Cartesia vs Deepgram Voice Agent API
Pricing last verified from each vendor's own site.
Verdict
Cartesia sells credit plans (Free, Pro $5/mo, Startup $49/mo, Scale $299/mo) and bills voice agent calls at $0.03/min plus $0.014/min telephony, with LLM usage billed separately. Deepgram's Voice Agent API is $0.075/min Standard pay as you go ($0.050 bringing your own LLM and TTS), with $200 free credit.
- Consider Cartesia if: You want Cartesia's Sonic voices and a low plan entry price.
- Consider Deepgram Voice Agent API if: You want Deepgram's speech recognition and a larger free credit.
Factual summary
- Both are listed under Voice AI & Dialers, AI Agent Builders.
- Directly comparable starting prices are not available for both: Cartesia — Free $0 (20K credits/mo, $1 of prepaid agent usage); Pro $5/mo (100K credits); Startup $49/mo (1.25M credits); Scale $299/mo (8M credits); Enterprise custom; voice agent calls $0.03/min plus $0.014/min telephony with a Cartesia-provided number; LLM usage during calls billed separately; Deepgram Voice Agent API — Voice Agent API, pay as you go: Standard $0.075/min ($0.068 on Growth), Standard with your own TTS $0.065/min ($0.051), your own LLM $0.059/min, your own LLM and TTS $0.050/min ($0.041), Advanced $0.163/min ($0.146); $200 free credit; Growth plans from $4K/year; Enterprise via sales.
This is a factual comparison drawn from vendor sites, not a recommendation. Which fits depends on your channels, volume and budget.
| Cartesia | Deepgram Voice Agent API | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Low-latency text-to-speech (Sonic) and speech-to-text models plus a platform for building voice agents. | Speech-to-text, text-to-speech and an all-in-one Voice Agent API for building AI phone agents. |
| Starting price | From $5/mo | See vendor |
| Pricing details | Free $0 (20K credits/mo, $1 of prepaid agent usage); Pro $5/mo (100K credits); Startup $49/mo (1.25M credits); Scale $299/mo (8M credits); Enterprise custom; voice agent calls $0.03/min plus $0.014/min telephony with a Cartesia-provided number; LLM usage during calls billed separately | Voice Agent API, pay as you go: Standard $0.075/min ($0.068 on Growth), Standard with your own TTS $0.065/min ($0.051), your own LLM $0.059/min, your own LLM and TTS $0.050/min ($0.041), Advanced $0.163/min ($0.146); $200 free credit; Growth plans from $4K/year; Enterprise via sales |
| Model | freemium | usage |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Channels | phone | phone |
| Last verified | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-30 |
FAQ
What is the difference between Cartesia and Deepgram Voice Agent API?
Cartesia sells credit plans (Free, Pro $5/mo, Startup $49/mo, Scale $299/mo) and bills voice agent calls at $0.03/min plus $0.014/min telephony, with LLM usage billed separately. Deepgram's Voice Agent API is $0.075/min Standard pay as you go ($0.050 bringing your own LLM and TTS), with $200 free credit.
Which is cheaper, Cartesia or Deepgram Voice Agent API?
We can't compare entry prices directly. Cartesia: Free $0 (20K credits/mo, $1 of prepaid agent usage); Pro $5/mo (100K credits); Startup $49/mo (1.25M credits); Scale $299/mo (8M credits); Enterprise custom; voice agent calls $0.03/min plus $0.014/min telephony with a Cartesia-provided number; LLM usage during calls billed separately. Deepgram Voice Agent API: Voice Agent API, pay as you go: Standard $0.075/min ($0.068 on Growth), Standard with your own TTS $0.065/min ($0.051), your own LLM $0.059/min, your own LLM and TTS $0.050/min ($0.041), Advanced $0.163/min ($0.146); $200 free credit; Growth plans from $4K/year; Enterprise via sales.
When should I choose Cartesia over Deepgram Voice Agent API?
Consider Cartesia if: You want Cartesia's Sonic voices and a low plan entry price. Consider Deepgram Voice Agent API if: You want Deepgram's speech recognition and a larger free credit.
More options
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