If you're building content that needs realistic AI voices—whether for videos, podcasts, audiobooks, or voice agents—you've come to the right place. We used QBack to analyze pricing, benchmark performance, and compare features across ElevenLabs, Murf.ai, PlayHT, and Cartesia—four leading text-to-speech platforms designed for creators and businesses.

This comparison covers everything from G2 ratings and user feedback to pricing breakdowns and feature comparisons. Whether you're a content creator looking for natural-sounding voices, a developer building voice-enabled applications, or an enterprise needing scalable TTS solutions, we break down the strengths, weaknesses, and true costs of each platform so you can make an informed decision.

Which Text-to-Speech Platform Has the Best G2 Rating?

G2 Performance Metrics

Source: Murf.ai G2 Reviews, ElevenLabs G2 Reviews

Murf.ai leads with the highest number of reviews (1,408) and a strong 4.7/5 rating. Users consistently praise its ease of use and natural-sounding voices. ElevenLabs follows with 4.5/5 from 784 reviews, with users highlighting exceptional voice quality but expressing concerns about pricing complexity and credit limitations.

PlayHT and Cartesia have limited G2 presence, making direct comparison challenging. However, both are frequently mentioned as alternatives in Reddit discussions and comparison articles.

How Much Do Text-to-Speech Platforms Really Cost?

ElevenLabs Pricing

Source: ElevenLabs Pricing

Free: $0/month

• 10,000 credits/month (~10 minutes of TTS)
• No commercial license
• Attribution required

Starter: $5/month

• 30,000 credits/month (~30 minutes of TTS)
• Commercial license included
• Instant voice cloning

Creator: $11/month (first month 50% off, then $22/month)

• 100,000 credits/month (~100 minutes of TTS)
• Professional voice cloning
• Higher quality audio (192 kbps)
• Usage-based billing for additional credits: ~$0.15/minute

Pro: $99/month

• 500,000 credits/month (~500 minutes of TTS)
• 44.1kHz PCM audio output via API
• Additional credits: ~$0.12/minute

Scale: $330/month

• 2,000,000 credits/month (~2,000 minutes of TTS)
• Multi-seat workspace (3 seats)
• Additional credits: ~$0.09/minute

Business: $1,320/month

• 11,000,000 credits/month (~11,000 minutes of TTS)
• Low-latency TTS as low as $0.05/minute
• 3 Professional Voice Clones
• Multi-seat workspace (5 seats)

Enterprise: Custom pricing

• Custom credits and seats
• Custom terms & SLAs
• BAAs for HIPAA customers
• Custom SSO

G2 Feedback: "Expensive (71 mentions), High pricing and confusing structure (66 mentions), Credit limitations (58 mentions)" as top cons - ElevenLabs G2 Pros and Cons

Murf.ai Pricing

Source: Murf.ai Pricing

Free: $0/month

• 10 minutes of voice generation
• 10 projects
• No downloads
• No commercial rights

Creator: $19/month ($228/year)

• 24 hours/year of voice generation
• 100 projects
• All 200+ voices, styles & tonalities
• Commercial rights
• Unlimited downloads
• Canva integration

Business: $66/month ($792/year)

• 96 hours/year of voice generation
• 500 projects
• Everything in Creator, plus:
• Business license
• Emphasis, Variability, "Say It My Way" features
• PowerPoint integration
• Audio to text
• Murf voices for Windows apps

Enterprise: Custom pricing

• Unlimited voice generation
• Custom editors
• Enterprise-grade features
• AI Translation
• Single Sign-on (SSO)
• Master Service Agreement
• IT Security Assessment
• Custom Voice Clones (add-on)
• Customer Success Manager

G2 Feedback: "Expensive (109 mentions), Pricing issues (92 mentions)" as top cons. Users appreciate the value but note costs can add up - Murf.ai G2 Pros and Cons

Reddit Feedback: "Murf is not being truthful about their pricing" - user reported hidden project limits and unexpected costs - Reddit Discussion

PlayHT Pricing

Source: PlayHT G2 Pricing Page

Free Plan: $0/month

• 5,000 free words per month
• Try Voice Cloning for free
• All Ultra realistic Voices
• All Premium Voices
• Non-commercial use
• Attribution to PlayHT required

Professional Plan: Starting at $39/month

• 600,000 words per year (approximately 50,000 words/month)
• Everything in Free plan
• Realistic Voices
• Unlimited Projects
• Commercial License

Premium Plan: Starting at $99/month

• Unlimited Voice Generation
• Everything in Professional
• Ultra-realistic Voices
• Pronunciations Library

Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing

• Custom usage limits
• 5+ Members
• API Access
• Dedicated Account Manager
• Team Kick-off Training
• Priority Technical Support
• Enterprise Special Discount
• Corporate Billing
• Voice Cloning

Note: Pricing information was last updated on October 10, 2024. For the most current pricing, visit PlayHT G2 Pricing or PlayHT website.

Cartesia Pricing

Cartesia positions itself as a superior alternative to ElevenLabs with competitive pricing:

• Free tier available for testing
• Paid plans starting around $7.99/month
• Advanced voice cloning capabilities
• API access for developers

Note: Cartesia pricing structure may have changed. Check Cartesia website for current pricing.

What Are Users Saying About Each Platform?

ElevenLabs User Feedback

✅ Positive Feedback:

G2 Reviews:

• "Ease of use (173 mentions)" - Users find ElevenLabs incredibly easy to use, seamlessly fitting into workflows - ElevenLabs G2 Pros
• "High quality and variety of voices (120 mentions)" - Users appreciate the quality and variety of voices offered - ElevenLabs G2 Pros
• "Realistic voice cloning (98 mentions)" - Users love the realistic voice cloning capabilities - ElevenLabs G2 Pros

❌ Negative Feedback:

G2 Reviews:

• "Expensive (71 mentions)" - Users find ElevenLabs expensive, particularly for single-purpose use - ElevenLabs G2 Cons
• "High pricing and confusing structure (66 mentions)" - Users express concern over pricing structure and insufficient guidance - ElevenLabs G2 Cons
• "Credit limitations (58 mentions)" - Users find the credit system limiting, wishing for more flexibility - ElevenLabs G2 Cons
• "Pronunciation issues (56 mentions)" - Users experience pronunciation issues with accents and certain words - ElevenLabs G2 Cons

Reddit Feedback:

• Users frequently discuss ElevenLabs as the quality leader but note high costs, especially for long-form content - Reddit Discussion

Murf.ai User Feedback

✅ Positive Feedback:

G2 Reviews:

• "Ease of use (406 mentions)" - Users value the ease of use, finding it simple and intuitive - Murf.ai G2 Pros
• "Natural sound quality (274 mentions)" - Users appreciate the natural sound quality, enhancing training experiences - Murf.ai G2 Pros
• "Human-like voice quality (263 mentions)" - Users love the human-like voice quality, transforming their training and audio experiences - Murf.ai G2 Pros

Customer Testimonials:

• "Murf makes TTS voiceovers time/cost-efficient and fun" - Anja S, Technical Training Manager, Enterprise - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• "Best text to speech service" - Xavier C, Digital learning specialist, Enterprise - Murf.ai G2 Reviews

❌ Negative Feedback:

G2 Reviews:

• "More AI voice options needed (137 mentions)" - Users desire more voice options, noting limitations - Murf.ai G2 Cons
• "Expensive (109 mentions)" - Users find Murf.ai expensive, especially due to extra charges for additional voices - Murf.ai G2 Cons
• "Voice quality issues (102 mentions)" - Users express concerns about voice quality inconsistencies - Murf.ai G2 Cons
• "Pronunciation issues (78 mentions)" - Users experience pronunciation issues with robotic voices - Murf.ai G2 Cons

Reddit Feedback:

• Users report hidden project limits and pricing transparency issues - Reddit Discussion

Feature Comparison

Strengths and Weaknesses

ElevenLabs

Strengths:

• Exceptional Voice Quality: Users consistently praise the realistic, human-like voices (120 mentions on G2) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Ease of Use: Highly intuitive interface that fits seamlessly into workflows (173 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Advanced Voice Cloning: Professional-grade voice cloning capabilities (98 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Multilingual Support: Supports 70+ languages with v3 model
• Low-latency Options: Business plan offers TTS as low as $0.05/minute

Weaknesses:

• Expensive Pricing: Users find it expensive, especially for long-form content (71 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Confusing Credit System: Credit limitations and structure cause frustration (66 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Pronunciation Issues: Some users report pronunciation problems with accents and technical terms (56 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• Website Bugs: Users report buggy website issues affecting voice editing (59 mentions) - ElevenLabs G2 Reviews

Murf.ai

Strengths:

• Ease of Use: Highly praised for simplicity and intuitive interface (406 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Natural Sound Quality: Users appreciate the natural, human-like voices (274 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Wide Voice Selection: 200+ voices across 20+ languages
• Strong G2 Presence: Highest number of reviews (1,408) with 4.7/5 rating - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Integrations: Canva, Google Slides, PowerPoint integrations available

Weaknesses:

• Pricing Concerns: Users find it expensive, especially with hidden costs (109 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Limited Voice Options: Some users want more voice variety (137 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Voice Quality Inconsistencies: Some users report quality issues (102 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Pronunciation Issues: Robotic voices and limited flexibility in some cases (78 mentions) - Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Pricing Transparency: Users report hidden project limits and unexpected costs - Reddit Discussion

PlayHT

Strengths:

• Voice Cloning: Offers voice cloning capabilities
• API Access: Developer-friendly API available
• Multiple Languages: Supports various languages

Weaknesses:

• Limited Public Reviews: Less G2 presence makes evaluation challenging
• Pricing Clarity: Pricing structure may be less transparent than competitors

Cartesia

Strengths:

• Superior Voice Quality: Independent evaluations show Cartesia preferred 36 out of 50 times over ElevenLabs - Cartesia Blog
• Advanced Voice Cloning: 3-second instant cloning or 30-minute professional cloning
• Competitive Pricing: More affordable than ElevenLabs with starting plans around $7.99/month
• Real-time Capabilities: Low-latency options available

Weaknesses:

• Limited Market Presence: Newer platform with less established track record
• Fewer Reviews: Limited G2 and public review data available

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Choose ElevenLabs If:

• You need the highest quality voices and are willing to pay premium prices
• You require extensive multilingual support (70+ languages)
• You need low-latency TTS for real-time applications (Business plan+)
• You want professional voice cloning capabilities
• Budget allows for $11-$1,320+/month depending on usage

Choose Murf.ai If:

• You prioritize ease of use and intuitive interface
• You need a wide selection of voices (200+) for various content types
• You want strong integrations (Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides)
• You prefer time-based pricing (hours/year) over credit systems
• You need enterprise features with established track record (1,400+ G2 reviews)

Choose PlayHT If:

• You need a cost-effective alternative with voice cloning
• You're building developer applications with API needs
• You want a platform with growing community support

Choose Cartesia If:

• You want superior voice quality at competitive prices
• You need advanced voice cloning (3-second instant or 30-minute professional)
• You're looking for an alternative to ElevenLabs with better value
• You need real-time, low-latency TTS capabilities

Sources & Links

G2 Review Pages

• ElevenLabs G2 Reviews
• ElevenLabs G2 Pros and Cons
• Murf.ai G2 Reviews
• Murf.ai G2 Pros and Cons

Pricing Pages

• ElevenLabs Pricing
• ElevenLabs API Pricing
• Murf.ai Pricing
• PlayHT G2 Pricing
• PlayHT Website
• Cartesia Website

Company Websites

• ElevenLabs
• Murf.ai
• PlayHT
• Cartesia

Reddit Discussions

• ElevenLabs Competitors Discussion
• Murf Pricing Transparency Issue

Additional Resources

• Cartesia ElevenLabs Alternatives Blog
• G2 ElevenLabs Alternatives