Side by side
MAI-Voice-2.1 and TTS-1, line by line
Prices in effect today, compared at the same tier wherever both list one. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | MAI-Voice-2.1 | TTS-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price per character | $0.000022 | $0.000015 (better) |
| Independent benchmarks | ||
| Artificial Analysis Speech Arena | Not measured | 1090 Elo (#9 of 11) |
| Specs | ||
| Provider | Microsoft AI | OpenAI |
| Release date | October 1, 2026 | Not reported |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | Not reported | Not reported |
| Max output | Not reported | Not reported |
| Input | text | text |
| Output | audio | audio |
No independent benchmark has scored both models yet. Each rank counts the current models scored on that benchmark.
Charts
Against every current audio model
Where MAI-Voice-2.1 and TTS-1 land among the current models of their task, on every independent benchmark, on price and on context.
Where each stands
Only TTS-1 has a current Artificial Analysis Speech Arena score: #9 of 11. Each bar is the share of current models it beats.
Independent benchmarks
Artificial Analysis Speech Arena
MAI-Voice-2.1: Not scored
TTS-1:#9of 11
1,090 Elo · ahead of 20%
Price and context
Price per character
MAI-Voice-2.1:#4of 10
$0.000022 · cheaper than 67%
TTS-1:#2of 10
$0.000015 · cheaper than 78%
Cost
What each costs
Example workloads at each provider's listed rates, then every other rate either one lists. The cheaper figure in each row is highlighted.
The same work, priced
For 1M characters, MAI-Voice-2.1 costs 1.5 times as much as TTS-1, at each provider's listed rates.
1M characters
MAI-Voice-2.1 costs 1.5× as much
- MAI-Voice-2.1
- $22
- TTS-1
- $15
| Workload or rate | MAI-Voice-2.1 | TTS-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Example workloads | ||
| 1M characters | $22 | $15 (better) |
Verdict
When to choose each
MAI-Voice-2.1
Where it leads
No measured lead over TTS-1 in this data.
Best for
- Multilingual products that keep one voice across languages
- Narration and dialogue with controlled delivery
Watch out for
- Microsoft Foundry lists it as a preview, and voice cloning needs Microsoft approval
- No independent benchmark score is recorded here yet
TTS-1
Where it leads
- Lower price per character, $0.000015 vs $0.000022
Best for
- Low-latency text-to-speech
Watch out for
- OpenAI no longer lists TTS-1 on its models overview, though its model page and $15 per 1M characters price remain
From benchmark to production
Building on MAI-Voice-2.1 or TTS-1?
Public scores rarely hold on your own data. We test both models on your real tasks, then build the agent or pipeline around the one that wins.
FAQ
MAI-Voice-2.1 vs TTS-1 FAQ
Which is cheaper, MAI-Voice-2.1 or TTS-1?
TTS-1 is 32% cheaper per character than MAI-Voice-2.1, $0.000015 vs $0.000022.
How much would 1M characters cost with MAI-Voice-2.1 or TTS-1?
1M characters comes to $22 with MAI-Voice-2.1 and $15 with TTS-1 at their listed rates.
Further reading
More on MAI-Voice-2.1 and TTS-1
Related comparisons
- MAI-Voice-2.1 vs Voxtral Mini TTS 3
- Eleven v4 Turbo vs TTS-1
- Eleven Flash v2.5 vs MAI-Voice-2.1
- Eleven v4 vs TTS-1
- Eleven Multilingual v2 vs MAI-Voice-2.1
- Sonic 3.6 vs TTS-1
- Eleven v3 vs MAI-Voice-2.1
- Gemini 3.1 Flash TTS Preview vs TTS-1
- Eleven v4 Turbo vs MAI-Voice-2.1
- Eleven Flash v2.5 vs TTS-1
- Eleven v4 vs MAI-Voice-2.1
- Eleven Multilingual v2 vs TTS-1
Production evaluation
Choosing between MAI-Voice-2.1 and TTS-1?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty