Leading AI text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice isolator.
Alternatives
ElevenLabs alternatives (free and paid) (2026)
Studio-style AI voiceover generator with 120+ voices and timing controls.
Enterprise-grade AI voice studio for polished voiceover narration.
AI voice generator with emotion control plus built-in video editor.
Text-to-speech reader and AI voice studio with voice cloning.
Text-to-speech voiceovers and narrated videos from slides or scripts.
Short answer: ElevenLabs is still the cheapest way into a commercial AI voice. Starter is $6 a month (with a first-month discount to $1 running when we checked), and the commercial licence starts there. The free plan gives 10,000 credits a month but no commercial licence. For a studio-style editor for narration, try Murf AI or WellSaid Labs. For whole faceless videos with the voice built in, try Fliki. If you only need occasional voiceovers and hate subscriptions, Narakeet sells one-time minute packs.
Is ElevenLabs free? What the free plan allows
From ElevenLabs' pricing page, checked 13 October 2026 (monthly billing):
- Free: 10,000 credits a month (text-to-speech costs 1 credit per character) and 3 Studio projects. No commercial licence. Unused credits don't roll over.
- Starter: $6/mo for 30,000 credits, with a commercial licence. A first-month offer ("83% off", so $1) was marked "Until Oct 18".
- Creator: $22/mo for 121,000 credits, with 50% off the first month ($11).
- Pro: $99/mo for 600,000 credits. Scale is $299/mo and Business $990/mo.
Annual billing gives two months free, so Starter works out to $5/mo. The catch for creators is the licence: monetized YouTube, TikTok Creator Rewards and sponsored posts are commercial use, so the free plan is for testing voices, not for publishing.
The picks at a glance
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Commercial use on free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | $6/mo (Starter) | 10k credits/mo | No | Voice quality and cloning |
| Murf AI | $19/mo billed annually | 10 min of voice generation | Not stated on their site | Line-by-line narration control |
| WellSaid Labs | $10/mo yearly ($19 monthly) | Trial, 3 download min/mo | No | Clean explainer narration |
| LOVO (Genny) | Check current pricing on LOVO | Not stated on their site | Not stated | Voice plus editor |
| Speechify | Check Studio pricing on Speechify | Reader app only | Not stated | Existing Speechify users |
| Narakeet | $6 for 30 minutes (one-time) | 20 conversions | No | Occasional voiceovers |
| Resemble AI | Check current pricing on Resemble | Not stated | Not stated | API voice cloning |
| Fliki | Check current pricing on Fliki | 720p, 5-min exports | No (watermark) | All-in-one faceless video |
Voiceover studios
Murf AI
Murf's own pages list the Creator plan from $19/mo billed annually, and a free tier with 10 minutes of voice generation and no project downloads. Its pages disagree on some limits, so check the pricing page before buying. Best for long narration where you adjust pacing, pauses and emphasis line by line.
WellSaid Labs
Starter is $10/mo billed yearly ($120) or $19 monthly, for 20 download minutes a month. The free trial gives 3 download minutes a month with no commercial rights. Best for polished, neutral narration for explainers and channel intros.
LOVO (Genny)
Combines voices with a basic video timeline. Its pricing page didn't load for us, so check current pricing on LOVO.
Speechify
The reader app has a free tier and Premium at $29/mo. Voiceover and dubbing sit in Speechify Studio, which is priced separately. Best for people who already use Speechify to read.
Pay as you go and developer options
Narakeet
No subscription: you buy one-time minute packs that don't expire, starting with 30 minutes for $6 ($0.20 a minute). Free accounts get 20 conversions but no commercial use. Buying any pack upgrades you to commercial. Good for a few voiceovers a month, or for narrating slide decks into video.
Resemble AI
Developer-focused voice cloning and speech-to-speech. We didn't confirm its prices, so check current pricing on Resemble.
PlayHT used to be a common pick on these lists. Pages on play.ht now carry a notice that the service has shut down, so skip guides that still recommend it.
Voice built into a video maker
Fliki
The free plan exports at 720p with a Fliki watermark and up to 5 minutes per video. Paid plans add 1080p, remove the watermark and include a commercial licence. The dollar amounts didn't show when we checked, so check current pricing on Fliki. Best for faceless Shorts where script, stock footage and voice come from one place.
For the full workflow, see the best AI voices for faceless videos.
Worked cost example: 30 minutes of voiceover a month
- ElevenLabs Starter: 30,000 credits is about 30,000 characters, roughly 30 minutes of speech, for $6/mo.
- Narakeet: $6 for 30 minutes, once. No renewal if you skip a month.
- WellSaid Starter: $10/mo billed yearly, but only 20 download minutes.
If you publish every month, ElevenLabs is cheapest. If you publish irregularly, Narakeet's packs avoid paying for idle months.
Open-source and free options
Free local text-to-speech models exist, but they need a decent GPU and some setup, and licences vary from model to model. Read each model's licence before using it in monetized videos.
Best for
- Cheapest commercial voice: ElevenLabs Starter.
- No subscription: Narakeet.
- Studio-style narration: Murf AI or WellSaid Labs.
- Voice plus video in one tool: Fliki.
Questions
Is ElevenLabs free for commercial use?
No. The free plan has 10,000 credits a month but no commercial licence. The licence starts on Starter at $6/mo.
What is the best free ElevenLabs alternative?
None of the hosted tools here give free commercial use. For testing, ElevenLabs' own free tier is generous. For occasional paid use, Narakeet's one-time packs avoid a subscription.
Is there an open-source ElevenLabs alternative?
Yes, several local text-to-speech models exist. They run on your own GPU and each has its own licence, so check the terms before using one in monetized videos.
Is PlayHT still available?
Pages on play.ht show a shutdown notice. Use one of the alternatives above.
Sources: ElevenLabs pricing; Murf pricing (via search summary of Murf's pages); WellSaid pricing; Speechify pricing; Narakeet pricing; Fliki pricing; play.ht. Checked on 13 October 2026. Based on published plans, not a hands-on test.