by ElevenLabs · founded 2022 · updated Sep 2026
ElevenLabs leads AI voice: hyper-realistic text-to-speech in 70+ languages, instant voice cloning, dubbing, and a conversational agents platform. Its API powers voice features across thousands of products.
Fixed weights, sources attached, the formula
Each score is built from the claims below. This is a snapshot, so check the current terms with the vendor before you commit to anything.
3 of 4 claims below are past their re-check window. Pricing, availability and security details move fast, so confirm those with the vendor.
| Claim | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| v3 model supports expressive multi-speaker dialogue· re-check | ElevenLabs release notes | Jun 2025 |
| SOC 2 Type 2 compliant; enterprise tier offers zero-retention· re-check | ElevenLabs security page | Jul 2025 |
| Conversational agents platform GA with telephony support· re-check | ElevenLabs product announcements | Mar 2025 |
| Current published plans: Free, Starter $6/mo, Creator $22/mo, Pro $99/mo, Scale $299/mo, Business $990/mo, plus custom Enterprise, all on a unified credit system (roughly 1 credit per TTS character); Flash/Turbo models run at 0.5 credits/character, and Conversational AI agent pricing was cut to about $0.08/minute | ElevenLabs pricing page ↗ | Sep 2026 |
OpenAI replaced the GPT-4o-era model behind ChatGPT voice mode with GPT-Live, dropping the old 2024 knowledge cutoff. Better real-time voice quality raises the bar for conversational and phone-agent experiences buyers benchmark against.
Rime, which fields calls with voice models trained on studio-recorded conversational data, raised a $24M Series A led by M13. More capital chasing contact-centre voice quality, specifically naturalness on collections and support calls.
xAI launched a Voice Agent Builder that spins up production voice agents in under two minutes with no code, priced at $0.05/min of audio plus $0.01/min telephony. More price pressure on voice-agent platforms. Retell is the obvious thing to benchmark it against on high-volume outbound.
Industry analyses put AI-handled calls at $0.30–0.50 versus $17+ for human contacts, a ~35x gap. Autonomous handling (Sierra, Decagon, Retell) now competes head-on with assist-layer incumbents.
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Descript
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