VOICE-OVER PROJECT RATE CALCULATOR · RUNS IN YOUR BROWSER · NOTHING UPLOADED

What should you charge for a voice-over project?

Choose a project type below. A script-based project (commercial, e-learning/corporate narration, IVR/telephony, explainer, animation) prices per word or per finished minute, scaled by the usage/licensing term the buyer wants. An audiobook prices per finished hour, estimated from your manuscript's word count — the convention audiobook platforms like ACX use.

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Quoting a written translation instead of a recorded script? See the translator project quote calculator for per-word, fuzzy-match, and rush pricing on that kind of language work.

How much should I charge for a voice-over project? — the usage-term multiplier and audiobook PFH pricing worked through on real numbers.

On Voices.com's marketplace, or thinking about joining? See how this free calculator differs from a marketplace listing, its membership fee, and its 20% commission.

Used to quoting one flat project rate no matter how the buyer plans to use the recording? See what a flat quote gives away once broadcast or a buyout is on the table.

Project type

Script details

Enter your numbers above and click Calculate my rate.

What this does and doesn't do

This applies commonly cited voice-over rate-guide conventions — per-word or per-finished-minute base pricing, tiered usage/licensing multipliers, a standard rush surcharge, and the ACX-style per-finished-hour audiobook convention — to the numbers you enter. It does not know your specific niche's current market, your own demo quality and track record, or what a specific buyer is willing to pay for this exact project. Treat the output as a starting point for a negotiation, never a quote, guarantee, or valuation performed on your behalf.

Common questions

How much should I charge for a voice-over project?

It depends on the script's length, how you price it (per word or per finished minute), and — critically — how the buyer plans to use the recording. This calculator applies commonly cited voice-over rate-guide conventions: a base fee from length and rate, then a usage/licensing multiplier for internal-only use, unrestricted web use, regional broadcast, national broadcast, or a full buyout.

Why does the usage term change the price so much?

A script recorded for one company's internal training video is worth far less to the buyer than the same script running as a national television commercial for a year — the recording is identical, but what the buyer is licensing is completely different. Voice-over rate guides price usage in tiers for exactly this reason, and a narrator who quotes one flat rate regardless of usage is leaving money on the table for broadcast and buyout work.

Why is an audiobook priced differently, per finished hour instead of per word?

Per-finished-hour (PFH) pricing is the audiobook industry's own convention, most visibly used by ACX. A finished hour is the length of the produced, edited audio a listener hears — not the raw word count or the time it took to record it — so this calculator estimates finished hours from manuscript word count using a commonly cited words-per-finished-hour conversion, then prices against that estimate.

Is this a quote I can send a client, or a guarantee of what I'll be paid?

No. It is a starting point for your own negotiation based on general rate-guide conventions, not a quote, guarantee, or valuation performed on your behalf. Actual rates vary by your experience, demo quality, niche demand, and what a specific buyer is willing to pay for a specific project.