# First look: the new TTS models that landed in August 2026

> Six new TTS models hit the leaderboard in August 2026. Only Cartesia's Sonic 3.6 topped both boards. Here's every arrival, its Elo, and its price.

## Key Information
- Published: Aug 31, 2026
- Category: First look
- Summary: Six new TTS models landed on the boards in August 2026. Sonic 3.6 topped both boards that rate it. The other five are single-board debuts our aggregate is still waiting to confirm.

## Content
Six new TTS models landed on the leaderboard in August 2026. One of them, Cartesia's Sonic 3.6, went straight to #1 on both boards that rate it and now holds #2 on our aggregate with a score of 86. The other five are single-board debuts we are watching rather than ranking yet. Every figure below comes from the boards' own data, blended into our 0 to 100 score the way our [methodology](/methodology) describes.

## The standout: Sonic 3.6

Cartesia's Sonic 3.6 is the standout of the month. It debuted at #1 on both independent Elo boards that measure it: [Artificial Analysis](https://artificialanalysis.ai/text-to-speech/leaderboard/provider-voice) at about 1,288 (top of 101 models) and [Voice Arena](https://voicearena.com/tts-leaderboard/us-english) at about 1,085 (top of its US-English table).

It is the only August arrival on more than one board, which is why it reaches our aggregate top tier. It sits at #2 with an 86, behind Simba 3.2 at 96. The gap is coverage, not quality. Simba 3.2 is measured on all three boards; Sonic 3.6 is on two, and our aggregate rewards models that show up everywhere. Cartesia prices it at $49.00 per million characters and sells it on speed for real-time voice.

![Sonic 3.6 at #1 on Artificial Analysis and Voice Arena, August 2026](/images/blog/new-tts-models-august-2026.svg)

## Which other new TTS models launched in August?

Five more models made single-board debuts in August, all on Artificial Analysis. One board is a real signal, but our aggregate keeps a model on the watchlist until a second board measures it, so none of these five is ranked overall yet. In order of their Artificial Analysis standing:

| Model | Provider | Elo | Rank | Price (per 1M chars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realtime TTS-2 Flash (Research Preview) | Inworld | ~1,228 | #4 | $10.40 |
| Breeze TTS 2 | BreezeBlue | ~1,220 | #6 | $34.00 |
| v3 Conversational | ElevenLabs | ~1,215 | #7 | $50.00 |
| Soniox TTS Real-Time v2 | Soniox | ~1,182 | #14 | $14.20 |
| Bland Speech v3 | Bland AI | ~1,071 | #48 | $40.00 |

The cheapest of the group is Inworld's Realtime TTS-2 Flash at $10.40, a research-preview variant of their real-time line. BreezeBlue is a new provider making its first appearance on our boards. Soniox is built for real-time, and Bland Speech v3 comes out of the phone-call platform.

## What to watch

August gave us one strong arrival and a cluster of promising single-board debuts. Sonic 3.6 earned its ranking; the other five need a second board before our aggregate will rank them. If any of those five lands on Voice Arena or the Vapi Humanness Index next month, expect it to jump into the standings. Simba 3.2 still leads the aggregate overall at 96.

See how these six sit against the whole field on the [full TTS leaderboard](/).

## FAQ

**What new TTS models launched in August 2026?**
Six. Sonic 3.6 (Cartesia), Realtime TTS-2 Flash Research Preview (Inworld), Breeze TTS 2 (BreezeBlue), v3 Conversational (ElevenLabs), Soniox TTS Real-Time v2 (Soniox), and Bland Speech v3 (Bland AI).

**Which August model ranks highest?**
Sonic 3.6. It topped both Artificial Analysis and Voice Arena on debut and sits #2 on the texttospeech.com aggregate at 86, behind Simba 3.2 at 96. It is the only August arrival measured on more than one board.

**Why aren't the other August models ranked?**
Each appears on one board so far, all Artificial Analysis. Our aggregate blends three boards and keeps single-board models on a watchlist until a second board measures them. A one-board debut is a signal, not a settled ranking.

**How much do they cost?**
Per million characters, from the leaderboard data: Realtime TTS-2 Flash $10.40, Soniox TTS Real-Time v2 $14.20, Breeze TTS 2 $34.00, Bland Speech v3 $40.00, Sonic 3.6 $49.00, v3 Conversational $50.00.

## Links
- Read full article: https://texttospeech.com/blog/new-tts-models-august-2026
- All posts: https://texttospeech.com/blog
- Leaderboard: https://texttospeech.com/