Best ElevenLabs Alternatives in 2026
ElevenLabs is known for voice cloning and emotional range, but it's not the only option. We compare 5 alternatives with honest assessments of pricing, features, and when to choose each one.
Editor's Note: SpeechGeneration AI is our product and appears first in this list. To ensure objectivity, we acknowledge where ElevenLabs excels (voice cloning, emotional range) and provide honest assessments of all tools.
Contents
Why Look for ElevenLabs Alternatives?
ElevenLabs is excellent, but it's not for everyone. Here are legitimate reasons users seek alternatives:
Cost per Character
At $5/month, ElevenLabs gives 10,000 characters. SpeechGeneration AI gives 60,000 characters at the same price — 6× more.
No Quality Tiers
ElevenLabs offers one premium tier. Some projects don't need premium — tiered pricing lets you optimize cost.
Monthly Subscription Lock-in
Some users prefer pay-as-you-go or simpler monthly plans without the complexity of ElevenLabs' pricing tiers.
Voice Variety
ElevenLabs has ~30 voices (plus cloning). Play.ht has 900+. More pre-built voices means more options without cloning.
When ElevenLabs is the right choice: If you need voice cloning, maximum emotional control, or real-time streaming for conversational AI, ElevenLabs remains the industry leader. Don't switch if these features are essential.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Starting Price | Chars at Entry | Voice Cloning | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | $5/month | 10,000 | Yes | Voice cloning, emotion |
| SpeechGeneration AI ★ | $5/month | 60,000 | No | Volume at low cost |
| Play.ht | $29/month | Unlimited* | Yes | Voice variety, languages |
| Murf.ai | $19/month | ~24,000 | Yes (Pro+) | Teams, collaboration |
| Amazon Polly | Pay-per-use | N/A | No | Developers, AWS |
| Google Cloud TTS | Pay-per-use | N/A | No | Developers, GCP |
Pricing verified January 27, 2026. *Play.ht "unlimited" has fair use policies.
1. SpeechGeneration AI — Best for Budget-Conscious Creators
Price: $5-30/month | Cost/1k chars: $0.08 (Studio) | Voices: 95+ | Cloning: No
SpeechGeneration AI's main advantage over ElevenLabs is value: 6× more characters at the same $5/month price. Its three-tier voice system lets you draft with Economy voices (10× more content) and export finals with Studio+ voices.
Voice Multiplier System: Economy (0.1×), Studio (1×), Studio+ (2×). Lower tiers let you stretch your character budget.
Pros: 6× more characters at $5/mo, 3 voice quality tiers, 10k chars free with no credit card, multi-voice projects, simple monthly billing.
Cons: No voice cloning, no real-time streaming, API coming soon (not available yet), English-focused premium voices.
Best for: High-volume creators, budget-conscious users, podcasters, YouTubers who want predictable costs.
Not for: Users requiring voice cloning; those who need API access today; real-time streaming applications.
Official: Pricing · Limits & Specs
2. Play.ht — Best for Voice Variety & Languages
Price: $29-99/month | Voices: 900+ | Languages:142+ | Cloning: Yes (Unlimited plan)
Play.ht offers the largest voice library in the market. With 900+ voices across 142+ languages, it's ideal for multilingual content or users who want variety without creating custom voice clones.
Pros: Massive voice library (900+), 142+ languages, voice cloning on higher tiers, full API access, built-in podcast hosting.
Cons: Higher starting price ($29/mo), complex pricing structure, voice cloning requires $99/mo plan.
Best for: Multilingual creators, users needing massive voice variety, those requiring voice cloning without ElevenLabs' pricing.
Not for: Budget-conscious users; those who only need English voices; users wanting simple pricing.
3. Murf.ai — Best for Teams & Collaboration
Price: $19-75/month | Voices: 120+ | Team: Yes | Cloning: Yes (Pro+)
Murf.ai is built for teams and enterprises. Its studio interface includes collaboration features, video integration, and voice cloning on higher-tier plans.
Pros: Team collaboration built-in, polished studio interface, video voiceover integration, voice cloning on Pro+, 120+ voices.
Cons: Higher entry price ($19/mo), annual billing required, voice cloning needs Pro plan ($26/mo), API only on Enterprise.
Best for: Teams, agencies, enterprises, video creators adding voiceovers, users who need collaboration.
Not for: Solo creators on tight budgets; those who prefer monthly billing; users needing API without Enterprise.
4. Amazon Polly — Best for Developers on AWS
Price: Pay-per-use ($4-16/1M chars) | Voices: 60+ | Free tier: 1M chars/mo (12 months)
Amazon Polly is a developer-focused service with pure pay-as-you-go pricing. No monthly subscription — you only pay for characters used. Neural voices are excellent quality.
Pros: True pay-per-use, no monthly commitment, AWS integration, Neural voices available, generous free tier.
Cons: Requires AWS account and technical setup, no web UI for non-developers, no voice cloning.
Best for: Developers, applications, AWS-based projects, users wanting pure pay-per-use.
Not for: Non-technical users; those wanting a simple web interface; voice cloning needs.
5. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech — Best for GCP Users
Price: Pay-per-use ($4-16/1M chars) | Voices: 380+ | Languages:50+
Google Cloud TTS offers excellent neural voices with pay-per-use pricing. WaveNet and Neural2 voices are particularly high quality and competitive with ElevenLabs.
Pros: WaveNet and Neural2 voices, pay-per-use, 380+ voice options, 50+ languages, GCP integration.
Cons: Requires GCP account and setup, no simple web UI, no voice cloning, developer-focused.
Best for: Developers, GCP-based applications, users wanting pay-per-use with high-quality voices.
Not for: Non-technical users; those wanting a web interface; voice cloning needs.
How to Choose the Right Alternative
Need voice cloning?
→ Stay with ElevenLabs or try Play.ht / Murf.ai
Budget is priority and need high volume?
→ SpeechGeneration AI (6× more chars at $5/mo)
Need 100+ languages or massive voice variety?
→ Play.ht (900+ voices, 142+ languages)
Working with a team?
→ Murf.ai (built-in collaboration)
Building an application (developer)?
→ Amazon Polly or Google Cloud TTS (pay-per-use APIs)
Not sure? Want to try before committing?
→ Try free tiers: SpeechGeneration AI (10k chars), ElevenLabs (10k/mo), Polly/Google (1M chars free)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people look for ElevenLabs alternatives?
Common reasons include cost per character (ElevenLabs gives 10k chars at $5/mo vs SpeechGeneration AI's 60k), wanting simpler pricing without monthly commitments, needing more pre-built voice options (Play.ht has 900+), or requiring team collaboration features (Murf.ai).
What's the cheapest ElevenLabs alternative?
SpeechGeneration AI offers the best value at $5/month for 60,000 characters — that's 6× more characters than ElevenLabs at the same price. Amazon Polly and Google Cloud TTS offer pay-per-use pricing that can be cheaper for very low volumes.
Which ElevenLabs alternatives have voice cloning?
Play.ht offers voice cloning on the Unlimited plan ($99/mo). Murf.ai offers voice cloning on Pro and Enterprise plans. SpeechGeneration AI, Amazon Polly, and Google Cloud TTS do not offer voice cloning.
Is SpeechGeneration AI a good ElevenLabs alternative?
SpeechGeneration AI is a good alternative if you need high volume at low cost (10× more characters at $5/mo) and want flexible voice quality tiers. It's not ideal if you need voice cloning, which ElevenLabs offers but SpeechGeneration AI doesn't.
Which ElevenLabs alternative has the best free tier?
SpeechGeneration AI offers 10,000 characters free (one-time) with no credit card. Amazon Polly and Google Cloud TTS offer 1 million characters free for 12 months. ElevenLabs itself offers 10,000 characters per month free.
Which alternative is best for teams?
Murf.ai is built for teams with collaboration features, shared workspaces, and video integration. SpeechGeneration AI, Play.ht, and the cloud services are more focused on individual users or developers.
Which alternative is best for developers?
Amazon Polly and Google Cloud TTS are designed for developers with pay-per-use APIs and cloud integration. Play.ht also offers a full API. SpeechGeneration AI's API is coming soon.
Can I use ElevenLabs alternatives commercially?
Yes, most alternatives including SpeechGeneration AI, Play.ht, Murf.ai, Amazon Polly, and Google Cloud TTS allow commercial use. Always check specific license terms for your use case.