Google Cloud Text-to-Speech pricing
Quick answer
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech charges per character: $4 per 1 million characters for Standard and WaveNet voices, $16 for Neural2, $30 for Chirp 3: HD, $60 for Instant custom voice and $160 for Studio voices. Free usage runs from 0 to 4 million characters a month (Standard, WaveNet) or 0 to 1 million (Neural2, Chirp 3: HD, Studio). Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS on the same page is billed per token: $9.00 per 1 million audio tokens through December 31, 2026. Checked November 9, 2026 against Google's pricing page.
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Key takeaways
- Google counts every character in the input, "including spaces and newline characters", plus most SSML tags.
- Standard and WaveNet voices share one price and one SKU on the page.
- Gemini TTS bills tokens. Google states "25 tokens per second of audio", so per-hour figures can be worked out from Google's own numbers.
- Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS (Preview) doubles on January 1, 2027: $18.00 per 1 million audio tokens.
Voices billed per character
| Voice type | Per 1M characters | Free usage a month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $4 | 0 to 4 million characters |
| WaveNet | $4 | 0 to 4 million characters |
| Neural2 | $16 | 0 to 1 million characters |
| Chirp 3: HD | $30 | 0 to 1 million characters |
| Instant custom voice | $60 | Not available |
| Studio | $160 | 0 to 1 million characters |
Source: cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/pricing. Checked November 9, 2026.
Gemini TTS, billed per token
| Model | Text input, per 1M tokens | Audio output, per 1M tokens | Audio output per hour (worked out) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS (Preview), through December 31, 2026 | $0.50 | $9.00 | about $0.81 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS (Preview), from January 1, 2027 | $1.00 | $18.00 | about $1.62 |
How it's worked out: 25 audio tokens per second x 3,600 seconds = 90,000 tokens an hour, x the audio output price. Text input tokens are extra and depend on your script length. "Not available" is shown in the free usage column for these models.
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FAQ
How much does Google text to speech cost?
From $4 per 1 million characters (Standard and WaveNet) to $160 (Studio), with Neural2 at $16 and Chirp 3: HD at $30.
Is Google Cloud Text-to-Speech free?
Each voice type has a free usage limit per month, from 0 to 1 million or 0 to 4 million characters. Instant custom voice and Gemini TTS show "Not available".
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes. Google counts the whole input string, including spaces and newline characters.
What does Gemini TTS cost per minute?
Worked out from Google's 25 tokens per second, Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS audio output is about $0.81 an hour through December 31, 2026, about $0.0135 a minute, plus text input tokens.