The ElevenLabs Alternatives for Voice AI and Voice Agents
If you use ElevenLabs to build phone agents, the alternatives we list are Vapi, Retell AI and Synthflow. Vapi and Retell are pay-as-you-go and built for developers; Synthflow lists enterprise contracts only. If you only need voiceover or text-to-speech, this page does not cover it: we do not list those tools yet.
Last checked: against our verified listings (dates on each tool page). Not affiliated with the companies listed. Based on public information — not tested by us. How we check.
Why people look beyond ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs sells several things; we list its agent platform, ElevenLabs Agents. Its own listing says: usage-based costs; llm and telephony charges are extra; needs setup work. Teams that want a different pricing model or a simpler contract compare other voice-agent platforms.
Side by side
| ElevenLabs Agents | Vapi | Retell AI | Synthflow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams and developers building custom voice agents for support, scheduling or sales. | Developers and product teams building custom phone agents into their own software. | Businesses and developers building custom AI phone agents for support, booking or outbound calling. | Mid-size and enterprise companies automating high call volumes. |
| Pricing model (vendor) | Free plan ($0/mo, 15 minutes of calls); Starter $6/mo; Creator $22/mo; Pro $99/mo; Scale $299/mo; Business $990/mo (first-month discounts on Starter and Creator); extra calls $0.080/min; LLM and telephony billed separately; Enterprise custom | Pay as you go from $0 with $5 free credits ($0.05/min Vapi hosting plus provider costs, 1 free inbound US number); Core $29/mo prepaid; Pro 10% of hosting fee, $999/mo minimum; Premier custom | Pay as you go: $0.07-$0.31/min for voice agents, $0.002+/message for chat agents; $10 in free credits to start; Enterprise custom | Enterprise only: sold as an annual enterprise agreement scoped to your call volume, phone system, integrations and launch support; no free plan or trial; contact sales for a price |
| Free option | Free plan, 15 minutes of calls | $5 free credits; no free plan | $10 free credits; no free plan | No free or self-serve tier |
| Main limit | Usage-based costs; LLM and telephony charges are extra; needs setup work. | Needs developer setup; total per-minute cost adds model, voice, transcription and telephony fees on top of Vapi hosting. | No free plan (only $10 starter credits); per-minute cost varies with the chosen LLM, voice and telephony. | No free plan or self-serve tier; contracts start at $30,000 per year. |
| Standout feature (vendor) | Configurable voice, language, knowledge base and workflows | Configurable voice, conversation flow and telephony per agent | Inbound and outbound call agents with campaign scheduling and retries | Visual Flow Designer with industry templates |
Prices are as each vendor listed them when we verified the page; they change, so confirm on ElevenLabs, Vapi, Retell and Synthflow.
Pick by situation
- You want a free start: ElevenLabs Agents lists a free plan; Vapi and Retell AI give starter credits.
- You want to build custom phone agents: Vapi and Retell AI. Inbound and outbound call agents with campaign scheduling and retries.
- You are a large company with high call volume: Synthflow; the vendor lists contracts from $30,000 a year.
The tools
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Easy-Start | Pricing summary (vendor) | Our label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs Agents | Teams and developers building custom voice agents for support, scheduling or sales. | Yes | 10/10 | Free plan ($0/mo, 15 minutes of calls); Starter $6/mo; Creator $22/mo; Pro $99/mo; Scale $299/mo; Business $990/mo (first-month discounts on Starter and Creator); extra calls $0.080/min; LLM and telephony billed separately; Enterprise custom | Based on public information — not tested |
| Vapi | Developers and product teams building custom phone agents into their own software. | No | 8/10 | Pay as you go from $0 with $5 free credits ($0.05/min Vapi hosting plus provider costs, 1 free inbound US number); Core $29/mo prepaid; Pro 10% of hosting fee, $999/mo minimum; Premier custom | Based on public information — not tested |
| Retell AI | Businesses and developers building custom AI phone agents for support, booking or outbound calling. | No | 6/10 | Pay as you go: $0.07-$0.31/min for voice agents, $0.002+/message for chat agents; $10 in free credits to start; Enterprise custom | Based on public information — not tested |
| Synthflow | Mid-size and enterprise companies automating high call volumes. | No | 2/10 | Enterprise only: sold as an annual enterprise agreement scoped to your call volume, phone system, integrations and launch support; no free plan or trial; contact sales for a price | Based on public information — not tested |
If you are a small business, not a developer
These platforms expect someone to build and test the agent. If you only need calls answered, see our best AI voice agents guide, the Vapi alternatives comparison or the voice and phone category.
Frequently asked questions
What are free alternatives to ElevenLabs?
Among the voice-agent platforms we list, ElevenLabs Agents itself has a free plan (15 minutes of calls). Vapi and Retell give starter credits ($5 and $10) rather than a free plan, and Synthflow has no free tier. For text-to-speech only, other tools exist that we have not listed or verified.
Is there a totally free text-to-speech app?
We do not list text-to-speech-only tools yet, so we cannot verify one. This page covers platforms for building voice agents that answer phone calls.
Is it legal to use AI voices?
It depends on your country, the voice you use and what you say. Check each vendor terms page for commercial-use and voice-cloning consent rules, and tell callers they are speaking to an AI where the law requires it. This is not legal advice.
What is the best voice AI for phone agents?
There is no single best. ElevenLabs Agents, Vapi and Retell AI are developer-oriented and priced by usage; Synthflow lists enterprise contracts only. We have not tested any of them, so compare total cost for your own call volume.
Sources: elevenlabs.io/pricing/agents, vapi.ai/pricing, retellai.com/pricing, synthflow.ai/pricing; features from our listings. Get the weekly newsletter for new tools.
