kitio.aiAmazon Polly vs Cartesia
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 Cartesia starts at $5/mo. 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
- Sonic streaming TTS
- Ink speech-to-text
- Instant voice cloning
- Emotion and speed controls
- Voice agent platform
| Feature | Amazon Polly | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | AWS text-to-speech service for apps, IVR and content at scale | Low-latency text-to-speech and speech-to-text models for voice apps |
| Category | Audio & voice | Audio & voice |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Amazon Web Services | Cartesia |
| 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 Cartesia starts at $5/mo. 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
5 plans
Free
Free
- 20K credits/month
- $1 prepaid agents/month
- Text to speech and speech to text
Pro
$5/mo
- 100K credits/month
- Commercial use license
- Instant voice cloning
Startup
$49/mo
- 1.25M credits/month
- Pro voice cloning
Scale
$299/mo
- 8M credits/month
- Priority support
- High concurrency limits
Enterprise
Custom
- Volume pricing
- DPAs and BAAs
- SSO
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
Cartesia
- Very low latency for real-time use
- Cheap entry plan with commercial rights
- Strong voice quality rankings
- Built for developers, not casual users
- Agent usage billed separately
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 Cartesia if you want:
- Very low latency for real-time use
- Cheap entry plan with commercial rights
- Strong voice quality rankings
Watch out: built for developers, not casual users.
Amazon Polly vs Cartesia FAQ
What is the difference between Amazon Polly and Cartesia?
Amazon Polly: AWS text-to-speech service for apps, IVR and content at scale. Cartesia: Low-latency text-to-speech and speech-to-text models for voice apps. Both are audio & voice tools.
Is Amazon Polly or Cartesia cheaper?
Amazon Polly starts at See pricing page and Cartesia starts at $5/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Amazon Polly and Cartesia have free plans?
Amazon Polly: Yes. Cartesia: Yes.
Who makes Amazon Polly?
Amazon Polly is made by Amazon Web Services, based in United States.
Who makes Cartesia?
Cartesia is made by Cartesia, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Amazon Polly or Cartesia?
Choose Amazon Polly if you value reliable at very high volume and fits existing aws setups. Choose Cartesia if you value very low latency for real-time use and cheap entry plan with commercial rights.