My ElevenLabs Review 2024 (Best AI Voice Generator Ever?)

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Welcome to my ElevenLabs review for 2024!

You've probably heard about the ElevenLabs and how it's changing the game in voice generation. It's pretty cool, right? 

But here's the big question: is all the hype worth it? You're not alone if you're scratching your head, wondering whether these generated voices can really meet your expectations.

Well, I'm here to promise you a no-fluff, honest ElevenLabs review.

In this review of ElevenLabs, I'll dive into: 

• What is ElevenLabs (And Why Do You Need it?)
• Best Features!
• Pricing
• Alternatives: ElevenLabs might not be the best AI voice generator tool for you. I’ll cover a few alternatives that might appeal to you.

So, are you ready?

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ElevenLabs review!

ElevenLabs Review: What is it? How does it help you?

What is ElevenLabs?

Eleven Labs is an AI voice generator that transforms text into natural-sounding speech.

It offers high-quality audio in various voices, styles, and languages, catering to video creators, developers, and businesses.

With the ability to fine-tune speech for clarity and style across 29 languages and 120 voices, ElevenLabs stands out for its human-like intonations and context-aware delivery.

Its VoiceLab feature even allows for creating custom voices, making it a versatile tool for digital content creation.

Benefits of using ElevenLabs

My favorite ElevenLabs features

#1. AI Voiceover

ElevenLab lets you take any text—like a piece of an article you wrote—and turn it into spoken words.

Now, you might be thinking, "Sure, but can I make it sound like a real person?"

Absolutely, you can. This isn't your run-of-the-mill text-to-speech software.

It's got options to tweak the audio until it's just right.

You can adjust settings to enhance stability and clarity, reduce background noise, and even improve the original voice's similarity if you're using a cloned voice.

It's super easy to use, too. You pick a voice model, paste your text, and let the tool do the work.

I did this with a paragraph from a fairy tale named "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids", chose a voice named Dorothy, and the result was terrific. The pacing, the tone—it was all there.

The first time I tried it, I was blown away by how natural it sounded.

The best part is that there are voice models for each specific use: animation, narration, fairy tales, video games, documentaries, and Christmas...

If you're curious, you can check it out on their website. They allow you to test the voice generation feature directly from the homepage with up to 330 words.

Trust me, it's worth a look, especially if you want to add that human touch to your videos without spending hours recording voiceovers yourself.

#2. Voice Cloning

Voice cloning technology is something straight out of the future, and I've been experimenting with it with ElevenLabs in my projects.

It's fascinating how you can take an audio recording of someone's voice and create a digital version that's nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

When you add a new voice, you can:

• Design new voices by adjusting their settings
• Clone a voice from a clean sample
• Add voices from the community
• Create highly realistic replicas of your voice

What's great is that these samples are private—they stay in your account, so you don't have to worry about them floating around where they shouldn't be. I've uploaded a couple of voices to see how they'd turn out.

Adding your voice is a breeze. You just name it, upload a file, and confirm you have the rights to use it.

I adjusted the settings a bit to get the tone right, and the result was a clear, stable voiceover that I could use across my videos.

This tech is a game-changer, especially when I want to create video content without recording new audio every time.

I can just type up my script, run it through the voice cloner, and get a professional-sounding voiceover in minutes.

#3. AI Dubbing

Have you ever watched a video by a big-time YouTuber like MrBeast and noticed they have channels in multiple languages?

It's a smart move because it lets them connect with viewers all over the globe. If you only make videos in one language, you reach just a slice of the potential audience.

That's where AI dubbing comes in. It lets you clone your voice in any language – German, Spanish, Mandarin, you name it.

ElevenLabs offers an advanced AI dubbing and video translation service to translate and dub content across 29 languages.

This service includes voice translation, speaker detection, and audio dubbing, ensuring that the dubbed version of your video sounds natural and authentic, maintaining the original voice tone and style.

Here's how it works:

You grab some audio files of your voice and upload them to a platform like ElevenLabs, and the system does the rest.

Just make sure you have the right to use the voice you're cloning, especially if it's not your own.

Once your voice is cloned, you can get a video transcript, use AI to translate it into the language of your choice, and then feed it back into the voice cloning too

I tested this feature with a TikTok video of Adam Enfroy speaking in English and made a dubbed video in Korean (as this is one of the supported languages that I fully understand, which allows me to test the accuracy).

Here is the original video. 

What really impresses me is that it keeps Adam's voice, making it sound like he is actually speaking Korean. The flow is very natural, just like a native speaker talking into the microphone.

#4. Create Sound Effects From Text

Creating sound effects from text with ElevenLabs is both simple and incredibly useful.

Let’s say you’re working on a video, podcast, or even a game, and you need specific sounds—maybe the gentle hum of a distant train, the crackle of a campfire, or something more abstract like a futuristic door opening.

Instead of sifting through endless sound libraries or recording something yourself, you just describe it in a few words.

That’s it.

The system takes your description and almost instantly generates several sound samples for you to choose from.

What’s great about this is how much time it saves. You don’t have to settle for sounds that are “close enough.”

Instead, you can fine-tune your descriptions to get the exact effect you’re after.

I even tried creating a “slurping noodles” sound. The tool gave me four options to choose from.

I have to tell you, not all of them were great—one even turned out to be a piece of music, which was unexpected.

I also noticed that the first option is usually the most accurate.

Here’s the audio that I found the most okay. 

#5. Voice Isolator

The Voice Isolator from ElevenLabs is a handy tool that makes cleaning up audio a breeze.

If you’ve ever struggled with background noise in a recording—like street sounds, mic feedback, or even just general static—this tool can help.

It’s designed to extract clear speech from any audio, so you can focus on what’s being said without all the unwanted noise.

Using it is simple: just upload your audio file, and the Voice Isolator does the rest.

It quickly strips away the background sounds, leaving you with clean, crisp dialogue.

This can be especially useful in post-production for films, podcasts, or interviews where clear speech is crucial.

#6. Projects: long-form speech synthesis editor

Tackling an audiobook or a voiceover project can be daunting.

With Projects, the process becomes straightforward. This tool is designed to help you produce long-form audio content efficiently.

You can start for free and choose from various AI voices, like the clear tones of 'Matthew' for 'Alice in Wonderland' or the engaging 'Charlotte' for 'Little Women.'

"Projects" allows you to generate and edit audio with precision. The voices are diverse, and you can adjust pronunciation to make sure the output is clear and understandable.

If you need to revise a section, editing specific parts is easy without starting over.

The goal of Projects is to let you create audio content that's polished and professional.

#7. Design entirely new synthetic voices from scratch

With ElevenLabs, it's surprisingly straightforward to create a new synthetic voice from the ground up.

All it takes is a few clicks: Head over to VoiceLab, confirm your rights, add the voice, and within moments, you're set to go.

This new voice is now at your disposal, ready to narrate anything you ask it to.

#8. Speech to Speech

ElevenLabs has just rolled out a fresh feature called Speech to Speech, and it's a big deal for them.

So what is "Speech to Speech"?

To explain it in simple terms:

Imagine that you speak into your device, and then having that speech come out in a synthetic version that captures all the unique sounds of your speech. That's what "Speech to Speech"

But note that this feature is not entirely new to the tech scene.

A while back, a service called Uberduck let you upload a voice recording, and it would spit back a synthetic version.

It was a cool trick, but it took a lot of time and high-quality audio to make it work. Most people just didn't have the hours to spare.

Now, here's where ElevenLabs is shaking things up. They've made it so you only need 1 minute of audio to create a voice that sounds almost like the original and captures all the little details of the speaker's voice.

That's something most people can manage.

For voice actors and creators, this is super exciting. Now, they can have a whole collection of unique voices at their fingertips, ready to bring their expressions to life.

But it's not just for professionals. Anyone can use this feature to create a synthetic voice. Whether you're making content for a podcast, a video, or just for fun, the possibilities are endless.

Pricing - How Much Does ElevenLabs Cost? Is it Worth it?

Alright, let's untangle the web of ElevenLabs pricing plans, shall we?

You want to make sure you're getting your money's worth without overcommitting. So, let's see what's on offer.

Free Plan

Kicking things off, you can try ElevenLabs for free. This plan is ideal for hobbyists.

It's the no-cost, no-risk way to test the waters of prime speech synthesis. For exactly $0, forever, you can tinker with basic features, perfect for those just starting out or playing around.

You'll get 10,000 characters per month to convert into speech, the ability to create up to 3 custom voices and a taste of the voice design features. Remember, if you're using this plan, you'll need to tip your hat to ElevenLabs with an attribution.

Moving on, the "Starter" plan is where things get a bit more serious. For $5 a month (with a generous 40% off your first month), you get a bump in resources and the freedom to use your creations commercially.

Starter Plan ($5/month)

Suitable for creators looking to publish more content. You'll have 30,000 monthly characters and the capacity to craft up to 10 custom voices. Plus, you get to play with instant voice cloning – pretty neat, right?

Creator Plan ($22/month, 50% off first month)

Designed for content creators who need compelling narration. You get 100,000 characters per month (about 2 hours of audio) and can create up to 30 custom voices. And yes, you can clone your voice–endless possibilities.

Pro Plan ($99/month for authors/publishers)

If you're an independent author or publisher, the "Independent Publisher" plan for $99 a month.

With 500,000 characters each month and the ability to create up to 160 custom voices, this plan is for those ready to engage their audience with high-quality audio.

Scale Plan ($330/month)

The Scale Plan is designed for startups and publishers needing a robust text-to-speech solution.

For $330 per month, you get 2 million credits, enough for 2,000 minutes of ultra-high quality speech.

Additional credits are billed based on usage. This plan also includes priority support, making it ideal for growing businesses that require reliable service.

Business Plan ($1,320/month)

The Business Plan is perfect for rapidly scaling startups and publishers.

At $1,320 per month, you receive 11 million credits, which cover 11,000 minutes of ultra-high quality speech or 22,000 minutes of turbo speech. 

It also includes 3 professional voice clones and priority support. Additional credits are billed as needed, and annual payments bring the turbo model to just $50 per million characters.

Refund Policy

If you've recently signed up for one of the plans but haven't used any of the character quotas and you're thinking, "Maybe ElevenLabs isn't for me," no worries!

If you change your mind within the first 14 days—after your payment goes through, you can ask ElevenLabs for your money back. Just make sure you haven't used any of the services yet.

Possible Alternatives to ElevenLabs

If you're looking for other options similar to ElevenLabs, you're in luck because some great alternatives might fit your needs.

Murf AI

Murf AI stands out with its library of over 120 professional voices in 20 languages, making it a strong contender for those who need quality voiceovers.

It's user-friendly and offers a range of customization options to make your narrations sound just right.

You can read my side-by-side comparison between ElevenLabs and Murf AI here.

Play.ht

Play.ht boasts a massive selection of 829 voices across 142 languages and accents. It's perfect for adding a unique touch to your content with its expressive emotional speaking styles.

Other tools like Descript offer their own features, such as integration with podcast platforms and advanced editing capabilities.

Each alternative has different pricing plans, including accessible versions with basic features, so you can choose one that aligns with your budget.

Final Thoughts

ElevenLabs is a great choice for content creators looking to improve their projects with AI-powered voiceovers, voice cloning, and dubbing capabilities. With a range of pricing plans to fit different needs, it's accessible to both beginners and professionals.

After reading my ElevenLabs review, if you know any of your friends who could benefit from this AI voice generator, don't hesitate to recommend it to them.

 They'll thank you for it later.