How to Use ElevenLabs: Beginner’s Guide to Eleven v4, Voice Cloning and Pricing (2026)

Want natural-sounding AI voiceovers without a microphone, a studio or a voice actor? This guide explains how to use ElevenLabs step by step, from creating a free account and generating your first text to speech clip to cloning a voice and choosing the right paid plan. It also covers Eleven v4, the new voice model ElevenLabs released on 28 September 2026, and what it changes for beginners.

Plans, prices and features below were checked on 1 October 2026 against ElevenLabs’ official pricing page, its Eleven v4 announcement and its help centre. Quality and speed claims are ElevenLabs’ own unless we say otherwise.

Disclosure: this guide contains one affiliate link (to InVideo, not ElevenLabs). See our Affiliate Disclosure.

What Is ElevenLabs?

ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform. You type or paste text, choose a voice, and it reads the text aloud in a realistic human-sounding voice. Beyond text to speech, the platform also offers speech to text, sound effects, voice design, music generation, dubbing and voice cloning, plus tools for building voice agents.

The company is growing fast. TechCrunch reported on 30 September 2026 that an employee share sale valued ElevenLabs at $22 billion, double its valuation in February. The same day, The Next Web reported that ElevenLabs had opened an office in Brussels and plans to triple its Belgian team.

Who uses ElevenLabs?

• YouTubers and video creators who need voiceovers for explainers, shorts or faceless channels.
• Authors and publishers turning books and articles into audio.
• Teachers and course creators adding narration to lessons and slides.
• Marketers producing ads, product videos and podcasts in several languages.
• Developers adding voices to apps, games and customer-service agents through the API.

What Is New in ElevenLabs v4?

ElevenLabs launched two new text to speech models on 28 September 2026: Eleven v4 for expressive content and Eleven v4 Turbo for real-time conversation. According to ElevenLabs:

• More expressive delivery: v4 reads context and character, and ElevenLabs calls it its most emotive model yet.
• Inline audio tags: you can direct the voice with tags such as [laughs], [whispers] or sound cues like [door slams] directly in your script.
• 90+ languages: one voice can speak across languages with a native-sounding accent.
• Faster voice cloning: ElevenLabs says an Instant Voice Clone can now capture a voice from about 10 seconds of audio.
• Low latency with Turbo: ElevenLabs reports a median time to first speech of around 150 milliseconds for v4 Turbo, aimed at voice agents and live apps.

ElevenLabs says v4 was ranked first by the independent benchmarking site Artificial Analysis and was preferred by listeners in its blind tests. As with any launch claims, test it on your own scripts before relying on it.

How to Use ElevenLabs: Step-by-Step for Beginners

Step 1: Create a free account

Go to elevenlabs.io and sign up with an email address or a Google account. The Free plan gives you 10,000 credits a month, which is enough to test text to speech, try different voices and learn the interface. You do not need a card to start.

Step 2: Open Text to Speech

From the dashboard, open Text to Speech. This is the simplest place to start: a text box, a voice picker and a model selector.

Step 3: Choose a voice

Click the voice selector to browse the default voices or the Voice Library, where you can filter by language, accent, age, gender and use case such as narration or conversational. Preview a few voices with a sentence from your own script. A voice that sounds great on a generic sample may not suit your content.

Step 4: Pick a model

Use the model selector to choose the voice model. For expressive narration, choose Eleven v4 if it appears for your account. ElevenLabs says v4 is live across its creative tools, agents platform and API. For real-time uses, the Turbo variant is designed for speed.

Step 5: Write or paste your script

Paste your text and add direction where it helps. With v4 you can place audio tags inline, for example:

[warmly] Welcome back to the channel. [pause] Today we're testing three AI tools, [laughs] and one of them surprised me.

ElevenLabs publishes a full audio tags list for Eleven v4 with examples. Use tags sparingly. Too many can make the delivery sound forced.

Step 6: Adjust voice settings

Most voices offer settings such as stability and similarity. Lower stability gives a more varied, emotional read; higher stability gives a steadier, more consistent one. Change one setting at a time and regenerate so you can hear the difference.

Step 7: Generate, listen and download

Click generate, listen to the full clip, and regenerate any line that sounds off. When you are happy, download the audio file. Each generation uses credits, so test short sections before producing a long script.

How to Clone Your Voice With ElevenLabs

Voice cloning lets ElevenLabs speak in your own voice. There are two types:

Steps to create an Instant Voice Clone

1. Upgrade to at least the Starter plan.
2. Open Voices and choose to add or create a new voice, then select Instant Voice Clone.
3. Record or upload a clean sample. Use a quiet room, speak naturally and avoid music or background noise.
4. Name the voice, confirm you have the right to use it, and save.
5. Select your new voice in Text to Speech and generate a test line.

ElevenLabs says 10 seconds can be enough with v4, but a longer, cleaner sample is a safer starting point for quality. Only clone your own voice or a voice you have clear permission to use.

Other ElevenLabs Tools Worth Knowing

• Studio: for long-form projects such as audiobooks and podcasts, with chapters and multiple voices.
• Dubbing Studio: translates and re-voices video into other languages (Starter and above).
• Speech to Text: transcribes audio and video into text.
• Sound Effects: generates effects from a text description.
• Voice Design: creates a brand-new voice from a written description, without cloning anyone.
• Music: generates music tracks, with commercial use on paid plans.
• ElevenAgents and the API: for developers building voice agents and adding speech to their own products.

Is ElevenLabs Free? Plans and Pricing Explained

Yes, ElevenLabs has a free plan, but it does not include a commercial licence. These are the monthly prices listed on ElevenLabs’ pricing page, which states that prices exclude all taxes:

A few practical points:

• Credits roll over, within limits. ElevenLabs’ help centre says up to two months’ worth of unused credits can roll over on monthly plans, but not if you downgrade or cancel.
• Launch offer: ElevenLabs says Creator and higher plans get extra credits for v4 until 12 October 2026. Check the current terms on the pricing page before you rely on it.
• VAT: UK and EU buyers will see tax added at checkout, so the final amount will be higher than the listed dollar price.

Which plan should you choose? Use Free to learn the tool. Move to Starter as soon as you publish anything commercially, such as a monetised YouTube video. Choose Creator if you want Professional Voice Cloning or produce a lot of audio each month.

ElevenLabs for UK and European Users

ElevenLabs has strong reasons to appeal to European users. Its 90+ language support covers German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Polish and Swedish, so a single cloned voice can narrate content for several markets. For organisations with data-protection requirements, ElevenLabs has announced European data residency for its Enterprise customers. That is an Enterprise option, so smaller teams should read ElevenLabs’ privacy policy and data processing terms before uploading personal or customer data. Using a tool with EU data storage does not by itself make your project GDPR-compliant.

Practical Ways to Use ElevenLabs

• YouTube voiceovers: write a script, generate narration, then add it to your edit. Our guide to YouTube automation with AI shows where voiceover fits in a full workflow.
• Turning audio into video: pair an ElevenLabs voiceover with an AI video tool. Our InVideo AI review covers one option, and you can try InVideo AI directly (affiliate link).
• AI presenters: combine a cloned voice with an avatar tool; see our Tavus AI guide and the avatar section of our AI video tools guide.
• Audio learning: convert study notes into listenable audio, a different approach from the AI audio summaries in our NotebookLM guide.
• Multilingual marketing: produce the same ad in several European languages with one consistent brand voice.

Common ElevenLabs Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1. Running out of credits fast. Test a paragraph before generating a full script, and regenerate only the lines that need it.
2. Robotic or flat delivery. Lower stability slightly, add punctuation for natural pauses, and use one or two audio tags for emotion.
3. Mispronounced names. Spell names phonetically, or use the International Phonetic Alphabet support ElevenLabs says v4 improves.
4. Poor voice clone. Re-record the sample in a quiet room without music, effects or other speakers.
5. Using free-plan audio commercially. The Free plan has no commercial licence, so upgrade before you monetise.
6. Cloning someone else’s voice. Only clone voices you own or have explicit permission to use.

ElevenLabs Alternatives

Many people compare ElevenLabs with other voice tools before paying. Common alternatives include Murf AI and Speechify for narration, OpenAI and Google text to speech for developers, and video tools with built-in voices. If you mainly need a voice inside a video editor, an all-in-one video tool may be simpler. For the widest choice of voices, languages and fine control, ElevenLabs remains one of the strongest options. For more tools across writing, video and productivity, see our list of the best AI tools for work in 2026.

ElevenLabs FAQs

Is ElevenLabs free to use?

Yes. The Free plan includes 10,000 credits per month and core tools such as text to speech, but no commercial licence. Paid plans start at $6 per month, excluding tax.

What is ElevenLabs v4?

Eleven v4 is ElevenLabs’ newest text to speech model, released on 28 September 2026. It adds more expressive delivery, inline audio tags, 90+ languages and faster voice cloning. Eleven v4 Turbo is a low-latency version for real-time apps.

Can I use ElevenLabs voices on YouTube?

For monetised or commercial content you need a paid plan, which includes a commercial licence. The Free plan does not.

How much audio do I need to clone my voice?

ElevenLabs says Instant Voice Cloning with v4 can work from about 10 seconds of audio. Professional Voice Cloning needs a longer, high-quality recording and a Creator plan or higher.

Does ElevenLabs work in German, French and other European languages?

Yes. ElevenLabs says its v4 models support more than 90 languages, including the main European languages.

Do unused ElevenLabs credits expire?

Not immediately. ElevenLabs says up to two months of unused credits can roll over on monthly plans, unless you downgrade or cancel.

Final Verdict

Learning how to use ElevenLabs takes minutes: sign up for free, pick a voice, paste a script and generate. The launch of Eleven v4 makes the platform more expressive and faster at cloning, which matters most for creators producing regular voiceovers. Start on the Free plan, test v4 with your own scripts, and upgrade to Starter only when you need a commercial licence or voice cloning. Keep an eye on credit use, and only ever clone voices you have permission to use.

Sources: ElevenLabs – Eleven v4, Eleven v4 and v4 Turbo, ElevenLabs pricing, ElevenLabs Help – What are credits, ElevenLabs – European data residency, TechCrunch and The Next Web. Checked 1 October 2026; ElevenLabs may change plans, prices and features at any time.