# Cartesia vs ElevenLabs

> Cartesia: Real-time speech AI for developers: fast text-to-speech, transcription and voice agents
> ElevenLabs: Text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice agents built on in-house audio models

- Cartesia profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/cartesia
- ElevenLabs profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/elevenlabs
- Comparison page: https://finderatlas.com/compare/cartesia-vs-elevenlabs
- Last reviewed: October 2026

## Verdict

Cartesia and ElevenLabs are both Audio & Speech AI tools. ElevenLabs scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (9.1 vs 8.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only ElevenLabs is available on iOS and Android.

### Choose Cartesia if

- You want a tool built for Low-latency voice agents, real-time text-to-speech and streaming transcription inside applications.
- Published time to first audio of about 90 ms for Sonic 3.6, suited to live conversation.
- Free tier with 20K credits per month and a $5 Pro plan with commercial use and instant cloning.

### Choose ElevenLabs if

- You want a tool built for Voiceovers, audiobook narration, video dubbing, voice cloning, and real-time voice agents.
- Broad product range in one account: text-to-speech, speech-to-text, cloning, dubbing, sound effects, music and agents.
- Language coverage of 90+ languages on Eleven v4 and Scribe v2.

## Pricing

| | Cartesia | ElevenLabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free plan or trial | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |

## Features

| Feature | Cartesia | ElevenLabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sonic Text-to-Speech | Yes | Not listed |
| Ink Speech-to-Text | Yes | Not listed |
| Managed Agents | Yes | Not listed |
| Voice Cloning | Yes | Yes |
| Pronunciation Dictionaries | Yes | Not listed |
| Regional API Routing | Yes | Not listed |
| Telephony Support | Yes | Not listed |
| Python and JavaScript SDKs | Yes | Not listed |
| Usage and Access Controls | Yes | Not listed |
| Text to Speech | Not listed | Yes |
| Voice Design | Not listed | Yes |
| Speech to Text (Scribe) | Not listed | Yes |
| Dubbing Studio | Not listed | Yes |
| Sound Effects and Music | Not listed | Yes |
| ElevenAgents | Not listed | Yes |
| API and SDKs | Not listed | Yes |

## Platforms

| Platform | Cartesia | ElevenLabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | No | No |
| macOS | No | No |
| iOS | No | Yes |
| Android | No | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Browser Extension | No | No |

## Cartesia strengths

- Published time to first audio of about 90 ms for Sonic 3.6, suited to live conversation.
- Free tier with 20K credits per month and a $5 Pro plan with commercial use and instant cloning.
- One platform covers text-to-speech, speech-to-text and managed voice agents.
- Regional endpoints in the US, EU and APAC, with on-premise and on-device options.
- Frequent releases: the changelog shows monthly model, voice and API updates in 2026.
- Ranked first on Artificial Analysis speech leaderboards according to the company.

## Cartesia limitations

- The free tier has no instant voice cloning, only 2 concurrent TTS requests and no commercial license.
- Credit-based billing with overage up to $65 per 1M credits can be hard to forecast as usage grows.
- Independent reviews note a smaller preset voice library than some narrative-focused competitors.
- Developer-oriented; there is no consumer app and no released iOS or Android app.

## ElevenLabs strengths

- Broad product range in one account: text-to-speech, speech-to-text, cloning, dubbing, sound effects, music and agents
- Language coverage of 90+ languages on Eleven v4 and Scribe v2
- Low-latency models: Flash v2.5 at about 75 ms and Eleven v4 Turbo at about 100 ms median
- Free plan with 10,000 credits per month for testing
- Official SDKs for Python and TypeScript, plus mobile and React SDKs for agents

## ElevenLabs limitations

- Credits are consumed quickly on long-form work; the Starter plan's 30,000 credits is about 30 minutes of text-to-speech
- The Free plan has no commercial license and needs attribution when published
- Professional Voice Cloning requires Creator ($22 per month) or higher
- Plan structure is complex, with credits, concurrency limits and different per-model API rates

## FAQ

**Is Cartesia better than ElevenLabs?**

It depends on your workflow. Cartesia is built for Low-latency voice agents, real-time text-to-speech and streaming transcription inside applications. ElevenLabs is built for Voiceovers, audiobook narration, video dubbing, voice cloning, and real-time voice agents.

**What are the key feature differences between Cartesia and ElevenLabs?**

Cartesia: Real-time speech AI for developers: fast text-to-speech, transcription and voice agents. ElevenLabs: Text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing and voice agents built on in-house audio models.

**Does Cartesia or ElevenLabs have a free plan?**

Yes, both do. Cartesia is freemium and ElevenLabs is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

**Which is cheaper, Cartesia or ElevenLabs?**

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.