play.ht** is highly praised for its diverse and realistic voice options, ease of use, and excellent customer support. Users appreciate the ability to create audio content efficiently, especially for multilingual and varied voice needs. However, some users note issues with natural inflection, especially with complex terms, and express concerns about the pricing structure and occasional technical glitches. The platform's continuous updates and addition of new features are well-received, though some desire more control over voice modulation and better integration with certain plugins.

### Summary

- **Unreal Speech** excels in voice quality, offering superior mean opinion scores across fiction, non-fiction, and conversation categories compared to **Play.ht**.
- However, it lacks voice cloning and multi-lingual capabilities, features that **Play.ht** provides.
- While **Play.ht** offers a lower entry point for free usage, **Unreal Speech** provides significantly more characters at higher subscription tiers, catering to users with large-scale needs.
- Both services offer per-word timestamps, speed control, and support for phone formats, making them versatile choices for different text-to-speech requirements.