60db vs Cartesia · prices
60db vs Cartesia: an honest comparison
Cartesia is known for very fast speech, and its Sonic models are among the quickest to first audio that anyone has measured. 60db is also built for live voice, and adds cheap transcription, chat and memory on the same credits. This page shows where each one wins, with prices and sources.
The 60db Free plan renews 3,000 credits every month.
- 01Entry plans: 60db Starter is $6 for 120,000 credits. Cartesia Pro is $5 for 100,000 credits.
- 02Speech to text: 60db uses 25 credits a minute. Cartesia Ink uses 1 credit a second, which is 60 a minute.
- 03On large plans Cartesia gives more speech credits per dollar than we do. We say so in the table.
Type a line. Hear it back.
Pick any voice from the libraryFree demo · 10 generations / 24h · No account required
Who should pick which?
Pick Cartesia if the only thing you need is fast, natural speech for a live agent, and you will buy a large plan. Its Sonic models are fast, and on its Startup and Scale plans each dollar buys more speech credits than on ours.
Pick 60db if your product both listens and speaks. Our transcription costs 25 credits a minute, less than half of what Cartesia's Ink model uses per minute. Every 60db plan, including Free, includes a commercial licence, instant voice cloning and unlimited team members, and the same credits pay for chat and memory too.
Both companies let you start free. The fairest test is to send the same 50 lines to each, play them to people who do not know which is which, and time the first audio from your own servers.
60db vs Cartesia at a glance
Each row comes from each company's public pricing or docs. Where Cartesia is ahead, the last column says so.
| What you get | 60db | Cartesia | Who is ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 3,000 credits a month, commercial licence, voice cloning | 20,000 credits, 2 speech requests at once | Cartesia on credits; 60db on licence and cloning |
| Entry paid plan | Starter: $6 for 120,000 credits | Pro: $5 for 100,000 credits | About even (20,000 credits per dollar each) |
| Middle plan | Creator: $22 for 400,000 credits | Startup: $49 for 1.25M credits | Cartesia on credits per dollar |
| Large plan | Pro: $99 for 2M credits | Scale: $299 for 8M credits | Cartesia on credits per dollar |
| Speech requests at once | Free 1, Starter 5, Creator 10, Pro unlimited | Free 2, then 3, 5 and 15 by tier, custom on Enterprise | 60db on Pro; Cartesia on Free |
| Speech to text | Garuda: 25 credits a minute, 40+ languages | Ink: 1 credit a second (60 a minute) | 60db, on credits per minute |
| Speech languages | 30 | Check their docs for the current list | Check both on your languages |
| Hinglish speech | Test on your scripts | Check their docs | Test both on your scripts |
| Voices | 500+ | Check their voice library | Test both |
| Voice cloning | Instant Voice Cloning on every plan, including Free | Check their plan terms | 60db |
| Agents | Transcription, chat, memory and speech on one key | Line agents product, check its page | Check both |
| Chat and memory models | Vyas chat and Smriti memory, same credits | Check their docs | 60db |
| Team members | Unlimited on every plan | Check their plan terms | 60db |
| Hosted MCP server | Yes, mcp.60db.ai with OAuth 2.1 | Check their docs | 60db |
- Free plan
- 60db3,000 credits a month, commercial licence, voice cloning
- Cartesia20,000 credits, 2 speech requests at once
- Who is aheadCartesia on credits; 60db on licence and cloning
- Entry paid plan
- 60dbStarter: $6 for 120,000 credits
- CartesiaPro: $5 for 100,000 credits
- Who is aheadAbout even (20,000 credits per dollar each)
- Middle plan
- 60dbCreator: $22 for 400,000 credits
- CartesiaStartup: $49 for 1.25M credits
- Who is aheadCartesia on credits per dollar
- Large plan
- 60dbPro: $99 for 2M credits
- CartesiaScale: $299 for 8M credits
- Who is aheadCartesia on credits per dollar
- Speech requests at once
- 60dbFree 1, Starter 5, Creator 10, Pro unlimited
- CartesiaFree 2, then 3, 5 and 15 by tier, custom on Enterprise
- Who is ahead60db on Pro; Cartesia on Free
- Speech to text
- 60dbGaruda: 25 credits a minute, 40+ languages
- CartesiaInk: 1 credit a second (60 a minute)
- Who is ahead60db, on credits per minute
- Speech languages
- 60db30
- CartesiaCheck their docs for the current list
- Who is aheadCheck both on your languages
- Hinglish speech
- 60dbTest on your scripts
- CartesiaCheck their docs
- Who is aheadTest both on your scripts
- Voices
- 60db500+
- CartesiaCheck their voice library
- Who is aheadTest both
- Voice cloning
- 60dbInstant Voice Cloning on every plan, including Free
- CartesiaCheck their plan terms
- Who is ahead60db
- Agents
- 60dbTranscription, chat, memory and speech on one key
- CartesiaLine agents product, check its page
- Who is aheadCheck both
- Chat and memory models
- 60dbVyas chat and Smriti memory, same credits
- CartesiaCheck their docs
- Who is ahead60db
- Team members
- 60dbUnlimited on every plan
- CartesiaCheck their plan terms
- Who is ahead60db
- Hosted MCP server
- 60dbYes, mcp.60db.ai with OAuth 2.1
- CartesiaCheck their docs
- Who is ahead60db
Cartesia prices were read on cartesia.ai/pricing and its docs . 60db prices come from 60db.ai/pricing. One 60db credit is one character of speech; one minute of transcription uses 25 credits.
Play the same line on both
Generate one real script on 60db's Free plan and on Cartesia's free tier, then ask three people which they prefer.
Where Cartesia is ahead
These are real reasons to choose Cartesia, and we would rather you hear them from us.
Speed is its signature.
In Coval's May 2026 benchmark, Cartesia Sonic-3 measured 188 ms to first audio. That is very fast for any provider.
A language list worth checking.
Compare Cartesia's current list with yours. 60db speech covers 30 languages today.
More credits per dollar on big plans.
Startup gives 25,500 credits per dollar and Scale about 26,800. Our plans give about 18,000 to 20,000.
A bigger free tier for speech.
20,000 credits is more than our 3,000 a month for a one-off listen test.
A packaged agents product, Line, with its own per-minute pricing.
Where 60db is ahead
This is where 60db tends to win, especially when your product also listens.
Cheaper transcription
Garuda uses 25 credits a minute. Cartesia's Ink uses 1 credit a second, which is 60 a minute. At plan rates that is about 1.7 to 2.2 times the cost per minute on our calculation. For an agent that listens as much as it talks, that gap adds up.
Unlimited requests on Pro
60db Pro has no fixed cap on speech or transcription requests at once. Cartesia's Scale plan lists 15 speech requests at once.
Voice cloning on every plan
Instant Voice Cloning is included on all 60db plans, even Free. Give your agent its own voice from the first day.
Commercial use from Free
Every 60db plan carries a commercial licence, so a prototype can go in front of real users without a plan change.
One key for the whole agent
Garuda listens, Vyas thinks, Smriti remembers and Kaak speaks. One key, one balance, one bill.
Fast enough for live calls
In our June 2026 test of 330 prompts, Kaak had a median of 197 ms to first audio and a p95 of 300 ms. That is a different test from Coval's, so compare both on your own network.
Unlimited team members
Your whole team can join on any plan, including Free.
A hosted MCP server
AI assistants can use 60db through mcp.60db.ai with OAuth 2.1 sign-in, with no glue code.
What each dollar buys on the monthly plans
Credits per dollar on each monthly plan. Higher is better for speech. Remember that transcription uses credits at very different rates on each.
| Plan | Price | Credits | Credits per dollar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60db Starter | $6 | 120,000 | 20,000 |
| Cartesia Pro | $5 | 100,000 | 20,000 |
| 60db Creator | $22 | 400,000 | about 18,200 |
| Cartesia Startup | $49 | 1,250,000 | 25,500 |
| 60db Pro | $99 | 2,000,000 | about 20,200 |
| Cartesia Scale | $299 | 8,000,000 | about 26,800 |
- 60db Starter
- Price$6
- Credits120,000
- Credits per dollar20,000
- Cartesia Pro
- Price$5
- Credits100,000
- Credits per dollar20,000
- 60db Creator
- Price$22
- Credits400,000
- Credits per dollarabout 18,200
- Cartesia Startup
- Price$49
- Credits1,250,000
- Credits per dollar25,500
- 60db Pro
- Price$99
- Credits2,000,000
- Credits per dollarabout 20,200
- Cartesia Scale
- Price$299
- Credits8,000,000
- Credits per dollarabout 26,800
Sources: 60db.ai/pricing and cartesia.ai/pricing. 60db also sells pay-as-you-go speech at $0.02 per 1,000 characters, and yearly plans cost 10 times the monthly price.
Credits used for an hour of listening
An agent hears the caller for most of the call. Here is what listening costs on each at plan rates, in dollars.
| Audio | 60db (Creator rate) | Cartesia Ink (Startup rate) | Cartesia Ink (Pro rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | about $0.0014 | about $0.0024 | about $0.0030 |
| 1 hour | about $0.08 | about $0.14 | about $0.18 |
| 100 hours | about $8 | about $14 | about $18 |
- 1 minute
- 60db (Creator rate)about $0.0014
- Cartesia Ink (Startup rate)about $0.0024
- Cartesia Ink (Pro rate)about $0.0030
- 1 hour
- 60db (Creator rate)about $0.08
- Cartesia Ink (Startup rate)about $0.14
- Cartesia Ink (Pro rate)about $0.18
- 100 hours
- 60db (Creator rate)about $8
- Cartesia Ink (Startup rate)about $14
- Cartesia Ink (Pro rate)about $18
60db: 25 credits a minute on Garuda. Cartesia: Ink at 1 credit a second, from its pricing page. The dollar figures are our calculation: each plan's price divided by its credits, times the credits used per minute.
How to compare speed fairly
Speed numbers are easy to quote and hard to compare. Coval measured Cartesia Sonic-3 at 188 ms in May 2026. Our own June 2026 test measured Kaak at a 197 ms median over 330 prompts. Those were different tests, so the 9 ms gap tells you very little.
What matters is time to first audio from the cloud region where your app runs, at your busiest hour, with your real sentence lengths. Run 200 requests to each from that region and look at the median and the p95. The p95 is the number your unluckiest callers feel.
Below about 300 ms, most callers cannot tell two systems apart. Above that, pauses start to feel awkward. Both providers are under that line in the tests we have seen.
How to move speech from Cartesia to 60db
Move one voice or one flow at a time, and keep Cartesia running until you are sure.
Pick one flow
Start with something low risk, such as voicemail greetings or a support FAQ, not your busiest agent.
Find a matching voice
Browse 60db's 500+ voices, or clone your current voice with Instant Voice Cloning if you hold the rights.
Create a key
Sign up and create an API key. The Free plan is enough to start.
Run both side by side
Send the same text to both for a week. Save the audio and the time to first audio.
Compare blind
Play pairs of clips to people who do not know which is which, and count preferences.
Move traffic in steps
Send 10%, then 50%, then all. Keep a switch so you can roll back in minutes.
What comes with every 60db account
Kaak text to speech
500+ voices in 30 languages, 48 kHz audio and emotion tags such as [calm] and [laugh].
Garuda speech to text
40+ languages, streamed live or from files, at 25 credits a minute.
Vyas chat
The thinking part of an agent, billed from the same credits.
Smriti memory
Remember what a caller said last time, so the next call starts with context.
Voice cloning
Instant Voice Cloning on every plan. Clone only voices you have rights to.
Uptime
Paid plans carry a 99.9% uptime SLA.
A one-week test plan
Run this on both and you will know which fits.
Day 1: pick 50 real lines your product says, including names, numbers and long sentences.
Day 2: choose the closest voice on each platform, or clone the same voice on both if you hold the rights.
Day 3: generate all 50 lines on both.
Save files and timing.
Day 4: play unlabelled pairs to three people and count which they prefer.
Day 5: record 30 minutes of real calls and transcribe them on 60db Garuda and Cartesia Ink.
Count the errors that matter.
Day 6: measure time to first audio from your own region at your busy hour.
Day 7: add up the monthly cost for both speaking and listening, and decide.
Mistakes teams make when comparing the two
Pricing only the speech
An agent listens too. On the plans we priced, Cartesia's Ink costs about 1.7 to 2.2 times more per minute than Garuda on our calculation, so add transcription to the sum.
Comparing different speed tests
188 ms and 197 ms came from different tests. Measure both yourself.
Ignoring concurrency
Check how many requests each plan allows at once against your busiest hour.
Forgetting overage
Know what each plan charges when you run out of credits.
Testing one voice only
Try three or four voices on each. A voice that suits your brand matters more than a few milliseconds.
Skipping the licence check
Make sure the plan you test on allows commercial use. On 60db, every plan does.
Running Cartesia and 60db together
Some teams keep Cartesia for speech in languages we do not cover yet, and use 60db for transcription, cloning and memory. Others use 60db for speech and keep Cartesia as a backup voice. Mixing is normal.
Put a small layer in your code that hides which provider is speaking or listening. Then moving traffic later is a config change, not a rewrite.
Which one fits your use case
A live phone agent that listens a lot: transcription cost adds up fast, so 60db's 25 credits a minute is a strong reason to test us.
A speech-only product in many languages: Cartesia's language list may cover markets we do not yet. Check it against yours.
A Hindi and English agent: test both. check Cartesia's docs for Hinglish, and Garuda's Hindi transcription had a 12.95% word error rate on 9,997 clips.
A small team building a prototype: 60db's Free plan includes commercial use, cloning and unlimited seats, which removes three reasons to upgrade early.
A worked example for one month
Say your product speaks 300,000 characters a month and listens to 200 hours of calls. Price each side at the rate its plan works out to, then add the two up. This page assumes one credit is one character on both platforms. Check each company's docs for your model before you rely on that.
Speaking on 60db: 300,000 credits at Creator's rate of about 18,200 per dollar comes to about $16.50.
Speaking on Cartesia: 300,000 credits at Startup's rate of about 25,500 per dollar comes to about $12.
Listening on 60db: 200 hours is 12,000 minutes at 25 credits, or 300,000 credits. At Creator's rate that comes to about $16.50.
Listening on Cartesia Ink: 200 hours is 720,000 credits at 1 credit a second. At Startup's rate that comes to about $28.
So the rough total is about $33 on 60db and about $40 on Cartesia. Cartesia is cheaper for speaking and 60db is cheaper for listening. If your product speaks much more than it listens, Cartesia's lead grows. Your real bill will differ once plan limits and top-ups are added, so run your own numbers before you decide.
Limits and overage matter as much as the price
Price per credit is only part of the story. A plan that caps requests at once can force your calls to queue at peak hours. Check the limit against your busiest hour, not your average hour.
Overage matters too. Check what Cartesia charges when you pass your credits. On 60db you can top up at your plan's rate, so a busy month does not force a plan change. Either way, check your usage every week during the first month, so a surprise bill does not reach you first.
What we have not measured yet
A fair comparison says what it did not test. These are the gaps in this page.
Hinglish speech quality on our voices.
We have a Hindi transcription number, but not a full Hinglish speech test.
A side-by-side count of Cartesia's voice library against ours.
We have not checked it voice by voice.
Calls longer than an hour, at peak load, on each platform's request limits.
Enterprise terms on either side, such as data processing agreements and support levels.
Ask each sales team directly.
12 questions
60db vs Cartesia: common questions
Plain answers, including where Cartesia comes out ahead.
Coval measured Cartesia Sonic-3 at 188 ms to first audio in May 2026. Our own test measured Kaak at a 197 ms median. Those were different tests, so measure both from your own servers before deciding.
Hear it on your own script
3,000 free credits a month, a commercial licence, voice cloning and cheap transcription on one key.