ElevenLabs vs LiveKit — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
ElevenLabs starts at $6/mo. LiveKit starts at $50/mo. ElevenLabs is $44/mo cheaper on the entry tier than LiveKit.
See price history: ElevenLabs · LiveKit
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- ElevenLabs (Per Usage) — ElevenLabs bills purely on usage — Starter. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- LiveKit (Hybrid) — LiveKit is hybrid: a fixed subscription from $50/mo plus metered usage on top. Your real bill moves with volume, not seat count.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
AI voice generation and speech synthesis platform, and the category-defining player in generative audio — voice cloning, multi-language dubbing, and text-to-speech that competitors benchmark against. Credit-based pricing from Free (10K credits) up to Business ($990/mo, 6M credits). Powers podcast creators, product teams building voice UX, and voice agent platforms. Best-in-class voice quality is the durable moat.
Open-source real-time audio/video infrastructure. LiveKit powers WebRTC for voice, video, and AI agent applications. Cloud pricing: Free tier (100 max concurrent participants, 10K minutes/mo), Build $50/mo (500 participants, 150K minutes), Ship $500/mo (3K participants, 1.5M minutes), Enterprise custom. Self-hosted is fully free (Apache 2.0). LiveKit Agents framework powers voice AI at OpenAI (ChatGPT Advanced Voice), Character.ai, and many voice startups.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | ElevenLabs monthly | ElevenLabs annual | LiveKit monthly | LiveKit annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free / Self-hosted | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Starter / Ship | $6 | $5 | $50 | $50 |
| Mid tier 1 | Creator / — | $22 | $18.33 | — | — |
| Mid tier 2 | Pro / — | $99 | $82.5 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Scale | $299 | $249.17 | $500 | $500 |
| Teams | Business / — | $990 | $825 | — | — |
| Enterprise | — / Enterprise | — | — | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
ElevenLabs is worth it if… creators and product teams who want the highest-quality synthetic voices on the market — particularly for voice cloning, multilingual dubbing, and long-form narration. Free tier is enough to test but restricts commercial use; Starter ($6) unlocks it.
LiveKit is worth it if… developers building real-time voice or video features into their products — voice AI agents, video conferencing, live streams. 0).
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — ElevenLabs is per usage, LiveKit is hybrid.
Choose ElevenLabs over LiveKit if…
Choose ElevenLabs if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $6/mo).
- You match the profile ElevenLabs is built for: creators and product teams who want the highest-quality synthetic voices on the market — particularly for voice cloning, multilingual dubbing, and long-form narration.
- You need a general-purpose voice agents & speech/audio option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose LiveKit if…
- You're fine with a base subscription plus metered usage on top (from $50/mo).
- You match the profile LiveKit is built for: developers building real-time voice or video features into their products — voice AI agents, video conferencing, live streams.
- You need a general-purpose voice agents & speech/audio option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| ElevenLabs | LiveKit | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Entry price | $6/mo | $50/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Hybrid |
| Last verified | September 10, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
See other alternatives in Voice Agents & Speech/Audio
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Common questions about ElevenLabs and LiveKit
- How much does ElevenLabs cost in 2026?
- Does ElevenLabs have a free plan?
- How often does ElevenLabs change prices?
- What are the best ElevenLabs alternatives in 2026?
- How much does LiveKit cost in 2026?
- Does LiveKit have a free plan?
- How often does LiveKit change prices?
- What are the best LiveKit alternatives in 2026?