ElevenLabs vs Cartesia: price and plans compared
ElevenLabs and Cartesia plans, included minutes, rollover and commercial use side by side. Each figure links to the vendor page it came from and shows its check date.
Updated by Ido K.
Plans and prices
| Tool | Plan | USD / month | Limits | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Free | $0 | Credits per month: 10,000 · Minutes included: about 10 | Checked , open source |
| Starter | $6$1 first month | Credits per month: 30,000 · Minutes included: about 30 · Extra minute: about $0.20 | Checked , open source | |
| Creator | $22$11 first month | Credits per month: 121,000 · Minutes included: about 121 · Extra minute: about $0.18 | Checked , open source | |
| Pro | $99 | Credits per month: 600,000 · Minutes included: about 600 · Extra minute: about $0.17 | Checked , open source | |
| Scale | $299 | Credits per month: 1,800,000 · Minutes included: about 1,800 · Extra minute: about $0.17 · Seats: 3 | Checked , open source | |
| Business | $990 | Credits per month: 6,000,000 · Minutes included: about 6,000 · Extra minute: about $0.17 · Seats: 10 | Checked , open source | |
| Cartesia | Free | $0 | Credits per month: 20K · Minutes included: about 27 | Checked , open source |
| Pro | $5 | Credits per month: 100K · Minutes included: about 133 | Checked , open source | |
| Startup | $49 | Credits per month: 1.25M · Minutes included: about 1,667 | Checked , open source | |
| Scale | $299 | Credits per month: 8M · Minutes included: about 10,667 | Checked , open source |
The short version
Cartesia's entry plan lists more included minutes for less money than ElevenLabs' entry plan. The two also sell different things at the top end: Cartesia's plans include prepaid credit for voice agents alongside speech credits, and ElevenLabs sells tiers sized for studios and businesses. The table above has the exact figures and the page each one came from. These are price lists. We have not generated the same script on both services, so this page says nothing about voice quality.
Where the two differ
Entry price. Compare the lowest paid plan on each side first. Minute figures are each vendor's own estimate on its own models. Use them to compare price levels, not how the voices sound.
Billing. ElevenLabs says annual billing means paying for ten months out of twelve. Cartesia's pricing page shows monthly prices.
Unused credits. ElevenLabs rolls unused credits over for up to two months on paid plans. Cartesia says credits roll over and that you can hold up to twice your monthly credits. Both state a rollover, with different rules.
Commercial use. Neither allows commercial use on the free plan according to its pricing page. ElevenLabs lists a commercial license from Starter. Cartesia lists it from Pro.
Voice agents. Cartesia's plans bundle prepaid credit for voice agents. If you are building an agent rather than producing narration, read how each vendor charges for agent time, because it is not covered by the speech credit figures in the table.
Which to look at first
- You want the lowest monthly bill for narration: start with the entry plans in the table and compare included minutes.
- You are building a voice agent: read each vendor's agent pricing, which is separate from these subscription tables.
- You want rollover: both state one. Compare the exact rules above.
What is missing here
We have no listening test yet, so this page does not say which voice sounds better, how each handles your language, or how fast each responds. When we run one, the script, the audio files, the plan and the date will be published here. For other options see the ElevenLabs alternatives page and the ElevenLabs pricing page.