kitio.aiAzure Speech vs Gladia
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Azure Speech starts at See pricing page and Gladia 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 text to speech
- Real-time and batch transcription
- Speech translation
- Custom neural voice
- Container deployment
- Real-time transcription
- Code-switching detection
- Speaker diarization
- Translation
- Audio intelligence add-ons
| Feature | Azure Speech | Gladia |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Microsoft's speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translation APIs | Multilingual speech-to-text API built for real-time voice products |
| Category | Audio & voice | Audio & voice |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Microsoft | Gladia |
| Based in | United States | France |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Azure Speech starts at See pricing page and Gladia starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
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
2 plans
Self-serve
Pay as you go
- Start with 50€ free
- Prepaid credits, no subscription
- Automatic volume discounts
Enterprise
Custom
- Annual plan
- Custom models and fine-tuning
- Unlimited concurrent requests
- Zero data retention
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
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
Gladia
- Handles mixed-language speech
- Low latency streaming
- Free hours to start
- Smaller company than big clouds
- API only, no editor
Which one should you choose?
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.
Choose Gladia if you want:
- Handles mixed-language speech
- Low latency streaming
- Free hours to start
Watch out: smaller company than big clouds.
Azure Speech vs Gladia FAQ
What is the difference between Azure Speech and Gladia?
Azure Speech: Microsoft's speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translation APIs. Gladia: Multilingual speech-to-text API built for real-time voice products. Both are audio & voice tools.
Is Azure Speech or Gladia cheaper?
Azure Speech starts at See pricing page and Gladia starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Azure Speech and Gladia have free plans?
Azure Speech: Yes. Gladia: Yes.
Who makes Azure Speech?
Azure Speech is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Who makes Gladia?
Gladia is made by Gladia, based in France.
Which should I choose, Azure Speech or Gladia?
Choose Azure Speech if you value broad feature set in one service and strong enterprise compliance. Choose Gladia if you value handles mixed-language speech and low latency streaming.