Question 1

What's the cheapest speech-to-text API?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest options start around $0.0001 per 1,000 characters. Open-source models like Coqui and some providers offer extremely competitive rates for high-volume usage.

Question 2

Is cheap voice AI lower quality?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. Some of the most affordable options use efficient models that provide excellent quality. Price often reflects infrastructure costs rather than output quality.

Question 3

How do I reduce voice AI costs?

Accepted Answer

Cache generated audio, batch requests, use faster/cheaper models for drafts, and negotiate volume discounts. Kugu helps by letting you switch models easily to optimize cost-quality tradeoffs.