Is gTTS Free in Python? A Complete Guide (2025)

If you're learning Python text-to-speech (TTS), you've probably seen examples using gTTS.

But many developers still wonder — “Is gTTS actually free?” 🤔

Let’s explore how it works, what’s allowed, and when you should switch to another tool.

🧠 What Is gTTS?

gTTS (Google Text-to-Speech) is a lightweight Python library that sends your text to Google’s unofficial speech synthesis endpoint and returns an MP3 audio file.

It’s very simple to use:

from gtts import gTTS

tts = gTTS("Hello, this is an example from gTTS!", lang="en")

tts.save("output.mp3")

➡️ You get a ready-to-play MP3 voice file in seconds — no complex setup or API key required.

💸 Is gTTS Really Free?

Yes — gTTS is free to use, because it relies on the same service that powers Google Translate's “Listen” feature.

However, there are important limitations you should know:

✅ For personal, educational, or small hobby projects — gTTS is fine.

❌ For production, commercial, or large-scale apps — you should switch to an official API.

⚙️ Example: Using gTTS in a Python Project

Here’s a minimal example:

from gtts import gTTS

import os

text = "Python is awesome with Google Text-to-Speech!"

language = "en"

tts = gTTS(text=text, lang=language, slow=False)

tts.save("python_tts.mp3")

os.system("start python_tts.mp3")

🎧 This will instantly generate an English MP3 file using Google’s voice.

🧩 gTTS vs Official Google Cloud Text-to-Speech

🔊 Best Free Alternatives to gTTS

If you want better voice quality, but still want a free option:

TTS For Free — Free online AI voice generator using multiple providers.
Edge-TTS (Microsoft)
Coqui TTS — Open-source deep learning voice model.
ElevenLabs API — Free plan with realistic voices (needs API key).

👉 Each option provides higher-quality output and better long-term reliability.

📘 Summary

✨ Final Thoughts

gTTS is perfect for quick prototypes, fun projects, or learning Python audio processing. Maybe they quota 100.000 charactors per hour.

But if you want better voice quality or guaranteed uptime, you should explore modern TTS APIs or free online tools like TTSForFree.com.

💡 Tip: You can even combine gTTS for local testing + TTSForFree API for production — best of both worlds!

Is gTTS Free in Python? A Complete Guide (2025)