Pricing comparison · Checked October 21, 2026
AI Audio Enhancer Pricing: Cost per Hour for 6 Tools
Diffio costs $1.60 an hour at 5 hours a month, the lowest paid price of the six tools.
Our verdict
Diffio is the pick for restoring damaged recorded speech (in our 59-clip test, Diffio 4.6 Pro raised the SCOREQ speech quality score by 2.31 on average), and its Basic plan covers 6 hours of audio or video a month for $8, about $1.60 an hour at 5 hours. If your files are short, audio-only and fit in an hour a day, Adobe Podcast's free Enhance Speech costs nothing. For an occasional hour, Cleanvoice or Auphonic's one-time credits cost less, and Descript is worth its price when you also edit by transcript.
Cost per hour at 5 hours a month, cheapest first
Diffio
$1.60/h
$8 a month on Basic
API from $5 an hour, no monthly fee
Free tier: 3 uploads in total (not monthly), audio or video, with a 2-minute preview of each result and no downloads
Diffio plans →Cleanvoice
$2.20/h
$11 a month on Subscription 10 hours
Free tier: 30-minute free trial, no credit card
Cleanvoice details →Auphonic
$2.40/h
$12 a month (One-time 5 hours pack)
Free tier: 2 processed hours a month, with an Auphonic jingle added; multitrack under 20 minutes
Auphonic details →Adobe Podcast
$4/h
$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium)
Free tier covers 5 hours: Audio only, one file at a time, up to 30 minutes and 500 MB per file, 1 hour a day
Adobe Podcast details →Descript
$4.80/h
$24 a month on Hobbyist
Free tier: 60 media minutes a month, 100 AI credits once, limited Studio Sound, watermarked 720p exports
Descript details →ElevenLabs
$19.80/h
$99 a month on Pro
Free tier: 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes of Voice Isolator); no commercial license
ElevenLabs details →
Each card shows the cheapest published paid plan that covers 5 hours of enhanced audio a month. Free tiers are flagged on their card and never counted as $0.
Cost per hour of enhanced audio
The cheapest published plan that covers each monthly amount, month-to-month billing, in US dollars before tax. At 5 hours a month, Diffio (web app) is the cheapest at $1.60/h (Basic) and ElevenLabs the dearest at $19.80/h (Pro).
At 5 hours a month
Each bar is the cheapest published paid plan for 5 hours of audio a month. Free tiers are not counted: Adobe Podcast's free tier also covers 5 hours a month, so its bar shows the paid plan with a free-tier note.
The table gives every tool at 1, 5 and 20 hours a month. Each cell shows the cost per hour and the plan behind it.
| Tool | 1 hour a month | 5 hours a month | 20 hours a month | Free tier | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diffio (web app) | $8/h$8 a month on Basic | $1.60/h$8 a month on Basic | $1.45/h$29 a month on Pro | 3 uploads in total (not monthly), audio or video, with a 2-minute preview of each result and no downloads | Every plan; restores the speech soundtrack, picture unchanged |
| Diffio (API) | $5/h$5 a month, metered (API, Diffio 4.6 Flash) | $5/h$25 a month, metered (API, Diffio 4.6 Flash) | $5/h$100 a month, metered (API, Diffio 4.6 Flash) | A one-time $5 usage credit, no payment method needed | Supported video files; restores the speech soundtrack |
| Adobe Podcast | $19.99/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium)Free tier covers this | $4/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium)Free tier covers this | $1/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium)Free tier covers this | Audio only, one file at a time, up to 30 minutes and 500 MB per file, 1 hour a day | Premium only (MP4, MOV and more) |
| Descript | $24/h$24 a month on Hobbyist | $4.80/h$24 a month on Hobbyist | $1.75/h$35 a month on Creator | 60 media minutes a month, 100 AI credits once, limited Studio Sound, watermarked 720p exports | Yes, inside a full audio and video editor |
| Auphonic | $2.40/h$2.40 a month (One-time 5 hours pack)Free tier covers this | $2.40/h$12 a month (One-time 5 hours pack) | $1.50/h$30 a month on Recurring M | 2 processed hours a month, with an Auphonic jingle added; multitrack under 20 minutes | Yes, on every plan, including audiograms |
| Cleanvoice | $2.20/h$2.20 a month (Pay as you go 5 hours pack) | $2.20/h$11 a month on Subscription 10 hours | $1.40/h$28 a month on Subscription 30 hours | 30-minute free trial, no credit card | Yes (video podcast editing) |
| ElevenLabs | $22/h$22 a month on Creator | $19.80/h$99 a month on Pro | $14.95/h$299 a month on Scale | 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes of Voice Isolator); no commercial license | Yes (MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM and more) |
How each tool's allowance becomes hours
- Diffio (web app): Monthly allowances cover audio and video together. Prices are month to month.
- Diffio (API): Billed per second of audio with a 60-second minimum per request; no monthly fee.
- Adobe Podcast: Premium comes with Firefly Pro and allows up to 4 hours of enhancement a day.
- Descript: Every uploaded hour uses an hour of media time (10, 30 or 40 hours a month). Studio Sound also uses AI credits, capped at 30 credits per file.
- Auphonic: Recurring credits reset monthly; one-time credits never expire. Each production is charged at least 3 minutes.
- Cleanvoice: Billed per minute of audio, rounded up. Unused subscription hours roll over up to 3x the plan; pay-as-you-go credits last 2 years.
- ElevenLabs: Voice Isolator uses 1,000 credits per minute; credits are shared with every other ElevenLabs feature.
Cost calculator
Enter how many hours of audio you clean up in a typical month.
- Diffio (web app)$8 a month on Basic ($1.60/h)
- Cleanvoice$11 a month on Subscription 10 hours ($2.20/h)
- Auphonic$12 a month (One-time 5 hours pack) ($2.40/h)
- Adobe Podcast$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium) ($4/h) Free tier covers this: Audio only, one file at a time, up to 30 minutes and 500 MB per file, 1 hour a day
- Descript$24 a month on Hobbyist ($4.80/h)
- Diffio (API)$25 a month, metered (API, Diffio 4.6 Flash) ($5/h)
- ElevenLabs$99 a month on Pro ($19.80/h)
Diffio's web plans are month to month. Where we could not confirm a vendor's yearly price (Adobe Firefly Pro and Cleanvoice), its month-to-month price is used.
Cost next to quality: our 59-clip test
Price only matters if the result sounds right. Diffio ran every tool on the same 59 real recordings. At 5 hours of audio a month, Diffio's Basic plan is the cheapest of the tested tools ($1.60/h), and Diffio 4.6 Pro has the largest quality gain (+2.31). Scores are model predictions, not a human listening study.
Quality gain against cost per hour
| Tool | Cost per hour at 5 hours a month | Quality gain (SCOREQ) |
|---|---|---|
| Diffio 4.6 Pro | $1.60/h on Basic | +2.31 |
| Diffio 4.6 Flash | $1.60/h on Basic | +2.26 |
| Adobe Podcast | $4/h on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium) | +1.87 |
| Cleanvoice | $2.20/h on Subscription 10 hours | +1.89 |
| Auphonic | $2.40/h on One-time 5 hours | +0.82 |
| ElevenLabs | $19.80/h on Pro | +0.79 |
| Descript Studio Sound | $4.80/h on Hobbyist | +0.46 |
Cost is each tool's cheapest published plan for 5 hours of audio a month; both Diffio models use the same web plan. Tools nearer the top left give more quality per dollar. The method and every clip: AI speech enhancer test.
Show the numbers, with each tool's cost per hour
| Tool | Quality gain (SCOREQ) | Word error rate | Similarity to the original recording | Cost per hour at 5 hours a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diffio 4.6 Pro | +2.3195% interval 2.15 to 2.47 | 10.5%95% interval 7.8% to 13.7% | 0.58 | $1.60/h on Basic (web); $10/h (API) |
| Diffio 4.6 Flash | +2.2695% interval 2.09 to 2.44 | 10.9%95% interval 7.6% to 15.1% | 0.56 | $1.60/h on Basic (web); $5/h (API) |
| Adobe Podcast | +1.8795% interval 1.74 to 2.00 | 18.2%95% interval 13.6% to 23.3% | 0.60 | $4/h on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium) |
| Cleanvoice | +1.8995% interval 1.73 to 2.05 | 16.4%95% interval 11.8% to 21.3% | 0.58 | $2.20/h on Subscription 10 hours |
| Auphonic | +0.8295% interval 0.65 to 1.00 | 13.3%95% interval 10.0% to 16.8% | 0.84 | $2.40/h on One-time 5 hours |
| ElevenLabs | +0.7995% interval 0.60 to 0.98 | 18.1%95% interval 13.0% to 23.6% | 0.83 | $19.80/h on Pro |
| Descript Studio Sound | +0.4695% interval 0.39 to 0.53 | 22.6%95% interval 16.6% to 28.9% | 0.72 | $4.80/h on Hobbyist |
| Original recording | No processing (average SCOREQ 2.31) | 13.2%95% interval 9.6% to 17.3% | 1.00 | Not applicable |
Averages over 59 clips of real recordings, run October 22, 2026. A higher SCOREQ gain and a lower word error rate are better. Similarity to the original recording is measured against the noisy original, so a tool that changes less scores higher; it is not a measure of voice quality.
Diffio is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe, Descript, Auphonic, ElevenLabs or Cleanvoice. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
How much does Adobe Podcast cost?
- 1 hour a month
- $19.99/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium); the free tier also covers this
- 5 hours a month
- $4/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium); the free tier also covers this
- 20 hours a month
- $1/h$19.99 a month on Firefly Pro (includes Podcast Premium); the free tier also covers this
Enhance Speech is free for audio-only files up to 30 minutes and 500 MB, up to 1 hour a day. Premium comes with Adobe Firefly Pro, listed at $19.99 a month in the US, and allows up to 4 hours a day, 2-hour files and video. Because the free tier resets daily, someone who enhances under an hour a day of short audio files may never need to pay. See Adobe Podcast vs Diffio for limits and a matched-clip comparison.
Descript vs Auphonic: cost and clarity
| Tool | 1 hour a month | 5 hours a month | 20 hours a month | Quality gain (SCOREQ) | Word error rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descript | $24/h | $4.80/h | $1.75/h | +0.46 | 22.6% |
| Auphonic | $2.40/h | $2.40/h | $1.50/h | +0.82 | 13.3% |
For enhancement alone, Auphonic usually costs less per hour, and its one-time credits suit irregular work. Descript costs more but includes a full transcript-based audio and video editor. Compare the table above at your own monthly hours.
On clarity, the two do different jobs. Descript's Studio Sound reduces noise and echo inside its editor, with an intensity slider. Auphonic runs noise and reverb reduction inside a mastering chain with leveling and loudness targets. In our 59-clip test, Auphonic's Speech Isolation raised the SCOREQ speech quality score by 0.82 on average with a 13.3% word error rate, and Descript Studio Sound by 0.46 on average with a 22.6% word error rate. Diffio 4.6 Pro raised it by 2.31 on average with a 10.5% word error rate. More detail: Descript vs Auphonic vs Diffio, Descript pricing and Auphonic vs Diffio.
How much does Auphonic cost?
- 1 hour a month
- $2.40/h$2.40 a month (One-time 5 hours pack); the free tier also covers this
- 5 hours a month
- $2.40/h$12 a month (One-time 5 hours pack)
- 20 hours a month
- $1.50/h$30 a month on Recurring M
Auphonic is free for 2 processed hours a month, with its jingle added. Recurring credits start at $13 a month for 9 hours ($11 a month billed yearly), and one-time credits start at $12 for 5 hours and never expire. Every production is charged at least 3 minutes, and recurring credits do not roll over.
How much does Diffio cost?
- 1 hour a month
- $8/h$8 a month on Basic
- 5 hours a month
- $1.60/h$8 a month on Basic
- 20 hours a month
- $1.45/h$29 a month on Pro
Diffio's web app has a free trial, then Basic at $8 a month for 6 hours and Pro at $29 a month for 30 hours of audio or video. The API has no monthly fee: Diffio 4.6 Flash costs $5 an hour and Diffio 4.6 Pro $10 an hour, billed per second. See plans and API pricing.
FAQ
How much does Adobe Podcast cost?
Enhance Speech is free for audio-only files up to 30 minutes and 500 MB, up to 1 hour a day. Premium comes with Adobe Firefly Pro, listed at $19.99 a month in the US, and allows up to 4 hours a day, 2-hour files and video.
How much does Auphonic cost?
Auphonic is free for 2 processed hours a month, with its jingle added. Recurring credits start at $13 a month for 9 hours ($11 a month billed yearly), and one-time credits start at $12 for 5 hours and never expire.
How much does a Descript subscription cost?
Hobbyist is $24 a month ($16 billed yearly) for 10 media hours, and Creator is $35 ($24 yearly) for 30. Studio Sound is included on paid plans and uses AI credits.
Is Descript or Auphonic cheaper for cleaning up audio?
For enhancement alone, Auphonic usually costs less per hour, and its one-time credits suit irregular work. Descript costs more but includes a full transcript-based audio and video editor. Compare the table above at your own monthly hours.
How much does ElevenLabs Voice Isolator cost?
Voice Isolator uses 1,000 credits per minute of audio. The free plan's 10,000 monthly credits cover about 10 minutes; Creator at $22 a month covers about 2 hours if you use its credits for nothing else.
Is there a free AI audio enhancer?
Yes, with limits. Adobe Podcast allows 1 hour a day of audio-only enhancement, Auphonic 2 hours a month with a jingle, ElevenLabs about 10 minutes a month, Cleanvoice a 30-minute trial and Diffio 3 uploads with previews. Cleanvoice's paid plans start at $11 a month.
How is cost per hour calculated here?
For each usage level we take the cheapest published plan that covers that many hours of enhanced audio in a month, in US dollars before tax. One-time credit packs count at their hourly rate because unused hours carry forward. Free tiers are listed separately.
Sources checked October 21, 2026
Prices and limits change; check the vendor before you buy. Diffio prices come from our own pricing and API pricing pages.
- Adobe Podcast: Adobe Podcast plans, Adobe Podcast features, Adobe Firefly plans, Adobe Podcast Premium plan change FAQ, Enhance Speech v2 announcement (Adobe community)
- Descript: Descript pricing, Media minutes and AI credits guide, Studio Sound guide, Descript API help
- Auphonic: Auphonic pricing, credits and feature comparison, Auphonic features
- Cleanvoice: Cleanvoice pricing, Cleanvoice API documentation
- ElevenLabs: ElevenLabs pricing, Voice Isolator documentation
Diffio is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe, Descript, Auphonic, ElevenLabs or Cleanvoice. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
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