Back-of-napkin VO budget from word count, lines, or minutes of finished audio. Covers talent, studio, script, direction, and post. All rates are editable.
Freelance narrative/dialogue writer. AAA: $0.30–0.60. Indie: $0.08–0.15.
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SAG-AFTRA IPA 2024 rate ≈ $978/4-hr session. Buyout for interactive media included in session fee.
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Leave unchecked for remote non-union sessions with no separate studio booking.
Many studios include voice direction in the session/engineering rate. Separate directors charge $75–$175/hr for senior AAA work.
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Edit, cleanup, noise reduction, and implementation. Estimated at 1.5× recorded session time. Covers audio editor and implementation engineer time.
SAG-AFTRA IPA includes unlimited interactive media use in the session fee. Non-union buyouts are negotiated — common for in-perpetuity use or console launches.
Enter a source metric above to see your estimate.
Choose your source metric — word count if you have the script, lines if you've broken it into VO lines in a spreadsheet, or minutes if you know the target finished audio runtime. The tool converts automatically between them using the rates in Advanced settings.
Enable the cost categories that apply to your production. For a studio-only project, all five are relevant. For a small indie using non-union remote talent, you'd likely disable Studio/Engineer and set the union type accordingly.
Session efficiency (advanced) is the ratio of recorded session hours to finished audio hours. Simple narration is around 2:1; complex game VO with emotional ranges, pickups, and direction tends toward 3–4:1. Games with large casts and many alternate takes can reach 5:1.
SAG-AFTRA IPA (Interactive Performance Agreement) is the US union contract for video games. It charges per session (4-hour call), includes unlimited use buyout, and requires session fees per actor regardless of how much they record. The 2024 base rate is approximately $978/4-hr session.
Non-union talent is billed hourly or by a flat per-project rate. Remote/home studio sessions eliminate studio hire costs but may require additional audio cleanup time.
Use Range mode for ballpark budgeting with uncertainty, and Single figure mode when you have firm quotes and want a precise total.