ElevenLabs
AI text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing, and audio generation
Last reviewed 2026-06-20
ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform best known for hyper-realistic text-to-speech in 70+ languages. Its core product (ElevenCreative) turns text into lifelike speech, clones voices (instant from a short sample, or a higher-fidelity professional clone), dubs video and audio across languages, transcribes speech to text with its Scribe model, and generates music and sound effects. It is used by creators, content producers, publishers, game studios, and developers who embed audio via the API. ElevenLabs ships several proprietary models tuned for different tradeoffs: Eleven v3 for the most expressive speech, Multilingual v2 for consistent lifelike narration, and Flash for ultra-low latency. This entry covers the generation platform and API. The separate ElevenLabs Agents product (real-time voice/chat agents) is documented at /agents/elevenlabs-agents. As a generation tool, ElevenLabs is an assistant: it produces audio on request and does not act autonomously on a user's behalf.
What it can do
Text-to-speech in 70+ languages
AssistantConverts text into lifelike speech using proprietary models (Eleven v3 for expressiveness, Multilingual v2 for consistency, Flash for low latency), with premade and custom voices.
sourceVoice cloning
AssistantCreates a custom voice from audio samples, either an instant clone from a short sample or a higher-fidelity professional voice clone from longer recordings.
sourceDubbing across languages
AssistantTranslates and re-voices video and audio into other languages while reportedly preserving the original speaker's voice characteristics.
sourceSpeech-to-text transcription (Scribe)
AssistantTranscribes audio to text with the Scribe model, billed per audio minute via the API.
sourceMusic and sound effect generation
AssistantGenerates music tracks and sound effects from text prompts, billed per generation.
source
Strengths
- +Widely regarded for natural, expressive voice quality across 70+ languages
- +Broad audio toolkit in one platform: TTS, voice cloning, dubbing, STT, music, and sound effects
- +Generous self-serve tiers and a well-documented API with Python and JS SDKs
Limitations
- −Credit-based pricing with per-character/per-minute overage can make heavy usage hard to predict
- −It is a generation tool, not an autonomous agent (the agentic product is a separate offering)
- −Voice cloning raises consent and misuse concerns that buyers must manage
Overview
ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform centered on hyper-realistic text-to-speech. Founded in 2022 by Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski, it has become one of the most-cited voice AI companies and reported a $500M Series D at an $11B valuation in February 2026. This entry covers the generation platform (ElevenCreative) and the API; the separate real-time agent builder is documented at ElevenLabs Agents.
What it does
The platform turns text into lifelike speech in 70+ languages, clones voices (instant or professional), dubs video and audio into other languages, transcribes speech to text with the Scribe model, and generates music and sound effects. Several proprietary models trade off expressiveness, consistency, and latency (Eleven v3, Multilingual v2, and Flash). As a generation tool it produces output on request and does not take independent actions, so it sits at the assistant level on the autonomy ladder.
Integrations & setup
Use the web app for creator workflows or the REST API with official Python and JavaScript SDKs to embed audio in products. Text-to-speech is billed per character, speech-to-text per audio minute, and music/sound effects and dubbing per generation or per source minute.
Pricing
Freemium. The free tier includes a monthly credit allowance for personal, non-commercial use (with attribution); paid plans start at $5/mo (Starter) and scale up through Creator, Pro, Scale, and Business, then Enterprise with custom terms. Paid plans add commercial usage rights, voice cloning, and higher monthly credit limits. Verify current credits and rates on the pricing page.
Best for / not for
Best for creators, publishers, game studios, and developers who need high-quality, multilingual synthetic voice and a broad audio toolkit behind one API. Less suited to teams who want flat, fully predictable pricing at high volume, or who are looking for an autonomous agent rather than an audio generation tool.
Alternatives
Cartesia and Deepgram compete on low-latency speech models and APIs; Descript overlaps on voice and audio/video editing for creators. For building voice agents specifically, see ElevenLabs Agents and its competitors.
What people are saying
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FAQ
Is ElevenLabs an AI agent?+
The core ElevenLabs product is a generation tool (text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing, transcription, music) that produces audio on request, so it is an assistant rather than an agent. ElevenLabs also sells a separate product, ElevenLabs Agents, for building real-time voice and chat agents.
How many languages does ElevenLabs support?+
ElevenLabs advertises text-to-speech and related capabilities across 70+ languages, with model options such as Multilingual v2 and Eleven v3.
Can ElevenLabs clone a voice?+
Yes. It offers instant voice cloning from a short sample and professional voice cloning from longer recordings, with the higher-tier clones gated to paid plans.
Sources
- ElevenLabs homepage · accessed 2026-06-20
- Text to Speech documentation · accessed 2026-06-20
- ElevenLabs pricing · accessed 2026-06-20
- ElevenAPI pricing · accessed 2026-06-20
- ElevenLabs raises $500M Series D at $11B valuation · accessed 2026-06-20
Last reviewed 2026-06-20