kitio.aiAmazon Polly vs Azure Speech
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Amazon Polly starts at See pricing page and Azure Speech starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Neural and generative voices
- SSML support
- Custom lexicons
- Speech marks
- Long-form voices
- Neural text to speech
- Real-time and batch transcription
- Speech translation
- Custom neural voice
- Container deployment
| Feature | Amazon Polly | Azure Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | AWS text-to-speech service for apps, IVR and content at scale | Microsoft's speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translation APIs |
| Category | Audio & voice | Audio & voice |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Amazon Polly starts at See pricing page and Azure Speech starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
Free tier
Free
- Millions of free characters per month
- For new AWS accounts
Standard voices
$4 / 1M characters
- Pay-as-you-go
Neural voices
$16 / 1M characters
- More natural speech
Generative voices
$30 / 1M characters
- Most humanlike voices
Long-form voices
$100 / 1M characters
- For long-form content
3 plans
Free (F0)
Free
- 5 audio hours of speech to text/month
- 0.5M characters of neural TTS/month
Speech to text
$1 / audio hour
- Standard real-time transcription
Neural text to speech
$15 / 1M characters
- Prebuilt neural voices
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Amazon Polly
- Reliable at very high volume
- Fits existing AWS setups
- Low price for standard voices
- Less expressive than newer startups
- Requires an AWS account and setup
Azure Speech
- Broad feature set in one service
- Strong enterprise compliance
- Can run in containers
- Many services and names to navigate
- Custom voices need approval
Which one should you choose?
Choose Amazon Polly if you want:
- Reliable at very high volume
- Fits existing AWS setups
- Low price for standard voices
Watch out: less expressive than newer startups.
Choose Azure Speech if you want:
- Broad feature set in one service
- Strong enterprise compliance
- Can run in containers
Watch out: many services and names to navigate.
Amazon Polly vs Azure Speech FAQ
What is the difference between Amazon Polly and Azure Speech?
Amazon Polly: AWS text-to-speech service for apps, IVR and content at scale. Azure Speech: Microsoft's speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translation APIs. Both are audio & voice tools.
Is Amazon Polly or Azure Speech cheaper?
Amazon Polly starts at See pricing page and Azure Speech starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Amazon Polly and Azure Speech have free plans?
Amazon Polly: Yes. Azure Speech: Yes.
Who makes Amazon Polly?
Amazon Polly is made by Amazon Web Services, based in United States.
Who makes Azure Speech?
Azure Speech is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Amazon Polly or Azure Speech?
Choose Amazon Polly if you value reliable at very high volume and fits existing aws setups. Choose Azure Speech if you value broad feature set in one service and strong enterprise compliance.