Fish Audio S vs Retell AI
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings
At a glance
| Dimension | Fish Audio S | Retell AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tier + paid plans | Free tier + paid plans (transparent self-serve unclear) |
| Primary Use Case | Expressive TTS & voice cloning | Phone call automation with AI voice agents |
| Latency | Real-time (not sub-100ms) | ~600ms |
| Voice Control | Emotion & effect tags, fine-grained word control | Natural conversational AI (no fine emotion tags) |
| Integrations | Not specified | Twilio, Vonage, HubSpot, Zapier, Salesforce, etc. |
| Latest News | S2.1 Pro free TTS API, voice cloning, AI voice design | No recent news |
If you need expressive, emotionally controllable TTS and voice cloning on a budget, Fish Audio S is the clear winner—especially with its new free API and studio-quality cloning. For automating phone calls at scale with low latency and rich integrations, Retell AI is purpose-built. Choose based on your core task: voice generation vs. call automation.
What real users say: Fish Audio S vs Retell AI
Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.
Fish Audio S
15 mentions across 1 sources · 0% positive — critical
Lemmy
What users praise
- • Real-time TTS with emotion control via simple tags.
- • Voice cloning from just 10 seconds of audio.
- • Multilingual support including Japanese, French, Arabic.
- • Large voice library with 2,000,000+ voices.
What frustrates them
- • No community feedback to validate quality or reliability.
- • S1 model superseded quickly, raising upgrade concerns.
- • Paid plans may be costly for heavy commercial use.
- • Emotion control might sound unnatural in practice.
Researched Jul 3, 2026
Retell AI
36 mentions across 3 sources · 75% positive
Hacker News, Product Hunt, Lemmy
What users praise
- • Sub-second (~600ms) latency delivered as promised.
- • Handles interruptions naturally — a missing feature in competitors.
- • Sounded most natural among voice AI products tested by reviewer.
- • Handles different accents and background noise effectively.
What frustrates them
- • Lack of long-term user reviews; feedback is launch-day heavy.
- • No community discussion on pricing pain points yet.
- • Proprietary platform; no self-hosted option for full control.
- • No critical voices in data; hidden issues unknown.
Researched Aug 18, 2026
Who should pick which
- Solo content creatorPick: Fish Audio S
Free TTS API and studio-quality voice cloning enable expressive voiceovers without upfront costs.
- Audiobook producerPick: Fish Audio S
Meets ACX/Audible specs and offers fine-grained emotion control for chapter-level narration.
- Enterprise support teamPick: Retell AI
Automates high-volume inbound calls with low latency, IVR, and CRM integrations.
- Game developerPick: Fish Audio S
Can design and clone character voices with dynamic emotions using tags.
- Sales team for outbound callsPick: Retell AI
Batch dialing and real-time function calling streamline lead qualification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fish Audio S vs Retell AI: which should you choose?
If you need expressive, emotionally controllable TTS and voice cloning on a budget, Fish Audio S is the clear winner—especially with its new free API and studio-quality cloning. For automating phone calls at scale with low latency and rich integrations, Retell AI is purpose-built. Choose based on your core task: voice generation vs. call automation.
Is Fish Audio S free to use?
Yes, it offers a free tier with the new S2.1 Pro free TTS API for developers.
Does Retell AI support voice cloning?
No, Retell AI focuses on phone call automation, not TTS or voice cloning.
Which tool has lower latency?
Retell AI targets ~600ms; Fish Audio S offers real-time TTS but not sub-100ms.
Can I control emotions in Retell AI?
Retell AI provides natural conversational AI but lacks fine-grained emotion tags like Fish Audio S.
What integrations does Fish Audio S offer?
Integrations are not specified in the data; focus is on API usage.
Does Retell AI offer a free plan?
Yes, it has a freemium model, but paid plan details are not transparent.
Can Fish Audio S be used for phone calls?
It can provide voice for conversational chatbots but is not designed for phone call automation like Retell AI.
Which tool is better for audiobooks?
Fish Audio S, as it meets ACX/Audible specs and offers fine-grained control.
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Last reviewed: July 3, 2026