Small teams asking about AI voiceover rarely ask “does it sound good”. They ask: what will this cost per month, and will I get a surprise bill?
This guide teaches you to do the math yourself. Three formulas, no vendor pitch.
Quick answer
| Your case | Rough range |
|---|---|
| Personal testing, 1–2 clips | Free tier is often enough |
| Weekly channel output | Starter |
| 4–8 long videos / course updates | Pro |
| Multiple brands, shared seats | Team or usage-based |
One line: calculate your monthly minutes first, then compare prices. Reversed order = overpaying.
Formula 1: monthly minutes
- List how many pieces per month
- Estimate narration length per piece
- Sum them
Example: 8 shorts (60s) + 2 long videos (600s) + 4 course updates (300s) = 2880s ≈ 48 minutes/month.
Add 20–30% for re-generations after edits.
Formula 2: cost per minute
| Plan | Monthly | Usable minutes | Per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 | ~10 | — |
| Starter | ~$10 | ~60 | ~$0.17 |
| Pro | ~$30 | ~300 | ~$0.10 |
| Advanced | ~$65 | ~1000 | ~$0.065 |
Cheaper per minute as you go up. “Buy the cheapest” is often false economy.
Formula 3: payback
If you replace human voiceover, count time saved too.
Example: 4 × 10-minute videos at an external rate of $10/min = $400 traditional vs a $30 plan.
But at 1 video per month, traditional may be cheaper because you pay once.
Hidden costs
- Clone fees separate from generation
- Commercial use needs a higher tier
- Overage may auto-charge
- Length / format limits
Free vs paid: 4 conditions
Upgrade only if all are true:
- You hit the free limit twice in a month
- You are certain you will keep producing
- You need commercial rights
- You already know which voice works
Otherwise stay free. Run the workflow first.
Team approaches
- Shared account — simple, hard to track
- Role-based quotas — see who burns quota
- Usage-based — good for volatile months
Easily missed costs
- Your own writing and editing time
- Regenerations after revisions
- Licensing and consent paperwork
Budget template
Copy this:
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Pieces per month | ___ |
| Average narration length | ___ sec |
| Total monthly demand | ___ min |
| Plan price | ___ |
| Cost per minute | ___ |
| Hidden fees | ___ |
| Monthly total | ___ |
Decision table
| If you… | Then… |
|---|---|
| 1–2 pieces, irregular | Free tier |
| Weekly output | Starter or above |
| Need commercial rights | Mid-tier+ |
| Multiple cloned voices | Plan with multiple voice quota |
| Volatile usage | Usage-based |
FAQ
Is free enough?
For 1–2 shorts/month, usually. For courses or audiobooks, probably not.
What is a reasonable per-minute price?
No universal number, but compare like for like — 2–3× differences are common.
Should I buy annually?
Buy monthly first, confirm 3 months of real use, then consider annual.
How do teams share?
Shared account for small teams; role quotas or usage plans when bigger.
Do this now
- Copy the budget table
- Fill in your monthly demand
- Compare on pricing
- Validate with one month before committing
Further reading
Updated September 2026. Prices and quotas change — verify on official pages. This guide teaches the math, not a specific vendor.
