ElevenLabs is a company that makes voices with AI. AI means artificial intelligence, which is like smart computers that learn and do things like people. ElevenLabs helps make computer voices sound just like real people. This is great for many things, like reading books out loud, talking to chatbots, or changing voices in videos to other languages. In this blog, we will talk about what ElevenLabs is, how it started, how it works, its features, prices, uses, good and bad points, right and wrong issues, and what might come next. 

Imagine you want to make a video but need a voice to talk in it. Or you want to hear a book read to you in your language. ElevenLabs makes this easy and fun. It started small but grew fast because people like how real the voices sound. Today, in 2026, it is a big name in AI voices. Many people use it for work, fun, and learning. We will look at all parts of ElevenLabs step by step.

This tool changes how we use sound in our daily lives. From helping blind people hear books to making games more exciting, ElevenLabs is everywhere. It supports many languages, so people from all over the world can use it. The company cares about making sure the voices are safe and not used for bad things. As we go through this blog, you will see why ElevenLabs is special and how you can try it yourself.

Let’s start with where it came from.

The Story Behind ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs began in 2022. Two friends from Poland started it. Their names are Piotr Dąbkowski and Mati Staniszewski. Piotr worked at Google on machine learning, which is teaching computers to learn from data. Mati worked at Palantir on planning how to use tech. They met in high school and dreamed of making AI sounds better.

The idea came from real life. Mati’s grandma had eye problems and could not read books in Polish. There were not many audiobooks in her language. This made them think about using AI to make voices for anyone who needs them. They wanted voices that sound natural, like a friend talking.

In January 2023, they launched their first tool to turn text into speech. People loved it because it sounded so real. The company grew quickly. By 2025, it was worth over 3 billion dollars and became a unicorn, which means a very successful startup. Famous people like actor Matthew McConaughey invested in it and use it.

They had their first big meeting in 2025 and announced working with actor Sir Michael Caine. His voice is now in their app for reading books. Now in 2026, ElevenLabs is in London but works worldwide. They added tools for pictures and videos, too, so you can make full stories with sound and images.

The company started because they wanted to help people. Now, millions use it. They keep making new things, like better voices and safe ways to use AI. This shows how a small idea can become big with hard work and smart thinking.

They were the first to make AI voices that sound just like humans. This changed the game for audio tech. From a tiny team to a leader, their story inspires many. They focus on making tech that helps everyone, not just a few.

Let’s see how their tech works in easy steps.

How ElevenLabs Makes Voices

ElevenLabs uses AI to turn words into sounds that sound like people talking. It learns from lots of real voices to make new ones. Think of it like a smart robot that copies how we speak, with feelings and speed.

The main tool is text-to-speech, or TTS. You type words, and it says them out loud. They have models like Eleven v3 for voices with emotions, like happy or sad. Flash v2.5 is fast, taking only 75 milliseconds, which is very quick for live talks.

Voice cloning lets you make a voice from a short recording. It keeps the accent and way of talking. The AI looks at sounds, rhythm, and tone to copy them.

They also have speech-to-text, or STT. It turns talking into words with 98% right answers. It knows who is speaking and adds time marks.

For dubbing, it changes the video voices to other languages but keeps the original sound. It works in over 30 languages.

Agents are like smart chatbots that talk back and forth. They work with any big AI model and can call on phones.

They keep it safe with checks to stop bad uses. Developers can use it with code in Python or TypeScript. In simple terms, it trains on data, then makes new sounds. This makes voices for apps, books, and more.

The tech is like a brain that hears many voices and learns to make them. It looks at how words sound, how fast they go, and feelings. For example, if you want a happy voice, it adds smiles to the sound.

Cloning is fun. Record your voice for 5 minutes, and AI makes a copy. You can use it to read emails or make podcasts. Dubbing helps movies go global. Watch a French film in English with the same actor’s voice feel. STT helps write down meetings or calls. It tells apart speakers, like “Bob said this, Alice said that.”

Agents make customer help better. They answer questions fast, like a real person. Safety is big. They check for fake voices used incorrectly. This tech is easy to add to your projects with APIs, which are like doors to connect. Now, let’s look at what features they have.

What ElevenLabs Can Do

ElevenLabs has many tools for voices. 

• The Voice Library has over 1,000 voices in 29 languages. You can clone voices or change them for stability, clearness, and feelings.
• Music Generator makes songs from words. Type “happy pop song,” and it creates music.
• The Audiobooks tool turns books from files into audio with many voices for characters.
• Dubbing Studio changes video languages easily.
• Voice Isolator cleans noisy recordings.
• Text to Sound Effects makes sounds like rain or doors from words.
• For big companies, agents handle calls in 31 languages, safe with rules like GDPR.
• New is Image & Video, mixing voices with pictures from tools like Veo or Sora.
• Voice Changer controls timing and emotions.
• These help make audio fast and good.
• For example, in Music, you can make any style, with singing or just music.
• Audiobooks can have different voices for mom, dad, and the kid in a story.
• Dubbing is one-click or full control for pros.
• Sound Effects add life to videos, like “thunder storm” makes boom sounds.
• An isolator removes background noise, like wind or cars.
• Agents are for business, like answering phones 24/7.
• Image & Video lets you make short films with AI all in one place.
• They have the ElevenReader app for listening to books, with famous voices like Michael Caine.
• Iconic Marketplace has special voices.
• Speech-to-text is cheap, 22 cents per hour for business.

• All this makes ElevenLabs a full kit for sound creators.
• Users say it’s the best for real voices.

How Much Does ElevenLabs Cost

ElevenLabs has plans for everyone. The free plan gives 10,000 characters a month to try. Starter is about $5 a month for simple uses. Creator is $11 a month, with 100,000 characters and cloning. Higher plans for publishers and businesses, prices change based on need.

They charge by characters or time, so you pay for what you use. Reviews say it’s worth it for quality, but big uses cost more. For speech-to-text, businesses pay $0.22 per hour. They have deals for students and startups.

Compared to others, it’s cheap for audiobooks, $99 vs thousands for real people. Free is good to start, then upgrade.

Where People Use ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs helps in many areas. In videos and podcasts, for voiceovers. Cars24 in India uses agents for 3 million minutes of calls, helps 45% sales, and cuts costs by 50%. In schools, for talking tutors, like on Chess.com.

Games get better sound effects or characters. Health care for reading to people who can’t see. Marketing makes ads with personal voices. Coders add to apps with APIs. Fun uses: Make CarPlay sound like plane announcements. Amazon uses interactive books and asks questions to AI.

In India, the UAE, and Australia, for car sales. For animations, sound effects. Global because of many languages. Decagon uses for customer help. Retail, phones, and banks save money with agents. Creators make faceless videos. Anime makers fix pronunciations.

So many ways to use.

Good and Bad Things About ElevenLabs

Good: Voices sound real, easy to use. Many languages are good for worldwide use. Works with other tools. Cheap for books vs real readers.

Context aware of feelings.

Bad: Costs add up for lots of use. Some accents are not perfect. Need more voices sometimes. Cloning can fail.

Overall, great for most.

Compared to Hume AI, it is better in some voices.

CloneVoice vs ElevenLabs, mixed reviews.

Users say scary good.

Right and Wrong Issues with ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs cares about safe AI. But people worry about fake voices for tricks or bad ads. Voice actors sued over rights.

They use moderation to check bad content. Have rules against harm. Track where voices come from. Talk about laws for AI voices. Compliant with GDPR and SOC II. They lead in responsible use.

Debates on e-books with AI questions. They work on better safety.

FAQs

Wrapping Up

ElevenLabs leads in AI voices, mixing new ideas with easy use. From the start to now, it pushes limits. As AI grows, ElevenLabs stays ahead with cool things coming.