The Gradium Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Gradium 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.
Gradium
The Insider’s Guide
Real-time voice AI API for speech, transcription and voice cloning
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI voice generators, read from Gradium’s own pages.
Made by Gradium · 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 Gradium’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Gradium’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
2.4
GPA, above 47 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade
Gradium sells voice AI models through an API and a web studio: text-to-speech, speech-to-text, live voice translation, voice cloning and voice design from a text prompt. Plans are metered in monthly credits, with a free tier and extra credits billed as you go. It also publishes an open, on-device text-to-speech model called Phonon.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Gradium, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It is an API first, so there is code to write, with a web studio for trying voices.
- 1
Best for voice AI through an API, from developers
Gradium sells text-to-speech, speech-to-text, voice cloning and live translation through an API and a web studio, with a free plan of 45,000 credits.
- 2
Paid plans start at $12 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $12 per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
45k credits a month with text-to-speech, speech-to-text and voice design, which is about 1 hour of speech.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Text-to-speech
Costs 1 credit per character; the pricing page says about 45,000 characters is roughly an hour of audio.
- 6
Speech-to-text
Transcription is billed at 3 credits per second of audio, or 4 credits per second with translation.
- 7
Live voice translation
Speech-to-speech translation costs 30 credits per second, the most credit-hungry feature on the page.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 47 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 Gradium 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.
Gradium at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $12 per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Gradium
- Category
- AI Voices & Text to Speech
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for voice AI through an API, from developers
Gradium sells text-to-speech, speech-to-text, voice cloning and live translation through an API and a web studio, with a free plan of 45,000 credits. That is about an hour of speech a month, commercial use starts at $12, and credits don't roll over, so heavy use gets pricey quickly.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Paid plans start at $12 a month billed yearly ($13 monthly), about the middle of what voice tools charge. M is $312 and L $1,480 a month for the larger volumes. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free plan of 45,000 credits a month, about 1 hour of speech, with up to 5 custom voices and no commercial use. You'll reach that in a week or two of real work. |
| Features | B | Speech both ways, translation, 10-second clones, designed voices and data controls on paid plans. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the job, though pro clones start on the $312 plan. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. It is an API first, so there is code to write, with a web studio for trying voices. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web studio and an API, deployable via Baseten and SageMaker. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
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 Gradium is for
- Fits if you are a developer adding voice to an app through an API
- Makes sense if you need cloned or designed voices and care about data controls
Who it is not for
- Tight if you stay free: about an hour of speech a month and no commercial use
- Pricey if you need pro voice clones, which start on the $312 a month M plan
- Watch out: plan credits don't roll over, only pay-as-you-go credits do
- Watch out: overage costs 5% to 20% above your plan's own rate if you turn it on, and live translation burns 30 credits a second
Good to know
Good for
- Developers building voice agents that need streaming speech and transcription
- Teams that want one vendor for speech, transcription and cloned voices
Worth knowing
- Free-plan credits cover about an hour of speech a month, and commercial use needs XS or above.
- Plan credits do not roll over; only pay-as-you-go credits carry into the next month.
- Beyond a plan's credits, overage is billed at 5% to 20% above the plan's own rate if turned on in settings.
- Extra credits cost $7 per 100k on XS, falling to $3.80 on L.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$12
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Gradium has a free plan. Paid plans start at $12 per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly).
You'll reach that in a week or two of real work.
Free
$0
45k credits a month, about 1 hour of text-to-speech, with up to 5 custom voices. Commercial use is not included.
XS
$12
per month for 225k credits, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly)
About 5 hours of text-to-speech a month, adds commercial use, up to 1,000 voices and data controls.
S
$39
per month for 900k credits, billed yearly ($43 billed monthly)
About 20 hours of text-to-speech a month, with cheaper top-ups and lower overage than XS.
M
$312
per month for 9M credits, billed yearly ($340 billed monthly)
About 200 hours of text-to-speech a month, adds pro voice cloning (5 pro clones) and higher concurrency.
L
$1,480
per month for 45M credits, billed yearly ($1,615 billed monthly)
About 1,000 hours of text-to-speech a month, with 20 pro voice clones and the cheapest top-ups.
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited credits and custom concurrency, with dedicated inference or on-premises deployment available.
The free plan
45k credits a month with text-to-speech, speech-to-text and voice design, which is about 1 hour of speech.
Read from gradium.ai on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
One month free on yearly billing
The pricing page says one month is free when billed yearly: for example XS is $12 a month yearly against $13 monthly.
Stated on gradium.aiStartups
Gradium for startups
Founders can apply for $2,000 or more in credits through the startup program.
Stated on gradium.ai
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
Real-time voice AI API for speech, transcription and voice cloning. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, transcription, text to speech, voice cloning.
Web studio and an API, deployable via Baseten and SageMaker.
- Text-to-speech
- Costs 1 credit per character; the pricing page says about 45,000 characters is roughly an hour of audio.
- Speech-to-text
- Transcription is billed at 3 credits per second of audio, or 4 credits per second with translation.
- Live voice translation
- Speech-to-speech translation costs 30 credits per second, the most credit-hungry feature on the page.
- Voice cloning and design
- A standard clone needs a 10-second sample. Pro voice clones use 30 minutes to a few hours of audio and start on the M plan. Voices can also be designed from a text description.
- Data controls
- Paid plans add data controls such as zero data retention and a choice of EU or US data residency; the vendor lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
- Phonon on-device model
- Gradium describes Phonon as its first open, on-device text-to-speech model.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Baseten
- Amazon SageMaker
Gradium is made by Gradium.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
47/72
Other AI voice generators it is graded above
Gradium's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 47 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on features (B, above 44 of 72) and worst on value for money (C, above 5).
Its paid plans start at $12 a month, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 33 of the 50 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 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. Gradium’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 72
- CFree plan and trialAbove 22 of 72
- BFeaturesAbove 44 of 72
- CEase of useAbove 10 of 72
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 39 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. Gradium 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 Gradium 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.
It costs $144 a year.
What you could not
- A voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make.
- A voice model trained on your recordings.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- It plugs into other products, Baseten and Amazon SageMaker among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SOC 2.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Gradium’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
ElevenLabs, Cartesia, Deepgram Aura, Rime and Smallest AI
The 5 tools Gradium is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
ElevenLabs
Free plan · from $5/mo
AI voice platform for speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice agents.
- Only ElevenLabs lists iOS and Android apps.
- ElevenLabs also covers video generation.
- 2.4GPA
Cartesia
Free plan · from $5/mo
- 1.8GPA
Deepgram Aura
Free trial · from $4,000/yr
Text-to-speech API for real-time voice agents, billed per character.
- Gradium has a free plan. Deepgram Aura does not, though it has a free trial.
- Gradium also covers voice cloning.
- Deepgram Aura also covers AI agents.
- 2.2GPA
Rime
Free plan · from $100/mo
Voice models for phone agents: text to speech and speech to speech.
- Rime also covers AI agents.
- 1.8GPA
Smallest AI
Free trial
Voice AI models and agents: text to speech, speech to text, calls.
- Gradium has a free plan. Smallest AI does not, though it has a free trial.
- Smallest AI also covers AI agents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 Gradium free?
Gradium has a free plan. 45k credits a month with text-to-speech, speech-to-text and voice design, which is about 1 hour of speech.
How much does Gradium cost?
Gradium lists 6 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Gradium work on?
Gradium is available on Web.
Does Gradium offer any discounts?
Gradium publicly lists the following: One month free on yearly billing; Gradium for startups.
Does Gradium have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Gradium is listed for Web.
Does Gradium have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Gradium is listed for Web.
Is Gradium open source?
Gradium is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Gradium have an API?
Yes. Gradium offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Gradium integrate with?
Gradium's listing names Baseten and Amazon SageMaker. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Gradium?
Gradium is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Gradium?
The closest alternatives to Gradium in our directory are ElevenLabs, Cartesia, Deepgram Aura, Rime and Smallest AI.
How does Gradium compare with other AI voice generators?
Gradium's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 47 of the 72 other AI voice generators we grade, and level with 16.
Is Gradium good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Gradium C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $12 a month, against a middle price of $9.99 for the category: 33 of the 50 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Gradium?
To replace Gradium 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 Gradium’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 Gradium'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 Gradium. Prices change, so check gradium.ai 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
- Gradium, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/gradium
- 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, "Gradium: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/gradium
Know someone choosing between AI voice generators?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/gradium/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI voice generators after Gradium, 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 Gradium’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. Gradium is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Gradium. Prices and plans change: check gradium.ai before you buy.