What happened to PlayHT
- Checked by us on October 30, 2026: play.ht and play.ai no longer point to any server, and both domains now sit on Meta's name servers. An old PlayHT API documentation site (docs.play.ht) is still online, but the product behind it is gone.
- Reported by competitors: Meta took over the PlayAI team in July 2025, the API went offline in late July 2025, and all products closed on December 31, 2025, with saved audio and voice clones deleted. These dates come from Inworld AI's migration guide, which cites a public post by Cartesia at the time. Both companies sell PlayHT replacements, and we found no shutdown announcement from PlayHT or Meta itself.
- Search is behind: Google's AI Overview for "playht" still described it as a working product on October 30, 2026.
Below: the replacements, ranked by our blind listening test. See also ElevenLabs alternatives and the full ranking of every voice.
PlayHT replacements, ranked blind
Company level: every blind head-to-head on the 30-second ad, both listeners and both genders together. "Clear second" means clearly ahead of most companies below it. Below that, the order is too close to call.
| # | Company (best voice) | Won–lost–too close | Result | Per minute | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ElevenLabs (Eleven v4 · Jade) | 29–1–7 | Picked best | $0.08 / $0.04 | |
| 2 | Cartesia (Sonic 3.6 · Daniel) | 15–7–6 | Clear second | $0.05 | |
| 3 | Fish Audio (Drama 3 · Hannah) | 3–6–4 | $0.05 / $0.015 | Sample not published yet (license check) | |
| 4 | Google Gemini (Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS · Charon) | 4–17–9 | $0.009 / $0.014 | ||
| 5 | MiniMax (Speech 2.8 HD · Upbeat Woman) | 4–8–0 | $0.10 | Sample not published yet (license check) | |
| 6 | Speechify (Simba 3.5 · Chase) | 2–4–0 | $0.02 | ||
| 7 | OpenAI (gpt-realtime-2.1-mini · Marin) | 2–7–3 | $0.024 | ||
| 8 | Murf (Falcon 2.1 · Natalie) | 1–10–1 | $0.01 / $0.03 | Sample not published yet (license check) |
Each sample is the company's best-placed voice. Cartesia's samples were re-recorded on its paid plan after the test, with the same voice and settings. Fish Audio, MiniMax and Murf samples are not published because the license for our test clips is unclear.
What the replacements cost per minute
At API list prices, one minute of speech costs from about $0.009 (Google Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS) to $0.10 (MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD). Our winner, ElevenLabs Eleven v4, is about $0.08; v4 Turbo about $0.04.
One minute is about 1,000 characters; our clips used 800 to 1,000. Prices from each company's own pricing page; we keep a dated copy of every page we quote.
| Engine | List price | Per minute | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs Eleven v4 (our winner) | $0.08 / 1,000 chars | $0.08 | |
| ElevenLabs Eleven v4 Turbo | $0.04 / 1,000 chars | $0.04 | |
| Cartesia Sonic 3.6 | Pro $5/mo for 100K credits | $0.05 | |
| OpenAI gpt-realtime-2.1-mini | per audio token | $0.024 | |
| Speechify Simba 3.5 | $0.02 / 1,000 chars | $0.02 | |
| Fish Audio Drama 3 / s2.1-pro | $0.05 / 1,000 chars / $0.015 / 1,000 chars | $0.05 / $0.015 | |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash / Flash-Lite TTS | per audio token | $0.014 / $0.009 | |
| Murf Falcon 2.1 / Gen2 | $0.01 / 1,000 chars / $0.03 / 1,000 chars | $0.01 / $0.03 | |
| MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD | $0.10 / 1,000 chars | $0.10 |
Can you use it commercially?
| Tool | Commercial use | Cheapest option for it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Paid plans only; the free plan is non-commercial | Starter, $6/month | |
| Cartesia | Paid plans only: Pro and up include a commercial license (ads included, by our reading of the terms); the free plan is non-commercial | Pro, $5/month | |
| Fish Audio | Paid plans; their own library voices are unclear (we asked) | Paid API | |
| Google Gemini | Yes, Google claims no ownership of the audio | Pay as you go (API) | |
| MiniMax | Yes on their own accounts (output is yours) | Pay as you go (API) | |
| Speechify | Yes, from the free API plan; disclose that the voice is AI | Free API plan | |
| OpenAI | Yes, you own the output; tell listeners the voice is AI | Pay as you go (API) | |
| Murf | Paid plans; the free Studio plan has no commercial rights | Studio from $19/month (annual) |
Questions people ask
Does Play HT still exist?
No. play.ht no longer resolves (checked October 30, 2026), and PlayHT closed on December 31, 2025 after Meta took over its team in July 2025, according to its competitors' migration notes.
Is PlayAI shutting down?
It already has. PlayAI was the company behind PlayHT; its products closed on December 31, 2025, and play.ai no longer resolves either (checked October 30, 2026).
How much does PlayHT cost?
Nothing, because it can no longer be bought. For comparison, our blind test's winner, ElevenLabs Eleven v4, costs about $0.08 a minute at API list price, and Cartesia Sonic 3.6 about $0.05.
What happened to my PlayHT voice clones?
According to Inworld AI's migration guide, saved audio and voice clones were deleted when PlayHT closed. We could not check this ourselves. If you still have your original recordings, you can clone the voice again with another service.
What is the best PlayHT alternative for ads?
In our blind test of 8 companies on a 30-second ad, ElevenLabs Eleven v4 was picked best and never lost a head-to-head (20 wins, 0 losses, 13 too close). Cartesia Sonic 3.6 came second.
How we tested
Same script for every tool, the vendor's newest model on the test day, voices chosen by a fixed rule, two takes per voice. Clips leveled to the same loudness, names hidden, sides shuffled per listener: two voices at a time, the listener picks the better one, until one is left. Every clip was transcribed by speech-to-text, and flagged spots were re-checked with 4 models.
The ad script every voice read:
Still wrapping gifts at midnight? Meet Novalo, the gift box that lights up the moment it opens. One tap, and your present feels like a little show. Order today for just fifty-nine ninety-five, and get free shipping across the US. Novalo. Make every gift a moment.
- Engines
- 12, from 8 companies
- Head-to-heads
- 92 (ranked script: 30-second ad)
- Voices
- 24 (12 per gender)
- Scripts
- ad, explainer, UGC, pronunciation, warm, phone menu
- Listening
- Blind, 2 listeners
- Loudness
- All at −16 LUFS
- Run
- Oct 26–30, 2026
- Tested by
- Nick
Independent. Rankings come from the test, never from commissions, and vendors don't see results before we publish. Disclosure
Changelog
- : First version: shutdown facts checked on the day, replacements ranked by the blind ad test.