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Publishing Perspectives Staff Report
Pricing Models in Text-to-Speech Technology
Amy Foxwell, the Netherlands-based ReadSpeaker‘s global marketing director for education, publishing, and accessibility, says that during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, school closures, remote learning led to more use of text-to-speech.
“The correlation between online learning and demand for text-to-speech—technology that turns written language into spoken words—shouldn’t come as a surprise,” she says. “Many learners need to hear learning content.”
While some edtech approaches found lasting traction after the pandemic, Foxwell says, “some pricing structures” can make “shifts to online and blended learning” unsustainable because of costs.
She says that the text-to-speech industry generally features three pricing models:
- Volume-based pricing: “This model,” Foxwell says, “applies primarily to production tools—test-to-speech engines that allow you to create and download static audio files of speech based on your written text. You may pay by word count or by time length, for example, a set fee for a certain number of minutes of speech.”
- Usage-based pricing: “This is the risky one for school districts that offer online TTS tools,” she says. “You pay based on usage—not just traffic to your text-to-speech tool, but also the length of each session. You may also find support and maintenance costs tacked onto this model.”
- License-based pricing: “Here’s the solution for educators looking to control costs,” Foxwell says, referring to the pricing model that her company ReadSpeaker offers. “You pay for a time-based license—say, yearly—and get unlimited usage of the text-to-speech service. Typically, pricing is set into tiers based on the number of full-time enrolled students you serve.”
When text-t0-speech providers offer only volume-based or usage-based pricing, Foxwell says, a rise in usage means a rise in traffic and then in costs.
Amy Foxwell
“The solution,” Foxwell says, “is to choose a text-t0-speech provider that offers licensed pricing, which controls for unexpected usage changes. But that model may only apply to text-to-speech tools you embed in a learning management system or online platform. If you also plan to produce speech files for digital learning materials, you may benefit more from volume-based pricing.”
Because ReadSpeaker creates and runs its own text-to-speech technology, she says, the company has “the freedom to work with customers to determine the pricing model that best supports their use cases. If you want to produce a few speech files, you can pay based on volume,” she says. “You can even create those files through ReadSpeaker’s online text-to-speech production feature—no software downloads required.”
Free text-to-speech services, Foxwell says, “can’t compete with the experts in test-to-speech, who must charge to keep reinvesting in voice technology.”
And “Big Tech” offerings of text-to-speech—from Amazon or Google or other companies—”seem to offer low prices for their services—but looks can be deceiving,” she says. “The Big Tech providers tend to stick with usage-based pricing. As we’ve mentioned, that becomes extremely expensive as students become regular users and usage spikes. The more successful your test-to-speech becomes, the more you’ll pay for it. That’s a self-defeating proposition.”
“Look for a text-to-speech partner that offers a sustainable business model,” Foxwell says, including yearly licenses. Fixed annual pricing allows for in-year cost control and proper budgeting. For example, ReadSpeaker’s simple text-to-speech SaaS pricing for education customers is based on activations over a 12 month period. Compared to use-based pricing, that’s like an insurance policy that protects you from usage spikes.”
You can learn more about ReadSpeaker’s pricing here.
This story is sponsored by ReadSpeaker and its content is based on the company’s promotional information. More from Publishing Perspectives on issues in digital publishing is here, more on edtech is here, and more on issues in audio and publishing is here.