TTS API comparison 2026
Gradium TTS vs Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast Gradium vs Alibaba (Qwen) · text-to-speech for voice agents
Gradium TTS is in the Headroom speed tier (P95 at or under 101 ms); Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast is in the Headroom speed tier (P95 at or under 101 ms). Below, each measure side by side with its source; a model leads on a measure only beyond the tie rule. No combined score, no overall winner.
Data read October 22, 2026 · Coval, Speko, Artificial Analysis
Side by side
| Measure | Gradium TTS | Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Speed tierCoval P95, 30 days | Headroom | Headroom |
| Median time to first audioCoval, 30-day window | 55 mstie | 64 mstie |
| P95 time to first audio (slow turns)Coval, 30-day window | 101 mstie | 97 mstie |
| Time to first audio, board chartSpeko, US East | 55 ms | 37 ms |
| Naturalness EloSpeko | 1,592 | 1,536 |
| Listener Elo (95% interval)Artificial Analysis | 1,176 ±13 | not rated |
| Numbers and dates (0 to 1)Speko | 0.27 | 0.3 |
| List price per 1M charactersCoval, Speko, Artificial Analysis | $35.9 to $57.8 | $10 |
In bold: the model ahead on that measure. “tie”: latencies within 10 ms, or Elo scores whose 95% intervals overlap.
Where Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast is ahead
- →Time to first audio, board chart: 37 ms vs 55 ms (Speko, US East)
- →Numbers and dates (0 to 1): 0.3 vs 0.27 (Speko)
- →List price per 1M characters: $10 vs $35.9 to $57.8 (Coval, Speko, Artificial Analysis)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Gradium TTS and Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast?
- Gradium TTS (Gradium) is in the Headroom speed tier (P95 at or under 101 ms); Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast (Alibaba (Qwen)) is in the Headroom speed tier (P95 at or under 101 ms). Gradium TTS leads on naturalness Elo; Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast leads on time to first audio, board chart, numbers and dates (0 to 1) and list price per 1M characters. They are a tie on median time to first audio and P95 time to first audio (slow turns). No combined score is computed.
- Which is faster for real-time voice agents, Gradium TTS or Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast?
- On Coval's 30-day window read on October 22, 2026, the median time to first audio is 55 ms for Gradium TTS and 64 ms for Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast (a tie); the P95, the slow turn, is 101 ms and 97 ms (a tie). Gaps under 10 ms are ties.
- Which sounds more natural, Gradium TTS or Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast?
- Speko naturalness: 1,592 for Gradium TTS, 1,536 for Alibaba Qwen3 TTS Fast. Artificial Analysis listener Elo: 1,176 ±13 and not rated. The two sources use different listeners and can disagree.
- How are these two text-to-speech APIs compared?
- Speed first, on Coval's median and P95 time to first audio; then voice quality (Speko, Artificial Analysis), accuracy on numbers and dates (Speko) and list price. Latencies within 10 ms and Elo scores whose intervals overlap are ties. Scores from different benchmarks are never added into one number.
- Can these numbers be checked?
- Yes. Each model page lists every measurement with its source and the date of the reading, and links to the benchmark page it comes from. The rules are on the methodology page.