ElevenLabs
AI voice synthesis and cloning that brings characters to life — literally, in my case.
What I use it for
Pricing
Free tier with limited characters; Starter at $5/mo.
Where it shines
- Voice quality is the best available for narration and storytelling — the custom voice I created is now cemented in my family's minds as "the voice."
- Voice Acting mode gives fine control over tone, pace, and emotion.
- Voice cloning is impressively accurate with just a few minutes of sample audio.
Where it struggles
- Pronunciation of uncommon proper nouns can be unpredictable.
- Credit-based pricing adds up fast for long-form content — and I produce a story every week.
- Real-time streaming has occasional latency spikes.
Notes
ElevenLabs is the final layer in a creative project I've been building for my daughters — Lilly & Avery, two dalmatian puppy sisters (ages 7 and 5) who go on adventures loosely inspired by our family's real life. I've written 50+ stories with full character continuity, and they look forward to a new one every week. The custom ElevenLabs voice is now inseparable from the characters. Building lillyandavery.com to host them publicly. Beyond entertainment, the stories give me a way to take challenges our girls face and work them into narratives where L&A learn lessons the girls can hear in real time.
How to try it
Create a free account and paste a paragraph to hear the default voices. Try Voice Acting mode for more control.