Yes. Pay for Voice123 or Voices.com if you are going to audition on it every week. If you are going to pay and then wait until something else is finished, don't join yet.
Booked a job and not sure what to charge? The voice over rate guide has beginner, mid-level and pro rates, with a calculator that builds the quote for you.
Get the free rate guideI used to tell new voice actors to wait a couple of years. I've changed my mind, and here is why.
- Pay for Voice123 or Voices.com only if you will audition on it every week.
- I've seen students join in their first month and book work. One auditioned 30 to 50 times a day and booked at least 20 jobs.
- The real risk is paying and then not auditioning.
- Put up 50 to 100 samples on each site, and write your profile for the buyer.
- A lot of the work is posted and booked during the work day. If your days are full, look at audiobooks first.
- Before you pay any coach or school, check that you can see their work for free.
Should a new voice actor pay for Voice123 or Voices.com?
Yes, if you will use the auditions. Both sites have real value. You are going to get auditions, and you are going to get opportunities.
What changed for me is what I've seen. I've seen people join these sites in their first month and start getting work.
So the question isn't when you should join. The question is whether you are serious about doing this.
I had one student who was auditioning 30 to 50 times a day. They booked at least 20 jobs in their first month.
I've had other students book e-learning jobs, radio jobs and audiobooks from Voices.com and Voice123.
What is the real risk of joining a pay-to-play site?
The risk is that you pay and then you don't audition. You join, and then you wait to finish something else first.
Then the auditions go by and you never send one. That is when you really do waste your money.
These sites don't promise you a job. Nobody can, because nobody knows how much work you are going to put in.
How do you make your money back on Voice123 or Voices.com?
Don't aim to make your money back. Aim higher than that.
I've never wanted to pay $500 and then make $500. I want to pay $500 and make $5,000. That is what an investment in a business is for.
“I don't want to pay five hundred dollars and then just make five hundred dollars. I want to pay five hundred dollars and make five thousand.”
Anthony Pica, VO Journey Academy Live, 12 Oct 2026
Gabby Nistico, who coaches acting at VO Journey Academy, put it this way on the live. Treat the site like a business investment and learn how that one system works. She listed four things to do:
- Fill every audio category with a sample.
- Put the words buyers search for in your profile.
- Make your descriptions specific.
- Write all of it for the buyer, not for you.
I'd add one thing on samples. Put up at least 50 to 100 different demo samples on both Voices.com and Voice123. That way people can find you and hear you. The system can also recommend auditions for you.
Her point was that joining and waiting is like joining a social media site and expecting people to find you. It's still a web platform. You have to work it.
After the profile, it comes down to auditions. These are audition sites, so your default question becomes simple. How can I get more auditions in this week?
When an audition turns into a job, you need a number fast. The free rate guide gives you one for every kind of work.
Get the free rate guideIs Voice123 the same kind of site as Fiverr?
No. On Voice123 and Voices.com you audition for each job. On Fiverr you post a gig and Fiverr markets it. Buyers find you.
| Compare | Voice123 and Voices.com | Fiverr |
|---|---|---|
| How you get work | You audition for posted jobs | Buyers find your gig |
| What you pay | A paid membership to get the most auditions | Free to list, and Fiverr keeps a share of each sale |
| What you have to do | Audition often, keep your profile sharp | Build the gig, answer fast |
| Who it suits | Someone who can audition most days | Someone who wants buyers to come to them |
Auditioning is the normal way our whole business works. Theater runs on auditions. So does film, and so does voice acting. Even big stars still audition for a movie.
Do you need to be free during the day?
It matters more than most people think. A lot of commercial work is posted and booked during the work day. People talk to each other during those hours, and they want it fast.
Gabby raised this on the live. If you have a full-time job, ask yourself whether you can meet the deadlines before you pay.
This is a big reason I started in audiobooks. I couldn't work during the day because I was at my job. An audiobook has a longer shelf life, so I could record at one in the morning. I was exhausted, but it worked.
If you can't audition during the day, you can still do some things. I got better at messaging people from my phone and telling them when I could deliver. That helped a lot.
When I went full time, my business grew even more. I hadn't realized how much work I could get during the day.
Clients also have the same worry about you that you have about them. They are wondering if this voice actor is even going to reply. Answering fast is how you start to build trust with someone you have never met.
What are the red flags before you pay a coach or a school?
The main one is that you can't find anything about them outside the paywall. You should be able to see what a coach is doing right now, for free, before you hand over money.
Here is what Gabby and I look for:
- You can see their work. They are a working voice actor, and it's easy to find.
- You get real value before you pay. You should learn something every time you drop in.
- They aren't selling hard all the time. Gabby calls that one a red flag every time.
- It doesn't feel like a locked gate. You should feel like you could reach out to them.
Voice123 and Voices.com pass the first test for a site. They have been around for years and they are not a scam.
One more thing. You do have to take a chance on some things, and a lot of it is what you put in. Nothing is one click and all your problems are solved.
Frequently asked questions
Should I join Voice123 or Voices.com first?
We didn't pick one on the live, and I won't here. Pick one and fill out the whole profile. Then audition every week. One site you use beats two you don't.
Can I do pay-to-play sites with a full-time job?
You can, but it's harder. A lot of the work moves during the day. If your days are full, look at audiobooks first, because the deadlines are longer.
How many auditions should I send?
A great deal of them. One of my students sent 30 to 50 a day. These are audition sites, so the money you paid only works when you audition. Make "how can I get more auditions?" your default question.
Do I need a demo before I join?
You need samples for your profile. Gabby's advice is to fill every audio category the site gives you, so buyers can hear you in the style they are hiring for.
Watch the full conversation with Gabby, or listen to it as Ep. 316 of the podcast.
Get your reads heard before you pay for a site
If you want a coach to hear your reads before you spend money on a site, that is what our live classes are for. Four classes a week, with real feedback.
See the plansGo out there and audition.
Anthony
Anthony Pica, founder of VO Journey Academy