Text-to-Speech API · decision tool
ElevenLabs vs Cartesia (TTS) — for your app, not in general
ElevenLabs or Cartesia (TTS)? Set your usage, budget and constraints; the verdict, monthly cost and risks update live from verified pricing.
Prices verified 2026-07-17 against official pricing pages · fit weights are our estimates (see methodology) · share the URL to share your configuration
As of Jul 2026, with 200,000 characters of speech/month, a $50 budget for this slot, Cartesia (TTS) ranks first for these inputs at 72% fit and a StackSays-estimated $49.00/month (ElevenLabs: 45% fit, $99.00/month). Fit weights are our estimates; prices trace to official pages. Change any input below and the verdict recomputes.
Your situation
The verdict updates as you move these.
Clear pick for your inputs
Low-latency voice-agent TTS on cheap credit tiers starting at $5
vs ElevenLabs: fit 72% against 45%, est $49.00 against $99.00 per month
Comparing 2 tools head-to-head. Open the full field (4 options) →
The decision, in plain words
For a solo builder at 200,000 characters of speech/month and a $50.00/mo budget for the TTS API slot, Cartesia (TTS) leads at 72% fit and $49.00/mo. The two rules doing the work: budget fit (~$49/mo is 98% of your $50/mo budget); batteries included (Bundles voice cloning, streaming synthesis, STT from the same vendor — fewer services to glue at team size 1).
The gap to ElevenLabs (45% fit) is wide at these inputs — you'd need to change your requirements, not your taste, to flip it.
Honest weak spot of the pick: proprietary voices — switching vendors changes how your product sounds.
Generated from the calculation above — every number traces to the sourced data; nothing here is written by an AI making things up.
Why Cartesia (TTS) scores 72%
How the $49.00/mo estimate is calculated
What could change this verdict
Cost risk
Official prices verified 2026-07-17; calculation is deterministic code over those prices.
At a glance
| Tool | Free tier | Paid entry | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | 10K credits/month (≈10K characters); NO commercial license | Starter $6/mo | 2026-07-17 |
| Cartesia (TTS) | 20K credits/month ≈ 27 TTS minutes (vendor approximation; ≈1 credit/char, our estimate) | Pro $5/mo | 2026-07-17 |
Data sources
| Tool | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | ElevenLabs pricing | 2026-07-17 |
| Cartesia (TTS) | Cartesia pricing | 2026-07-17 |
A monitor re-checks these pages for changes; when a vendor moves a price, the date updates and every verdict recomputes.