What is ElevenLabs? Everything we know about the standout artificial intelligence startup in the field of speech.

ElevenLabs is a British-Polish company that specializes in advanced voice synthesis through artificial intelligence. Its text-to-speech (TTS) technology generates natural and emotive narrations and voiceovers in 32 languages, making it a powerful tool for audiobooks, video voiceovers, and accessibility applications. Additionally, the platform offers voice cloning services, allowing users to replicate specific voices without losing expressive qualities.

With a focus on context-sensitive voice generation, ElevenLabs transforms interaction with AI-generated audio in fields such as entertainment, education, and business. Founded in 2022 by Piotr Dąbkowski, a former Google engineer, and Mati Staniszewski, a former Palantir strategist, the company has quickly positioned itself as a leader in the field of AI-generated voice. Its text-to-speech models are designed to understand context, tone, and emotion, resulting in highly realistic voice generation.

In January 2025, ElevenLabs successfully raised $180 million in a Series C funding round led by prominent venture capitalists, achieving a valuation of $3.3 billion, which secures resources for the development of its products.

The applications of ElevenLabs are broad, covering areas of entertainment, content creation, and accessibility. Audiobook publishers use this tool to generate seamless narrations, while content creators on platforms like YouTube and podcasters employ it for voiceovers. Additionally, video game developers integrate AI voices to create interactive narratives. Outside the media space, it's also used in customer service, facilitating the creation of automated assistants that are more realistic.

However, it's important to highlight that ElevenLabs does not function as a chatbot. While it can generate voice, it does not hold real-time conversations like ChatGPT or Siri. It also faces limitations in situations requiring extremely nuanced emotional interpretations or in the creation of music, images, or videos.

Regarding pricing, ElevenLabs has different levels. Its free plan allows for limited use, while paid subscriptions unlock more advanced features necessary in professional contexts. They offer options starting at $5 per month for limited commercial use to customized plans for larger enterprises.

ElevenLabs is accessible through a web browser, making it easy to create AI-generated voice, and it also offers integration via API for development applications. It features an app for iOS and Android that allows users to listen to AI-narrated content anytime.

Overall, ElevenLabs has received praise for the quality of its voices, which offer a natural sound and deep emotional capability. However, some users have noted that the voices can sound a bit robotic in very emotional contexts, and there are ethical concerns related to the misuse of voice cloning.

ElevenLabs is recommended for content creators seeking high-quality AI voices for audiobooks, podcasts, and video narrations, as well as for businesses wishing to use realistic voices in automated customer service applications. However, it is not suitable for those requiring real-time chatbot interactions or for those looking to generate images or videos.