Amazon Polly Pricing 2026
Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared
Is Amazon Polly worth the price?
Amazon Polly's pricing is fair, especially with a generous free tier offering 5M standard characters or 1M neural characters per month for 12 months.
The pay-as-you-go model at $4 per 1M standard characters and $16 per 1M neural characters is competitive. This pricing is best for developers and businesses of all sizes looking for scalable text-to-speech solutions.
Pricing Plans
Free TrialFree Tier
Free
12 months
- 5M standard characters/month
- 1M neural characters/month
- Full feature access
- All voices
Standard
$4/per 1M characters
Pay as you go
- All standard voices
- SSML support
- Speech marks
- Real-time streaming
Neural
$16/per 1M characters
Most natural
- Neural engine voices
- Best quality
- Natural intonation
- Lifelike speech
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Data transfer out of AWS regions
Storage costs for generated audio files
Potential for overage if free tier limits exceeded
Which Plan Do You Need?
Developers prototyping new apps
Businesses needing scalable TTS
Content creators for audio versions
How Amazon Polly Compares to Competitors
Compared to Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, which offers similar pricing around $4 per 1M standard characters and $16 per 1M WaveNet (neural) characters, Amazon Polly is highly competitive. Microsoft Azure's pricing is also in a similar range, making Polly's $4/$16 per 1M characters a standard market rate for quality TTS services.
Amazon Polly Pricing FAQ
How much does Amazon Polly cost?
Amazon Polly starts at $4/month on the Standard plan. It offers 2 paid tiers ranging from $4/month up to $16/month. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Amazon Polly have a free plan?
Yes. Amazon Polly offers a free plan called "Free Tier". It includes: 5M standard characters/month, 1M neural characters/month, Full feature access.
Does Amazon Polly offer a free trial?
Yes, Amazon Polly offers a free trial. No credit card is typically required to start the trial, though this may vary.
What is the cheapest Amazon Polly paid plan?
The cheapest paid plan for Amazon Polly is "Standard" at $4/month. Key features include: All standard voices, SSML support, Speech marks.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Amazon Polly?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Amazon Polly include Murf, Resemble AI, Synthesia. Free alternatives include Resemble AI. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Amazon Polly
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
