# Play.ht

> AI text-to-speech platform acquired by Meta in July 2025 and permanently shut down on December 31, 2025. No longer available.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/playht
Website: https://play.ht
Category: Audiobook Production (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook)
Pricing: freemium — $0–$99/monthly
AI-powered: yes
Tags: discontinued, ai-narration, voice-cloning, voice-generation, api, bulk-production
Last verified: 2026-05-13
Best For: Historical reference only — Play.ht shut down permanently on December 31, 2025; not available for new projects
Narration Type: AI, automated
Royalty Rate: 
Service Type: ai-narration

**Play.ht shut down permanently on December 31, 2025.** The platform was acquired by Meta in July 2025 — the entire 35-person team joined Meta's Superintelligence Labs in an acquihire. The API was taken offline on July 26, 2025, ahead of the announced shutdown date, leaving paying users and AppSumo lifetime deal holders without recourse. New registrations halted at acquisition. If you are researching this tool based on older recommendations, it is no longer available.

## What It Was

Play.ht (which had rebranded as PlayAI) was a cloud-based AI text-to-speech platform with 800-900 voices in 142 languages. Its primary strength for authors was bulk generation — converting multiple titles simultaneously — and API access for developers building automated audiobook pipelines. A voice cloning feature allowed authors to replicate their own voice from short audio samples.

The platform had no dedicated audiobook workflow: no ACX-compliant export tools, no chapter marker support, no EPUB input, and no built-in distribution. Authors exported MP3 or WAV files and handled distribution separately. Trustpilot rating before shutdown: 2.4/5 from 316 reviews, reflecting chronic billing issues and concerns about account reliability.

## Alternatives

- **[ElevenLabs](/audiobook/elevenlabs)** — best voice quality, 1,200+ voices, includes ElevenReader distribution and 60% royalty on direct sales. The recommended replacement for most Play.ht use cases.
- **[Murf AI](/audiobook/murf-ai)** — timeline editor, 200+ voices, strong for nonfiction and business audiobooks.
- **[NarrationBox](/audiobook/narrationbox)** — 1,500+ voices, 80+ languages, specifically built for long-form audio content with EPUB input.

**Historical pricing for reference:** Free (12,500 chars/month); Creator ~$31.20/month annual ($39 monthly); Pro ~$49-75/month annual.