HeyGen Voice vs HeyGen Voice Turbo
HeyGen launched HeyGen Voice on 9 October 2026; fal hosts it beside the cheaper Turbo tier, which HeyGen's own API also offers. Both read the same four scripts on fal on 22 October with the Cecily voice at default expressiveness.
Anvisha Pai, Co-founder & CEO, Voyager
Which to use
Turbo is the bargain on paper: $0.004 per thousand characters against $0.03 on fal, read on 22 October 2026, and our four scripts cost $0.0039 against $0.0292. Our measurements barely tell them apart. Two readings came back the same length to the hundredth, the other two within three quarters of a second, and Turbo was not quicker in any way that matters for a finished file: both took about 23 seconds for the first request of the run and four to seven for the rest. We have not judged either voice by ear; press play on each pair below. The standard tier is the one HeyGen's leaderboard claim is about; try Turbo first and move up only if you can hear the difference.
Side by side, measured
| HeyGen Voice | HeyGen Voice Turbo | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | HeyGen | HeyGen |
| Released | 2026-10-09 | Date not verified |
| Price | $0.03 per 1,000 characters via fal | $0.004 per 1,000 characters via fal |
| Seconds to return | 5 to 23 | 4 to 23 |
| 4 readings cost | $0.029 | $0.004 |
| Voices | 24 named library voices on fal, Jonah by default; we used Cecily, fal's playground pick | The same 24 library voices as HeyGen Voice; we used Cecily, as on the standard tier |
Seconds and cost are from our own runs of the same 4 scripts through each model.
The same 4 scripts, HeyGen Voice against HeyGen Voice Turbo
One try each, nothing re-rolled or retouched, generated by us. HeyGen Voice is on the left, HeyGen Voice Turbo on the right.
Ad read
Both 13.67 seconds long, from different files; both took about 23 seconds to return as the first request of the run.
›What we asked for
Meet the Ember mug. It keeps your coffee at exactly the temperature you choose, for up to ninety minutes, and it tells your phone when it's ready. Warm from the first sip to the last. Ember. Coffee, on your terms.
Explainer paragraph
23.0 seconds from the standard tier, 23.7 from Turbo.
›What we asked for
A pour-over works in four steps. First, rinse the paper filter with hot water so it doesn't taste of paper. Second, add the grounds and pour just enough water to wet them, then wait thirty seconds while they bloom. Third, pour the rest of the water in slow circles. Fourth, wait about three minutes for it to drip through. That's it: a cup that tastes like the coffee, not the machine.
Emotional line
Both 11.60 seconds long.
›What we asked for
We did it! We actually did it! I can't believe it's finally over. Okay. Okay, deep breath. Let's not tell anyone until Monday, alright? Just... let me have this one quiet night.
Names, dates and prices
20.6 and 20.5 seconds, the two shortest readings of this script on the site.
›What we asked for
Your order ships on the 24th of September 2026 and arrives by 9:15 a.m. The total is $1,249.99, including VAT. Questions? Ask for Siobhan Nguyen or Ravi Parikh on 0800 555 0199, or email help@moda.app.
Additional workflow tests
Separate from the common benchmark above: tests of a specific workflow or control, such as a longer shot, a chain of edits or cloning a voice. One attempt per test, including failures. Costs are estimates from published rates.
Clone a narrator from 11 seconds
HeyGen Voice
Input audio
Janet, LibriVox volunteer reader: "The Lion and the Mouse" from The Aesop for Children (section 5, 0:35.6 to 0:46.6), public domain (librivox.org/the-aesop-for-children-by-aesop/; archive.org/details/aesopforchildren_1308_librivox). The reference says: "A timid little mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the lion's nose."
›What we asked for
The little mouse kept her promise. When the lion was caught in the hunter's net, she gnawed through the ropes until he was free.
heygen/heygen-voice
returned 7.6 seconds of wav
Generated . Cost basis: fal's HeyGen Voice promotional rate of $0.015 per 1,000 characters, half the regular $0.03, until 31 October 2026 (fal model page and pricing API for heygen/heygen-voice, read 2026-10-29; the same rate with or without a reference recording) for the 128 characters sent; fal does not return the charge. Original output.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is HeyGen Voice Turbo?
Under a seventh of the price on fal: $0.004 against $0.03 per thousand characters, read on 22 October 2026.
Is Turbo faster?
Not on our runs through fal: after a 23-second first request on both, the standard tier returned in five to seven seconds and Turbo in four to six.
Voyager
Run supported models inside Voyager
Voyager is an agent for creative work that runs supported models. Brief it, and it picks the model for the job, makes the thing and hands back something you can edit. Create an account to get started.