Cartesia AI offers fast, on-device solutions tailored for real-time intelligence, developed by Stanford AI Lab researchers. By leveraging advanced state space models (SSMs), it delivers efficient, hyper-realistic speech synthesis and multimodal AI capabilities. Unlike traditional cloud-based systems, Cartesia prioritizes user privacy and offline functionality. However, it falls short in managing large-scale applications and delivering the high-quality speech generation needed for diverse tasks. This article explores the five best alternatives to Cartesia AI, highlighting how these platforms can better meet the demands of AI speech generation.

How to choose the alternatives?

To assess these alternatives effectively, we will focus on the following criteria:

• Audio Quality: How natural and realistic the output sounds.
• Latency: Inference and generation speed.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Pricing relative to features offered.
• Use Case Fit: Suitability for TTS and Voice Cloning use cases.

Reference Text

We will use the following reference text and audio as a standard throughout our blog for voice cloning samples.

'In the garden, many colourful flowers had bloomed. Which looked very beautiful!'

Reference Audio

Top 5 Alternatives to Cartesia

1. Smallest.ai

• Lowest Latency - 10 seconds of audio in less than 100ms.
• Small Size - ~1GB model size, which leads to less computing and overhead, faster and more reliable speech generation.
• Inexpensive Pricing - No free tier, but starts with the lowest pricing in the industry with TTS costing $0.02 per minute and Voice Cloning at $0.045 per minute.
• High Fidelity - All audios generated are Hyper-realistic with emotional understanding.
• Use Case - Production grade API for smooth integration in businesses, and Creator Studio for General Consumers.

SmallestAI TTS

Smallest-Voice-Clone

2. Natural Reader

• Voice Quality: Provides natural and clear voices suitable for general use.
• Pricing: The free tier is available with basic features; paid plans start at $20.9 per month.
• Latency: It takes more than 5 seconds to generate 10 seconds of Audio.
• Use Case Fit: Ideal for casual users looking for simple TTS functionality with advanced customization.

Natural Reader

3. Murf.ai

• Voice Quality: High-quality voices with good emotional expression.
• Pricing: Plans start at $16 per month for basic features and go up to $66 per month for advanced options.
• Latency: It takes 5 seconds to generate 10 seconds of Audio.
• Use Case Fit: Best for professional-grade voiceovers and multimedia projects, focusing on detailed editing.

MurfAI TTS

4. Uberduck

• Voice Quality: Unique and customizable voices, with options for creating quirky or expressive outputs.
• Pricing: Starts at $2 per month for hobbyists and $30 per month for professionals.
• Latency: Gives a latency of 3 seconds for 10 seconds of Audio.
• Use Case Fit: Great for creative projects and voice cloning with a fun, experimental edge.

Uberduck TTS

5. Listnr.ai

• Voice Quality: Clear and consistent voices suitable for podcasts and audiobooks.
• Pricing: Starts at $19 per month for basic plans.
• Latency: More than 2 seconds, not suitable for real-time use cases.
• Use Case Fit: Podcasts, voiceovers, and audiobooks.

ListnrAI TTS

Conclusion

Smallest.ai shines with its hyper-realistic voice synthesis, ultra-fast processing, and affordable pricing, making it the preferred choice for scalable TTS and voice cloning needs. Its intuitive ability to capture emotional tones with minimal latency reflects cutting-edge innovation.

Cartesia.ai, while flexible and competitively priced, falls short in language support, voice library depth, and latency. Its dependence on manual parameter adjustments makes it less user-friendly for dynamic applications, positioning Smallest.ai as the superior option for comprehensive TTS solutions.