Audacity
ElevenLabs
| Feature | Audacity | ElevenLabs |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Best For | podcasters, students, hobbyists, audio-editors | content-creators, podcasters, audiobook-producers, developers, game-studios |
| Founded | 2000 | 2022 |
| Recording | ✓ | ✗ |
| Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Effects | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Reduction | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugin Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Text To Speech | ✗ | ✓ |
| Voice Cloning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dubbing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Voice Library | ✗ | ✓ |
| Speech To Speech | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sound Effects | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Audacity Pros
- Completely free
- Cross-platform
- Good for editing
- Extensive effects
✗ Audacity Cons
- Dated interface
- Not for production
- Destructive editing
✓ ElevenLabs Pros
- Most natural-sounding TTS available
- Instant voice cloning from samples
- 29+ languages supported
- Excellent API for developers
✗ ElevenLabs Cons
- Credits consumed quickly with long content
- Voice cloning raises ethical concerns
- Premium voices require paid plans
The Verdict
Audacity is built for podcasters and students, with a focus on recording and editing. ElevenLabs targets content creators and podcasters and leads with text-to-speech and voice-cloning.
Audacity uses custom enterprise pricing, while ElevenLabs starts at $5/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
ElevenLabs edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.2). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, ElevenLabs offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Audacity takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for podcasters — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: ElevenLabs has a slight overall edge — but if completely free matters most to you, Audacity may still be the right call.