How to hire a cheap voice actor

Whether you’re working on voiceovers, video games, indie films, or marketing content, you’ll probably need a good voice actor to make your project memorable and engaging. Since finding voice talent can be tough, especially if you’re on a budget, we’ve got some tips that might help you find the right voice actor for your project at a fair price.

Tips on hiring a cheap voice actor

Before you start looking for voiceover artists, you should know that hiring someone with cheaper rates doesn’t necessarily have to mean you’ll end up with a low-quality end product. Sure, a professional voice actor like Jennifer Hale will have a better range and add a lot of hype to your project, but you don’t need to hire A-listers to get the job done.

There are a lot of voice acting enthusiasts and voice artists with their own home studios out there looking for work and lots of them have years of experience in audio engineering and post-production. If you look around places such as Upwork, Fiverr, and other freelance sites, you’ll find excellent artists with just the right type of voice for your upcoming game or video.

Here’s what to pay attention to.

Do your research and ask for recommendations

First off, don’t rush it. If you’re not in a pinch, take your time to do research and look around the internet to see what other folks have to say about their own movies, podcasts, and voiceover projects. If you notice someone is working on something similar to your next project, and if you dig what you hear, ask them about it. Most people are glad to talk about their work, so who knows: maybe they’ll help you find a cheap yet professional voiceover actor.

Compare prices, check reviews and listen to samples

Most people looking for voiceover jobs and voice acting gigs post promos and voiceover samples to showcase their vocal and artistic capabilities, so you’ll know exactly what kind of service you can expect. Before hiring anyone, make sure you’ve seen their portfolio and chosen whether they’re a good match for your particular project.

Also, don’t forget to check out more people. How many times have you bought something only to realize you could’ve gotten it for less elsewhere? The same might happen when hiring voiceover talent, so look around and compare prices. 

Finally, don’t forget to read reviews. Even if you find the audio sample you’ve just heard excellent, reviews might convince you to look elsewhere, especially if they’re posted by someone you trust and whose opinion you value. 

Negotiate and sign a contract

Once you’ve found that perfect voice, it is paramount that you come up with some kind of contract, no matter how much you’re spending. Having it all on paper signed by both parties will ensure you don’t get scammed later on. It can also help you negotiate the prices a bit if you’re willing to work together long-term, which is highly recommended for those in marketing and content creation.

Alternative to hiring cheap voice actors

If you can’t find anything over at Fiverr, Voices, and other job posting websites, don’t fret — there are always alternatives you can turn to, some of them being cheaper as well. For example, you can look into AI voice generators and text to speech (TTS) tools. 

A lot of these apps are highly-sophisticated, acting as mini recording studios that you can carry around in your pocket and play with your audio files even on the go. They’re especially useful if you’re into making explainer videos and YouTube tutorials and need to be able to dish out content faster. 

Here are some of the best TTS apps you can use if you can’t afford to hire voice actors: 

Speechify’s text to speech

First up, we’ve got Speechify, the best TTS program available right now. Although initially designed to help those with reading and learning disabilities, Speechify has grown to become the go-to solution for everyone making e-learning content, audiobooks, and podcasts, as well as those looking for voiceover services. 

What sets Speechify apart from the competition are its wide assortment of highly authentic, high-quality AI voices and its extensive list of supported languages and customizable settings that allow for some pretty nifty audio editing. Speechify features male and female voices as well as adjustable speech rate, accent, and pitch parameters that will let you do all the work yourself in just a few clicks.

Respeecher

Respeecher is another excellent voiceover tool. It’s based on sophisticated machine learning and artificial intelligence that can analyze and replicate any voice and make the end product virtually indistinguishable from the original sample. 

Like Speechify, you can download Respeecher and work on your projects on the go to meet your creative needs even when you’re not in the studio. However, Respeecher is, first and foremost, a voice cloning tool, so you’ll need to collect extensive voice samples and gain permission to use them in your videos. 

In short, while Speechify is the best all-around tool, Respeecher might be the best if you’re working on a one-time project and can afford to spend a bit more to make it happen.

Murf.ai

Third up, we’ve got Murf, another flexible solution great for both commercial and private use. The app has a lot to offer in the AI voice department, especially when it comes to all the fine-tuning options that will let you dictate everything, even where the speech emphasis should fall. You can also use Murf to clone your own voice and then edit it if you don’t want to rely on premade AI voices.

Much like Speechify, Murf is simple to get the hang of, thanks to its comprehensive yet well-organized studio interface, so you’ll never get lost working on your next project. However, it is a bit more expensive than Speechify.