Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS
Top-ten text to speech for a third less than Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS, with a free tier; pick Eleven v4 for the best voices.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
Developers who need lots of natural speech, such as read-aloud or app voices, on a budget.
Best for: Lots of natural speech, such as read-aloud or app voices (Voice models Top 20)
Skip it if
You want the most natural voices; Eleven v4 Turbo ranks first.
You give up: Prices double on 1 Jan 2027; Simba 3.2 ranks level for about 40% less
The short version
- What this is
- Google's cheaper text to speech model in the Gemini API. It turns text into spoken audio and replaces the Gemini 3.1 Flash TTS preview.
- Why it matters
- It sounds nearly as good as Google's main TTS model for a third less, with a free tier to start.
- 8th of 96 in blind listening tests s1; no score yet, as Artificial Analysis's terms stop us publishing one.
- $6.00 per 1M audio output tokens through 2026, free tier available s2.
- Use the paid tier if you don't want inputs used to improve Google products s2.
Good at
Our take
Google made Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS generally available on 22 Sep 2026, as the high-volume option next to Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS s3. In Artificial Analysis's blind listening arena it ranks 8th of 96, three places below its bigger sibling s1, while its audio output costs a third less s2.
That makes it the cheaper of Google's two top-ten voices. Note the prices double on 1 Jan 2027 s2, and on the free tier Google uses your inputs to improve its products s2.
Score
A score from 0 to 100 per job, against everything available today.
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
Voice and audio
No score yet. The leaderboard this rests on does not let us publish numbers from it, so we describe the evidence instead.
1 source so far
Public leaderboardArtificial Analysis text to speech arena rank 8 of 96, range 7 to 9, Elo 1244, 2,639 samples (s1, checked 2026-10-11). No independent eval to adjust with.
Alternatives
Nothing we have scored beats it for voice on score or on price.
- Gemini 3.8 Flash TTSVoice model–FreeRanks 5th of 96 for 50% more per audio token. Side by side
- Eleven v4 TurboVoice model–FreeFirst in blind tests, at a higher price. Side by side
- Cartesia Sonic 3.6Voice modelNot reviewed yetRanks 4th of 96 (Sonic 3.6) for about 4.5 times the price per character.
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
Voice has no score yet, because none of the public sources we use covers it.
Public leaderboard
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 3
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 2 changes
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- New: Voice ratedReviewed: voice.
- Audit: Sonic 3.6 price ratio corrected to about 4.5 times ($49.0 against $11.0 per 1M characters). Rating unchanged.
Use it well 4 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.