5 Best Alternatives to ElevenLabs in 2026
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
From our data: 3 of the 5 ElevenLabs alternatives listed here have a free tier (Notify Sound, Zedge and Fish Audio), and among the 4 with a paid starting price (Zedge $4.99, SFX Engine $10, Fish Audio $15, Murf AI $29) the median is $12.50/month, more than double ElevenLabs' own $6/month Starter.
SFX Engine
Notify Sound
Zedge
Fish Audio
Murf AIHow we picked
- The list puts the three sound tools first and the two voice platforms last, matching ElevenLabs' listed best-for of sound effects and voiceovers from text prompts. SFX Engine, Notify Sound and Zedge replace the sound-effect side (SFX Engine adds a voiceover tool), while Fish Audio and Murf AI replace the voice side, and only Fish Audio also lists a text-to-sound-effects generator.
- Sound-effect volume was computed from each listing's credit rates: ElevenLabs prices a generation at 200 credits, so Starter ($6/month, 30,000 credits) covers about 150 and Creator ($22/month, 121,000 credits) about 605, while SFX Engine bills each take at 3 credits, so Starter ($10/month) covers about 166 takes and Creator ($25/month) about 1,333.
- Free access was compared with ElevenLabs' free plan of 10,000 credits a month, about 50 sound effects, for non-commercial use: Notify Sound is free with commercial use allowed under CC BY 4.0, Zedge is free with ads, Fish Audio gives 8,000 credits a month for personal use, and SFX Engine (15 credits) and Murf AI (10 minutes) offer one-time trials without downloads.
- Review evidence is limited to app-store figures in the listings, Zedge at 4.7 from 17.5M Google Play reviews, ElevenLabs at 4.8 from 23K App Store ratings and Fish Audio at 4.8 from 1.2K, so ratings did not set the order; SFX Engine, Notify Sound and Murf AI have no rating on record here.
- Prices for ElevenLabs and four of the five alternatives were verified on October 26, 2026; Murf AI's listing carries no verification date, so its $29 Creator and $99 Business prices should be rechecked at murf.ai/pricing.
Paid placement never alters editorial rank — read the full methodology.
ElevenLabs alternatives at a glance
| Alternative | Best for | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabsreference | Generating realistic sound effects and voiceovers for a video or game from text prompts, with commercial rights from $6/month | Low | Free tier · paid from $6/mo |
| SFX Engine | Generating a consistent set of UI, notification and game sound effects from text prompts, including straight from a coding agent over MCP | Low | From $10/mo |
| Notify Sound | Making a notification sound, text tone or ringtone nobody else has by describing it to an AI assistant and then fine-tuning its layers by ear in the browser | Low | Free |
| Zedge | Finding or generating an unusual ringtone or notification sound and setting it on an Android phone in a few taps | Low | Free tier · paid from $0.99 one-time |
| Fish Audio | Cloning a voice from a short clip and directing its delivery with inline emotion tags for audiobook, YouTube or game-character narration | Low | Free tier · paid from $15/mo |
| Murf AI | Turning a training or e-learning script into narration with per-block control of voice, pitch, pauses and pronunciation, synced to slides or video | Low | From $29/mo |
ElevenLabs1SFX Engine — best ElevenLabs alternative for generating a consistent set of UI, notification and game sound effects from text prompts, including straight from a coding agent over MCP
SFX Engine is the best ElevenLabs alternative for game and app developers whose main ElevenLabs use is sound effects rather than voice. SFX Engine turns a description, optionally with a length, into up to four takes of a royalty-free clip of up to 47 seconds, against the 30-second ceiling on ElevenLabs' Text to Sound Effects model. SFX Engine bills 3 credits per take, so its Creator plan at $25/month (4,000 credits) covers about 1,333 single takes, where ElevenLabs Creator at $22/month (121,000 credits) covers about 605 generations at 200 credits each. SFX Engine's MCP server lets Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex and other agents generate a sound, save the file and wire it into a project, and a REST API serves build scripts. ElevenLabs is still the better choice for anyone who needs a free plan, a cheaper entry plan or voice tools. ElevenLabs' free plan gives 10,000 credits a month, about 50 sound effects, against SFX Engine's 15-credit trial with no downloads, and ElevenLabs Starter costs $6/month against $10. ElevenLabs returns four takes per prompt, while SFX Engine charges 12 credits for four takes, so SFX Engine's 500-credit Starter plan covers about 41 such prompts. ElevenLabs also rolls unused paid credits over for up to two months, offers loops and 48 kHz WAV output, and adds text to speech, voice cloning and dubbing, where SFX Engine lists a voiceover tool but no cloning.
Compared to ElevenLabs: clips up to 47 seconds vs ElevenLabs' 30-second ceiling, about 1,333 single takes for $25/month vs about 605 ElevenLabs Creator generations for $22/month, no free plan beyond a 15-credit trial without downloads vs ElevenLabs' 10,000 free credits a month
Wins:Sound effects run up to 47 seconds, against 0.1 to 30 seconds on ElevenLabs' Text to Sound Effects model · At 3 credits per take, Creator at $25/month covers about 1,333 single takes, where ElevenLabs Creator at $22/month covers about 605 sound-effect generations at 200 credits each · The MCP server lists Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Windsurf and Gemini CLI, and lets an agent save generated files into a project and wire them into code
Loses:No ongoing free plan: the 15-credit trial (about 5 sounds) allows listening but not downloading, against ElevenLabs' free 10,000 credits a month (about 50 sound effects) · Every take is billed, so four takes of one prompt cost 12 credits and Starter's 500 credits cover about 41 such prompts, while ElevenLabs returns four takes per prompt · Credits reset at each renewal with no rollover, where ElevenLabs rolls unused paid credits over for up to two months, and SFX Engine is web-only with no voice cloning listed, against ElevenLabs' iOS and Android apps and instant cloning from Starter
Pros
- Every paid plan includes royalty-free commercial use in games, apps, videos, ads and podcasts.
- Sound effects run up to 47 seconds with up to four takes per prompt, at 3 credits each, or about 166 a month on Starter.
- The MCP server signs in with OAuth and works with Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Windsurf and Gemini CLI.
- The same credits also cover background music, DJ transitions, stem splitting and voiceover.
- The public sound library can be browsed and downloaded for free.
Cons
- No ongoing free plan; the 15-credit trial allows generating and listening but not downloading.
- Credits reset to the plan amount at each renewal, with no rollover.
- Four takes of one prompt cost 12 credits, so Starter's 500 credits cover about 41 four-take prompts.
- The license is non-exclusive and revocable and bans reselling or redistributing sounds as standalone files, which rules out selling sound packs.
Pricing: From $10/mo — $10/month Starter for about 166 takes vs ElevenLabs' $6/month Starter for about 150 sound-effect generations; $25 vs $22 at the Creator tier for about 1,333 takes vs about 605 generations (verified )
2Notify Sound — best ElevenLabs alternative for making a notification sound, text tone or ringtone nobody else has by describing it to an AI assistant and then fine-tuning its layers by ear in the browser
Notify Sound is the best ElevenLabs alternative for someone who only needs a short notification tone, text tone, UI click or simple game effect and wants it free. Notify Sound is a browser editor that synthesizes every sound from layers of oscillators and noise, starting from 283 built-in sounds, and every setting stays editable while the sound loops: wave shape, pitch from 40 Hz to 4,000 Hz, envelope, up to five repeats, wobble and one effect such as reverb or echo. ElevenLabs' sound effects can only be regenerated, not edited parameter by parameter. Notify Sound needs no account and licenses every sound under CC BY 4.0, so a paid app can ship one with a credit line, where ElevenLabs' free plan is non-commercial and commercial rights start at $6/month. Notify Sound's MCP server needs no sign-in or API key and lets Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor or VS Code design the layers and return an editor link. ElevenLabs is still the better choice for anything realistic, long or spoken. Notify Sound cannot produce voices, animals or real instruments, every sound ends within about 6 seconds against ElevenLabs' 30, downloads are MP3 only where ElevenLabs offers 48 kHz WAV for non-looping effects, and saved sounds live only in browser storage. Notify Sound also has no text to speech, no mobile app and no rating on record, against ElevenLabs' 4.8 from 23K App Store ratings.
Compared to ElevenLabs: free with no account vs a non-commercial free plan and $6/month for commercial rights, every synth layer editable by ear vs effects that can only be regenerated, synth-only sounds that end within about 6 seconds vs realistic effects up to 30 seconds
Wins:Free with no account, and every sound is CC BY 4.0, so commercial use needs only a credit line, where ElevenLabs' free plan is non-commercial and commercial rights start at $6/month · Every layer stays editable (wave shape, pitch from 40 Hz to 4,000 Hz, envelope, up to five repeats, wobble, one whole-sound effect), where ElevenLabs sound effects can only be regenerated · The MCP server is free and needs no sign-in or API key, where ElevenLabs' hosted MCP server signs in with OAuth
Loses:The synth-only engine cannot produce voices, animals or real instruments, and every sound ends within about 6 seconds, against ElevenLabs' realistic effects of up to 30 seconds · MP3 downloads only, where ElevenLabs offers 48 kHz WAV for non-looping effects and loops with no audible start or end · No voice features, no mobile app and no account sync, since saved sounds live in browser local storage, against ElevenLabs' text to speech, voice cloning and iOS and Android apps
Pros
- Free with no account, and every sound, edited versions included, is CC BY 4.0, so it can ship in a paid app, game or video with credit.
- The MCP server needs no API key and works with Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
- 283 built-in sounds across 11 collections open in the editor with every setting exposed, so any of them can be a starting point.
- Loop playback, per-layer scopes and a visualizer let users hear and see each slider change as it happens.
- Share links carry the full sound in the part of the URL after the # sign, which the server never receives.
Cons
- No mobile app; sounds are downloaded as MP3 and set as a phone's notification sound or ringtone by hand.
- Downloads are MP3 only, with no WAV or OGG option for game engines.
- Saved sounds exist only in browser local storage, so clearing site data or switching browsers loses them.
- Synth-only engine: no samples, one effect per sound, and every sound ends within about 6 seconds.
Pricing: Free — $0 with a CC BY 4.0 credit line vs ElevenLabs' $6/month Starter for commercial rights ($5/month billed annually) (verified )
3Zedge — best ElevenLabs alternative for finding or generating an unusual ringtone or notification sound and setting it on an Android phone in a few taps
Zedge is an ElevenLabs alternative for one narrow job: getting a custom ringtone or notification sound onto your own phone. Zedge is a free, ad-supported Android and iPhone app with millions of ringtones, notification and alarm sounds, and since August 2025 its Android app has included Audio AI, which turns a typed prompt plus a genre and mood into a one-of-a-kind ringtone or notification sound that can be set from inside the app. ElevenLabs can generate a 'money notification' sound too, but delivers it as an MP3 or WAV file. Zedge's review base is far larger, 4.7 from 17.5M Google Play reviews against ElevenLabs' 4.7 from 260K, and Zedge+ removes ads and generation limits for $4.99/month or $19.99/year on iOS, against $6/month for ElevenLabs Starter. ElevenLabs is the better choice for nearly everything else. Zedge's listing includes no voice tools and no API. Audio AI is missing from Zedge's iOS app and stops at prompt, format, genre and mood, with no editor, where ElevenLabs offers loops, a prompt-influence control and clips of 0.1 to 30 seconds. Zedge's listing states no commercial license, while ElevenLabs grants royalty-free commercial use from $6/month, and Zedge's free app unlocks each AI creation with an ad, with highly upvoted 2025 Google Play reviews describing ad screens that freeze the phone.
Compared to ElevenLabs: an AI-made ringtone or notification sound you can set from inside its Android app vs an MP3 or WAV file to download, 4.7 from 17.5M Google Play reviews vs ElevenLabs' 4.7 from 260K, no voice tools and no API vs a full speech and sound suite
Wins:Audio AI on Android turns a prompt plus a genre and mood into a ringtone or notification sound that can be set from inside the app, where ElevenLabs delivers sound effects as MP3 or WAV files · Millions of ready-made ringtones, notification and alarm sounds, free with ads, plus per-contact ringtones and one login that syncs saved items across devices · 4.7 from 17.5M Google Play reviews and 4.6 from 200K iOS ratings, against ElevenLabs' 4.7 from 260K Google Play reviews and 4.8 from 23K App Store ratings
Loses:No voice tools (text to speech, voice cloning, dubbing) and no API or MCP server in Zedge's listing, where ElevenLabs offers all of them · Audio AI is Android-only and stops at prompt, format, genre and mood with no editor, where ElevenLabs offers loops, a prompt-influence control and clips of 0.1 to 30 seconds · Each free AI creation is unlocked by watching an ad, highly upvoted 2025 Google Play reviews describe ad screens that freeze the phone, and the listing states no commercial license for its sounds
Pros
- Millions of free ringtones, notification sounds, alarms and wallpapers, with 500M+ Google Play downloads and a 4.7 rating from 17.5M reviews.
- Audio AI on Android creates a ringtone or notification sound from a prompt plus a genre and mood, and sets it from inside the app.
- Zedge+ is inexpensive at $4.99/month or $19.99/year on iOS and removes ads and AI generation limits.
- One login syncs saved ringtones and wallpapers across devices.
Cons
- Heavy advertising in the free app; unlocking premium items or AI creations means watching ads or buying credits.
- Audio AI is Android-only; the iOS app lists AI wallpaper and photo tools but no audio generation.
- Audio AI's controls stop at prompt, format, genre and mood, with no editor for adjusting a generated sound.
- Highly upvoted 2025 Google Play reviews describe connection errors that block search and ad screens that freeze the phone.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $0.99 one-time — Zedge+ at $4.99/month or $19.99/year on iOS vs ElevenLabs Starter at $6/month ($5/month billed annually) (verified )
4Fish Audio — best ElevenLabs alternative for cloning a voice from a short clip and directing its delivery with inline emotion tags for audiobook, YouTube or game-character narration
Fish Audio is the closest ElevenLabs alternative on the voice side, and the best one for narrators who want to direct delivery word by word or own the model. Like ElevenLabs, Fish Audio covers text to speech, voice cloning, a voice changer, speech to text and a text-to-sound-effects generator on web, iOS and Android, with an API and an MCP server that signs in with OAuth. Fish Audio's S2.1 Pro model covers 83 languages, and S2.1 Pro and Drama 3 accept free-form tags such as [whispering] or [voice breaking] anywhere in the text. Fish Speech, S2 and Drama 3 ship as open weights that businesses under $500,000 in annual revenue may self-host commercially. Fish Audio's API charges $15 per million UTF-8 bytes, about 12 hours of English speech or roughly 2 cents a minute, against ElevenLabs' low-latency text to speech from 5 cents a minute on its $990/month Business plan. ElevenLabs is still the better choice on entry price and sound effects. Commercial rights start at $6/month on ElevenLabs Starter against $15/month on Fish Audio Plus, ElevenLabs has a $22 Creator tier where Fish Audio jumps from $15 to $100, and ElevenLabs rolls unused paid credits over for up to two months while Fish Audio resets credits every cycle. Fish Audio's listing gives no detail on the sound-effects generator, and the 2M+ voice library is uploaded by users and not cleared by Fish Audio.
Compared to ElevenLabs: free-form emotion tags inside the text on S2.1 Pro and Drama 3, open weights for self-hosting by businesses under $500,000 in annual revenue, commercial rights from $15/month vs ElevenLabs' $6/month
Wins:Free-form direction tags such as [whispering] placed anywhere in the text change delivery mid-sentence, and S2.1 Pro covers 83 languages · Fish Speech, S2 and Drama 3 ship as open weights that businesses under $500,000 in annual revenue can self-host commercially, which ElevenLabs' listing does not offer · The API charges $15 per million UTF-8 bytes (about 12 hours of English speech), roughly 2 cents a minute, against ElevenLabs' low-latency text to speech from 5 cents a minute on the $990/month Business plan
Loses:Commercial use starts at $15/month on Plus ($11 billed annually), against $6/month on ElevenLabs Starter ($5 billed annually), with no tier between Plus at $15 and Pro at $100 · Unused credits reset every billing cycle, where ElevenLabs rolls unused paid credits over for up to two months · The 2M+ voice library is uploaded by users and not cleared by Fish Audio, and the listing gives no length or take detail for its sound-effects generator, against ElevenLabs' four takes of 0.1 to 30 seconds
Pros
- Free-form direction tags inside the text control emotion, pauses and emphasis word by word; Fish Audio reports that Drama 3 reads 93.2% of hard words correctly on Artificial Analysis' pronunciation benchmark.
- Plus costs $15/month ($11 billed annually) for 250,000 credits, up to 200 minutes of speech, commercial use and enhanced voice cloning.
- Fish Speech, S2 and Drama 3 are open weights that businesses under $500,000 in annual revenue can self-host commercially; reselling them as a hosted voice service needs a separate license.
- The API charges $15 per million UTF-8 bytes (about 12 hours of English speech), with Python and TypeScript SDKs, WebSocket streaming and an MCP server that signs in with OAuth.
- Native iOS and Android apps, rated 4.8 from 1.2K App Store ratings and 4.7 from 8.48K Google Play reviews.
Cons
- The free plan is for personal, non-commercial use, capped at 500 characters per generation and about 7 minutes a month.
- Commercial rights cover verified voices the subscriber owns; Fish Audio leaves rights and consent for user-uploaded library voices to its users.
- Unused credits reset every billing cycle, and the step from Plus ($15, 250,000 credits) to Pro ($100, 2,000,000 credits) has no tier in between.
- A Google Play review from October 2026 reports repeated sections and skipped sentences in generations of around 1,000 words.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $15/mo — $15/month Plus for up to 200 minutes of speech vs ElevenLabs' $6/month Starter (30,000 credits at about 1 credit per character); $11 vs $5 a month billed annually (verified )
5Murf AI — best ElevenLabs alternative for turning a training or e-learning script into narration with per-block control of voice, pitch, pauses and pronunciation, synced to slides or video
Murf AI is the best ElevenLabs alternative for training and e-learning teams who turn scripts into narration that has to sit inside slides and video. Murf Studio splits a script into blocks, each with its own voice, pitch, speed, pauses and pronunciation, and syncs the narration to video, images and 8,000+ licensed soundtracks; changing the voice or pitch of text already rendered uses no voice generation time. Murf AI's 200+ voices in 35+ languages are made with professional voice actors who earn royalties, add-ons bring them into Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides and Adobe Captivate, and the Business plan adds Murf voices to Windows SAPI apps. Murf AI's pay-as-you-go API charges $0.01 per 1,000 characters on Falcon 2.1 after $10 of free credit, and purchased credit never expires. ElevenLabs is the better choice for most other buyers. Murf AI's listing includes no sound-effect generator and no mobile app, so Murf AI replaces only the voice half of ElevenLabs. Murf AI's free trial is a one-time 10 minutes with no downloads, against ElevenLabs' 10,000 free credits a month; Murf AI Creator costs $29/month ($19 billed yearly) for 2 hours of voice generation, against $6/month for ElevenLabs Starter; and custom voice clones are an Enterprise add-on, where ElevenLabs includes instant voice cloning from Starter. Murf AI's prices also carry no verification date in its listing.
Compared to ElevenLabs: block-based narration synced to video and 8,000+ licensed soundtracks, re-renders with a new voice or pitch cost no generation time, voice only with no sound effects and no mobile app
Wins:Studio syncs block-by-block narration to video, images and 8,000+ licensed soundtracks, with per-block voice, pitch, speed, pauses and pronunciation · Changing the voice, style, pitch, speed or pauses of text already rendered uses no voice generation time, where ElevenLabs bills text to speech at about 1 credit per character · Add-ons for Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides and Adobe Captivate, Windows SAPI voices on Business, and an API from $0.01 per 1,000 characters whose purchased credit never expires
Loses:No sound-effect generator and no mobile app (web and Windows only), so Murf AI replaces only the voice half of ElevenLabs · The free trial is a one-time 10 minutes with no downloads, against ElevenLabs' 10,000 free credits a month, and custom voice clones are an Enterprise add-on, where ElevenLabs includes instant voice cloning from the $6 Starter plan · Creator and Business each allow one editor seat, with project sharing and SSO behind custom Enterprise pricing, while ElevenLabs publishes a 3-seat Scale plan ($299/month) and a 10-seat Business plan ($990/month)
Pros
- 200+ voices in 35+ languages, made with professional voice actors who earn royalties; Murf reports 99.38% pronunciation accuracy for Gen2 on a 4,710-word test.
- Changing the voice, style, pitch, speed or pauses of text already rendered does not consume voice generation time.
- Add-ons for Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides and Adobe Captivate, plus Murf voices for Windows SAPI apps on Business and above.
- Pay-as-you-go API from $0.01 per 1,000 characters on Falcon 2.1, with $10 of free credit and purchased credit that never expires.
- Murf lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR and HIPAA compliance.
Cons
- The free trial is a one-time 10 minutes with no downloads and no commercial rights.
- Creator and Business each allow one editor seat; project sharing, viewers and SSO require Enterprise.
- Voice cloning is not self-serve; custom voice clones are sold as an Enterprise add-on.
- Creator lacks the business license Murf recommends for company use, and full broadcasting rights for TV, radio or online ads are an Enterprise add-on.
Pricing: From $29/mo — $29/month Creator for 2 hours of voice generation ($19/month billed yearly) vs ElevenLabs' $6/month Starter ($5/month billed annually)
Which one is right for you?
- You are building a game and generate hundreds of sound effects a month, mostly one take at a timeSFX Engine
- You want Claude Code or Cursor to generate sound effects and save the files straight into your projectSFX Engine
- You need one notification chime for a commercial app and can credit the source instead of payingNotify Sound
- You want to adjust the pitch and decay of a short alert by ear instead of regenerating itNotify Sound
- You only want a custom ringtone or notification sound set on your own Android phoneZedge
- You narrate audiobooks or game characters and want to mark whispering or crying inside the scriptFish Audio
- You want to self-host the voice model instead of paying per creditFish Audio
- You turn training scripts into narration for PowerPoint, Google Slides or Adobe CaptivateMurf AI
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to ElevenLabs?
- Yes, Notify Sound is free with no account, but Notify Sound only makes short synthesized alerts and clicks, not speech or realistic effects. Notify Sound licenses every sound under CC BY 4.0, so commercial use needs only a credit line, where ElevenLabs' free 10,000 credits a month are non-commercial. On the voice side, Fish Audio's free plan gives 8,000 credits a month for personal use, and Zedge's app is free with ads.
What is the closest alternative to ElevenLabs?
- Fish Audio is the closest overall match, since it pairs text to speech, voice cloning, speech to text and a text-to-sound-effects generator with web, iOS and Android apps, an API and an MCP server, as ElevenLabs does. For sound effects alone, SFX Engine is closer: it returns up to four takes per prompt, against ElevenLabs' four, with clips up to 47 seconds against 30.
Can SFX Engine replace ElevenLabs?
- For sound effects yes, for voice work no. SFX Engine generates clips up to 47 seconds and its $25/month Creator plan covers about 1,333 single takes, but SFX Engine lists only a voiceover tool, with no voice cloning or dubbing, no mobile apps and no free plan beyond a 15-credit trial without downloads.
Which ElevenLabs alternative is cheapest for sound effects?
- Notify Sound is cheapest at $0 for short synthesized alerts; for realistic effects, ElevenLabs is cheaper to start and SFX Engine is cheaper in volume when you keep one take per prompt. ElevenLabs Starter covers about 150 generations for $6/month against about 166 SFX Engine takes for $10/month, while SFX Engine Creator covers about 1,333 takes for $25/month against about 605 ElevenLabs Creator generations for $22/month.
Which ElevenLabs alternative is best for voice cloning?
- Fish Audio, whose instant clone needs about 10 seconds of clean speech and whose Plus plan at $15/month includes a professional voice slot and commercial use. Murf AI sells custom voice clones only as an Enterprise add-on, and SFX Engine, Notify Sound and Zedge list no voice cloning.
Does Murf AI make sound effects like ElevenLabs?
- No, Murf AI's listing covers voiceover, dubbing, a text-to-speech API and voice agents, with 8,000+ licensed soundtracks for syncing but no sound-effect generator. Teams that need narration and effects from one plan are better served by ElevenLabs, or by pairing Murf AI with a sound tool such as SFX Engine.