shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use ElevenLabs?

Create lifelike speech with our AI voice generator and voice agents platform. Access 5,000+ voices in 70+ languages with secure APIs and SDKs. - elevenlabs.io

Depends. Buy if you produce audio content or embed AI voices in a product and can absorb usage-based costs at volume. Skip if you're budget-sensitive, need on-prem deployment, or only need occasional clips.

Confidence

High. Based on 40+ public sources: G2, Reddit, Trustpilot, pricing guides, funding news, security profiles.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Pro$99/mo

Best for

  • YouTubers and podcasters needing lifelike narration
  • Self-published audiobook authors
  • Product teams embedding voice via API
  • Multilingual voiceover at scale

Not for

  • High-volume TTS on a budget — bills spiral
  • Anyone needing on-prem or self-hosted voice
  • Casual users who only need a few clips a month

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Usage-based credits plus overage fees make real monthly cost unpredictable at scale

medium

Free tier is very tight; free Eleven Reader users get just 2 hours

medium

Serious usage lands around $99/month before overages, per long-term users

medium

API is pay-as-you-go on top of subscriptions — track both bills

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Reviewers rate voice quality best-in-class — 8.1/10 in 2026 testing
  • 5,000+ voices across 70+ languages, with APIs and SDKs
  • Free tier lets you test before paying
  • Audiobook feature holds up for authors, per Reedsy review
  • Stripe is a publicly named customer

Cons

  • Users report costs spiraling at volume
  • Overage characters billed extra beyond plan limits
  • Some users call the pricing plans deceptive
  • Cloud-only — no on-prem or self-host option

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x5security x2news x4

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Users report budget pain and overage fees
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Writers and authors self-serve it
  • Feature depth: 5/5. 5,000+ voices, cloning, audiobooks, agents, APIs
  • Support quality. No evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 3/5. Verifywise grade B; DPA, trust center published
  • 4.6/5 G2 rating ~1,140 reviews
  • $0 Starting price free tier; paid plans after
  • Yes Free tier limited credits
  • $11B Valuation $500M Series D, 2026

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Limited credits to test
  • Commercial rights tied to paid plans per plan guides

Pro

$99/mo

  • Cited by heavy users as the serious-usage tier
  • Overage charges billed on top

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reviewers praise voice quality as best-in-class but repeatedly flag pricing and credit burn as the top complaint.

“Why I rate it an 8.1/10”
Reddit, r/ArtificialInteligence
“ElevenLabs is killing my budget. What are the best "hidden gem" alternatives for documentary style TTS?”
Reddit, r/LocalLLaMA
“The pricing plans of eleven reader are deceptive, scummy, and sleezy.”
Reddit, r/ElevenLabs

Companies that use it

  • Stripe⁶
  • CoopVoce
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources: G2, Reddit, Trustpilot, pricing guides, funding news, security profiles.

Best-in-class AI voices, but usage-based pricing bites hard at scale. Great for creators; budget carefully.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources: G2, Reddit, Trustpilot, pricing guides, funding news, security profiles.

Sources

  1. ElevenLabs Review 2026: Is the Voice Quality Worth Paying For?devopscube.com
    review
  2. ElevenLabs Review (2026) — Why I rate it an 8.1/10reddit.com
    review
  3. ElevenLabs is killing my budget — r/LocalLLaMAreddit.com
    review
  4. The pricing plans of eleven reader are deceptive — r/ElevenLabsreddit.com
    review
  5. ElevenLabs AI Audiobooks: An Honest Reviewreedsy.com
    review
  6. ElevenLabs Pricing — officialelevenlabs.io
    official
  7. The Complete Guide to ElevenLabs Plans, Overages, and Usage-Based Pricingflexprice.io
    news
  8. ElevenLabs raises $500M from Sequoia at an $11 billion valuationtechcrunch.com
    news
  9. Is ElevenLabs safe with your data? Grade Bverifywise.ai
    security
  10. Is ElevenLabs Safe? | Nudge Securitysecurity-profiles.nudgesecurity.com
    security
  11. Resemble AI vs ElevenLabsresemble.ai
    news
  12. 7 best ElevenLabs alternatives compared (2026)ringly.io
    news

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