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Quick verdict
Pick it if you want natural-sounding narration or a clone of your own voice for content that earns money: Starter is $6/mo with a commercial licence.[E1] Skip it if you mainly edit your own recordings (look at Descript[D1]) or will only ever use the free plan for paid work, which isn't allowed.[E2] It meets 7 of 10 points on our AI voice checklist (how it's scored). That's a checklist score from published terms, not a listening test.
Affiliate disclosure: The Rundowns is an independent affiliate of ElevenLabs and may receive compensation for referrals. Every ElevenLabs button on this page is that affiliate link. Descript and Murf links are not paid links.
What ElevenLabs is
ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform. For creators, the parts that matter are text to speech (turn a script into narration), voice cloning (make an AI version of your own voice), dubbing into other languages, and Studio, its project editor for longer pieces. Free and paid plans share one monthly pool of credits.[E1] Prices are in USD and exclude tax.[E1]
Pros and cons
What's good
- Cheap to start commercially: Starter is $6/mo and includes a commercial licence and Instant Voice Cloning [E1]
- Clone your own voice with safeguards: you confirm consent for instant clones, and professional clones must pass a check that the voice is yours [E3][E4]
- Rights outlast the subscription: what you make on a paid plan can be used commercially indefinitely [E2]
- Unused credits roll over for up to two months on paid plans [E1]
- Annual billing is 10 months' price for 12 [E1]
What's not
- Free is non-commercial only, and anything you publish from it must credit “elevenlabs.io” or “11.ai” in the title [E2]
- Credits are shared across every tool, so dubbing (2,000 to 10,000 credits a minute) or music eats into your narration budget [E1]
- Downgrade or cancel and unused credits go at the end of the cycle [E1]
- Your clones stay on the platform: you can't export them as files [E3]
- Broad licence over what you upload: the terms give ElevenLabs a perpetual, irrevocable licence to your content, including your voice, to run and improve its services. It says it won't commercialise your voice on a standalone basis without permission [E6]
Who it's for
Creators who want narration for YouTube voiceovers, podcast intros and ads, an audio version of a newsletter, or a draft audiobook read, and who are willing to pay for a commercial licence. Also anyone who wants an AI version of their own voice for pick-ups and corrections.
Who should skip it
If you mostly edit recordings of your own voice, Descript bundles editing with AI speech.[D1] If your audio is a hobby that never earns money, Free is fine, but it is non-commercial and needs the credit in the title.[E2] If you'd rather sound like yourself with no AI at all, a good USB mic is a one-off cost: see our RØDE PodMic USB review.
ElevenLabs pricing in 2026
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (≈/mo) | Credits / month | ≈ TTS minutes | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | 10,000 | ~10 | Text to Speech, Speech to Text, Sound Effects, Voice Design, 3 Studio projects. No commercial licence |
| Starter | $6 | $5 | 30,000 | ~30 | Commercial licence, Instant Voice Cloning, 20 Studio projects, Dubbing Studio |
| Creator | $22 | $18.33 | 121,000 | ~121 | Professional Voice Cloning (1 clone), extra credits available |
| Pro | $99 | $82.50 | 600,000 | ~600 | 192 kbps audio, 44.1 kHz PCM output via the API |
| Scale | $299 | $249.17 | 1,800,000 | ~1,800 | 3 seats, team collaboration, 3 professional clones |
| Business | $990 | $825 | 6,000,000 | ~6,000 | 10 seats, 10 professional clones |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom terms, SSO, more seats and voices | |||
USD, excluding tax, from ElevenLabs' pricing page and pricing FAQ (checked 1 Nov 2026).[E1] Annual = monthly price × 10. “≈ TTS minutes” is ElevenLabs' own estimate of text-to-speech minutes in the plan comparison. When we checked, the page was also showing first-month discounts on Starter and Creator. Offers like that change, so we quote the regular prices. Check the page before you buy.
Starter for a commercial channel, Creator for a pro clone
Starter is the cheapest plan with a commercial licence and Instant Voice Cloning. Creator adds Professional Voice Cloning.[E1]
How the credits work
- Text to speech: about 1 credit per character on the standard model. Some faster models cost 0.5 to 1 credit per character through the API.[E1]
- Other tools draw from the same pool: Speech to Text 330 credits a minute, Voice Changer and Voice Isolator 1,000 a minute, Sound Effects 200 a generation, music 900 a minute, dubbing 2,000 to 10,000 a minute.[E1]
- Rollover: unused credits roll over for up to two months on an active paid plan, so your balance tops out at 3× the monthly amount. Free credits don't roll over.[E1]
- Cancelling: you can cancel any time. The plan runs to the end of the cycle, then drops to Free and unused paid credits expire.[E1]
To size a plan, count the characters in a typical script (most word processors will tell you) and multiply by the number of pieces you make a month.
Can you use it commercially?
- Free plan: no. It “does not include a commercial license and cannot be used for any commercial purpose”. If you publish free-plan audio non-commercially, you must put “elevenlabs.io” or “11.ai” in the title.[E2] The terms also require a personal email address for non-commercial use.[E6]
- Paid plans: yes, all include a commercial licence, except for anything made with Beta Services. You still need the rights to what you feed in, and the output must follow the Terms and the Prohibited Use Policy.[E2]
- After you cancel: audio made during a paid subscription can still be used commercially, indefinitely. Audio made before or after it can't.[E2]
A monetised YouTube channel, a sponsored podcast, client work or a paid audiobook is, in our reading, commercial. If you're unsure, ask ElevenLabs before you publish.
Voice cloning: the consent rules
- Instant Voice Cloning (Starter and up[E1]): you upload or record audio, then confirm that you have the right and consent to clone the voice before you save it.[E3]
- Professional Voice Cloning (Creator and up[E1]): only your own voice. “Even with their consent, you cannot clone someone else's voice.” You verify by reading lines aloud. If a co-host wants to share their voice, they make and verify their own clone, then share it with you privately.[E4]
- Never without consent: the Prohibited Use Policy bans cloning or impersonating any living person's voice without their “explicit and informed consent or other valid authorization”, and bans submitting recordings of anyone under 18 to train a voice.[E5]
- It's traceable: ElevenLabs says all audio its models generate can be traced back to the user who made it.[E3]
By use case
- YouTube voiceover: a paid plan if the channel earns money.[E2] Starter's ~30 minutes a month suits a weekly short video. Creator's ~121 minutes suits several long ones.[E1]
- Podcasts: handy for intros, ad reads and fixing a fluffed line in your own cloned voice. For the main show you may still prefer to record yourself. Our PodMic USB review covers a mic for that.
- Audiobooks: Studio projects (20 on Starter) are built for longer work.[E1] Check your audiobook store's own rules on AI narration before you publish. We haven't covered them here.
- Newsletters read aloud: narrate each issue and post it as audio. If you're on beehiiv, its Pro plan has built-in audio newsletters. See our beehiiv review.
How the Rundown score works
One point for each item on our published checklist that the official pages confirm. Anything we couldn't confirm scores 0. Full method.
| Checklist item | Points | Result and source |
|---|---|---|
| Has a free plan | 1 | 1 ✓ Free, $0, 10,000 credits a month [E1] |
| Free plan allows commercial use | 1 | 0 ✕ “cannot be used for any commercial purpose” [E2] |
| Commercial licence on the cheapest paid plan | 1 | 1 ✓ Starter includes a Commercial License [E1] |
| Cheapest paid plan ≤ US$10/mo on monthly billing | 1 | 1 ✓ Starter $6/mo [E1] |
| Clone your own voice on the cheapest paid plan | 1 | 1 ✓ Instant Voice Cloning on Starter [E1] |
| Consent safeguards on voice cloning | 1 | 1 ✓ consent confirmation for instant clones; own-voice verification for professional clones [E3][E4] |
| Unused allowance carries over | 1 | 1 ✓ up to two months of rollover on paid plans [E1] |
| Commercial rights survive cancelling | 1 | 1 ✓ content made while subscribed stays usable commercially [E2] |
| Voice clones can be exported | 1 | 0 ✕ clones stay in your account [E3] |
| Unused credits survive a downgrade or cancellation | 1 | 0 ✕ forfeited at the end of the cycle [E1] |
| Total | 10 | 7 → 7.0 / 10 |
This is our AI voice tool checklist. It scores what the official pages promise, not how natural the voices sound, which we haven't tested.
Alternatives
Descript
A text-based audio and video editor with AI speech and custom clones of your own voice from Hobbyist up. Hobbyist is $16 per person a month billed annually, or $24 monthly. There's also a Free plan.[D1] Best if you edit recordings rather than generate narration.
See Descript plans(not a paid link)
Murf AI
Text to speech with pay-as-you-go API pricing: $0.03 per 1,000 characters for its studio-quality voices, and $10 of free API credit to start.[U1] Its Studio plans didn't load in our check, so we can't quote them.
See Murf pricing(not a paid link)
Your own voice
No credits, no licence questions. A USB mic is a one-off cost. Our RØDE PodMic USB review covers one option.
FAQ
Can I use ElevenLabs free for YouTube?
Only for non-commercial videos, credited with “elevenlabs.io” or “11.ai” in the title. A paid plan is needed for any commercial use.[E2]
Can I clone a celebrity or a friend?
Not without their explicit and informed consent.[E5] Professional clones can only ever be your own voice, even if someone agrees.[E4]
Do unused credits carry over?
On paid plans, for up to two months. They're lost if you downgrade or cancel.[E1]
Are these prices in Australian dollars?
No. ElevenLabs publishes USD prices, excluding tax.[E1] Your card may add a conversion fee.
Did The Rundowns test ElevenLabs?
No. This review summarises ElevenLabs' published plans, help pages and policies, all linked below. We haven't judged voice quality. If we test it hands-on, we'll say so on this page.
ElevenLabs and the ElevenLabs logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of ElevenLabs, Inc. Used with permission. The Rundowns is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with ElevenLabs except as an independent participant in the ElevenLabs Creator Affiliate Program.
Sources
- [E1] ElevenLabs, pricing page, plan comparison and pricing FAQ (USD, “Prices exclude all taxes”): elevenlabs.io/pricing (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E2] ElevenLabs Help Center, “Can I publish the content I generate on the platform?”: elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E3] ElevenLabs docs, “Instant Voice Cloning” (guide and FAQ): elevenlabs.io/docs (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E4] ElevenLabs docs, “Professional Voice Cloning” and Help Center, “Can I create a Professional Voice Clone of someone else’s voice?”: PVC guide, PVC help article (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E5] ElevenLabs Prohibited Use Policy (last updated 9 Oct 2026): elevenlabs.io/use-policy (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E6] ElevenLabs Terms of Service, non-EEA (last updated 9 Oct 2026): elevenlabs.io/terms-of-use (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [E7] ElevenLabs Creator Affiliate Program Terms (last updated 10 Jun 2026): elevenlabs.io/affiliates-terms (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [D1] Descript pricing page (USD): descript.com/pricing (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- [U1] Murf AI pricing page, API tab (USD): murf.ai/pricing (checked 1 Nov 2026)