ElevenLabs Pricing Explained (Plans, Credits & API Costs in Plain English) | Code Boost
Description: If you’ve looked at ElevenLabs pricing and thought, “Wait… what’s a credit and how much does the API actually cost?” — you’re not alone. ElevenLabs uses a credit-based pricing mode...

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# ElevenLabs Pricing Explained (Plans, Credits & API Costs in Plain English)

By Matt · Dec 28, 2025

If you’ve looked at ElevenLabs pricing and thought, “Wait… what’s a credit and how much does the API actually cost?” — you’re not alone.

ElevenLabs uses a credit-based pricing model that’s powerful but poorly explained on the surface. This guide breaks it all down in simple terms so you can confidently answer three questions:

1. How much does ElevenLabs really cost?
2. How does API pricing work?
3. Which plan should I actually choose?

By the end, you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for—and how to avoid overpaying.

# Click here to check out ElevenLabs

#

## How ElevenLabs Pricing Works (Big Picture)

ElevenLabs pricing has two layers:

1. A monthly subscription plan
2. Credits, which act as the internal currency for usage

There is no separate API plan.
Whether you generate audio in the web app or through the API, you spend the same credits from your monthly allowance.

> Key idea: If you understand credits, you understand ElevenLabs pricing.

## ElevenLabs Pricing Breakdown

Plan | Price / month (USD) | Credits / month | Included API features
--- | --- | --- | ---
Free | $0 | 10k | Text to Speech API, Speech to Text API, Voice Isolator API, Voice Changer API, Dubbing API, Agents, API access
Starter | $5 | 30k | Everything in Free, plus: Commercial license, Instant Voice Cloning, Dubbing Studio API, Eleven Music API
Creator | $22 (first month promo shown as 50% off) | 100k | Everything in Starter, plus: Professional Voice Cloning, usage-based billing for additional credits, higher quality audio (192 kbps)
Pro | $99 | 500k | Everything in Creator, plus: 44.1kHz PCM audio output via API
Scale | $330 | 2M | Everything in Pro, plus: Multi-seat Workspace (3 seats)
Business | $1,320 | 11M | Everything in Scale, plus: Low-latency TTS (as low as 5c/minute), 3 Professional Voice Clones, Workspace (5 seats)

Notes: Plan names/prices/credits and the API feature bullets are from ElevenLabs’ official pricing pages.

## What Are Credits (and Why They Matter)

Credits are how ElevenLabs measures usage.

They are consumed when you:

- Convert text → speech
- Generate conversational AI audio
- Transcribe audio (speech-to-text)

In most cases:

- Text-to-Speech consumes credits based on characters
- Conversational AI consumes credits based on minutes of audio
- Higher-quality voices or models may use more credits

Credits reset monthly with your plan. If you run out, you’ll need to buy more or upgrade.

## ElevenLabs Subscription Plans (What You Actually Get)

> Prices and credit counts can change, but the structure stays consistent.

### Free Plan

Best for: Testing and experimentation

- Small monthly credit allowance
- API access included
- No commercial rights
- Limited voices and features
- Good for trying ElevenLabs. Not usable for real projects.

# Click here to check out ElevenLabs

### Starter Plan

Best for: Hobbyists, light creators, prototypes

- Modest monthly credits
- API access included
- Commercial usage allowed

Works for short voiceovers or small internal tools.

### Creator Plan

Best for: YouTubers, podcasters, indie builders

- Significantly more credits
- Better voice options
- API + commercial rights

This is the sweet spot for many users.

### Pro Plan

Best for: Heavy creators, SaaS MVPs, agencies

- Large monthly credit pool

- Lower effective cost per credit

- Designed for frequent API usage

Once you’re generating audio at scale, this plan usually makes financial sense.

### Scale / Business / Enterprise

Best for: Startups, teams, production systems

- Very high credit volumes
- Priority support, SLAs (Enterprise)
- Negotiated pricing at the top end

If you’re here, you’re optimizing cost per unit—not experimenting.

## ElevenLabs API Pricing (The Truth)

Let’s clear up the biggest misconception:

### ✅ There is no separate API pricing

- API access is included in every plan
- API usage consumes the same credits as the web interface
- No per-request fees
- No hidden API surcharge

You simply authenticate with an API key and spend credits.

## Text-to-Speech API Costs (Real-World Explanation)

For standard text-to-speech:

- Credits are consumed based on characters
- Roughly: one credit per character (model-dependent)

### Example Scenarios

YouTube voiceover (1,500 words ≈ 9,000 characters):

- ~9,000 credits

Podcast intro + outro (300 words total):

- ~1,800 credits

Blog narration (2,000 words):

- ~12,000–14,000 credits

Higher-quality voices may cost slightly more—but the math stays predictable.

## Conversational AI API Pricing

Conversational AI (real-time voice agents, calls, assistants) is billed by the minute, not characters.

Typical pricing:

- Around $0.08–$0.10 per minute, depending on plan and volume

Best use cases:

- Voice assistants

- Phone bots

- WhatsApp or call-based AI agents

- Interactive voice experiences

This pricing is separate from character-based TTS usage.

# Click here to check out ElevenLabs

## Speech-to-Text (Transcription) Costs

Speech-to-text consumes credits based on:

- Audio duration

- Model used

Common use cases:

- Podcast transcription

- Meeting notes

- Content repurposing workflows

If you’re building a full audio pipeline, factor transcription into your monthly credit needs.

## What Happens If You Run Out of Credits?

When you exhaust your monthly credits:

- Audio generation stops

- You can:

  - Buy extra credits

  - Upgrade your plan

Pro tip:
Upgrading is often cheaper than buying credits repeatedly—especially if your usage is consistent.

## Which ElevenLabs Plan Should You Choose?

### Choose Starter if:

- You’re experimenting

- Usage is light

- You don’t need much audio each month

### Choose Creator if:

- You’re a YouTuber or podcaster

- You generate voiceovers regularly

- You’re building small tools with the API

### Choose Pro if:

- You’re running a SaaS MVP

- Audio is core to your product

- Predictable monthly usage matters

### Choose Business / Enterprise if:

- You need volume pricing

- You need support guarantees

- Audio is mission-critical

# Click here to check out ElevenLabs

## Pros & Cons of ElevenLabs Pricing

### Pros

- API included on all plans

- Simple usage model once understood

- Excellent voice quality

- Scales cleanly from hobby to enterprise

### Cons

- Credits feel abstract at first

- Pricing page lacks real examples

- Not always cheapest at extreme scale

## ElevenLabs vs Other TTS Providers (Quick Take)

ElevenLabs usually wins on:

- Natural voice quality

- Emotional tone

- Ease of integration

Alternatives may win on:

- Raw volume cost

- Deep cloud ecosystem integration

If voice quality matters, ElevenLabs is usually worth the premium.

## Final Verdict: Is ElevenLabs Worth the Price?

ElevenLabs is priced for quality and developer flexibility, not commodity audio.

If you:

- Care about how voices actually sound

- Want API access without complexity

- Plan to scale usage gradually

Then the pricing model makes sense—and becomes very predictable once you understand credits.

Want to see how to use ElevenLabs audio cleanup feature?

## FAQ

Does ElevenLabs charge extra for API usage?
No. API usage uses the same credits as the web app.

Are credits shared between UI and API?
Yes.

Can I use ElevenLabs commercially?
Yes, on paid plans.

What happens if I exceed my monthly credits?
You’ll need to buy more credits or upgrade.

Is ElevenLabs cheaper at higher tiers?
Yes. The effective cost per credit drops as you scale.

# Click here to check out ElevenLabs