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Cartesia Sonic

cartesia.ai

From $5/mo Free plan WebAPI
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Spec score 8.7 #28 of 223 in Text-to-Speech Software

What it is

Cartesia Sonic is a text-to-speech model for real-time voice applications, available through the web and an API. It has sub-90ms latency and supports 44 languages. Sonic can interpret emotional subtext and add non-verbal expressions such as laughter to transcripts. Its localization feature carries emotion, tone, and speaker identity into another language, while custom pronunciation dictionaries let users set how proper nouns and domain terms are spoken. For voice agents, Managed Agents combine Ink-2 speech-to-text, a selected LLM, and Sonic-3.6 text-to-speech, with turn-taking and interruption handling. Phone connectivity can use Cartesia-provisioned numbers, imported Twilio numbers, or a carrier over SIP. Cartesia lists HIPAA compliance, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and PCI. It says Sonic can be deployed on-premise, in a customer VPC on AWS, GCP, or Azure, or through OEM licensing. A free plan includes 20K credits per month and two concurrent text-to-speech requests. Paid plans start at $5/mo; higher tiers raise credit allowances and list capabilities including organizations and priority support.

Spec sheet

Product
Sonic is a text-to-speech model for real-time voice applications.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Platforms
web,apiRead 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Deployment
Cartesia says Sonic can be deployed on-premise, in a customer VPC on AWS, GCP, or Azure, or through OEM licensing.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Free plan
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Paid from
5Read 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Integrations
Managed Agents can use Cartesia-provisioned numbers, import Twilio numbers, or connect a carrier over SIP.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Security
Cartesia lists HIPAA compliance, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and PCI on the Sonic page.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Support
Cartesia's documentation directs users to Discord to chat with the Cartesia team and community for help.Read 1 Oct 2026 · docs.cartesia.ai
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
API access
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Commercial use
YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Concurrency
The Free plan lists two concurrent Sonic text-to-speech requests, while Pro lists three.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Emotion
Sonic interprets emotional subtext and can insert non-verbal expressions such as laughter into transcripts.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Languages
Sonic supports 44 languages.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Latency
Sonic has sub-90ms latency.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Localization
Sonic can localize an audio clip into other languages while carrying over emotion, tone, and speaker identity.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Pronunciation
Custom pronunciation dictionaries let users specify pronunciations for proper nouns and domain terms.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Voice agents
Managed Agents combine Ink-2 speech-to-text, a chosen LLM, and Sonic-3.6 text-to-speech with turn-taking and interruption handling.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Voice cloning
Instant voice cloning can use 10 seconds of audio, while Pro Voice Clone training uses 30 minutes or more from one speaker.Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai

Plans and prices

Free Free billed monthly 20K credits per month · $1 prepaid agents per month Read 20 Sep 2026 · cartesia.ai
Pro $5 a month $5/mo 100K credits / month · $5 prepaid agents / month · Commercial use license · Instant voice cloning Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Startup $49 a month $49/mo 1.25M credits / month · $49 prepaid agents / month · Pro voice cloning · Organizations Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Scale $299 a month $299/mo 8M credits / month · $299 prepaid agents / month · Priority support · High concurrency limits Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Free Free $0/mo 20K credits / month · $1 prepaid agents / month · Text to Speech · Speech to Text Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai
Enterprise Priced on request Custom Custom credits & agent usage · Volume pricing · Custom concurrency limits · DPAs and BAAs · Shared Slack channel · SSO · Security questionnaires Read 1 Oct 2026 · cartesia.ai

Every Cartesia Sonic plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Sub-90ms latency and support for 44 languages.
  • Localization carries emotion, tone, and speaker identity.
  • Custom dictionaries cover proper nouns and domain terms.
  • Managed Agents handle turn-taking and interruptions.
  • Deployment options include on-premise and customer VPC.

Limits

  • Free plan allows two concurrent text-to-speech requests.
  • Pro lists three concurrent requests.

Who it suits

Sonic suits developers building real-time voice applications or voice agents who need text-to-speech, multilingual support, or pronunciation controls. Its listed deployment options also serve organizations considering on-premise or customer-VPC use.

Verdict

Sonic combines low-latency speech generation with localization, pronunciation controls, and tools for voice agents. Its free and paid plans specify monthly credit amounts, while Enterprise usage is custom.

Where Specifiction places it

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