FAQ

Parlato is a WordPress plugin that turns posts into audio. The Free plugin creates read-aloud audio and AI Narrator podcasts, then publishes the audio player on the post.

Yes. Parlato runs inside WordPress, stores generated MP3 files in the Media Library and uses normal WordPress posts as the source content.

Yes. Parlato Free has no licence fee or plugin subscription. You still pay your AI provider directly for usage generated with your own API key.

Yes. Parlato Free is the complete WordPress.org plugin for read-aloud audio and AI Narrator podcasts.

Yes. Parlato Pro is planned as a separate add-on from ambronet.dk. It requires Parlato Free and adds the advanced two-voice Interview format.

Yes. The Free WordPress.org plugin remains the baseline for post-to-audio generation with your own provider keys. Pro adds a separate capability rather than replacing Free.

The planned Pro add-on includes three free Interview episodes so you can test the two-voice format. Ongoing Interview generation requires a Pro licence.

Parlato is for WordPress publishers, bloggers, documentation teams and site owners who want an audio version of written posts without moving content into a separate hosted platform.

The current plugin target is WordPress 6.0 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. Always check the plugin readme before installing on production.

An API key is a private credential that lets WordPress send requests to a service such as OpenAI or ElevenLabs from your own account.

BYOK means Bring Your Own Key. You connect your own OpenAI and/or ElevenLabs account instead of buying AI credits through ambronet.

Yes for OpenAI-powered generation and AI Narrator scripts. You create an API key in the OpenAI platform, then paste it into Parlato.

No. ChatGPT subscriptions and API usage are separate. Parlato needs an API key from the OpenAI platform, and API usage is billed through that account.

No. ElevenLabs is optional. You can start with OpenAI only, then add ElevenLabs later if you want access to voices from that provider.

Yes. You can change the active provider and voice in Parlato settings. New generations use the current settings; existing MP3 files stay in the Media Library.

Your API keys are stored by your own WordPress installation. Parlato uses them to call the provider you selected and does not send them to ambronet.

Yes. You can replace the key in Parlato settings, and you can revoke old keys in the provider dashboard. If a key is revoked, future generation with that provider will fail until a valid key is saved.

OpenAI can charge for API usage when you generate audio or AI scripts with an OpenAI key. Check OpenAI pricing and usage controls in your OpenAI account before running production jobs.

ElevenLabs can charge according to your ElevenLabs plan and usage. Parlato only triggers ElevenLabs requests when you connect an ElevenLabs key and use that provider.

No. ambronet does not resell credits and does not add a markup to provider usage. Your provider bills you directly.

It depends on provider, model, text length, audio length and whether you use a direct read-aloud format or an AI-scripted podcast format. Treat any estimate as provider-specific and check the provider dashboard for real usage.

Use the spending, billing or usage controls offered by your AI provider. Parlato does not sit between you and provider billing, so cost controls should be managed in the provider account.

No. ChatGPT Plus and OpenAI API usage are separate products. A ChatGPT subscription does not include free Parlato API usage.

Parlato Free supports Read aloud TTS and AI Narrator. Read aloud converts post text directly to speech; Narrator creates a single-voice podcast script from the post.

Yes, with Parlato Pro. The Interview format creates a Host and Guest dialogue and lets you choose voices for each speaker.

Voice and language support depends on the active provider and model. OpenAI includes a built-in voice set; ElevenLabs loads voices from your ElevenLabs account.

The current Free workflow is designed as a guided generation flow from post to audio. More editorial controls can be considered for the Pro roadmap after the Interview add-on is validated.

Custom intro and outro options are planned for the Pro roadmap. They are not part of the current Free plugin.

Yes. Regenerating creates a new MP3 for the post and replaces the previous generated file. Download or duplicate anything you want to keep before regenerating.

Parlato treats the latest generation as the active audio for the post. If you need an archive of old versions, keep a copy outside the generated attachment workflow before replacing it.

Generated length depends on the source post, selected provider, model and provider account. Longer audio can also cost more in your OpenAI or ElevenLabs account.

The current Free workflow focuses on standard WordPress posts. Future publishing workflows will be considered separately for Pro.

Generated audio files are stored as MP3 attachments in the WordPress Media Library, linked to the source post.

Parlato can place the player before or after post content. If you prefer manual placement, set the player position to Manual and insert the Parlato shortcode inside the post.

Recommended default: off. Keep the site clean until you know visitors use audio as a browsing signal. Turn it on in Parlato > Player > Title badge when you want archives, category pages or post lists to flag posts that already have audio. The badge includes an "Audio version available" label for screen readers and is hidden on the single post page because the player is already there.

Audio can help visitors who prefer listening, have reading difficulties, or use assistive technology. The optional title badge can also announce that an audio version exists while browsing post lists.

Generated MP3 files remain in the WordPress Media Library. The automatic player and generation controls require the plugin to be active.

Deleting the plugin removes the plugin code and settings, but generated media files in the Media Library remain WordPress attachments unless you delete them separately.

Check that the key is complete, copied from the correct provider account and still active. OpenAI keys usually start with sk-. ElevenLabs keys come from the ElevenLabs API key settings.

Provider APIs often require an active billing setup before they accept generation requests. Open the provider dashboard, confirm billing and try the connection test again.

The most common causes are an invalid key, missing billing, insufficient provider permissions, a temporary provider outage, or hosting restrictions that block outbound HTTPS requests.

Voice availability depends on the selected provider, model and account. If a voice disappears, refresh the provider settings and choose another available voice.

Generation can stop because of provider errors, provider throttling, long content, server timeouts or network failures. Try a shorter post, test the provider connection and check the error message in WordPress.

Provider throttling means the provider is temporarily slowing or rejecting requests from your account. Wait and retry, or review your provider plan and usage controls.

Make sure the post has generated audio and the plugin is active. If player position is Manual, insert the Parlato shortcode in the post content.

The title badge is off by default. Enable it in Parlato > Player > Title badge. It appears only in archives and post lists for posts that already have generated audio, not on the single post page.