ElevenLabs pricing explained (2026): credits, minutes per plan, and the cheapest way to use it
Free vs Starter: the decision that matters
Most readers only need to choose between Free and Starter. Here are the billing rules we re-verified on 2026-09-19:
- Free — $0 / 10,000 credits per month. Enough to test quality (~10 minutes on Multilingual v2 at 1 credit per character). No commercial license, no Instant Voice Cloning, 3 Studio projects. Use it to hear the models — not to publish client or monetized work.
- Starter — $6 / month / 30,000 credits. Everything in Free, plus a commercial license, Instant Voice Cloning, 20 Studio projects, music commercial use, and Dubbing Studio. This is the cheapest paid step that lets you ship work you get paid for.
- Upgrade rule: stay on Free while you are only evaluating sound quality. Move to Starter the moment you need commercial rights or cloning. Jump to Creator ($22/mo, $11 first month, 121k credits) when you need Professional Voice Cloning, extra credits, or heavier monthly volume.
- Credits & rollover (paid plans): allowance resets each billing cycle; unused credits can roll over for up to two months while you stay subscribed (balance can reach at most ~3× monthly quota). Rollover does not apply on Free. Downgrade or cancel forfeits unused paid credits at cycle end.
- Annual billing: pay for 10 months (two months free). Starter ≈ $5/mo effective when billed yearly.
Every plan, side by side
| Free | Starter | Creator | Pro | Scale | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $0 | $6 | $22 (first month $11) | $99 | $299 | $990 |
| Credits / month | 10k | 30k | 121k | 600k | 1.8M | 6M |
| ≈ minutes (standard model) | ~10 | ~30 | ~121 | ~600 | ~1,800 | ~6,000 |
| Cost per minute | — | $0.20 | $0.18 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 |
| Commercial license | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice cloning | No Instant cloning | Instant | Professional | Professional | Professional | Professional |
| Dubbing | No | Dubbing Studio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workspace seats | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
How credits work (and why "minutes" is approximate)
- Multilingual v2 bills one credit per character. Speech duration varies with the script and delivery; the minute estimates are planning figures.
- Flash/Turbo API usage: the published range is 0.5–1 credit per character. Do not assume every generation costs half as much.
- Additional usage: Creator and higher plans support extra credits. Check your account quote before generating beyond the allowance.
- Annual billing is about two months free (~17%): Creator ≈ $18.33/month billed yearly.
Which plan for which job
| Use case | Monthly need | Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing quality before deciding | <10 min | Free | No card; non-commercial only |
| Explainers, product demos, occasional social | 10–30 min | Starter $6 | Commercial license and instant cloning for $6 |
| Faceless YouTube, course narration, podcasts | 30–120 min | Creator $22 | Professional cloning, API, dubbing; $0.18/min |
| Audiobooks, long-form e-learning, agencies | 120–600 min | Pro $99 | 44.1kHz PCM API output |
| Teams / apps with steady volume | 600+ min or multiple seats | Scale / Business | Seats, low-latency TTS, higher limits |
ElevenLabs vs the alternatives on price
Compare the workflow as well as the subscription: ElevenLabs vs Murf covers the voice-editor choice. For training, see voiceover versus avatar video. A cheaper subscription is only useful if it fits the job.
FAQ
Is ElevenLabs free?
There's a free plan with 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes on the standard model) for non-commercial use. Commercial use starts at $6/month.
How many minutes do I get on the $22 plan?
Creator includes 121,000 credits — about 121 minutes on Multilingual v2; actual duration depends on the script, voice and model.
Do unused credits roll over?
On paid plans, unused credits can roll over for up to two months while you stay subscribed (your balance can reach at most about 3× the monthly quota). Rollover does not apply on Free. Downgrading or cancelling forfeits unused paid credits at the end of the cycle. Confirm the live wording on ElevenLabs billing docs before relying on it.
What does the first-month discount cover?
Creator is 50% off the first month ($11), then $22.
Source: official pricing and billing FAQ, checked 19 September 2026. Recheck within 30 days or before changing price claims.
Planning corrections? Our measured voiceover revision-cost test shows the credits spent across an original and rewritten request.