Cheapest AI Voice Tools in 2026
Today's prices
Checked automatically · 2026-11-10 23:19| Tool | Plan | Paid monthly | Paid yearly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | Starter | $6 | $5 | 30,000 credits |
| ElevenLabs | Creator | $22 | $18.33 | 121,000 credits |
| ElevenLabs | Pro | $99 | $82.50 | 600,000 credits |
| ElevenLabs | Scale | $299 | $249.17 | 1,800,000 credits |
| ElevenLabs | Business | $990 | $825 | 6,000,000 credits |
| Cartesia | Pro | $5 | – | – |
| Cartesia | Startup | $49 | – | – |
| Cartesia | Scale | $299 | – | – |
Every paid plan, in US dollars, read from each tool's official pricing page. Prices in tables below update too; some figures in the running text were written when this article was published. Compare these tools side by side →
Update: PlayHT shut down on 31 December 2025, so it is no longer in our price lists. See the cheapest PlayHT alternatives.
Quick Answer
If you just need a few minutes of narration a month, Cartesia's free tier and ElevenLabs' free plan are the cheapest realistic options. For paid plans, Cartesia Pro ($5/mo) gives the most speech per dollar, while ElevenLabs' Creator tier ($22/mo) is the best pick for quality voice cloning.
Full Pricing Comparison (2026)
| Tool | Free Tier | Cheapest Paid Plan | Approx. Cost per Minute* | Voice Cloning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | 10k credits/mo (~10 min) | Starter —$6/mo (30 min) | $0.16 – $0.18 | Yes (Starter+) |
| Cartesia | 20k credits/mo (~20 min) | Pro —$5/mo (~50 min) | $0.10 – $0.13 | Yes (Pro+) |
| Murf | 10 min trial (one-time) | Creator —$19/mo (~12 hrs/yr pooled) | $0.22 – $0.30 | Limited (Enterprise only) |
*Estimated blended cost assuming standard voice usage at entry paid tier; actual per-minute cost drops significantly at higher usage tiers.
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs remains the benchmark for voice quality and emotional range. Its free tier gives roughly 10 minutes of generation monthly — enough for testing but not production use.
| Plan | Price | Included Minutes | Voice Cloning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | ~10 min | No |
| Starter | $6/mo | ~30 min | Instant clone |
| Creator | $22/mo | ~100 min | Instant + Professional clone |
| Pro | $99/mo | ~500 min | Yes |
| Scale | $299/mo | ~2,000 min | Yes |
Cartesia
Cartesia's Sonic model is built for speed and low latency, which makes it popular for real-time voice agents. It's also currently the cheapest per-minute option among the major players.
| Plan | Price | Included Credits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 20,000/mo | Testing, prototyping |
| Pro | $5/mo | ~100,000 | Light production use |
| Scale | Custom | Volume-based | Voice agents, real-time apps |