How to use ElevenLabs: step-by-step tutorial
AI voices for narration, cloning and dubbing: credits and real plan prices, commercial rights, consent rules and audio workflows you can copy today.
At a glance
Is ElevenLabs right for this job?
Use ElevenLabs for
- Narrating videos and courses
- Audio versions of blog posts
- Cloning your own voice (Starter+)
- Dubbing into other languages
- Voice prototypes for apps via API
Think twice for
- Cloning voices without consent
- Commercial use on the free plan
- Publishing without listening fully
- Legal or medical scripts nobody reviews
Get set up: step by step
Basics
What it is
ElevenLabs makes AI voice tools: text to speech, voice cloning, dubbing and sound effects. Usage is paid in credits; text to speech costs about 1 credit per character. The free plan gives 10,000 credits a month; paid plans add a commercial licence, voice cloning and more credits, which roll over for up to 2 months (elevenlabs.io/pricing).
Why this step matters: Knowing what it is good and bad at stops you using it for jobs where it will fail quietly.
Setup
Step 1: Get the official app
- Start from elevenlabs.io or the official app.
- Sign up and try text to speech with a stock voice first.
- Check Subscription to see credits left.
Why this step matters: Copycat apps and unofficial installers are common; starting from the official source protects your account and data.
Setup
Step 2: Plans, limits and costs
- Free: 10k credits/month.
- Starter: $6/month, 30k credits, commercial licence, Instant Voice Cloning.
- Creator: $22/month, 121k credits, Professional Voice Cloning.
- Pro: $99/month, 600k credits.
- Scale: $299/month. Business: $990/month.
Yearly billing costs 10 months’ price. Paid credits roll over up to 2 months. Text to speech is about 1 credit per character (elevenlabs.io/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).
Why this step matters: Paying for features you don't use is the most common waste. Knowing the limits first tells you if the free tier is enough.
Real things to do with ElevenLabs
Narrate a product video
Test two voices on one paragraph, then generate the full script.
Our new app helps you plan meals in five minutes. Pick your diet, set a budget, and get a shopping list instantly.
Audio version of a lesson
Turn a written lesson into audio students can replay.
Today we’ll learn the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.
Podcast intro
A consistent intro voice for every episode.
Welcome to Small Shop Talk, the podcast for people who run tiny businesses. I’m your host.
Phone greeting
A clear, friendly greeting for your business line.
Thanks for calling Maple Street Bakery. We’re open 7am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Dub a short clip
Dub into another language and have a fluent speaker check it.
Dub this 30-second clip into Spanish, keeping the speaker’s tone.
Accessible blog posts
Offer an audio version for readers who prefer listening.
Read this 600-word post in a calm, clear voice at a moderate pace.The 5-part prompt that works in ElevenLabs
Most weak answers come from weak instructions, not a weak model. Before you send anything important to ElevenLabs, check that your message has these five parts. It takes thirty seconds and saves several rounds of “that’s not what I meant.”
- Situation. Who you are and why you are asking. “I run a two-person bakery” changes every answer that follows.
- Task. One clear verb: draft, compare, summarize, fix, plan, explain. If you have three tasks, send them as three steps.
- Inputs. Paste or attach the material it should use, and say what to ignore. Name the file and the pages if it is long.
- Format. Length, structure and tone: “a table with 4 columns”, “under 150 words”, “plain English, no jargon”.
- Checks. Tell it how you will judge the answer: “give a source link for every number”, “say unknown instead of guessing”, “list your assumptions first”.
Save the version that works. In ElevenLabs the natural home for reusable instructions is a project per video or podcast with saved voices and settings, so you never type the same context twice.
Go further: steps continued
Use
Step 3: Your first real task
Try a short script you’d actually use, and listen for mistakes:
Welcome to Maple Street Bakery. We’re open 7am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Today’s special is pumpkin bread, four dollars a slice.Why this step matters: A prompt with situation, task and format gets a usable answer first time, so you learn what the tool can actually do.
Setup
Step 4: Privacy
- Don't paste passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or other people's private details.
- Assume the company can read and keep your chats unless its official policy says otherwise.
- For health, money or legal decisions, confirm with a professional or an official source.
- Only clone a voice you own or have written permission to use.
- Label AI voices in public content where your platform or law requires it.
Why this step matters: Anything you paste may be stored and read. Deciding what never goes in is easier than undoing a leak.
Mistakes
Mistakes
- Cloning someone’s voice without consent.
- Using free-plan audio commercially (commercial licence starts on Starter).
- Generating long scripts before testing a short sample.
- Not checking pronunciation of names and numbers.
Why this step matters: Knowing how it typically fails tells you where to look when you review its work.
A good session, start to finish
Decide what “done” looks like
Write one sentence describing the finished result before you open the chat: “a one-page plan I can send to my landlord by Friday.” If you cannot describe it, the bot cannot hit it.
Give context once, in the right place
Put standing facts about you, your business or your project where {name} keeps them between chats, instead of pasting them into every message.
Ask for a draft, then steer
Take the first answer as a rough draft. Reply with specific edits (“shorter”, “cut the second option”, “use our real prices”) rather than starting over.
Check the parts that matter
Open the source behind every number, name, date and quote you will reuse. For files, spot-check two page references. For code, run it.
Save what worked
Copy the final prompt into a notes file or saved instructions. Next time the same job takes one message instead of ten, and you spend fewer credits doing it.
Your first week with ElevenLabs
How to spot a wrong answer
Warning signs
- It gives an exact number, date or quote with no link, or with a link that does not contain it.
- It agrees with everything you say, including a wrong assumption you slipped in to test it.
- The answer is fluent but vague: lots of “generally” and “it depends” and no specifics you can act on.
- It claims to have done something (sent, saved, booked, run) without a link, ID or file you can open.
- Two answers to the same question, asked in fresh chats, disagree on a fact.
- It names a setting, menu or plan feature you cannot find. Apps change their menus often, so check the official help pages.
What to do
Open the source and find the exact sentence. Ask ElevenLabs to separate what it checked from what it assumed. Re-ask in a fresh chat with the source attached. If it still cannot back the claim up, treat it as unknown and use the official page instead.
None of this means the tool is bad. It means you are the editor, and editors check.
Power-user tips
One paragraph tells you if the voice fits before you spend thousands of credits.
Short sentences, numbers as words.
Fix names by spelling them as they sound.
Paid credits roll over up to 2 months; plan big jobs around that.
Yearly billing saves two months if you’re sure.
Get written permission for any voice that isn’t yours.
Privacy and safety with ElevenLabs
Voice is personal data. Clone only voices you own or have written permission for, and label AI voices where required.
- Never paste passwords, API keys, one-time codes, full card numbers or government ID numbers into any chat.
- Remove other people’s names, addresses and account details from files before you upload them, unless you have their permission and a reason.
- Open the privacy or data-controls settings in your first week and decide whether your chats may be used to improve models.
- Use the account your employer approved for work material. A personal plan follows the consumer terms, not your company’s contract.
- For health, legal, tax or money decisions, use the bot to prepare questions, then confirm with a professional or an official source.
ElevenLabs or another bot?
| If you need… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Natural narration and cloning | ElevenLabs | Specialist voice tools. |
| AI music | Suno | Songs, not speech. |
| AI video | Runway | Generated video clips. |
| Write the script | ChatGPT or Claude | Draft text, then voice it here. |
Our editorial judgment, not a benchmark. Try your own real task in two bots before you pay for either.
Questions people ask
Is ElevenLabs free?
Yes, the free plan includes 10,000 credits a month (elevenlabs.io/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).
How much are paid plans?
Starter $6, Creator $22, Pro $99, Scale $299 and Business $990 a month.
Can I use free audio commercially?
The commercial licence starts on Starter.
How many credits does speech use?
About 1 credit per character for text to speech.
Do credits roll over?
On paid plans, up to 2 months.
Is yearly cheaper?
Yes, yearly costs the price of 10 months.
Which plan has Professional Voice Cloning?
Creator and above. Instant Voice Cloning starts on Starter.
Is there an API?
Yes, documented at elevenlabs.io/docs and billed from credits.
Words you will see
The ElevenLabs quiz, first-week checklist and cost calculator now have their own page.
Where these facts come from
Checked Oct 30, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
Next: ElevenLabs lessons →