Is ElevenLabs free?
Yes. As of 2026-08-09, ElevenLabs has a $0 Free plan with 10,000 credits per month. The allowance is shared across products, so it is not a guaranteed number of audio minutes. Free output lacks a commercial license, requires attribution, and does not include voice cloning; the Starter plan is $6/month for those paid features.
Why — the first-principles explanation
The Free plan gives you a monthly credit allowance without a subscription charge. As of 2026-08-09, that allowance is 10,000 credits. A credit is not a fixed duration: website text-to-speech counts input characters, while transcription, music, voice tools and dubbing have different meters. For the specific case of website Multilingual v2 text-to-speech, one character uses one credit and ElevenLabs estimates 10,000 characters at roughly 10 minutes under typical pacing; other use cases will differ.
Free output carries an attribution requirement and no commercial license, so you cannot use it for paid or monetized work. Free also does not include voice cloning. Starter, currently $6/month, is the first Creative tier that adds a commercial license and Instant Voice Cloning.
So 'free' is genuinely free in dollars, but limited in usage and rights. It works for learning, testing and personal projects. If you need to monetize output or clone a voice, generate that work under an eligible paid plan and confirm the current terms first.
An example that makes it click
It's like a free wallet with 10,000 tokens. A line of website narration, a transcription job and a dubbing project spend tokens at different rates, so the wallet does not promise one fixed runtime. You can use the wallet to test the tools, but the Free license does not let you resell what you make; Starter adds that commercial permission.
How to do it
- Sign up at elevenlabs.io to get the free plan automatically, no payment needed.
- Use the 10,000 monthly credits for testing, estimating each product with its own live rate.
- Keep the attribution credit to ElevenLabs on any free-plan output you share.
- Stay on free for personal or learning projects only, not anything you sell.
- Upgrade to Starter ($6/month) when you need commercial rights or voice cloning.
Key facts
- The Free plan gives 10,000 credits per month as of 2026-08-09; the output duration depends on product, model and speaking pace.
- Free output requires attribution to ElevenLabs.
- Commercial use is not allowed on the free plan.
- Voice cloning is not available for free; it starts on the Starter plan.
- Paid Creative plans begin at $6/month (Starter) as of 2026-08-09.
Check whether a free tier or trial is available, then confirm current credits and limits.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Is ElevenLabs free? Yes. As of August 9, 2026, the Free plan costs zero dollars and includes ten thousand credits each month. Those credits are shared across products, so they are not a guaranteed number of audio minutes: website text-to-speech counts characters, while other tools use different meters. Free output must credit ElevenLabs, cannot be used commercially, and does not include voice cloning. For personal testing, Free is usable. For monetized work or Instant Voice Cloning, the first paid Creative tier is Starter at six dollars a month. Check the live pricing page before subscribing because allowances can change.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
How much can I do on the free plan?
You get 10,000 credits per month. The result depends on the product and model; credits are not a fixed audio duration.
Can I use free ElevenLabs audio for my business?
No. The free plan bans commercial use and requires attribution. You need a paid plan from $6/month to monetize.
Is voice cloning free?
No. Cloning is a paid feature. Instant voice cloning starts on the Starter plan at $6/month.
Does the free plan expire?
No. It's ongoing, and your 10,000 credits refresh each month. You just can't use the output commercially.
The same question, asked other ways
- How to get ElevenLabs free trial?
- How can I use ElevenLabs for free?