ElevenLabs pricing: Plans, features, and costs

ElevenLabs has emerged as a key player in the field of AI audio solutions, offering advanced AI voice generation, text-to-speech, and audio cloning technologies. 

This post provides an in-depth look at ElevenLabs pricing, carefully examining the available plans, the features they unlock, and the factors that determine the overall cost.

What is ElevenLabs?

ElevenLabs is a company specializing in advanced AI audio solutions. Its primary offerings include AI voice generation and text-to-speech capabilities that produce remarkably natural-sounding speech. Plus, ElevenLabs provides an audio cloning feature, allowing users to create digital replicas of voices.  

Who is ElevenLabs for?

These tools cater to a wide range of users. Creators can use ElevenLabs for professional voiceovers, dubbing content into multiple languages, and generating unique character voices. 

Developers can integrate the API into their applications for features like voice assistants or in-game dialogue. For enterprise integrations, ElevenLabs offers scalable solutions for tasks such as automated customer support and multilingual content creation.  

The operation of ElevenLabs' core features requires a flexible infrastructure. AI voice generation and audio cloning are compute-heavy tasks, requiring significant processing power. 

The service is primarily API-based, allowing for integration into various platforms and workflows. Finally, its pricing structure is largely usage metered, reflecting the computational resources consumed and the volume of audio generated.  

Note: The technical demands of AI voice generation and the variety of user needs directly influence how ElevenLabs manages its product and pricing. 

Features like voice cloning or higher API limits can be gated behind different subscription tiers. Enterprise billing often involves customized plans based on usage and specific feature requirements, aligning with concepts in product and price management.  

Is ElevenLabs free?

Yes, ElevenLabs offers a free plan, but it comes with certain limitations:  

• A restricted number of characters can be generated per month.  
• Commercial usage is not permitted under the free plan.
• Access to voice cloning features may be limited or unavailable.
• API access in the free tier may have restrictions.  
• Audio quality or available features might be less than in paid plans.

ElevenLabs pricing plans explained

ElevenLabs pricing offers several tiers designed for various usage levels and needs. Each plan varies in its monthly cost, character limits for text-to-speech, and the inclusion of key features. The following chart provides a brief comparison of the ElevenLabs pricing plans:

Key differentiators across these ElevenLabs pricing plans include:

• Voice cloning availability: Instant voice cloning is typically introduced at the Starter plan, while Professional voice cloning becomes available at the Creator tier.  
• Commercial vs. personal use: The Free plan is for non-commercial use only. Paid plans grant commercial usage rights.  
• API limits and overages/usage top-ups: Higher-tier plans generally offer higher API usage limits. Some plans also provide options for purchasing extra characters or usage beyond the monthly limit.  

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ElevenLabs costs by usage and feature access

The ElevenLabs pricing structure reflects both usage and feature access. As you generate more characters using their text-to-speech service, the cost increases. Similarly, for API users, billing is based on the monthly volume of audio generated.

It's important to note that the different ElevenLabs pricing plans don't just offer higher character limits. They also unlock access to premium features. For instance, more advanced voice cloning capabilities and higher audio quality are often reserved for higher-tier subscriptions.  

Expansion within ElevenLabs happens through two avenues: Increased usage (generating more audio) and expanded entitlements (accessing more features). This model represents a blend of subscription and usage-based billing. Such an approach is well-suited for AI products where resource consumption directly correlates with output.

Note: The way ElevenLabs structures its plans, offering different features at various price points, is an example of feature gating. Furthermore, the combination of monthly subscription fees and usage-based charges illustrates a hybrid pricing strategy.

Why usage-based pricing works for AI companies

Usage-based pricing aligns costs with actual consumption. For AI companies like ElevenLabs, generating more characters or processing more audio directly translates to higher computational costs. Therefore, charging based on usage ensures that costs are covered fairly.  

Also, usage often reflects value. Users who generate more output from the AI are likely deriving greater utility from the service. A usage-based model ensures that those who benefit most also contribute more.

Traditional per-seat or flat-rate pricing models can be inefficient for AI services. They may not scale well with the fluctuating demands and resource consumption inherent in AI processing. A flat fee might undercharge heavy users and overcharge those with lighter needs.

Usage-based pricing also facilitates land-and-expand growth strategies without creating friction. New users can often start with lower-cost or free tiers with limited usage. As their needs grow and they experience the value of the service, they naturally upgrade to higher-usage plans.

FAQs

How much does ElevenLabs cost per month?

ElevenLabs pricing varies depending on the chosen plan, ranging from a free option with limitations to enterprise solutions with custom pricing. Paid plans start at $5 per month for the Starter tier and increase with higher character limits and more features. Therefore, the monthly cost depends on individual needs and selected features.

What happens if I exceed my character limit?

Exceeding your character limit on ElevenLabs typically results in an overage charge or the suspension of audio generation until the next billing cycle, depending on your specific plan. 

Some plans may offer the option to purchase additional characters or usage top-ups to continue generating audio. It's important to review the details of your chosen ElevenLabs pricing plan to understand the consequences of exceeding your limit.

Can I use ElevenLabs commercially?

Yes, commercial use of ElevenLabs is permitted with the paid subscription plans, starting from the Starter tier. The free plan is generally restricted to non-commercial use only. So, if you intend to use ElevenLabs for business purposes, you will need to subscribe to one of their paid plans.

Does ElevenLabs offer enterprise pricing?

Yes, ElevenLabs provides enterprise pricing solutions tailored to organizations with large-scale needs. 

These custom plans often include higher usage quotas, dedicated support, and enterprise-level service agreements. Interested parties need to contact ElevenLabs directly to discuss their specific requirements and obtain a personalized pricing quote.

Is ElevenLabs usage-based or flat-rate?

ElevenLabs uses a hybrid pricing model that combines subscription fees with usage-based billing. While users subscribe to a specific tier with a set character limit or API usage quota, exceeding these limits can incur additional charges. 

Thus, the overall cost can fluctuate based on how much the service is utilized within the subscribed plan.

Build scalable usage-based pricing with Orb

Orb is a done-for-you billing platform that provides the essential infrastructure for modern SaaS and GenAI companies to implement and manage sophisticated pricing models, much like ElevenLabs. 

By decoupling usage data from pricing logic through its innovative Orb RevGraph, Orb empowers businesses to adopt flexible pricing strategies without relying on engineering. Here’s how Orb supports models similar to ElevenLabs:

• Character-based usage metering: Orb accurately tracks and meters granular usage events, such as the number of characters generated in ElevenLabs' text-to-speech service. Orb provides precise billing based on actual consumption.
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• Plan-based feature access: Orb enables businesses to gate features based on subscription plans. Just as ElevenLabs offers different voice cloning capabilities across tiers, Orb allows you to unlock specific functionalities for various customer segments.
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• Overage handling: Orb provides robust mechanisms to manage overages beyond included usage limits. Orb tracks and accurately bills for consumption beyond the plan's entitlements, similar to how ElevenLabs pricing handles extra usage.
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• Subscription and usage hybrid plans: Orb natively supports the combination of recurring subscriptions with usage-based charges. Orb allows for flexible pricing models that align with both predictable revenue and variable usage.
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• API-first product model: Built with an API-first approach, Orb directly integrates with existing systems, allowing for automated billing processes and real-time usage data access, mirroring the API-driven nature of ElevenLabs.

With Orb, companies can launch and modify pricing plans without writing code, enforce access limits and dynamically unlock new features based on subscription levels, and better monetize usage at scale across different customer tiers. 

Plus, Orb Simulations helps you to test, optimize, and predict the impact of pricing changes using real data before deployment, minimizing risk and maximizing revenue potential.

Ready to build a scalable and flexible pricing strategy? Explore how Orb works and explore our flexible pricing options to take your pricing, billing, and invoicing to the next level.