Fish Audio vs MiniMax Audio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MiniMax Audio grades higher than Fish Audio: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MiniMax Audio grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fish Audio
Voice cloning and text to speech with credit plans and an API
MiniMax Audio
Speech and music generation with voice cloning on monthly credit plans
Which one is for you
Pick Fish Audio if
- Fits if you want cloned voices for videos or audiobooks on about $11 a month
- Works for developers who prefer paying per character with no subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need free output for commercial work, because the FAQ says free is personal use
- Tight if you stay free: 8,000 credits is about 7 minutes and 500 characters a generation
- Watch out: unused monthly credits and minutes do not roll over
- Watch out: the free S2.1 Pro API model is free only through November 30, 2026, with no SLA
- Pricey if you want to self-host the open-weight models, which is an Enterprise deal under a paid license
Pick MiniMax Audio if
- Fits if you want cloned speech and songs on about $5 a month
- Works for developers who may move to the pay-as-you-go API later
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: about 12 minutes of speech a month
- Watch out: a subscription cancelled early is not refunded for the paid period
- Watch out: commercial rights for songs depend on the plan and when they were made
- Skip it if you want the API on these plans, since it is billed separately on the platform site
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAFish AudioFair | 2.4GPAMiniMax AudioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $11 a month yearly ($15 monthly) for 250,000 credits, Pro $75. That is mid-category. The API is billed separately and needs no plan. | BStarter is $4.50 a month yearly ($5 monthly), inside the cheapest quarter. Creator $13, Standard $25, Pro $80. |
| Free plan and trial | C8,000 credits a month, about 7 minutes, 500 characters a generation, no card. The FAQ says free-plan output is non-commercial, even though the card lists commercial use. | C10,000 credits a month, about 12 minutes of HD speech or 33 songs, 3 voice slots and slower generation. Enough to try, not to run on. |
| Features | BSpeech, instant cloning from about 30 seconds, professional voice slots, direction tags, speech to text, voice changer and audio tools. The core job is covered. | BSpeech in HD, songs, cloning and voice slots from 3 to 250. It covers the job, with minutes approximate and commercial rights for songs depending on plan and date. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. There is a text box for beginners and an API with SDKs for developers, but credits and voice slots need learning. | CNo store rating on record. Credits and voice slots are small things to learn in a web app. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb and an API with Python and TypeScript SDKs and WebSocket streaming. No desktop or phone app and no integrations listed. | CWeb only. API access lives on the separate MiniMax platform site. |
| Best for | cloned voices and a pay-as-you-go speech API | speech and songs from one credit pool |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fish Audio and MiniMax Audio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Fish Audio starts at $11 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MiniMax Audio starts at $4.50 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and MiniMax Audio starts $6.50 a month lower. Of the other AI voice generators on the chart, 5 score higher than Fish Audio for less, and none scores higher than MiniMax Audio for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Fish Audio also covers transcription.
At a glance
| Fish Audio | MiniMax Audio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $4.50 per month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 8,000 credits a month, about 7 minutes of generation, up to 500 characters per generation, 3 public voice slots. | Free: 10,000 credits a month (about 12 minutes of HD speech or 33 songs), 3 voice slots, standard generation speed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hanabi AI Inc. | MiniMax |
| Price read from | fish.audio | minimax.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Fish Audio
- The free tier caps each generation at 500 characters, and the FAQ says free-plan output is for personal, non-commercial use even though the card lists commercial use.
- Unused monthly credits and minutes do not roll over.
- The free S2.1 Pro API model is free only through November 30, 2026, with no SLA, and requests may be used to improve the model.
- Self-hosting the open-weight models is an Enterprise engagement under a paid commercial license.
MiniMax Audio
- The page opens on yearly pricing; monthly-billed prices are $5, $17, $38 and $150, and a subscription cancelled early is not refunded for the paid period.
- Credits are a monthly allowance, and minutes shown are approximate for the HD model.
- Commercial rights for songs depend on the plan and on when they were generated; the page has a separate FAQ on this.
- API access is billed separately on the MiniMax platform site, not through these plans.
Key features
Fish Audio
- Text to speech
- Generates speech from a text box or API call. A minute of audio costs roughly 600 to 625 credits on the subscription plans.
- Voice cloning
- Instant cloning from about 30 seconds of audio, plus professional voice slots on paid plans and a browsable public voice library.
- Direction tags
- Inline tags such as warm or near-whisper steer delivery inside the text itself; the developer page cites 15,000+ tags.
- Developer API
- A pay-as-you-go API at $15 per million UTF-8 bytes, with Python and TypeScript SDKs and WebSocket streaming. No subscription needed.
- Other audio tools
- The product list also covers speech to text, a voice changer, audiobooks, audio separation, audio translation and sound effects.
MiniMax Audio
- Speech models
- Speech 2.8, 2.6, 2.5 and 02 in Turbo and HD variants, across 40+ languages and accents.
- Voice cloning and design
- Voice slots hold cloned or designed voices; the count runs from 3 on Free to 250 on Pro.
- Music generation
- Music-3.0 and Music-2.6 generate songs from the same credit pool, about 33 a month on Free and 10,000 on Pro.
- Voice modifier and isolator
- The plan table lists a voice modifier and voice isolator among its advanced controls.
- Developer API and packages
- A separate platform site sells model pricing and audio packages for API use, outside these subscription plans.
Plans
Fish Audio
Free Tier$0
8,000 credits monthly, up to 7 minutes of generation, standard speed. No card needed.
Plus$11
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
250,000 credits monthly (up to 200 minutes), 10 private voice slots, Voice Design and 1 professional voice slot.
Pro$75
per month, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
2,000,000 credits monthly (up to 1,620 minutes), 3 team seats, unlimited voice slots, 5 professional voices.
MiniMax Audio
Free$0
10K monthly credits, about 12 minutes of HD speech, 3 voice slots, limited long-text support.
Starter$4.50
per month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly)
100K credits, about 120 minutes of HD speech, 10 voice slots, fast generation.
Creator$13
per month, billed annually ($17 billed monthly)
330K credits, about 400 minutes of HD speech, 30 voice slots.
Standard$25
per month, billed annually ($38 billed monthly)
750K credits, about 900 minutes of HD speech, 50 voice slots.
Pro$80
per month, billed annually ($150 billed monthly)
3 million credits, about 3,600 minutes of HD speech, 250 voice slots.
Ways to pay less
Fish Audio
- Annual discount
Save with annual billing
The plan page shows Plus at $11 a month billed annually against $15 monthly, and Pro at $75 against $100, with a banner of 3 months off.
MiniMax Audio
- Annual discount
Yearly billing, up to 47% off
The subscription page's Yearly toggle shows 10% to 47% off, for example Pro at $80 a month billed yearly ($960) against $150 monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fish Audio or MiniMax Audio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MiniMax Audio is cheaper to start with: $4.50 a month, against $11 a month for Fish Audio. Fish Audio starts at $11 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and MiniMax Audio starts at $4.50 per month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Fish Audio or MiniMax Audio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Fish Audio and MiniMax Audio have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.