ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is the quality benchmark in AI voice: credit-metered plans from $6/mo, a free 10,000-credit tier, and the widest voice library and cloning options in the class.
Verified against: elevenlabs.io as of 2026-09-30
Quick verdict: ElevenLabs is the default pick when output quality is the constraint rather than budget. Start on the free 10,000 credits to confirm the voices fit, move to Starter at $6 for light monthly work, and treat Creator at $22 as the practical production tier. Reach for Pro only when you genuinely need 44.1 kHz PCM and 30 concurrent requests, and for Scale at $299 or Business at $990 when several editors need their own seat. Pick Murf instead if a visual timeline editor matters more than voice fidelity, Cartesia if you are embedding voice in an app, and Typecast if talking-avatar video and emotion controls are the job.
- Our rating: 4.6/5
- Strongest dimension: Functionality (5/5, research only)
- Weakest dimension: Usability (4/5, research only)
- Pricing: Free plan · $6/mo (Starter, 30k credits)
- Verification: Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-30. Sources: elevenlabs.io
ElevenLabs pricing details
- Free plan available
- paid plans from $6/mo (Starter, 30k credits)
- free $0 (10k credits/mo) · Starter $6 (30k) · Creator $22 (121k) · Pro $99 (600k) · Scale $299 (1.8M, 3 seats) · Business $990 (6M, 10 seats)
- annual billing charges 10 months for 12: Starter $5/mo, Creator $18.33/mo, Pro $82.50/mo, Scale $249.17/mo, Business $825/mo equivalent
Credits are shared across TTS, speech-to-text, sound effects and dubbing. Concurrency rises by tier (about 10 on Free up to 30 on Creator, 160 on Business). Enterprise is custom-quoted.
In our index: Free plan $0 (10k credits/mo) · Starter $6 (30k) · Creator $22 (121k) · Pro $99 (600k) · Scale $299 (1.8M, 3 seats) · Business $990 (6M, 10 seats)
How ElevenLabs scores across our 6 index dimensions
- Functionality: 5/5 (research only)
- Usability: 4/5 (research only)
- Stability: 5/5 (research only)
- Collaboration: 4/5 (research only)
- Localization: 5/5 (research only)
- Value: 4/5 (research only)
Score rationale: The quality ceiling and the deepest feature set (professional voice cloning, 44.1 kHz PCM, dubbing, sound effects) at a mid-tier price. Costs add up fast once you need Scale concurrency or a second seat, and the free 10k credits are gone in minutes of studio-quality audio.
What ElevenLabs does well
- Widest voice library and the deepest cloning options in the class, including professional voice cloning and instant cloning from a short sample
- One credit meter covers text-to-speech, speech-to-text, sound effects, voice changer and dubbing, so a studio can run several products from one bill
- Audio quality ceiling is the highest here: 44.1 kHz PCM and 192 kbps options on Pro and above, MP3 up to 128 kHz on the entry tiers
Where ElevenLabs falls short
- Free 10,000 credits a month disappear quickly once you render studio-quality audio
- Concurrency, not minutes, is what forces the jump from Creator to Pro and Scale, and it is priced per seat
- Business at $990/mo is a large jump for a team that only needs a second workspace seat
How ElevenLabs compares to other AI Voice Generation tools
Our index tracks 5 AI Voice Generation tools. ElevenLabs sits at 4.6/5, with annual billing charges 10 months for 12: starter $5/mo, creator $18.33/mo, pro $82.50/mo, scale $249.17/mo, business $825/mo equivalent. Here are the 4 closest alternatives we hold pricing and scoring evidence for.
- Murf — 4.3/5 · Free plan · $19/mo annual (Creator)
Murf is the studio-editor voice generator: $19/mo annual Creator with 200+ voices and a timeline editor, plus a separate pay-as-you-go API from $0.01 per 1,000 characters. - Typecast — 4.2/5 · Free plan · $5/mo (Basic, yearly billing)
Typecast is the emotion-and-video voice tool: $5/mo gets 35 minutes of 44.1 kHz downloads, and Pro at $29/mo adds Smart Emotion plus 4K talking-avatar exports. - Cartesia — 4.1/5 · Free plan · $5/mo (Pro, 100k credits)
Cartesia is the developer-and-voice-agent platform: unlimited seats on every plan, credits from $0 on the free tier to 8M on Scale, and voice agents at $0.06 per minute. - WellSaid — 4.0/5 · Free plan · $10/mo annual (Starter)
WellSaid is the governance-first voice platform: per-seat team plans from $160/user/mo annual, minute-based allowances and the most restrictive commercial terms in the class.
Frequently asked questions about ElevenLabs
How much does ElevenLabs cost?
Free plan available; paid plans from $6/mo (Starter, 30k credits); free $0 (10k credits/mo) · Starter $6 (30k) · Creator $22 (121k) · Pro $99 (600k) · Scale $299 (1.8M, 3 seats) · Business $990 (6M, 10 seats); annual billing charges 10 months for 12: Starter $5/mo, Creator $18.33/mo, Pro $82.50/mo, Scale $249.17/mo, Business $825/mo equivalent. Billing detail: Credits are shared across TTS, speech-to-text, sound effects and dubbing. Concurrency rises by tier (about 10 on Free up to 30 on Creator, 160 on Business). Enterprise is custom-quoted. Figures verified 2026-09-30.
Does ElevenLabs have a free plan?
Yes. ElevenLabs has a free tier; paid plans start at $6/mo (Starter, 30k credits).
What is ElevenLabs rated in our index?
ElevenLabs sits at 4.6/5 in our index, strongest on functionality (5/5, research only) and weakest on usability (4/5, research only). ElevenLabs is the default pick when output quality is the constraint rather than budget. Start on the free 10,000 credits to confirm the voices fit, move to Starter at $6 for light monthly work, and treat Creator at $22 as the practical production tier. Reach for Pro only when you genuinely need 44.1 kHz PCM and 30 concurrent requests, and for Scale at $299 or Business at $990 when several editors need their own seat. Pick Murf instead if a visual timeline editor matters more than voice fidelity, Cartesia if you are embedding voice in an app, and Typecast if talking-avatar video and emotion controls are the job.
What are the drawbacks of ElevenLabs?
Free 10,000 credits a month disappear quickly once you render studio-quality audio Concurrency, not minutes, is what forces the jump from Creator to Pro and Scale, and it is priced per seat Business at $990/mo is a large jump for a team that only needs a second workspace seat.
What does ElevenLabs do well?
Widest voice library and the deepest cloning options in the class, including professional voice cloning and instant cloning from a short sample One credit meter covers text-to-speech, speech-to-text, sound effects, voice changer and dubbing, so a studio can run several products from one bill Audio quality ceiling is the highest here: 44.1 kHz PCM and 192 kbps options on Pro and above, MP3 up to 128 kHz on the entry tiers.
How was ElevenLabs verified?
Research-only pass over official sources, last checked 2026-09-30. Sources: elevenlabs.io.
What are the alternatives to ElevenLabs?
We track Murf, WellSaid, Typecast, Cartesia as the closest alternatives in our AI Voice Generation index, and 4 head-to-head comparisons against ElevenLabs are available.