Summary

Before you commit a script to any AI voice generator, it helps to know what it will actually cost and how long the finished audio will run. This free calculator takes your pasted script, a narration pace (130 to 190 words per minute), and your platform's rate per 1,000 characters, then computes estimated runtime, total cost, and cost per finished minute in your browser. No signup, no server round trip, and no assumptions baked in beyond a published audiobook-pacing standard you can override.

AI Voice Generator Cost and Runtime Calculator

Paste a script, pick a narration pace, and see the estimated runtime and per-character cost before you touch an AI voice generator platform.

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Script cost and runtime calculator

Paste your script, set your narration pace and your platform's per-character rate. Runtime and cost update as you type, nothing is sent to a server.

0 Words
0 Characters
0:00 Estimated runtime
$0.00 Estimated cost

Paste a script above to see runtime and cost.

Under the hood

How the estimate is calculated

Words-per-minute pacing

Runtime is words divided by your selected pace, times 60. Audiobook-standard pacing (150 wpm) matches the range ACX and most narration guides cite for a finished master. Slow, dramatic reads run closer to 130 wpm, and ad-style reads push past 190 wpm.

Character-based pricing

Most AI voice generator platforms bill per character, not per word, because character count tracks synthesis compute more closely than word count. Enter your platform's rate per 1,000 characters and the cost recalculates on every keystroke.

Cost per finished minute

Total cost divided by estimated runtime in minutes gives you a figure you can compare across platforms and pacing choices, even when their pricing pages quote different units or bundle characters into monthly tiers.

Find your platform's rate in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Open your plan's pricing page

    Most AI voice generator platforms publish a monthly price next to an included character allowance on the same pricing page.

  2. 2

    Divide price by character allowance

    Divide the monthly price by the included characters, then multiply by 1,000. That gives you a rate per 1,000 characters.

  3. 3

    Drop the rate into the calculator

    Paste that number into the rate field above. Cost updates immediately, alongside runtime and cost per finished minute.

What the numbers actually tell you

A 40-minute audiobook chapter and a 40-minute IVR script can carry very different price tags once you run them through a per-character rate. Two scripts with the same runtime rarely share the same character count once dialogue tags, spelled-out numbers, or SSML pauses enter the picture, so cost per finished minute is the figure worth writing down before you commit a budget to a production run.

  • Dialogue-heavy scripts run higher per minute than plain narration.
  • Spelled-out numbers and abbreviations inflate character count without adding audible words.
  • SSML pause and emphasis tags add billable characters that never get spoken.
Large-diaphragm studio microphone behind a pop filter in a home recording booth

Common questions

Does this calculator count characters the way my TTS platform bills them?
Most platforms bill on total characters, including spaces and punctuation, which is what this tool counts. A few exclude SSML tags or round up to the next 1,000-character block. Check your platform's billing page and adjust the rate field if their math works differently.
Why is 150 words per minute the default pace?
150 wpm sits inside the range ACX and most audiobook production guides cite as the target for a finished narration master. Move it up to 190 for a fast ad read, or down to 130 for a slow, dramatic delivery.
Is my script sent to a server?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you paste here leaves the page, and no account or upload is required.
Does this work for a script in a language other than English?
The word-count math works for space-separated languages. For languages without spaces between words, such as Japanese, rely on the character count and cost estimate, and treat the word-based runtime as approximate.
Does the estimate account for pauses, emphasis, or emotion sliders?
No. SSML pauses, emphasis tags, and emotion-slider adjustments shift actual runtime by a few percent either way. Treat this as a planning estimate, not a frame-accurate render.
How do I find my platform's per-character rate?
Divide a plan's monthly price by its included character allowance, then multiply by 1,000. If a platform quotes per-word or per-minute pricing instead, convert using this calculator's word count and runtime numbers.
Why does cost per finished minute matter more than the plan price?
Plan prices aren't comparable across platforms with different character allowances and speaking rates. Cost per finished minute normalizes for both, so a $5 starter tier and a $99 studio tier compare on the same basis.
Is this free to use?
Yes. There's no signup and no limit on how many scripts you run through it.

Ready to generate the voiceover instead of estimating it?

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