ElevenLabs vs Synthesia Comparison 2026
ElevenLabs generates and clones voices, audio only, from $6 a month once a commercial licence is needed, with dubbing that keeps a video's original delivery in another language. Synthesia generates a full video of an AI presenter reading a script, a visible avatar rather than just narration, free for 10 minutes a month with a logo, then $19 a month, or $14 billed yearly, for 120 minutes a year without one. ElevenLabs gives a channel a voice with nobody on camera. Synthesia puts somebody on camera who was never actually filmed.
Voice generation and dubbing you can publish
Video from a script, read by an AI presenter
At a glance
- ElevenLabs starts cheaper, at $6.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
ElevenLabs | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $6 | From $19 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | None |
| API |
ElevenLabs
Voice generation and dubbing you can publish
ElevenLabs clones a voice from a short sample and dubs video into other languages while keeping the delivery. Creators use it for narration, corrections and reaching audiences in other languages. Disclose it, and get permission before cloning anyone else.
Our note
The commercial licence sitting on the paid tier rather than the free one is the thing people miss. If a generated voice is going anywhere public, be on Starter at least, and disclose it.
Only on this side
- Covers audio & podcasting
- Works with YouTube
- Works with TikTok
- Works with Podcast
Synthesia
Video from a script, read by an AI presenter
Synthesia turns typed words into a video of a person saying them, in a long list of languages, which is why it lives in training departments rather than on channels. For a creator it earns its place on explainer and localisation work, where reshooting in nine languages is not happening. Nobody is fooled into thinking the presenter is real.
Why people weigh these two
- Synthesia instead of ElevenLabs
- Synthesia turns a script straight into a video with an AI presenter on screen, skipping the separate recording step ElevenLabs still needs, from $19 a month with a free tier.
- ElevenLabs instead of Synthesia
- ElevenLabs generates voice and dubbing only, no visual presenter, from $6 with a free tier, the pick when a script needs a voice rather than a face reading it.
Which one should you pick
Pick ElevenLabs when the output is audio: narration, a corrected line, a video dubbed into another language while keeping its original delivery. The free plan gives 10,000 credits a month, and Starter at $6 adds the commercial licence that publishing anything needs. There is no visual avatar here at all; it never puts a presenter on screen.
Pick Synthesia when the video needs a visible presenter and reshooting in nine languages is not happening: training, explainer and localisation work where being clear matters more than being a personality. Starter is $19 a month, or $14 billed yearly, for 120 minutes of video a year with the Synthesia logo removed. A creator whose audience comes for them personally should not put an avatar in front of the camera at all.
Common questions
- Is ElevenLabs cheaper than Synthesia?
- Yes, but they produce different things: ElevenLabs Starter is $6 a month for audio only, while Synthesia Starter is $19 a month, or $14 yearly, for a full video with a visible AI presenter. Paying for Synthesia buys the avatar on screen, which ElevenLabs does not attempt.
- Does ElevenLabs put a visible presenter in the video like Synthesia does?
- No. ElevenLabs generates and clones voices only, audio with no avatar or visual component. Synthesia's entire product is a video of an AI presenter reading a script, which is why it lives in training departments rather than just on audio channels.
- Can Synthesia dub existing footage into other languages like ElevenLabs can?
- Yes, AI dubbing is one of its features, re-voicing existing footage into other languages rather than rebuilding it from scratch. ElevenLabs does the same job for audio specifically, translating a video while keeping the original delivery.
- Do both free plans allow commercial or public use?
- No. ElevenLabs' free plan excludes a commercial licence, so anything public needs Starter at $6 a month. Synthesia's free Basic plan carries a visible Synthesia logo on every video, only removed once on the $19 a month Starter tier.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.