ElevenLabs
Synthesia
| Feature | ElevenLabs | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free / from $22/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | content-creators, podcasters, audiobook-producers, developers, game-studios | corporate-training, hr-teams, marketers, educators, sales-teams |
| Founded | 2022 | 2017 |
| Text To Speech | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Cloning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dubbing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Library | ✓ | ✗ |
| Speech To Speech | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sound Effects | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Avatars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text To Video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Language | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Avatars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Brand Kit | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Synthesia Pros
- Realistic AI avatars
- 140+ languages supported
- No camera or studio needed
- Custom avatar creation
✗ Synthesia Cons
- AI avatars still look slightly unnatural
- Limited creative flexibility
- Expensive for high volume
The Verdict
ElevenLabs is built for content creators and podcasters, with a focus on text-to-speech and voice-cloning. Synthesia targets corporate training and hr teams and leads with ai-avatars and text-to-video.
On pricing, ElevenLabs is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $22/mo for Synthesia. That $17/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: ElevenLabs has a slight overall edge — but if realistic ai avatars matters most to you, Synthesia may still be the right call.