Softwr

AI · head to head

Cartesia vs Grain

Cartesia logo

Cartesia

AI

Real-time voice AI platform for speech generation, transcription, and voice agents

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grain logo

Grain

Remote Work

AI meeting highlights and clips

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cartesia instant and professional voice cloning are gated behind paid Pro and Startup tiers, unavailable on the free plan.; Grain no concurrent recording - only one meeting per account at a time
  • They diverge on capability: Cartesia covers Sonic text-to-speech, Grain covers Auto-recording.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cartesia and Grain actually diverge.

Attributes where Cartesia and Grain differ
AttributeCartesiaGrain
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Platformsweb, apiWeb, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture
CategoryAIRemote Work
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cartesia

  • Sonic text-to-speech
  • Ink speech-to-text
  • Line voice agent platform
  • Instant and professional voice cloning
  • Flexible deployment
  • Telephony integration

Only in Grain

  • Auto-recording
  • AI highlights
  • Video clips
  • Transcription
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • Notion
  • Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cartesia

  • Building low-latency voice agents for customer supportnot Grain
  • Real-time transcription for conversational applicationsnot Grain
  • Voice cloning for branded synthetic voicesnot Grain
  • On-device or on-premise voice AI for regulated industriesnot Grain

Grain

  • ai tools managementnot Cartesia
  • Workflow automationnot Cartesia
  • Reportingnot Cartesia

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cartesia

  • Instant and professional voice cloning are gated behind paid Pro and Startup tiers, unavailable on the free plan.
  • Voice agent calls carry a separate per-minute usage fee ($0.06/minute) on top of subscription credits.
  • Enterprise features like SSO and BAAs require a custom sales conversation rather than self-serve upgrade.
  • Free tier concurrency limits (2 TTS, 8 STT concurrent requests) may be restrictive for testing production-like load.

Grain

  • No concurrent recording - only one meeting per account at a time
  • No automatic slide capture for presentations
  • Limited video demo context - audio-focused with poor video file support
  • Cannot record in-person meetings
  • No native mobile app
  • Limited admin controls for company-wide automatic recording
  • Free plan limited to 20 recordings if using personal email
  • No automatic file uploads on free tier
  • Lacks advanced sales analytics features of enterprise competitors
  • Limited CRM integration compared to higher-end platforms

Pricing, plan by plan

Cartesia

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 20,000 credits/month
    • TTS and STT included
    • 2 concurrent TTS requests, 8 concurrent STT requests
  • Pro$4/month
    • 100,000 credits/month
    • Commercial use license
    • Instant voice cloning
  • Startup$39/month
    • 1.25M credits/month
    • Professional voice cloning
    • Organizations support
  • Scale$239/month
    • 8M credits/month
    • Priority support
    • High concurrency limits

Grain

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • Unlimited meetings up to 45 minutes each
    • AI transcription and notes
    • 90-day history
  • Starter$15/month
    • Unlimited meeting length
    • Unlimited AI highlights
    • Video clip creation
  • Business$33/month
    • All Starter features
    • Advanced team coaching
    • Deeper analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Cartesia if

  • You need sonic text-to-speech.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want ink speech-to-text.
Cartesia review

Choose Grain if

  • You need auto-recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture.
  • You also want ai highlights.
Grain review

Questions people ask

Is Cartesia or Grain better?
Neither clearly leads. Cartesia starts at Free and Grain at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cartesia or Grain?
Cartesia starts at Free and Grain at Free.
Does Cartesia or Grain run on more platforms?
Cartesia runs on web, api. Grain runs on Web, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture.
Can I use Cartesia for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cartesia best used for?
Cartesia is most often used for building low-latency voice agents for customer support, real-time transcription for conversational applications, voice cloning for branded synthetic voices, on-device or on-premise voice ai for regulated industries. Of those, building low-latency voice agents for customer support and real-time transcription for conversational applications are not what Grain is typically brought in for.
What can Cartesia do that Grain cannot?
Cartesia covers Sonic text-to-speech, Ink speech-to-text, Line voice agent platform, Instant and professional voice cloning. Grain covers Auto-recording, AI highlights, Video clips, Transcription.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cartesia: What does Cartesia cost?

Cartesia offers a free plan, Pro at $4/month, Startup at $39/month, Scale at $239/month, and custom Enterprise pricing, each including a monthly credit allotment, with annual billing saving 20%.

Source
Grain: Is Grain free?

Grain offers a Free Forever plan with unlimited meetings up to 45 minutes each and 90-day history. Paid plans start at $15/month per user for unlimited meeting length and advanced AI features.

Source
Cartesia: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

The Free plan includes 20,000 credits per month, both TTS (Sonic) and STT (Ink), 2 concurrent TTS requests, 8 concurrent STT requests, and 1 voice agent slot.

Source
Grain: Does Grain require a bot in meetings?

No. Grain uses bot-less transcription to capture meeting audio without requiring a bot participant, though video recording requires bot participation if you want recording visible.

Source
Cartesia: How is usage metered?

Usage draws down a monthly credit allotment, with voice agent calls additionally billed at $0.06/minute and telephony via Cartesia phone numbers at $0.014/minute.

Source
Grain: What platforms does Grain work with?

Grain integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and supports desktop audio capture. It exports to Claude, ChatGPT, Slack, and CRM platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce.

Source
Grain: Can Grain record multiple meetings at once?

No. Grain does not support concurrent meeting recordings, meaning only one meeting per account can be recorded at a time.

Source
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