ElevenLabs Pricing 2026: Which Plan Should You Choose?

ElevenLabs offers several subscription plans for creators, businesses, developers and large organisations. Choosing the right one can be confusing because the platform uses credits shared between text-to-speech, dubbing, speech-to-text, music, sound effects and other AI tools.

The best ElevenLabs plan for most individual content creators is the Creator plan. It provides substantially more monthly credits than the Starter plan and is better suited to regular YouTube videos, podcasts, voiceovers and content production.

However, not everyone needs Creator:

• Choose Free if you only want to test ElevenLabs.
• Choose Starter if you need commercial rights for occasional content.
• Choose Creator if you publish voiceovers regularly.
• Choose Pro if you produce large volumes of audio.
• Choose Scale if you operate a growing production team.
• Choose Business if you need high usage and multiple workspace seats.
• Choose Enterprise if you require custom security, support or contractual terms.

ElevenLabs currently offers plans ranging from $0 to $990 per month before Enterprise pricing. Features, credits and promotional prices may change, so confirm the latest details before subscribing.

Transparency notice: This article currently contains no affiliate links. Links lead to the official ElevenLabs website, and Tool Habour does not currently earn a commission. If affiliate links are added later, this disclosure will be updated.

Table of Contents

How Much Does ElevenLabs Cost?

ElevenLabs currently provides seven main subscription levels:

• Free: $0 per month
• Starter: $6 per month
• Creator: $22 per month
• Pro: $99 per month
• Scale: $299 per month
• Business: $990 per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

The Creator plan may be offered at a discounted price for the first month. Promotional offers can change and should not be treated as permanent pricing.

Every plan includes a monthly credit allowance. Credits are consumed when users generate or process content with ElevenLabs products.

The advertised monthly prices may exclude applicable taxes, duties and currency-conversion charges. South African users should remember that their bank may convert the subscription from US dollars to rands and charge an international transaction fee.

Check the official ElevenLabs pricing page before completing a purchase.

ElevenLabs Plans Compared

Plan	Monthly price	Monthly credits	Best for
Free	$0	10,000	Testing the platform
Starter	$6	30,000	Occasional commercial content
Creator	$22	121,000	Regular creators and YouTubers
Pro	$99	600,000	High-volume content production
Scale	$299	1,800,000	Growing teams and agencies
Business	$990	6,000,000	Large production teams
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Organisations requiring custom terms

The available tools, credit costs and limits can change. Always compare the current plans directly on ElevenLabs before subscribing.

If you are still comparing platforms, read our complete guide to the best AI voice generators.

How Do ElevenLabs Credits Work?

ElevenLabs uses credits as a shared unit across its different products.

Your monthly credits are not reserved only for text-to-speech. Using credits for dubbing, music or speech-to-text leaves fewer credits available for voice generation.

ElevenLabs currently provides the following approximate credit costs:

• Text-to-speech: Approximately one credit per character with standard models
• Speech-to-text: Approximately 330 credits per minute
• Eleven Music: Approximately 900 credits per minute
• Sound effects: Approximately 200 credits per generation
• Voice Changer: Approximately 1,000 credits per minute
• Voice Isolator: Approximately 1,000 credits per minute
• Automatic dubbing with a watermark: Approximately 2,000 credits per minute
• Automatic dubbing without a watermark: Approximately 3,000 credits per minute

Some models, API usage and Voice Library options may use credits at different rates.

What counts as a character?

Characters generally include:

• Letters
• Numbers
• Spaces
• Punctuation marks
• Symbols

A script containing 5,000 characters may therefore use approximately 5,000 credits with a model charged at one credit per character.

This is not the same as 5,000 words.

Why credit usage varies

Your consumption may change according to:

• The selected model
• Whether you use the website or API
• The chosen voice
• Voice Library custom rates
• The product being used
• The audio duration
• Whether dubbing includes a watermark
• Whether you regenerate changed content

ElevenLabs says some API models receive discounted character rates. Review the displayed cost before generating large projects.

ElevenLabs Free Plan

The Free plan costs $0 and currently includes 10,000 monthly credits.

It is intended for users who want to explore the platform before paying.

What is included?

The free plan currently provides access to tools such as:

• Text-to-speech
• Speech-to-text
• Sound effects
• Voice Design
• Eleven Music
• Studio projects
• Selected voice-generation features
• Limited API access

Specific product allowances may change as ElevenLabs adds or updates features.

What can you do with 10,000 credits?

The allowance is enough to:

• Test different voices
• Compare voice models
• Generate short narration samples
• Test pronunciation
• Learn the dashboard
• Experiment with Voice Design
• Evaluate the API
• Produce non-commercial demonstrations

The number of minutes produced depends on the script, voice, model and product used.

Does the Free plan include commercial rights?

No. ElevenLabs states that the Free plan does not include a commercial licence.

Content generated on the Free plan cannot be used for commercial purposes. Published non-commercial content generally requires attribution to ElevenLabs, subject to the applicable terms.

You should not use Free-plan output in:

• Monetised YouTube videos
• Paid advertisements
• Client projects
• Commercial podcasts
• Paid online courses
• Business promotions
• Audiobooks sold for profit

Who should choose Free?

Choose the Free plan if:

• You have never used ElevenLabs.
• You want to test voice quality.
• You are comparing ElevenLabs with Murf AI.
• You do not need commercial rights.
• You only need short demonstrations.
• You are learning how credits work.

Tool Habour verdict

The Free plan is suitable for testing, but it is not appropriate for users planning to monetise generated audio.

Read our ElevenLabs vs Murf AI comparison if you have not decided which platform to use.

ElevenLabs Starter Plan

The Starter plan currently costs $6 per month and includes 30,000 monthly credits.

Its most important upgrade over Free is the addition of a commercial licence.

What is included?

Starter currently adds features such as:

• 30,000 monthly credits
• Commercial licensing
• Instant Voice Cloning
• More Studio projects
• Dubbing access
• Additional creative features
• Access to paid-plan functionality

Who should choose Starter?

The Starter plan is best for:

• New YouTube creators
• Occasional voiceover users
• Small personal brands
• Short social-media videos
• Freelancers testing commercial projects
• Users who need basic voice cloning
• Creators publishing a few short projects monthly

Advantages

• Affordable entry price
• Includes commercial rights
• Provides three times the Free-plan credits
• Includes Instant Voice Cloning
• Suitable for testing monetised content
• Lower financial commitment than Creator

Disadvantages

• 30,000 credits may be consumed quickly
• Not ideal for long weekly videos
• Dubbing and other tools share the same credits
• Frequent regenerations can reduce the available allowance
• Larger projects may require Creator

Tool Habour verdict

Starter is the best ElevenLabs plan for occasional commercial use. It is a practical first paid plan for a new creator who does not yet produce large volumes of content.

ElevenLabs Creator Plan

The Creator plan currently costs $22 per month and includes 121,000 monthly credits. ElevenLabs may offer a reduced first-month price to new subscribers.

Creator is the best plan for most individual users who regularly publish voiceovers.

Who should choose Creator?

Creator is suitable for:

• Established YouTube creators
• Podcasters
• Course creators
• Freelance video editors
• Marketing professionals
• Regular social-media publishers
• Users producing weekly narration
• Creators using voice cloning
• Users working on medium-length projects

Advantages

• Considerably more credits than Starter
• Commercial rights
• Better value for regular production
• Suitable for consistent publishing
• Supports voice-cloning workflows
• More Studio capacity
• Can support several monthly projects
• Lower cost than Pro

Disadvantages

• More expensive than Starter
• Long audiobooks may exceed the allowance
• Dubbing can consume credits quickly
• Credits are shared across all products
• Some users may pay for more capacity than they need

Is Creator worth the upgrade from Starter?

Creator is worth considering if you:

• Regularly run out of Starter credits.
• Produce weekly YouTube voiceovers.
• Regenerate audio frequently.
• Create content for several channels.
• Use dubbing, sound effects or other ElevenLabs products.
• Need room to experiment with different voices.
• Produce commercial audio every month.

If you only publish one or two short voiceovers monthly, Starter may provide better value.

Tool Habour verdict

Creator is the best ElevenLabs plan for most YouTubers, podcasters and independent content creators.

ElevenLabs Pro Plan

The Pro plan currently costs $99 per month and includes 600,000 monthly credits.

It is designed for high-volume creators and professionals producing considerably more audio than a typical individual user.

Who should choose Pro?

Pro may be suitable for:

• Full-time YouTube creators
• Podcast networks
• Video-production businesses
• High-volume freelancers
• Online course companies
• Small voiceover agencies
• Users producing several long projects
• Developers with growing usage
• Businesses generating regular content

Advantages

• Large monthly credit allowance
• Better capacity for frequent publishing
• Suitable for multiple projects
• Supports professional content workflows
• Reduces the risk of repeatedly exhausting credits
• Useful for creators managing several brands

Disadvantages

• Significant monthly expense
• Too expensive for occasional users
• Credits may be wasted without consistent production
• Additional products still share the same credit pool
• Users need to track consumption carefully

Tool Habour verdict

Pro is suitable when AI voice generation forms a significant part of your business or full-time content operation.

Do not upgrade to Pro only because it appears more professional. Upgrade when your real monthly usage repeatedly exceeds the Creator allowance.

ElevenLabs Scale Plan

The Scale plan currently costs $299 per month and includes 1.8 million monthly credits.

It also provides workspace capacity intended for growing teams.

Who should choose Scale?

Scale is designed for:

• Content agencies
• Production teams
• Growing startups
• Podcast networks
• Localisation businesses
• Course-production companies
• Teams managing several client projects
• Businesses integrating ElevenLabs into operations

Advantages

• High monthly credit allowance
• Supports team workflows
• Suitable for agency production
• Can handle multiple projects and brands
• More appropriate for business-level output
• Reduces dependence on frequent top-ups

Disadvantages

• Expensive for individuals
• Requires consistent usage to justify the cost
• Teams must monitor who consumes credits
• May still be insufficient for extremely large API applications
• Additional security requirements may require Enterprise

Tool Habour verdict

Scale is best for a growing team whose monthly voice-generation requirements have moved beyond individual creator plans.

ElevenLabs Business Plan

The Business plan currently costs $990 per month and includes six million monthly credits.

It is designed for larger teams with substantial production or application requirements.

Who should choose Business?

Business may be suitable for:

• Established agencies
• Large content-production companies
• Technology businesses
• High-volume localisation teams
• Organisations producing audio across departments
• Companies requiring several workspace seats
• Businesses using multiple professional voice clones

Advantages

• Six million monthly credits
• Supports larger teams
• Suitable for very high production volumes
• Can accommodate several simultaneous projects
• Better suited to organisational use
• Provides more professional voice capacity

Disadvantages

• Very expensive for small businesses
• Requires strong usage monitoring
• Unused capacity can create poor value
• Some organisations may still need custom Enterprise terms
• Taxes and currency conversion increase the final cost

Tool Habour verdict

Business is appropriate only when an organisation can clearly demonstrate that its monthly usage and team requirements justify the $990 subscription.

ElevenLabs Enterprise Plan

Enterprise pricing is customised according to the organisation’s requirements.

It may include:

• Custom credit allowances
• Custom contracts
• Service-level agreements
• Data-processing agreements
• Priority support
• Custom security requirements
• Single sign-on
• Higher limits
• Additional workspace seats
• Custom voice arrangements
• Healthcare-related agreements where applicable

Who should contact Enterprise sales?

Consider Enterprise if:

• Your organisation requires custom legal terms.
• You process sensitive or regulated information.
• You need guaranteed service levels.
• You require significantly higher usage.
• You need advanced access controls.
• Your company requires procurement documentation.
• Standard plans cannot support your concurrency requirements.
• You need specialised technical support.

Tool Habour verdict

Enterprise is not intended for ordinary creators. It is designed for organisations with specialised security, compliance, volume or contractual requirements.

Which ElevenLabs Plan Is Best for YouTube?

New YouTube channel

Choose Starter if you are beginning to monetise short or occasional videos.

It provides commercial rights without the higher monthly cost of Creator.

Weekly YouTube channel

Choose Creator if you publish narrated videos regularly.

The larger allowance provides more room for:

• Weekly scripts
• Voice experiments
• Regeneration
• Introductions and conclusions
• Multiple voice styles
• Short-form content

Full-time production

Choose Pro if you operate several channels or produce long videos frequently.

YouTube agency

Choose Scale or Business if you create content for multiple clients and team members.

YouTube recommendation

For most established individual YouTubers, Creator offers the best balance between price and monthly capacity.

Remember that using an AI voice does not automatically make a video eligible for monetisation. Your complete video must provide original value and comply with YouTube’s current policies.

Which ElevenLabs Plan Is Best for Podcasts?

The correct plan depends on episode length, release frequency and whether AI generates the entire programme or only certain sections.

Starter may be sufficient for:

• Podcast introductions
• Advertisements
• Short corrections
• Occasional bonus content

Creator is better for:

• Weekly narrated episodes
• Several programme segments
• Regular voice cloning
• Multilingual podcast versions
• Consistent commercial production

Pro is better for:

• Podcast networks
• Several weekly programmes
• Long episodes
• Multiple voices and languages
• High-volume production teams

For users who also need transcript-based editing, compare ElevenLabs with Descript in our guide to the best AI voice generators.

Which ElevenLabs Plan Is Best for Audiobooks?

Audiobooks can require a large number of credits because they contain long scripts.

Before choosing a plan:

1. Calculate the total character count of the manuscript.
2. Add extra capacity for pronunciation tests.
3. Allow for regenerated sections.
4. Decide whether multiple voices are needed.
5. Confirm the book’s commercial rights.
6. Test a complete chapter before producing the entire book.

Recommended plans

• Short ebook or guide: Creator
• Full-length audiobook: Pro or higher
• Multiple books: Scale
• Publishing company: Business or Enterprise

A large project should not begin on the assumption that the listed monthly credits will cover every regeneration and edit.

Which Plan Is Best for Businesses?

Small business

Starter or Creator may be sufficient for:

• Social-media voiceovers
• Product demonstrations
• Telephone greetings
• Short advertisements
• Training introductions

Growing company

Pro may be suitable for:

• Regular marketing campaigns
• Internal training
• Several departments
• Multiple brands
• Frequent product videos

Agency or production team

Scale or Business may be more appropriate when several people and client projects share the subscription.

Companies primarily producing presentations and e-learning should also read our ElevenLabs vs Murf AI comparison.

Does ElevenLabs Include Commercial Rights?

All paid ElevenLabs plans currently include a commercial licence, subject to applicable terms.

This means content created during an active paid subscription can generally be used commercially when:

• You own or have permission to use the script.
• You have permission to use the selected or cloned voice.
• Your content follows the Terms of Service.
• Your use complies with applicable laws.
• You follow service-specific conditions.
• The feature is not restricted as a beta service.

Possible commercial uses include:

• Monetised YouTube videos
• Podcasts
• Online courses
• Client projects
• Business presentations
• Advertisements
• Product demonstrations
• Social-media marketing

Important licensing distinction

Audio generated during a paid subscription can generally remain in commercial use after cancellation, subject to the terms that applied when it was created.

Audio generated before upgrading or after returning to Free does not automatically receive commercial rights simply because you previously held a paid subscription.

The Free plan does not include a commercial licence. Read ElevenLabs’ publishing guidance.

Which Plans Include Voice Cloning?

Instant Voice Cloning currently begins with the Starter plan.

Voice-cloning limits and Professional Voice Cloning availability vary according to the subscription.

Voice cloning can help users:

• Generate authorised narration in their own voice
• Correct mistakes without recording again
• Maintain consistent brand audio
• Translate authorised speech
• Produce content more efficiently

Only clone:

• Your own voice
• A voice you are explicitly authorised to clone
• A voice covered by a valid agreement

Never use voice cloning for impersonation, fraud, fake endorsements or misleading content.

ElevenLabs Pay As You Go and Top-Ups

ElevenLabs provides a Pay As You Go system that allows eligible users to add funds when their monthly subscription credits run out.

Subscription credits are generally used first. Once those credits are exhausted, usage can draw from the Pay As You Go balance.

Advantages

• Avoids immediately upgrading to a more expensive plan
• Supports occasional periods of higher usage
• Provides additional capacity for large projects
• Can be useful for API users
• Balance can support several products

Disadvantages

• Top-up purchases are generally non-refundable
• Funds can expire after the specified period
• Frequent top-ups may cost more than upgrading
• Automatic top-ups require careful monitoring
• A Pay As You Go balance does not unlock higher plan features

If you repeatedly purchase additional credits, compare your total monthly spending with the next subscription tier.

Do ElevenLabs Credits Roll Over?

ElevenLabs currently allows unused subscription credits to roll over up to a specified limit, provided the subscription remains active without cancellation or downgrade.

The documentation currently states that users may carry over up to two months’ worth of unused credits.

If you cancel or downgrade:

• The change takes effect at the end of the billing period.
• Unused credits may be lost.
• Certain paid features become unavailable.
• Access to some cloned voices may be restricted.
• Project limits may decrease.

Review your credit balance before changing plans.

Is ElevenLabs Worth Paying For?

ElevenLabs can be worth paying for if realistic AI narration saves you time or replaces part of an expensive recording workflow.

A paid plan may provide value when you:

• Publish monetised videos
• Need commercial rights
• Produce weekly content
• Want to clone your authorised voice
• Create multilingual audio
• Generate client voiceovers
• Need consistent narration
• Use the API in a product
• Regularly pay voice actors for simple updates

It may not be worth paying when you:

• Rarely create audio
• Only want to experiment
• Prefer recording your own voice
• Need one short personal project
• Cannot use the monthly credits consistently
• Require a regional accent the platform cannot produce convincingly

Start with Free, test real scripts and upgrade only after confirming that the output suits your intended audience.

How to Choose the Correct ElevenLabs Plan

Step 1: Define your intended use

Determine whether you need ElevenLabs for:

• YouTube
• Podcasts
• Audiobooks
• Business presentations
• Advertisements
• Online courses
• Client projects
• Voice agents
• Application development

Step 2: Confirm whether you need commercial rights

If the audio will support a business or generate income, choose a paid plan.

Step 3: Calculate your monthly characters

Check several real scripts instead of estimating by word count.

Step 4: Add regeneration capacity

Do not assume every generated line will be correct on the first attempt.

Allow room for:

• Pronunciation changes
• Voice comparisons
• Script corrections
• Emotional adjustments
• Pacing changes

Step 5: Include other ElevenLabs products

Remember that dubbing, music, speech-to-text and sound effects use the same credit pool.

Step 6: Compare the next plan

Calculate whether paying for additional credits is cheaper than upgrading.

Step 7: Start monthly

Avoid paying annually before testing a complete real project.

ElevenLabs Pricing: Final Verdict

The best ElevenLabs plan depends on how often you generate audio and whether the content will be used commercially.

Choose Free if:

• You are testing ElevenLabs.
• You need only short non-commercial samples.
• You do not need commercial rights.
• You are comparing different platforms.

Choose Starter if:

• You need the cheapest commercial plan.
• You create occasional voiceovers.
• You are launching a new YouTube channel.
• You want Instant Voice Cloning.
• Your scripts are relatively short.

Choose Creator if:

• You publish content every week.
• You are an established YouTuber or podcaster.
• You regularly regenerate sections.
• You need more room for experimentation.
• Voice generation is part of your monthly workflow.

Choose Pro if:

• You produce content full-time.
• You manage several channels.
• You create long-form audio.
• You operate a small production company.
• Creator credits are consistently insufficient.

Choose Scale if:

• You run an agency or production team.
• Several people require access.
• You manage multiple clients.
• Your business generates large volumes of audio.

Choose Business if:

• You operate a large production team.
• You need millions of monthly credits.
• You require several workspace seats.
• AI-generated audio is central to your operations.

Choose Enterprise if:

• You need custom security.
• You require service-level agreements.
• You need custom contracts or support.
• Standard plans cannot meet your requirements.

For most independent creators, Creator is the best overall ElevenLabs plan.

For beginners requiring commercial rights, Starter provides the best low-cost entry point.

Do not choose a plan based only on its advertised capacity. Test your actual scripts and measure your real monthly usage first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is ElevenLabs per month?

ElevenLabs currently offers Free at $0, Starter at $6, Creator at $22, Pro at $99, Scale at $299 and Business at $990 per month. Enterprise pricing is customised.

Is ElevenLabs free?

Yes. ElevenLabs offers a Free plan with 10,000 monthly credits. The Free plan does not include a commercial licence.

Which ElevenLabs plan is best?

Creator is the best plan for most regular content creators. Starter is better for occasional commercial use, while Pro is intended for high-volume production.

Is ElevenLabs Starter worth it?

Starter can be worthwhile for beginners who need commercial rights and Instant Voice Cloning but produce only occasional short voiceovers.

Is ElevenLabs Creator worth it?

Creator is worthwhile for users publishing voiceovers regularly. It provides 121,000 monthly credits, considerably more than Starter’s 30,000.

Can I use the Free plan for YouTube?

You may use Free-plan content only according to ElevenLabs’ non-commercial and attribution rules. It does not include a commercial licence and should not be used for monetised content.

Which plan allows commercial use?

All paid plans currently include commercial licensing, subject to ElevenLabs’ terms and any service-specific restrictions.

Does ElevenLabs charge per word?

ElevenLabs generally calculates text-to-speech usage using credits associated with written characters rather than words. Credit rates can vary by model and method.

Do spaces count as credits?

Text characters generally include letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation and symbols.

How many minutes are 10,000 ElevenLabs credits?

The exact duration depends on the script, speaking rate, model, voice and product. ElevenLabs describes the Free allowance as sufficient for a limited amount of generated audio, but users should test their own scripts.

Do ElevenLabs credits expire?

Monthly credits reset according to the billing cycle. Eligible unused subscription credits can roll over up to a limited amount while the subscription remains active.

Can I buy additional ElevenLabs credits?

Eligible users can purchase Pay As You Go credit top-ups. Subscription credits are used before the additional balance.

Are ElevenLabs top-ups refundable?

ElevenLabs states that Pay As You Go top-up purchases are non-refundable.

Can I cancel ElevenLabs anytime?

Users can cancel their subscription, with the cancellation normally taking effect at the end of the current billing cycle. Unused credits may be lost.

Can I keep using commercial audio after cancelling?

Content created during an active paid subscription can generally continue to be used commercially, subject to the relevant terms and provided you own the necessary rights.

Does Starter include voice cloning?

Starter currently includes Instant Voice Cloning. Professional Voice Cloning and higher limits depend on the selected plan.

Is ElevenLabs good for YouTube?

Yes. ElevenLabs can create realistic narration for YouTube. The Creator plan is suitable for many regular YouTubers, while Starter may be sufficient for occasional videos.

Is ElevenLabs good for audiobooks?

ElevenLabs can produce audiobook narration, but long manuscripts require substantial credits. Calculate the complete character count and allow for regeneration before selecting a plan.

Is ElevenLabs available in South Africa?

ElevenLabs is an online platform accessible from many countries. South African users may be charged in US dollars and should consider exchange rates, taxes and international bank fees.