Speech & conversational AI
Amazon Polly vs Azure Speech
The Azure equivalent of Amazon Polly is Azure Speech text-to-speech.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Polly | Azure Speech |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Custom neural voice and some avatar features are Limited Access. |
| What it is | Text-to-speech with generative, long-form, neural, and standard voices, SSML, and lexicons. | Speech to text (real-time, fast, and batch transcription, custom speech), neural text to speech (custom voice), speech translation, pronunciation assessment, avatars, Voice Live, and edge containers. |
| Pricing model | Per character synthesized, by voice engine. | Per character, by voice type. Custom voice adds training and hosting. |
| Docs | Amazon Polly docs | Azure Speech docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Polly pricing | Azure Speech pricing |
| Exams | AIF-C01 | AI-901 AI-103 |
Key differences
- Polly voice engines are generative, long-form, neural, and standard. Polly supports SSML and lexicons.
- Azure has neural voices, batch synthesis, and avatars, plus custom neural voice (brand voice), which is Limited Access and needs Microsoft approval.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per character synthesized, by voice engine. Amazon Polly pricing →
- Azure
- Per character, by voice type. Custom voice adds training and hosting. Azure Speech pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified AI Practitioner AIF-C01 | AWS | Foundational | current Italian and German versions retire after Oct 15, 2026 (per AWS cert page). |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Fundamentals AI-901 | Azure | Fundamentals | current AI-901 replaces AI-900 for this certification (English version updated Apr 15, 2026). Covers Microsoft Foundry. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate AI-103 | Azure | Associate | current Generative AI and agentic solutions with Microsoft Foundry using Python. Successor in scope to the retired AI-102. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Polly?
The Azure equivalent of Amazon Polly is Azure Speech text-to-speech.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Polly and Azure Speech?
AWS: Per character synthesized, by voice engine. Azure: Per character, by voice type. Custom voice adds training and hosting. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103).