We’ve all heard that bad voice over. The one recorded on an iPhone in the back of a cab. The one created at the last minute by the CEO who’s never read a script before and can’t pronounce “agenda.” Even the most beautiful graphics can’t cover a bad VO.
In old school circles, good voice over work cost a pretty penny. There’s the talent fee, the agent fee, the studio fee, the engineer, and maybe even craft services. But the proliferation of home studios and great internet speeds have made online voice over work much more affordable. There’s really something for every budget. Whether you need a high-end professional voice over or just plain cheap voice over, we’ll point you in the right direction.
Voices.com
Voices.com is a huge online talent pool that has just about every voice type you could imagine. Their search tools are extensive, allowing to search by character type (e.g. Girl Next Door, Super Hero) or by language (of which they have 48 options). You can also filter gender, age range, and a host of other selections.
Once you pick your selections, you can offer them the project for a rate you set, or you can ask several to audition. You can also set a price for an open audition and see what you get. And if you are just too busy with everything else, Voices.com will do the searches for you based on your project parameters.
Although they don’t have exact pricing, they offer a
pricing guide to help you based on project type and length. You will pay a little more at Voices.com than some other services, but the quality and customer service are great pluses. Look for non-broadcast rates to start at about $100 and broadcast rates to start at about $200.
BunnyStudio.com
BunnyStudio also has a great selection of talent and a wide range of search options. You can browse and book talent or submit a project request and have the talent apply themselves. As with Voices.com, individual talent pricing can range quite a bit. One search resulted in one talent quote for $245 while another was $1,691 for the same length.
Along with the typical “search and book” option, they offer a “speedy” option for return customers who need a quick turnaround. And the “contest” option will get you multiple auditions to choose from at a slightly higher price.
BunnyStudio suggests pricing based only on word count instead of usage, so expect prices to start around $45 for a 00:15 piece and go up from there.
VoiceJungle.com
VoiceJungle is a no-frills VO service with professional talent. They skip some of the bonus features of the previous services and instead offer a simple interface with flat-rate pricing.
Simply browse through their selection of talent, and use filters like style and age range to find someone you like. Click the buy button and you are off to the races.
VoiceJungle has a smaller section, and they don’t offer things like auditions, and internal search services. But they do have very simple and inexpensive pricing based on length and broadcast or nonbroadcast usage. A 00:15 broadcast spot will cost you $45, with a $60 only costing $65. On the non-broadcast side, the cost is by word at $.30 a word (with a minimum charge of $65).
Fiverr.com
If you really need a cheap voice over, look no further than Fiverr.com. Fiverr is an online marketplace where people offer all sorts of things for $5. Along with the design, programming, and many other services, you can get a good voice over at Fiverr. The phrase “you get what you pay for” isn’t always true, but be aware when you browse the options here. Within the Fiverr database are some very talented voice over artists who produce a good product, but there are also some people looking for a quick buck.
Most of the good VO talent here offer short scripts (eg. 75 words) for $5. Things like revisions or longer scripts require you to purchase multiple $5 gigs, which can bring the price up quite a bit. But even then you’ll probably come away with a VO read for less than $100.
If you are in a pinch, or just need something quick and dirty, definitely search through the offerings as Fiverr.
Regardless of which online service you use for your voice over needs, make sure to listen to previous demos from the talent to be sure they are using good equipment and deliver consistently, quality reads.
Also, note that all of the above services follow the “buyout” method with their pricing. This means once you pay for the voice over, you can do whatever you want with it forever. If you use another service, make sure they what you are getting is a “buyout” or you might find yourself paying additional fees down the road.
Let us know what services you use for voice over. And if you have a favorite VO talent from one of these sites, give them a shout out below in the comments.
