The Deepgram Aura Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Deepgram Aura in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Deepgram Aura
The Insider’s Guide
Text-to-speech API for real-time voice agents, billed per character
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI voice generators, read from Deepgram Aura’s own pages.
Made by Deepgram, Inc. · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Deepgram Aura’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Deepgram Aura’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 5 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade
Deepgram's text-to-speech product is an API built for voice agents and other live conversations, sold as Aura-1, Aura-2 and the newer Flux TTS models. It is billed per 1,000 characters of input text, alongside Deepgram's speech-to-text and voice agent APIs. It is aimed at developers rather than people who want a studio app.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Deepgram Aura, taken from its own pages and our grades.
There is no studio or cloning tool, and you need to write code to use it.
- 1
Best for a text-to-speech API for voice agents
Deepgram Aura is a developer API for real-time voice agents, billed per character.
- 2
Paid plans start at $333.33 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $4,000 per year, prepaid credits (Growth); pay as you go has no minimum.
- 3
You can try it first
$200 in free credit on sign-up that does not expire; no credit card required.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Aura-1 and Aura-2 voices
Aura-2 is described as the efficient model for high-volume deployment; Aura-1 is the lower-cost tier.
- 6
Flux TTS for live conversations
A newer model that carries tone across turns, reports what was heard when a caller interrupts, and starts audio in as little as 80 ms.
- 7
Per-character billing
Pay as you go is $0.015 per 1,000 characters on Aura-1, $0.030 on Aura-2 and $0.045 on Flux TTS.
- 8
A 1.8 GPA, above 5 of 72
That is against the other AI voice generators we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Deepgram Aura you would be making a voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Deepgram Aura at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $4,000 per year, prepaid credits (Growth); pay as you go has no minimum
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- $200 in free credit on sign-up that does not expire; no credit card required.
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Deepgram, Inc.
- Category
- AI Voices & Text to Speech
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for a text-to-speech API for voice agents
Deepgram Aura is a developer API for real-time voice agents, billed per character. There is no studio or cloning tool, and you need to write code to use it.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pay as you go has no minimum, and Growth is $4,000 a year in prepaid credits, so it does not compare cleanly with per-seat prices. |
| Free plan and trial | C | $200 free credit on sign-up that does not expire, with no card needed. |
| Features | C | Aura-1 and Aura-2 voices, Flux TTS for live conversations, and pairing with speech-to-text. It has no studio or voice library for non-developers. |
| Ease of use | D | No store rating on record, and it needs code and API keys. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | A web API only, with no desktop or phone apps and no listed integrations. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Deepgram Aura is for
- Fits if you are building a voice agent and want to pay per character
- Works for a team already using Deepgram for speech-to-text
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to type text and download audio, as there is no studio
- Not for you if you do not write code
- Tight if you go past the $200 credit, after which usage bills per character
- Watch out: overage on Growth is charged at your rate plus 10%, and concurrency limits apply per project
- Watch out: Flux TTS covers English, German, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Good to know
Good for
- Developers building voice agents or phone bots that need low-latency speech
- Teams that want transcription and speech from the same vendor
- Regulated businesses that need on-premises or EU-hosted speech
Worth knowing
- It is an API product: there is no studio, voice library browser or cloning tool for non-developers.
- Pay-as-you-go bills per use after the $200 credit; Growth overage is charged at your rate plus 10%.
- Concurrency limits apply per project and differ by plan and region.
- Flux TTS currently covers English, German, French, Portuguese and Spanish, per the product page.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$333.33
A month to start, paid by the year
Deepgram Aura is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $4,000 per year, prepaid credits (Growth); pay as you go has no minimum.
Growth
$4,000
per year and up, prepaid credits used against usage
Pre-paid annual credits for up to 20% off usage rates and higher streaming concurrency.
Enterprise
Custom
For large volumes, data or deployment needs; adds self-hosted containers and a named account team.
Trying it first
$200 in free credit on sign-up that does not expire; no credit card required.
Read from deepgram.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Flux TTS matching credits
Through Dec. 31, 2026, Flux TTS spend earns $1 in credits for every $1 spent, up to $500.
Stated on deepgram.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Text-to-speech API for real-time voice agents, billed per character. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, transcription, AI agents, text to speech.
It has no studio or voice library for non-developers.
- Aura-1 and Aura-2 voices
- Aura-2 is described as the efficient model for high-volume deployment; Aura-1 is the lower-cost tier.
- Flux TTS for live conversations
- A newer model that carries tone across turns, reports what was heard when a caller interrupts, and starts audio in as little as 80 ms.
- Per-character billing
- Pay as you go is $0.015 per 1,000 characters on Aura-1, $0.030 on Aura-2 and $0.045 on Flux TTS.
- Pairs with speech-to-text and voice agents
- The same account covers speech-to-text, a managed Voice Agent API and audio intelligence, billed from one balance.
- Flexible deployment
- Runs in the cloud, in a private cloud or on-premises; self-hosted containers need NVIDIA GPUs and an Enterprise plan.
- Compliance statements
- Deepgram says it is SOC 2 Type 1 and 2 certified, signs a BAA for Enterprise customers, and offers an EU endpoint.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Deepgram Aura is made by Deepgram, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/72
Other AI voice generators it is graded above
Deepgram Aura's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 5 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on free plan and trial (C, above 22 of 72) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $333.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 49 of the 50 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 50 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 73 AI voice generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Deepgram Aura’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 72
- CFree plan and trialAbove 22 of 72
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 72
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 72
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 72
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 AI voice generators. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Deepgram Aura is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Deepgram Aura you would be making a voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 58 of the 72 other AI voice generators grade higher. It costs $4,000 a year.
What you could not
- A voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- An API that other software can build on.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SOC 2.
What this rests on. Deepgram Aura’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Cartesia, ElevenLabs, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, Azure AI Speech and Rime
The 5 tools Deepgram Aura is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Cartesia
Free plan · from $5/mo
Low-latency speech models and voice agents for developers.
- Cartesia has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deepgram Aura also covers AI agents.
- Cartesia also covers voice cloning.
- 3.0GPA
ElevenLabs
Free plan · from $5/mo
AI voice platform for speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice agents.
- ElevenLabs has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only ElevenLabs lists iOS and Android apps.
- Deepgram Aura also covers AI agents.
- 2.8GPA
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech
Free plan
Pay-per-character speech API with Gemini, Chirp and WaveNet voices.
- Google Cloud Text-to-Speech has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deepgram Aura also covers transcription and AI agents.
- Google Cloud Text-to-Speech also covers voice cloning.
- 2.2GPA
Azure AI Speech
Free plan
Microsoft speech API for text to speech, transcription and translation.
- Azure AI Speech has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Deepgram Aura also covers AI agents.
- Azure AI Speech also covers voice cloning.
- 2.2GPA
Rime
Free plan · from $100/mo
Voice models for phone agents: text to speech and speech to speech.
- Rime has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Rime also covers voice cloning.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Deepgram Aura free?
No, Deepgram Aura is a paid product, but you can try it first. $200 in free credit on sign-up that does not expire; no credit card required.
How much does Deepgram Aura cost?
Deepgram Aura lists 2 plans. Growth: $4,000 per year and up, prepaid credits used against usage.
What platforms does Deepgram Aura work on?
Deepgram Aura is available on Web.
Does Deepgram Aura offer any discounts?
Deepgram Aura publicly lists the following: Flux TTS matching credits.
Does Deepgram Aura have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Deepgram Aura is listed for Web.
Does Deepgram Aura have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Deepgram Aura is listed for Web.
Is Deepgram Aura open source?
Deepgram Aura is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Deepgram Aura have an API?
Yes. Deepgram Aura offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes Deepgram Aura?
Deepgram Aura is made by Deepgram, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Deepgram Aura?
The closest alternatives to Deepgram Aura in our directory are Cartesia, ElevenLabs, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, Azure AI Speech and Rime.
How does Deepgram Aura compare with other AI voice generators?
Deepgram Aura's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 5 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade, and level with 9.
Is Deepgram Aura good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Deepgram Aura C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $333.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 49 of the 50 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Deepgram Aura?
To replace Deepgram Aura you would be making a voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Deepgram Aura’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Deepgram Aura's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Deepgram, Inc. Prices change, so check deepgram.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Deepgram Aura, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/deepgram-aura
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Deepgram Aura: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/deepgram-aura
Know someone choosing between AI voice generators?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/deepgram-aura/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI voice generators after Deepgram Aura, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Voices & Text to Speech Insider's GuideEvery one of the 73 AI voice generators we grade, compared
- ElevenLabs Insider's GuideAI voice platform for speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice agents3.0 GPA
- Read Aloud Insider's GuideOpen-source browser extension that reads web pages aloud3.0 GPA
- ElevenReader Insider's GuideReader app that reads your files and audiobooks aloud in AI voices2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Deepgram Aura’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Deepgram Aura is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Deepgram, Inc. Prices and plans change: check deepgram.com before you buy.