ElevenLabs and every alternative, ranked
Company level: every blind head-to-head on the 30-second ad, both listeners and both genders together; duels between two voices of the same company are left out. "Clear second" means clearly ahead of most companies below it (5 of 6 for Cartesia). Below that, the order is too close to call: read those rows as "about the same".
| # | Company (best voice) | Won–lost–too close | Result | Per minute | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ElevenLabs (Eleven v4 · Jade) | 29–1–7 | Picked best | $0.08 / $0.04 | |
| 2 | Cartesia (Sonic 3.6 · Daniel) | 15–7–6 | Clear second | $0.05 | |
| 3 | Fish Audio (Drama 3 · Hannah) | 3–6–4 | $0.05 / $0.015 | ||
| 4 | Google Gemini (Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS · Charon) | 4–17–9 | $0.009 / $0.014 | ||
| 5 | MiniMax (Speech 2.8 HD · Upbeat Woman) | 4–8–0 | $0.10 | ||
| 6 | Speechify (Simba 3.5 · Chase) | 2–4–0 | $0.02 | ||
| 7 | OpenAI (gpt-realtime-2.1-mini · Marin) | 2–7–3 | $0.024 | ||
| 8 | Murf (Falcon 2.1 · Natalie) | 1–10–1 | $0.01 / $0.03 | Sample not published yet (license check) |
Each sample is the company's best-placed voice. Cartesia's samples were re-recorded on its paid plan after the test, with the same voice and settings. Fish Audio, MiniMax and Murf samples are not published because the license for our test clips is unclear.
When an ElevenLabs alternative makes sense
- Price. Eleven v4 is about $0.08 a minute at API list price. Try ElevenLabs' own Eleven v4 Turbo first (about $0.04): it scored level with Eleven v4 in our test. Outside ElevenLabs, Cartesia Sonic 3.6 (about $0.05 on its Pro plan) came closest.
- Speed (latency). Cartesia is usually compared on how fast it starts speaking, which matters for live voice agents. We did not test latency; our test is about how a finished ad sounds.
- Free commercial use. ElevenLabs' free plan is non-commercial. Speechify's free API plan lists commercial use, as long as you say the voice is AI.
- Other jobs. We ranked one script, a 30-second ad. Long reads, phone menus and tricky pronunciation may rank differently; we have not published those rankings yet.
Comparing two in detail: Cartesia vs ElevenLabs. Moving off PlayHT: PlayHT shut down: what to use instead.
What the alternatives cost per minute
At API list prices, one minute of speech costs from about $0.009 (Google Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS) to $0.10 (MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD). Our winner, ElevenLabs Eleven v4, is about $0.08; v4 Turbo about $0.04.
One minute is about 1,000 characters; our clips used 800 to 1,000. Prices from each company's own pricing page; we keep a dated copy of every page we quote.
| Engine | List price | Per minute | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs Eleven v4 (our winner) | $0.08 / 1,000 chars | $0.08 | |
| ElevenLabs Eleven v4 Turbo | $0.04 / 1,000 chars | $0.04 | |
| Cartesia Sonic 3.6 | Pro $5/mo for 100K credits | $0.05 | |
| OpenAI gpt-realtime-2.1-mini | per audio token | $0.024 | |
| Speechify Simba 3.5 | $0.02 / 1,000 chars | $0.02 | |
| Fish Audio Drama 3 / s2.1-pro | $0.05 / 1,000 chars / $0.015 / 1,000 chars | $0.05 / $0.015 | |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash / Flash-Lite TTS | per audio token | $0.014 / $0.009 | |
| Murf Falcon 2.1 / Gen2 | $0.01 / 1,000 chars / $0.03 / 1,000 chars | $0.01 / $0.03 | |
| MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD | $0.10 / 1,000 chars | $0.10 |
Can you use it commercially?
| Tool | Commercial use | Cheapest option for it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Paid plans only; the free plan is non-commercial | Starter, $6/month | |
| Cartesia | Paid plans only: Pro and up include a commercial license (ads included, by our reading of the terms); the free plan is non-commercial | Pro, $5/month | |
| Fish Audio | Paid plans and paid API credit | Paid API | |
| Google Gemini | Yes, Google claims no ownership of the audio | Pay as you go (API) | |
| MiniMax | Yes (output is yours; also via fal, which lists the model for commercial use) | Pay as you go (API) | |
| Speechify | Yes, from the free API plan; disclose that the voice is AI | Free API plan | |
| OpenAI | Yes, you own the output; tell listeners the voice is AI | Pay as you go (API) | |
| Murf | Paid plans; the free Studio plan has no commercial rights | Studio from $19/month (annual) |
Questions people ask
Is anything better than ElevenLabs?
Not for ads in our test: no voice from another company beat ElevenLabs Eleven v4 in a blind head-to-head. The closest alternative was Cartesia Sonic 3.6, second of the 8 companies.
What is the closest alternative to ElevenLabs?
Cartesia Sonic 3.6. As a company it went 15–7–6 (won, lost, too close) in our blind test and was clearly ahead of 5 of the 6 companies below it. In its 8 direct duels with ElevenLabs it won none.
What is the cheapest ElevenLabs alternative?
By API list price per minute, Google Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS at about $0.009. Google came 4th of 8 companies in our blind test, too close to call against the companies below it. ElevenLabs' own Eleven v4 Turbo costs about $0.04 and scored level with Eleven v4.
Is there a free ElevenLabs alternative for commercial use?
Speechify's free API plan lists commercial use; its terms require you to say that the voice is AI-generated. ElevenLabs' own free plan is non-commercial. Prices and terms checked on October 30, 2026.
Is PlayHT still an ElevenLabs alternative?
No. PlayHT no longer works: play.ht stopped resolving when we checked on October 30, 2026, and the service closed on December 31, 2025 according to its competitors' migration notes.
Is ElevenLabs free for commercial use?
No. ElevenLabs' free plan is for non-commercial use only; ads, client work and monetized videos need a paid plan (Starter or higher), according to ElevenLabs' terms checked on October 30, 2026.
How we tested
Same script for every tool, the vendor's newest model on the test day, voices chosen by a fixed rule, two takes per voice. Clips leveled to the same loudness, names hidden, sides shuffled per listener: two voices at a time, the listener picks the better one, until one is left. Every clip was transcribed by speech-to-text, and flagged spots were re-checked with 4 models.
The ad script every voice read:
Still wrapping gifts at midnight? Meet Novalo, the gift box that lights up the moment it opens. One tap, and your present feels like a little show. Order today for just fifty-nine ninety-five, and get free shipping across the US. Novalo. Make every gift a moment.
- Engines
- 12, from 8 companies
- Head-to-heads
- 92 (ranked script: 30-second ad)
- Voices
- 24 (12 per gender)
- Scripts
- ad, explainer, UGC, pronunciation, warm, phone menu
- Listening
- Blind, 2 listeners
- Loudness
- All at −16 LUFS
- Run
- Oct 26–30, 2026
- Tested by
- Nick
Independent. Rankings come from the test, never from commissions, and vendors don't see results before we publish. Disclosure
Changelog
- : First version: company ranking from the blind ad test, prices, commercial licenses.