Unreal Speech
Unreal Speech is a Text-to-Speech API tool that aims to significantly reduce the cost of text-to-speech conversion. It claims to offer up to a 95% reduction in ...
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What is Unreal Speech?
Unreal Speech is a fast and affordable text-to-speech API that uses artificial intelligence to generate natural-sounding AI voices. It converts text into high-quality audio output, supporting everything from short phrases to 10-hour audio files. The service is powered by Kokoro TTS and delivers audio in 300ms latency with 99.9% uptime, making it suitable for real-time applications and high-volume processing.
Key features include 48 voices across 8 languages (US English, UK English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, French, and Italian), per-word timestamps for word-by-word highlighting同步 with speech, multiple API endpoints (/stream for up to 1,000 characters, /speech for up to 3,000 characters, /synthesisTasks for long-form audio), adjustable speed (-1.0 to 1.0) and pitch (0.5 to 1.5), multiple bitrate options (320k, 256k, 192k, 128k), and SDKs for Python, JavaScript, React Native, and other platforms. The service also offers a websocket endpoint /streamWithTimestamps for real-time audio and timestamp streaming.
Unreal Speech is designed for developers, content creators, YouTubers, businesses, and enterprises needing cost-effective TTS at scale. It is ideal for creating audiobooks, podcasts, YouTube video audio, eLearning and training materials, voiceovers for presentations and videos, accessibility features for people with disabilities, and any application requiring high-volume text-to-speech processing. The API is 11x cheaper than Eleven Labs and up to 2x cheaper than Amazon Polly, Microsoft, and Google.
The service handles high volumes efficiently, with one customer reporting processing 10,000+ pages per hour while maintaining quality. It supports both synchronous immediate responses for short文本 and asynchronous processing for long-form content, making it versatile for different use cases from real-time apps to batch audio generation.
Unreal Speech pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free tier: 1 million characters per month (~22 hours audio) at $0, with characters reset on the 1st of every month and required attribution for commercial use. Paid plans offer volume discounts with unused characters rolling over to the next billing cycle. Additional usage over monthly allowance charged daily: Basic – $16 per 1M characters, Plus – $12 per 1M characters, Pro – $10 per 1M characters, Enterprise – $8 per 1M characters. The service is 11x cheaper than Eleven Labs ($49/month) and $510/month competitors.
Unreal Speech pros
- 11x cheaper than Eleven Labs
- Up to 10x cheaper than Play.ht
- 2x cheaper than Amazon Polly, Microsoft, and Google
- 300ms streaming latency for real-time apps
- 99.9% uptime reliability
- 48 voices across 8 languages
- Per-word timestamps for word highlighting sync
- Support for 10-hour audio generation
- 1 million free characters per month
- Volume discounts as usage grows
- Multiple API endpoints for different needs
- WebSocket support for streaming audio with timestamps
- Adjustable speed (-1.0 to 1.0) and pitch (0.5 to 1.5)
- Multiple codec options (libmp3lame, pcm_mulaw)
- Commercial use allowed on paid plans without attribution
- SDKs for Python, JavaScript, React Native
- Handles 10,000+ pages per hour at high volume
- 7B characters per month capacity
- Unused characters roll over on paid plans
- 15% recurring affiliate program
Unreal Speech cons
- No voice cloning/custom voices yet (coming soon)
- Free plan requires attribution to Unreal Speech
- Free plan characters reset monthly (no rollover)
- Stream endpoint limited to 1,000 characters
- Speech endpoint limited to 3,000 characters
- Additional usage charged daily after monthly allowance
- Only 4 voices available in live demo
- Sample rate fixed at 24000 Hz
- No phone number voice support mentioned
- Custom voice cloning not available currently
Frequently asked questions about Unreal Speech
Do you offer voices in other languages?
Yes, Unreal Speech provides 48 voices across 8 different languages, including US English, UK English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, French, and Italian.
Can I create custom voices (voice cloning)?
Not right now, but Unreal Speech is working on voice cloning functionality. It is not currently available but is in development.
What happens if I use all of my monthly characters?
Additional usage over the monthly allowance will be charged daily at the rate of your current plan: Basic – $16 per 1M characters, Plus – $12 per 1M characters, Pro – $10 per 1M characters, Enterprise – $8 per 1M characters.
What happens to unused characters at the end of the month?
Free plan characters are reset on the 1st of every month. Paid plan unused characters roll over to the next billing cycle.
Can I use generated audio commercially?
Yes, audio generated with Unreal Speech can be used commercially. Free plan users must attribute Unreal Speech by including a link to unrealspeech.com in the description. Paid plan users do not need to include any attribution.
How do I update my payment method?
Go to your Dashboard and choose 'Manage Subscription' to update your payment method.
How do I cancel my subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time. Go to your Dashboard and choose 'Manage Subscription'.
Do you have an affiliate program?
Yes! You can earn 15% recurring commission on all paid referrals through their affiliate program. You can sign up by clicking their affiliate link.
What API endpoints are available?
Unreal Speech offers three main endpoints: /stream for up to 1,000 characters with instant 0.3s response streaming raw audio, /speech for up to 3,000 characters returning MP3 and JSON timestamp URLs, and /synthesisTasks for creating up to 10-hour audio files. There is also /streamWithTimestamps for websocket connections streaming both audio and timestamps.
What is the latency and uptime?
Unreal Speech delivers audio streaming in 0.3 seconds (300ms) latency and maintains 99.9% uptime, making it suitable for real-time applications and high-volume processing with 7B characters per month capacity.