Picovoice AI Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions on the Picovoice on-device Voice AI and local LLM platforms, Console, and Pricing. For software-specific questions, please refer to the dedicated FAQs at the bottom of each product page:

Local LLM:

On-device Voice AI:

Picovoice Business Model & Pricing

1. What’s Picovoice's business model?

Picovoice sells its proprietary voice AI and LLM technology to enable enterprises to build AI-powered products without sacrificing privacy or accuracy in a few lines of code. Picovoice’s subscription model:

Offers access to support, updates, and upgrades during the engagement. Enterprises apply iterative and agile development principles and enjoy the advances in voice recognition and other software, such as operating systems, without worrying about the support and being stuck with old technology
Helps enterprises manage their working capital effectively
Automizes usage tracking, resulting in efficiency gains and cost savings

2. What are the subscription packages Picovoice offers?

You can find more information about Picovoice packages on the pricing page.

3. Can I create custom wake words and voice commands or fine-tune speech-to-text models even with the Forever-Free plan?

Yes. You can use pre-trained AI models or customize and fine-tune them on the Picovoice Console. Picovoice Console is a no-code platform that enables developers to train and fine-tune voice AI models instantly.

See how to fine-tune models on the Picovoice Console:

4. We have a custom LLM, how can we get it compressed?

Yes. Picovoice Consulting works with Enterprise Plan customers to compress their custom or fine-tuned LLMs using picoLLM Compression.

5. Do you train custom LLM models? Can I fine-tune picoLLM models?

Yes, at the moment custom training is available through picoLLM GYM for selected enterprise customers. Please engage with your account manager if you’re already a Picovoice customer. If you’re not a customer, become one!

6. What type of support does Picovoice offer?

Picovoice offers several types of support options:

Consulting: Ideal for Enterprise Plan users with project or application-specific needs and requirements.
Dedicated Support: Ideal for Developer and Enterprise Plan users with integration and implementation-related questions.
Enterprise Support Add-on: Ideal for Forever-Free Plan users who need direct access to the Picovoice team to get dedicated support.
GitHub Issues: Ideal for Forever-Free Plan users who want to report bugs and issues or interact with the community.

7. Why do I need internet connectivity if you process voice data offline?

Picovoice uses AccessKey, hence internet connectivity, to be able to offer its services according to your plan limits. Picovoice engines call home servers to validate the AccessKey and check your plan limits.

8. What are the Picovoice Forever-Free Plan limits?

Picovoice Forever-Free Plan offers unlimited usage for the engine(s) below:

picoLLM Inference

Picovoice Forever-Free Plan offers up to a total of 5 hours/month for the engines below:

Picovoice Forever-Free Plan offers up to 3 users/month (with no hourly limit) for the engines below:

Picovoice Forever-Free Plan offers up to 10M characters/month for the engines below:

Orca Streaming Text-to-Speech

Please note that Picovoice tracks “things” that activate its engines, not individuals or their credentials.

9. How can I check my plan limit and usage?

Go to the Picovoice Console dashboard or profile page to check your limits and usage.

10. How can I increase my plan limits?

The Developer Plan is the next logical step when your needs surpass the Forever-Free Plan limits. The Developer Plan enables you to:

increase your limits to build and test within your team
develop your product with direct support from the Picovoice team
purchase it online directly, without going through a lengthy enterprise procurement process

11. Do you offer volume discounts?

Yes! The higher the volume, the more discounts we offer. If you have a live product and changing a vendor, contact our Enterprise Sales team. If you’re at the early stages of the software development cycle or not ready to commit, start with the Developer Plan.

12. How does Picovoice track Voice AI engine usage?

Picovoice tracks the usage of voice AI engines in the amount of data processed - in hours or characters, or the number of users depending on the engines and project setup.

13. When does my usage reset?

Your usage automatically resets every 30 days.

Picovoice tracks the usage accumulated in the last 30 days. You can see the real-time consumption on your Picovoice Console Profile.

14. How does Picovoice track model training and download usage?

Downloaded models are counted toward your monthly model allowance. Once you hit download, your training usage will increase.

15. When do my model allowances reset?

Picovoice tracks the training usage accumulated in the last 30 days. You can see the total number of models you trained in the last 30 days on your Picovoice Console Profile.

16. Can I use Picovoice for research, non-commercial or commercial purposes?

Yes, you can use Picovoice technology for research, non-commercial, and commercial purposes as long as you are within your plan limits and compliant with the Picovoice Terms of Use.

17. Can I reset my AccessKey on Picovoice Console?

No, neither you nor Picovoice can reset your AccessKey. Please do not share it with 3rd parties.

18. Can I reset my allowances without waiting for 30 days?

No, you cannot reset your allowances. You will need to wait until they reset.

19. Can Picovoice reset my allowances?

No, Picovoice cannot reset your allowances.

20. Can I create multiple accounts until my allowances reset?

No, creating multiple accounts for the same project violates the Terms of Use. If you need more allowances, upgrade your account to the Developer Plan. In case of violation, you may be asked to pay additional fees, and Picovoice may refuse to serve you. For more information, please refer to the Terms of Use.

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