# TTS-Podcast-Research Report

## Introduction
This report evaluates free/cost-effective TTS solutions for converting blog posts to podcasts, focusing on implementation feasibility and cost.

## Options Evaluated
1. **ElevenLabs Free Tier**
   - Cost: $0/month (1,000 characters/day)
   - Browser-based: Yes (via API)
   - RSS Support: Requires integration with podcast hosting platforms
   - Hosting: Can use free tiers of Podbean or GitHub Pages

2. **Google Cloud Text-to-Speech**
   - Cost: $0.025/1000 characters (free tier: 150,000 characters/month)
   - Browser-based: Yes (JavaScript API)
   - RSS Support: Requires custom implementation
   - Hosting: Google Drive or Cloud Storage

3. **Coqui TTS (Open Source)**
   - Cost: $0 (self-hosted)
   - Browser-based: Yes (WebAssembly support)
   - RSS Support: Requires custom backend
   - Hosting: Self-hosted or GitHub Pages

4. **AWS Polly**
   - Cost: $1.25/1,000 characters (free tier: 5 million characters/month)
   - Browser-based: Yes (JavaScript SDK)
   - RSS Support: Requires integration with podcast platforms
   - Hosting: Amazon S3 or CloudFront

## Recommended Approach
**ElevenLabs + Podbean**:
- Use ElevenLabs API for TTS conversion
- Automate RSS feed generation via Podbean API
- Host podcast files on Podbean (free tier available)
- Estimated monthly cost: $0 (within free tier limits)

## Implementation Steps
1. Set up ElevenLabs API key
2. Develop script to convert blog posts to audio using API
3. Use Podbean API to create podcast series and manage RSS feed
4. Automate file hosting via Podbean
5. Monitor usage to stay within free tier limits

## Conclusion
ElevenLabs combined with Podbean offers a cost-effective solution for podcast automation with minimal implementation complexity.