TTS API comparison 2026
Gradium TTS Beta vs Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast Gradium vs Alibaba (Qwen) · text-to-speech for voice agents
Gradium TTS Beta ranks 1st of 112 with 76.8/100; Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast ranks 2nd with 73.7/100: a gap of 3.1 points on the same public rules, built on Coval, Speko and Artificial Analysis.
Data checked on September 30, 2026 · Coval 30-day window ending October 1, 2026 · updated after each benchmark capture
Side-by-side benchmark
| Measure | Gradium TTS Beta | Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 76.8/100 | 73.7/100 |
| Rank | 1st of 112 | 2nd of 112 |
| Real-time speed /60 | 58.7 | 57.7 |
| Voice quality /20 | 7.8 | 5.3 |
| Accuracy /15 | 9.8 | 8.4 |
| Price /5 | 0.5 | 2.3 |
| P50 / median time-to-first-audio Coval, 30-day window | 47.2 ms | 64.6 ms |
| P99 time-to-first-audio (slowest turns) Coval, 30-day window | 108.8 ms | 125.3 ms |
| Latency consistency (standard deviation) Coval, 30-day window | 16.6 ms | 14.6 ms |
| P50 time-to-first-audio, US East Speko | 100 ms | 64 ms |
| Accuracy: word error rate (WER) Coval, 30-day window | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Pronunciation robustness (0 to 1) Speko | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Speech Arena Elo (blind listener preference) Artificial Analysis | not measured | not measured |
| Naturalness (Elo) Speko | 1579 | 1536 |
| Price per 1M characters Artificial Analysis | not measured | not measured |
Choose Gradium TTS Beta if…
- → Ranks 1st of 112 in the overall benchmark, against 2nd for Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast
- → Better P50 / median time-to-first-audio: 47.2 ms vs 64.6 ms (Coval, 30-day window)
- → Better P99 time-to-first-audio (slowest turns): 108.8 ms vs 125.3 ms (Coval, 30-day window)
- → Better naturalness (Elo): 1579 vs 1536 (Speko)
Choose Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast if…
- → Better latency consistency (standard deviation): 14.6 ms vs 16.6 ms (Coval, 30-day window)
- → Better P50 time-to-first-audio, US East: 64 ms vs 100 ms (Speko)
- → Better accuracy: word error rate (WER): 3.7% vs 4.5% (Coval, 30-day window)
- → Better pronunciation robustness (0 to 1): 0.3 vs 0.3 (Speko)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Gradium TTS Beta and Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast?
- In the 2026 TTS API benchmark, Gradium TTS Beta ranks 1st of 112 with 76.8/100 and Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast ranks 2nd with 73.7/100, a gap of 3.1 points on the same rules.
- Which is faster for real-time voice agents, Gradium TTS Beta or Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast?
- On Coval's 30-day window ending October 1, 2026, the P50 time-to-first-audio is 47.2 ms for Gradium TTS Beta and 64.6 ms for Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast; the P99 is 108.8 ms and 125.3 ms.
- On which criteria does Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast beat Gradium TTS Beta?
- Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast scores higher on Price (2.3 vs 0.5 out of 5).
- How are these two text-to-speech APIs scored?
- Both are scored by the same public rules: 4 criteria, 100 points (Real-time speed 60, Voice quality 20, Accuracy 15, Price 5), computed from three independent benchmarks: Coval, Speko and Artificial Analysis. A measurement a benchmark does not publish counts zero, and the model page says why.
- Can these numbers be checked?
- Yes. Each model page lists every measurement with its source and date, and links to the benchmark page it comes from. The rules are on the methodology page.