We create and listen to a lot of narrated travel content. If you just want a clear answer on which TTS to and why start here. (P.S. you can sample the result in our VoxTour audio guides whenever you’re curious.)
How we evaluated
- Naturalness & prosody (does it sound like a real narrator?)
- Control (prompt steering vs. SSML, phonemes, pace)
- Languages & accents
- Latency/streaming (for assistants and live demos)
- Voice cloning / custom voices
- Pricing & licensing clarity
Quick comparison (at a glance)
| Engine | Naturalness | Control | Languages | Streaming | Cloning | Cost tier* | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | ★★★★★ | Prompt + params | ~25–30 | Yes | Yes (zero-shot) | $$ | Premium narration, character voices |
| OpenAI (gpt-4o-mini-tts) | ★★★★ | Prompt-steerable | ~20+ | Yes | Basic | $ | One-stack workflow with GPT |
| Google: Gemini Flash/Pro TTS | ★★★★ (Pro) / ★★★½ (Flash) | Prompt + simple controls | ~20–25 | Yes | Not full cloning (preview) | $ (Flash) / $$ (Pro) | Fast, affordable batch work |
| Google Cloud TTS (Neural2) | ★★★½ | Rich SSML | 40+ | Yes | Custom Voice (trained) | $$ | Large multilingual catalogs |
| Microsoft Azure AI Speech (Neural/HD) | ★★★★ | Deep SSML + styles | 40+ | Yes | Personal Voice (zero-shot) | $$ | Enterprise control, precise pacing |
| Amazon Polly Neural | ★★★ | SSML | 30+ | Yes | Limited | $$ | AWS/IVR integrations |
| Coqui TTS / Piper (open-source) | ★★–★★★ (varies) | Model-specific | Varies | Local | Yes (DIY) | Free (hardware) | Offline kiosks, privacy-critical |
*Relative: $ (lower), $$ (mid). Always check current rate cards.
The leaders, with pros & cons
ElevenLabs
Pros
- Most human-like delivery; good emotion and micro-pauses
- Instant voice cloning (great for branded hosts)
- Handy multi-speaker/dialogue tools
Cons
- Usage pricing can add up at scale
- Less traditional SSML; more prompt/parameter driven
OpenAI (gpt-4o-mini-tts)
Pros
- Seamless if you already use GPT for scripts
- Strong at prompt-steerable tone (“warm museum style”, etc.)
- Competitive pricing
Cons
- Smaller voice catalog vs. clouds
- Fewer fine-grained SSML features
Google: Gemini Flash/Pro TTS
Pros
- Flash is fast + affordable for bulk POIs
- Pro adds richer prosody for signature clips
- Simple to try in AI Studio; streaming support
Cons
- Pro tier typically needs billing; cloning not fully GA
- Fewer SSML knobs than Google Cloud TTS
Google Cloud TTS (Neural2)
Pros
- 40+ locales, big voice catalog
- Rich SSML (prosody, phonemes, bookmarks)
- Scales well for large catalogs
Cons
- Less expressive than ElevenLabs out-of-the-box
- Custom Voice requires setup/training time
Microsoft Azure AI Speech (Neural/HD)
Pros
- Enterprise-grade SSML and style presets (news, narration, cheerful)
- Personal Voice for zero-shot cloning (with consent controls)
- Good latency and regional availability
Cons
- Console/SSML learning curve
- Pricing in the mid range for HD voices
Amazon Polly Neural
Pros
- Tight AWS integration (Lex, Connect, IVR)
- Solid SSML, stable streaming
Cons
- Voices are improving but generally less expressive
- Catalog smaller than Google/Azure
Coqui TTS / Piper (open-source)
Pros
- Runs offline no per-character fees
- Full control for privacy-sensitive deployments
- Community models + fine-tuning
Cons
- Quality varies by model; more engineering effort
- Hardware/latency depends on your setup
Picking the right one (fast)
- Want the most human narrator? → ElevenLabs.
- Already generating scripts with GPT and want one API? → OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts.
- Need cheap, fast batches + decent quality? → Gemini Flash TTS; upgrade special clips with Gemini Pro or ElevenLabs.
- Big multilingual catalog + SSML bookmarks/phonemes? → Google Cloud TTS (Neural2) or Azure AI Speech.
- Deep AWS stack / IVR flows? → Amazon Polly Neural.
- Offline/on-prem (kiosks, ships, no internet)? → Coqui TTS / Piper.
What to check before you commit
- Licensing & consent for voice cloning and public distribution
- Sample rate & loudness targets (e.g., 24–48 kHz, ~–16 LUFS)
- Latency needs (streaming vs. batch)
- Accents & names: test tricky local pronunciations with SSML/IPA
There isn’t a single winner for every use case. For most narrated travel content:
- ElevenLabs wins on expressiveness,
- OpenAI wins on one-stack simplicity,
- Gemini Flash/Pro wins on speed-to-cost,
- Azure/Google Cloud win on SSML control and language breadth,
- Coqui/Piper win when you must run offline.
When you’re ready to hear the differences in practice, take a listen to our published tours at VoxTour audio guides and decide which voice style fits your brand.