Best AI voice and video tools for a small business in 2026: ElevenLabs vs Synthesia vs Descript
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
ElevenLabs, Synthesia and Descript get lumped together as "AI video tools", but they do different jobs. ElevenLabs makes speech and audio. Synthesia makes videos with AI presenters (avatars). Descript edits audio and video you already have, with AI features on top. This guide compares their published plans, prices and usage rights as listed on each company's official pages on 15 Nov 2026. We have not used these tools to produce the comparisons below; everything comes from the providers' own pricing pages, help centres and terms.
Comparison at a glance
| ElevenLabs | Synthesia | Descript | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | AI voice, voice cloning, dubbing, audio | AI avatar presenter videos | Text based audio and video editing |
| Free plan | $0, 10,000 credits a month | £0, 10 minutes of video a month | $0, 1 media hour, 100 AI credits (one time) |
| Free plan commercial use | No; attribution required | Watermarked, no download | Exports are 720p with a watermark |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter: $6 a month ($1 first month offer) | Starter: £11 a month billed yearly (£132), £19 billed monthly | Hobbyist: $16 a month billed yearly, $24 monthly |
| What the cheapest plan adds | Commercial licence, instant voice cloning, 30,000 credits | Download, no watermark, 125+ avatars, about 150 minutes a year | Watermark free 1080p export, 10 media hours, 400 AI credits |
| Popular mid plan | Creator: $22 a month | Pro: £39 a month billed yearly (£468), £69 billed monthly | Creator: $24 a month billed yearly, $35 monthly |
| Currency shown | US dollars, excluding taxes | Pounds | US dollars |
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026. ElevenLabs states its prices exclude taxes, so expect VAT on top as a UK buyer. Introductory offers (ElevenLabs' first month deals, Synthesia's yearly discount) can change at any time.
ElevenLabs: best for voice
ElevenLabs is the specialist for AI speech. Its creative plans cover text to speech, speech to text, voice changing, sound effects, voice design, music and dubbing, and it sells by credits.
ElevenLabs plans
| Plan | Price | Credits a month | Approximate text to speech minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10,000 | About 10 |
| Starter | $1 first month, then $6 | 30,000 | About 30 |
| Creator | $11 first month, then $22 | 121,000 | About 121 |
| Pro | $99 | 600,000 | About 600 |
| Scale | $299 (3 seats) | 1.8 million | About 1,800 |
| Business | $990 (10 seats) | 6 million | About 6,000 |
Starter adds instant voice cloning and the commercial licence. Creator adds professional voice cloning and the option to buy extra credits. Scale and Business add team seats.
ElevenLabs commercial use rights
ElevenLabs' help centre is clear on this:
- Free plan: no commercial licence and it "cannot be used for any commercial purpose". If you publish free plan content you must credit ElevenLabs by putting "elevenlabs.io" or "11.ai" in the title.
- All paid plans: include a commercial licence, as long as you are not using features marked as Beta Services and you hold the rights to what you generate.
- Timing matters: content created outside a paid subscription, before or after, cannot be used commercially. Content made while subscribed can be used commercially indefinitely, subject to ElevenLabs' service specific terms.
For a business, that means Starter at $6 a month is the real entry point. Do not build client work on the free tier.
Synthesia: best for presenter videos without a camera
Synthesia turns a script into a video with an AI avatar presenting it. It suits training videos, onboarding, product explainers and FAQ videos where you need a face on screen but do not want to film yourself or staff.
Synthesia plans (UK pricing)
| Plan | Price | Video included | Avatars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £0 | 10 minutes a month | 9 AI avatars |
| Starter | £11 a month billed yearly (£132), or £19 billed monthly | Up to about 150 minutes a year, on top of the free allowance | 125+ AI avatars |
| Pro | £39 a month billed yearly (£468), or £69 billed monthly | Up to about 720 minutes a year, on top of the free allowance | 180+ AI avatars, 5 personal avatars |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | 240+ stock avatars, unlimited personal avatars |
On the free Basic plan, videos carry a Synthesia watermark and you share them by link; downloading your content and removing the Synthesia logo start at Starter. Synthesia also lists 140+ languages and voices on every plan, and AI dubbing allowances that grow with each tier.
Synthesia commercial use rights
Synthesia's licensing article sets rules for its stock and synthetic avatars and voices:
- Allowed: training videos, FAQ and product videos on your website, and organic posts on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other social media.
- Not allowed: paid ads on TV, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or Snapchat, programmatic ads, or any other paid promotion. TV broadcast needs permission.
- Custom (personal) avatars: the stock restrictions do not apply, but you must have the person's free, informed consent and they must be over the legal age.
The licensing article does not set different rules per plan. In practice, the free plan's watermark and lack of downloads make it unsuitable for business use, and if you want to run paid ads with an avatar you need a personal avatar of someone who has consented.
Descript: best for editing what you have recorded
Descript lets you edit audio and video by editing a transcript, like a document. It includes AI tools such as Studio Sound, filler word removal, clip creation, AI speech with custom voice clones, and an AI co-editor called Underlord.
Descript plans
| Plan | Price per person per month | Media hours a month | AI credits a month | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 100 (one time) | 720p with watermark |
| Hobbyist | $16 billed yearly, $24 monthly | 10 | 400 | 1080p, no watermark |
| Creator | $24 billed yearly, $35 monthly | 30 | 800 | 4K, no watermark |
| Business | $50 billed yearly, $65 monthly | 40 | 1,500 | 4K, no watermark |
| Enterprise | Custom | Sized to team | Sized to team | Not listed |
Creator adds unlimited access to Descript's royalty free stock library and the option to top up hours and credits. Business adds translation and dubbing in 30+ languages, custom avatars from a photo or text, Brand Studio and priority support.
Descript commercial use rights
- Ownership: Descript's terms say it claims no ownership rights in your content, and that you own your inputs and outputs to the extent the law allows.
- AI voices: you may only create an AI voice of someone who has explicitly consented, and the terms require you to confirm that consent.
- Stock media: Descript's help centre says most stock content can be used in commercial projects, with exceptions such as GIPHY GIFs and stickers.
- Plan limits: the terms say generative tool use may be limited by the plan you choose. The pricing page does not list separate commercial rules per plan, so the practical limit on the free plan is the watermark and 720p export.
Which is best for what
| Job | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Voiceover for adverts, explainers or YouTube | ElevenLabs | Commercial licence on every paid plan from $6 |
| Narrating a faceless video channel | ElevenLabs, edited in Descript | Voice from one, editing from the other |
| Staff training or onboarding videos | Synthesia | Avatars present the script; no filming |
| Product or FAQ videos on your website | Synthesia | Explicitly allowed with stock avatars |
| Paid social ads with a presenter | Synthesia personal avatar, or film a real person | Stock avatars are not allowed in paid ads |
| Podcast or interview editing | Descript | Edit by transcript, clean up audio |
| Short clips from long recordings | Descript | Create Clips and AI co-editor |
| Dubbing into other languages | Any of the three at higher tiers | ElevenLabs Dubbing Studio from Starter, Synthesia dubbing allowance, Descript translation on Business |
Who should pick what
- Sole trader making voiceovers or audio content: ElevenLabs Starter at $6 a month is the cheapest way to get commercial rights.
- Small team that needs training or explainer videos: Synthesia Starter at £11 a month billed yearly, moving to Pro if you need personal avatars or more minutes.
- Anyone who already records video, podcasts or Zoom calls: Descript Hobbyist at $16 a month billed yearly, or Creator if you need 4K and stock media.
- A faceless content setup: ElevenLabs for the voice plus Descript for the edit is a common pairing, but check the combined monthly cost against your budget.
FAQ
Can I use ElevenLabs free voices for my business?
No. ElevenLabs says the free plan has no commercial licence and cannot be used for any commercial purpose. You need a paid plan, and the content must be created while you are subscribed.
Can I use Synthesia avatars in Facebook or Instagram ads?
Not with stock or synthetic avatars. Synthesia's licensing article excludes paid ads on social platforms, TV and programmatic advertising. Organic posts are allowed. Custom avatars of a consenting person are governed by your agreement with that person instead.
Are these prices in pounds?
Synthesia showed prices in pounds when we checked. ElevenLabs and Descript showed US dollars, and ElevenLabs states its prices exclude taxes. Your card provider may add a foreign currency fee.
Does Descript do AI voices like ElevenLabs?
Descript includes AI speech with custom voice clones on paid plans, and stock AI speakers. Its focus is editing, while ElevenLabs focuses on voice generation, with more voice plans and tiers.
Do I need consent to clone a voice?
Yes. Descript's terms require the speaker's explicit consent, and Synthesia requires free, informed consent for custom avatars. Only clone your own voice or the voice of someone who has clearly agreed.
Which has the best free plan?
For trying things out, all three are usable. For anything you publish for a business, none of the free plans fit: ElevenLabs bans commercial use, Synthesia adds a watermark and no download, and Descript exports at 720p with a watermark.
Sources
- ElevenLabs pricing: https://elevenlabs.io/pricing
- ElevenLabs help, "Can I publish the content I generate on the platform?": https://elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center/legal/can-i-publish-the-content-i-generate-on-the-platform
- Synthesia pricing: https://www.synthesia.io/pricing
- Synthesia video licensing: https://help.synthesia.io/en/articles/6341928-synthesia-video-licensing
- Descript pricing: https://www.descript.com/pricing
- Descript terms of service: https://www.descript.com/terms
- Descript help, stock media: https://help.descript.com/hc/en-us/articles/10165831753997-Stock-media