OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts is cheaper: $0.015 vs $0.03 per 1,000 characters on each model's cheapest path — 2.0× less. For 10,000 characters (~12 min of audio): $0.150 vs $0.300. Stamped 2026-08-28. Deepgram Aura-2's premium may buy quality — this index measures cost only.
Deepgram Aura-2 vs OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts: price
OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts
$0.015–$0.03 per 1,000 characters
Cheapest: $0.015 via OpenAI (tts-1) (estimated)
How much does Deepgram Aura-2 cost?
| Provider | Price /1k chars | Provider's own unit | vs official | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepgramcheapest | $0.03$0.025/min of audio | $0.030 per 1,000 characters (pay-as-you-go)USD per character | — | Estimated2026-08-28 | source |
How these numbers were computed
- Deepgram: Public list rate recorded in launch research (2026-08); not yet independently scraped — pending live verification.
How much does OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts cost?
| Provider | Price /1k chars | Provider's own unit | vs official | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI · gpt-4o-mini-tts | $0.018$0.015/min of audio | $0.60/1M text tokens + $12.00/1M audio tokens (≈$0.015/min)USD per token | — | Derived2026-08-28 | source |
| OpenAI · tts-1cheapest | $0.015$0.013/min of audio | $15.00 per 1M charactersUSD per character | — | Estimated2026-08-28 | source |
| OpenAI · tts-1-hd | $0.03$0.025/min of audio | $30.00 per 1M charactersUSD per character | — | Estimated2026-08-28 | source |
How these numbers were computed
- OpenAI (gpt-4o-mini-tts): OpenAI's own ≈$0.015/min estimate ÷ 850 chars/min × 1,000 = $0.0176/1k chars.
- OpenAI (tts-1): Public list rate recorded in launch research (2026-08); not yet independently scraped — pending live verification.
- OpenAI (tts-1-hd): Public list rate recorded in launch research (2026-08); not yet independently scraped — pending live verification.
Frequently asked
Is Deepgram Aura-2 cheaper than OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts?
OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts is cheaper: $0.015 vs $0.03 per 1,000 characters on each model's cheapest path — 2.0× less. For 10,000 characters (~12 min of audio): $0.150 vs $0.300. Stamped 2026-08-28. Deepgram Aura-2's premium may buy quality — this index measures cost only.
What does 10,000 characters (~12 min of audio) cost on each?
Deepgram Aura-2: $0.300 (cheapest path). OpenAI gpt-4o-mini-tts: $0.150. Both computed from the normalized canonical rate; real invoices vary with resolution, minimum charges, and tiers.
Which is better quality?
This index measures cost, not quality. For quality benchmarks, see Artificial Analysis — a voice model that costs more is not automatically better, and vice versa.
Prices normalized to per 1,000 characters; per-clip, credit, and tier billing converted per themethodology. Quality comparison is out of scope — seeArtificial Analysis.