ElevenLabs Review: Our Insider Tips and Verdict [2023]

ElevenLabs is building a text-to-speech software that allows users to create and clone voices using AI.

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Added: Jun 13, 2023

ElevenLabs Thumbnail, showing the homepage and logo of the tool

ElevenLabs Review: Our Insider Tips and Verdict [2023]

ElevenLabs is building a text-to-speech software that allows users to create and clone voices using AI.
Logo of ElevenLabs

Added: Jun 13, 2023

What does ElevenLabs do?

ElevenLabs is building a text-to-speech software that allows users to create and clone voices using AI. They boldly claim the most realistic text-to-speech and voice cloning software. Although the product is still in beta, we have quickly met those claims by producing AI voice recordings indistinguishable from authentic human voices.

The VoiceLab allows users to create realistic and lifelike voices from direct inputs. The first and free option enabled users to design an entirely new synthetic voice from scratch. You start by choosing the voice’s gender, age, accent, and accent strength to generate a sample before using it in Speech Synthesis. With 30 current variations, this free voice generation model offers potentially limitless abilities to recreate stories.

Assuming that’s not enough, users can clone any voice they want, with only 1 minute of audio recording. Whether it's their voice, an influencer’s voice, or a fictional character's voice, almost nothing stops you from having Morgan Freeman read you Goldilocks and the Three Bears before bed. ElevenLabs will roll out the more sophisticated Professional Voice Cloning AI this July.

Speech Synthesis is where you can use the voices you created in the Voice Lab to produce the final audio outputs. The dashboard allows you to add your voice model, adjust the stability and clarity of your voice, select a language, and input your text.

Although text-to-speech software isn’t new, ElevenLabs’ AI can render human intonation and inflections with unprecedented fidelity and adjust delivery based on context. It can even generate speech with emotions and laughter, change pacing, and insert pauses. Although you can select the language, English is the standard, and other languages are currently “experimental,” according to ElevenLabs.

Some additional features include:

  • Historical Outputs - A view of all your generated outputs and models
  • Resources - A help center, guides, and API documentation for DYI support
  • Discord Community - For every other question you have while using the beta

Most applications of ElevenLabs are content creation, including new and traditional media. YouTubers might dub their videos in languages to find new audiences, and non-fiction novel writers will want to use this technology to produce their own audiobooks without a microphone. Whatever the use case, ElevenLabs can turn text into audio content at scale, which enables authors, writers, content creators, and media companies to reach a wider audience by offering their material in an alternative format.

This technology could help customer service teams interact with phone requests. Remember how long the last time you waited to speak to your insurance company or bank? 10 mins? 30 mins? 2 hours? At any rate, please make us a ChatGPT plugin.

When it comes to text-to-speech technology, ElevenLabs is our top choice as the most realistic-sounding option available in the market. Unlike its competitors, we appreciate its significantly shorter audio cloning time, which allows us to create voices much faster. Additionally, the ElevenLabs community has impressed us with its high level of engagement, providing a supportive environment where we can find solutions, troubleshoot issues, and explore new possibilities.

However, we must highlight the platform's limitations. While ElevenLabs offers impressive features, it's important to note that it lacks post-production tools, and some users have reported background noise in the free version. The alternatives may be better suited for those seeking extensive editing capabilities or flawless outputs in languages other than English.

Click to enlarge
Starting up the instant voice generation tool
Starting up the instant voice generation tool
Designing a voice options
Designing a voice options
Their lower volume pricing plans
Their lower volume pricing plans

Features

  • Allows users to create and design synthetic voices from scratch.
  • Offers options to choose a voice's gender, age, accent, and accent strength.
  • Capability to render human intonation, inflections, emotions, pacing, and insert pauses based on context.
  • Lets users utilize the voices created in VoiceLab to produce final audio outputs.

Use-Cases

  • Doing voiceovers for faceless explainer videos
  • Dubbing existing video content in other voices or languages
  • Creating audiobooks from written content
  • Telling stories and reading articles with natural-sounding voices

Our Insider Tips

  • If you're going to use ElevenLabs, start by reviewing the speech Synthesis guide. This will be the best way to get started. The manual has specific information about formatting text for pauses, spacing, and emotions.
  • Next, add yourself to their Discord. This community will give you the opportunity to ask other users questions and discover how people are leveraging the tool best.
  • And finally, remember the products in beta. It won't work every time, but it's pretty damn close.

Pros

  • #1 realistic-sounding text-to-speech on the market
  • Shortest audio cloning time (PlayHT requires a minimum of 1 hour)
  • Most engaged discord community

Cons

  • The lowest number of post-production tools available (Once you’ve produced a recording, that’s about it)
  • Poor quality of the generated voices in languages other than English wasn’t good. (this is an “experimental” feature, but we hope to see this improve soon)

Alternatives

  • Murf.ai - More sophisticated post-production tools
  • Play.ht - Largest database of premade voice models
  • Resemble.ai - Best all-in-one Text-to-speech and Speech-to-text

Our Verdict on ElevenLabs

When it comes to text-to-speech technology, ElevenLabs is our top choice as the most realistic-sounding option available in the market. Unlike its competitors, we appreciate its significantly shorter audio cloning time, which allows us to create voices much faster. Additionally, the ElevenLabs community has impressed us with its high level of engagement, providing a supportive environment where we can find solutions, troubleshoot issues, and explore new possibilities.

However, we must highlight the platform's limitations. While ElevenLabs offers impressive features, it's important to note that it lacks post-production tools, and some users have reported background noise in the free version. The alternatives may be better suited for those seeking extensive editing capabilities or flawless outputs in languages other than English.

We'd use ElevenLabs over the alternatives when the voice needs to sound like a real person. Their model accentuates authentic voice cadence, inflections, and the nuances within what they're saying. It adjusts it for context, adding pacing and pauses so well that it's indecipherable. This is a step up from the alternatives, where the voices often sound flat and don’t enunciate words like a fluent English speaker.

ElevenLabs Pricing - Starter

$5.00/mo

Or purchase Yearly with 0% discount

This tool comes with a generous free tier. AllThingsAI always recommends trying before you buy

ElevenLabs is suitable for enterprise usage. Get in touch with the team for higher usage limits, better security options and other enterprise-grade features

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Features:
  • AssemblyAI offers a powerful framework, LeMUR, for applying LLMs to transcribed speech.
  • AssemblyAI provides an API to embed state-of-the-art AI models into applications.
  • AssemblyAI is capable of processing millions of audio files daily for hundreds of customers.
  • AssemblyAI offers comprehensive support to developers through tutorials, detailed documentation, and changelogs.
  • AssemblyAI specializes in researching and applying advanced neural networks and machine learning technology.
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Free Plan?
Yes ✅
No 🚫
Features:
  • Allows users to create and design synthetic voices from scratch.
  • Offers options to choose a voice's gender, age, accent, and accent strength.
  • Capability to render human intonation, inflections, emotions, pacing, and insert pauses based on context.
  • Lets users utilize the voices created in VoiceLab to produce final audio outputs.
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  • Provides an online text-to-speech converter.
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ElevenLabs Frequently Asked Questions

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About this Review

Reviewed By
Lydia Melvin
Lydia Melvin
Content Producer

Lydia Melvin is a Content Producer focused on tech reviews and interviews.

Jack Woodwalker
Jack Woodwalker
CEO & Lead Reviewer

Jack Woodwalker is a tech reviewer, former engineer and the CEO of AllThingsAI.

About the Author
How We Test
  1. We verified that ElevenLabs and its team are legit
  2. We signed up to ElevenLabs
  3. We generated several voices, played with the features and verified the pricing
  4. We tried similar competitors like Polly and Synthesia
  5. We reviewed each tool on the basis of its Simplicity, Authenticity, Affordability and Competency
Our Methodology
About AllThingsAI

AllThingsAI finds the best AI tools on the Internet and tests them out. Our goal is to make it easy to find the best AI you need, without spending hours of your day trying new tools.

Our writing team comes from a variety of backgrounds in media and tech, but we use AI tools every day from web design, to writing, video editing, team collaboration and content production.

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