2026 Review

ElevenLabs

State-of-the-art AI voice generation, cloning, and dubbing across 70+ languages.

AudioFreemiumAPIMainstream79% positive

Facts checked Aug 10, 2026

About ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs leads the AI voice space with lifelike text-to-speech, instant and professional voice cloning, dubbing, sound effects, conversational voice agents, and Eleven Music — a text-to-song model trained on licensed catalogs. The free plan includes 10,000 credits/month (roughly 10 minutes of speech) without a commercial license; Starter ($6/month, $5/month billed annually, 30,000 credits) adds commercial rights and instant voice cloning; Creator ($22/month, 121,000 credits) unlocks professional voice cloning; Pro ($99/month) provides 600,000 credits and higher-quality audio. Unused credits roll over up to two months.

At a glance

Founded: 2022
Headquarters: New York, US
Languages: 70
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android

Integrates with

ZapierTwilioMake

Main competitors

Murf.aiPlay.htSpeechify

Best for

AudiobooksVideo dubbingPodcastsVoice agentsGame audio

Pros

Most lifelike text-to-speech on the market, in 70+ languages
Voice cloning, dubbing, sound effects, and voice agents in one platform
Unused credits roll over for up to two months
Eleven Music was licensed before launch (Merlin, Kobalt) — its output is cleared for commercial use on paid plans
Strong developer API

Cons

Credit costs climb quickly for long-form audio
Free tier has no commercial license
Professional voice cloning requires the $22/mo Creator plan or higher
Starter's music licence excludes streaming services — releasing to Spotify or Apple Music needs Creator at $22/mo

Our verdict

Best for: Creators and developers who need production-grade voice at any scale.

Skip if: You only need occasional basic narration — free TTS tools may be enough.

Our review

ElevenLabs is the rare category leader whose lead is audible. Its voices carry inflection, breath, and pacing that most rivals still approximate, and the platform around them — cloning, dubbing, sound effects, conversational agents, and Eleven Music — has grown into a full audio stack rather than a TTS demo.

Eleven Music deserves a note of its own: it shipped in August 2025 with Merlin and Kobalt licensing deals signed before release, so paid-plan tracks are cleared for commercial use out of the gate. It is a credible soundtrack source rather than a Suno replacement — if music is the job rather than a layer under narration, Suno and Udio are still the tools to compare, and film, TV, and studio-game rights need an enterprise agreement here.

Cost is the recurring theme in criticism: credits evaporate on long-form work, professional cloning is gated at $22/month, and free output can't be used commercially. Voice cloning also demands care — the consent tooling exists, but the responsibility sits with you.

Verdict: the default choice for production-grade AI voice, from solo audiobook narration to developer voice agents. Budget for more credits than you think you need.

What reviewers elsewhere say

79% positive — Voice quality is near-universally praised as best-in-class; negative reviews focus on credit pricing and subscription handling.

G2 4.5 out of 5 (1,140 reviews)Trustpilot 3.0 out of 5 (1,005 reviews)Capterra 4.7 out of 5 (18 reviews)

Sentiment estimated from reviews on G2, Trustpilot, Reddit, as of Aug 2026. Third-party scores are point-in-time snapshots. We don't host user reviews.

Key features

Lifelike text-to-speech in 70+ languages
Instant voice cloning from short samples (Starter and up), or studio-grade professional cloning (Creator and up)
Dubbing studio for translating video and audio
Eleven Music text-to-song, trained on licensed catalogs and cleared for commercial use on paid plans
Sound effects and conversational voice agents
Developer API with credits that roll over up to 2 months

How to use ElevenLabs

Create a free account (10,000 credits/month).
Pick a voice from the library, or clone your own on paid plans.
Paste text and tune stability, similarity, and style.
Generate, then iterate on pronunciation and pacing.
Ship at scale through the developer API or Dubbing Studio.

Pricing

Deal: 50% off your first month of the Creator plan

Free$0

10,000 credits/month (~10 min of speech); no commercial license.

Starter$6/mo

$5/mo billed annually. 30,000 credits, commercial license, instant voice cloning, ~33 min of music — but the music licence excludes streaming services.

Creator$22/mo

$18.33/mo billed annually; 50% off first month. 121,000 credits, professional voice cloning, ~134 min of music with streaming release allowed.

Pro$99/mo

600,000 credits with 192kbps audio and enhanced API access.

Pricing verified August 2026 · prices as listed by the vendor; check the official site for current offers.

Try ElevenLabs

Frequently asked questions

What is ElevenLabs?

ElevenLabs is the leading AI voice platform — lifelike text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing, sound effects, music, and conversational voice agents in 70+ languages.

How much does ElevenLabs cost?

Free includes 10,000 credits/month (~10 minutes). Starter is $6/month ($5/month billed annually), Creator $22/month with professional voice cloning, and Pro $99/month with 600,000 credits.

Can I use the output commercially?

Paid plans (Starter and up) include a commercial license. The free tier does not — it's for personal, non-commercial use with attribution.

What is Eleven Music, and can I use the songs commercially?

Eleven Music generates full tracks with vocals from a prompt, trained under licences from Merlin Network and Kobalt, and Music v2 added editing and remix. Commercial use starts on Starter at $6/month, but Starter's licence excludes streaming services — so if the track is going to Spotify or Apple Music you need Creator at $22/month or above, which excludes only enterprise use cases. The free plan has no commercial rights at all. Included music runs ~11 minutes on Free, ~33 on Starter, ~134 on Creator and ~667 on Pro, with extra minutes from $0.15–$0.33.

Does ElevenLabs have an API?

Yes — a well-documented API with SDKs is a core part of the platform, and unused credits roll over for up to two months.