ElevenLabs: what it does, who it is for and alternatives
Updated · By Robert Breen
Realistic AI voices, voice cloning and voice agents that answer calls. Narrate videos or build an AI receptionist.
Official site: elevenlabs.io (affiliate link — I may earn a commission, at no cost to you)
What ElevenLabs does
Type or paste a script and pick from a large voice library, design a voice from a text prompt, or clone your own. Beyond narration, ElevenLabs dubs videos into other languages, transcribes recordings with its Scribe speech-to-text model, and builds agents that handle phone, chat, email and WhatsApp conversations.
Who ElevenLabs is for
- Marketers
- Trainers and L&D teams
- Support teams
- Content creators
Key features
- Text to speech in 90+ languages
- Voice cloning, voice design from a prompt and a library of 17,500+ voices
- Dubbing that carries the original speaker's emotion across languages
- Scribe speech to text with speaker labels and timestamps
- ElevenAgents for phone, chat, email and WhatsApp
- Music and sound effects generation
Privacy and data
ElevenLabs says it is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level 1 certified with HIPAA and GDPR attestations, and offers regional data residency and an optional Zero Retention Mode. Source: ElevenLabs’s own page. Before you put client data in, check your company’s AI rules and the plan’s data settings.
Learn ElevenLabs free on Stepthrough
- Free lesson: Your First Voice Agent in ElevenLabs: An After-Hours Receptionist (9 min)
- Comparison: ElevenLabs vs Vapi vs Retell AI for phone voice agents
- Guide: How to Test and Improve a Voice AI Agent's Script
- Guide: After-Hours AI Receptionist FAQ: ElevenLabs for Offices
- Guide: ElevenLabs Knowledge Base FAQ: Files, Text, RAG, Prompts
- Guide: ElevenLabs Knowledge Base: 8 Mistakes That Cause Bad Answers
- Guide: ElevenLabs First Voice Agent FAQ: Prompt, Voice, Preview
- Guide: First ElevenLabs Voice Agent: 8 Setup Mistakes to Avoid
Alternatives to ElevenLabs
Other AI voice and audio tools in the directory.
- Vapi Free trial A developer platform for AI voice agents that make and take phone calls.
- Auphonic Free plan Automatic audio leveling, noise reduction and loudness for podcasts and recordings.
- Wispr Flow Free plan Voice dictation that types clean, formatted text in any app as you speak.
- Retell AI Free trial Build AI phone agents for scheduling, support and sales calls, with low-latency voices.
- Bland AI Free trial Enterprise AI phone agents that handle inbound and outbound calls at scale.
- Synthflow Free trial No-code AI voice agents for appointment booking, lead qualification and support.
All 27 AI voice and audio tools
Frequently asked questions
- What is ElevenLabs?
- Realistic AI voices, voice cloning and voice agents that answer calls. Narrate videos or build an AI receptionist. Type or paste a script and pick from a large voice library, design a voice from a text prompt, or clone your own. Beyond narration, ElevenLabs dubs videos into other languages, transcribes recordings with its Scribe speech-to-text model, and builds agents that handle phone, chat, email and WhatsApp conversations.
- Who is ElevenLabs for?
- ElevenLabs fits marketers, trainers and L&D teams, support teams and content creators, and other office teams with the same job to do.
- Is ElevenLabs free?
- ElevenLabs has a free plan; paid plans add more usage or features. Plans change often, so check the official pricing page before you commit.
- What are some alternatives to ElevenLabs?
- Other AI voice and audio tools include Vapi, Auphonic, Wispr Flow, Retell AI and Bland AI.
- Is ElevenLabs safe for work data?
- ElevenLabs says it is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level 1 certified with HIPAA and GDPR attestations, and offers regional data residency and an optional Zero Retention Mode. Check your own company’s rules, and use a business plan with training turned off for client data.
“Listed on Stepthrough” badge
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Checked against ElevenLabs’s official site on October 20, 2026: source 1, source 2. Spotted something out of date? Email rbreen@ynteractive.com. Listings are free; submit your AI tool.
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