ElevenLabs vs Deepgram
Explore the differences between ElevenLabs and Deepgram. Learn more about pricing, model performances and product features.
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Comparing ElevenLabs and Deepgram Voice AI Models
Both platforms offer advanced voice AI capabilities, but ElevenLabs excels with fast voice generation and Deepgram can create more natrual voices.
Updated at:
Feb 19, 2025
Features
ElevenLabs
Typically around 300 ms + network time
Natural and realistic, widely used by all types of content creators
Limited to 40k characters per request
Requires 30 seconds of audio
IPA Support, isolated pronunciation
Stability, similarity, and style exaggeration controls
8kHz audio, telephony optimized voices
Not supported
32
Up to 15 on highest self serve tier, custom for enterprise
Deepgram
Less than 250 ms
Human-like tone, rhythm, and emotion
Limited to 2k characters per request
No voice cloning support
No voice cloning feature
No IPA support
Customization options may be limited
Audio quality may not meet all telephony needs
Not supported
English only
Up to 2 concurrent requests
Voice Quality Comparison
In terms of speech naturalness, ElevenLabs scored Medium in 44.98% of cases, while Deepgram achieved a High in 57.78% of cases, making Deepgram's voices more natural than ElevenLabs.
ElevenLabs also demonstrated excellent pronunciation accuracy at 81.97%, whereas Deepgram's pronunciation accuracy was slightly lower at 64.43%.
Overall, ElevenLabs excels in accuracy, while Deepgram shows promise in producing more natural-sounding speech.
Latency Evaluation Insights
In our latency evaluation, we measured the Time to First Audio (TTFA) for both ElevenLabs and Deepgram.
By calculating the 90th percentile score from 100 TTFA measurements for each provider, we found that ElevenLabs had a TTFA of 135ms, indicating a quick response time. Deepgram, while slightly slower, still performed well with a TTFA of 150ms.
This evaluation highlights ElevenLabs' advantage in low-latency performance, making it a strong choice for applications requiring immediate audio feedback.
Hallucination Rate Analysis
The hallucination rate was assessed for both ElevenLabs and Deepgram to determine how often the models generated inaccurate or nonsensical outputs.
ElevenLabs demonstrated a lower hallucination rate, with a WER of 2.83%, indicating a strong performance in generating coherent speech. Deepgram, however, had a higher WER of 5.67%, suggesting a greater tendency for inaccuracies.
This evaluation underscores ElevenLabs' strength in producing reliable outputs, while Deepgram may need further refinement to reduce hallucination occurrences.
Voice Design Control Test
In evaluating voice design controllability, ElevenLabs and Deepgram were assessed based on their ability to adapt voice characteristics.
ElevenLabs scored high in context awareness, with 63.37% of cases showing excellent adaptation to tone and emphasis. Deepgram, while performing adequately, had a lower context awareness score of 53.18%.
Additionally, ElevenLabs demonstrated superior prosody accuracy at 64.57%, compared to Deepgram's 55.52%. This evaluation highlights ElevenLabs' advantage in providing users with more control over voice design.
Look for a ElevenLabs and Deepgram Alternatives?
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Ultra-Realistic Voices
Experience lifelike voices that sound almost identical to human speech—perfect for creating engaging content and interactive voice agents.
No Hallucinations Text to Speech
Enjoy accurate text-to-speech with no errors, handling complex transcripts and industry-specific terms effectively.
Explore Pricing Comparisons for Voice AI Models
ElevenLabs
Free - $0/mo. with 10k characters
Starter - $5/mo. with 30k characters
Creator - $11/mo. with 100k characters
Pro - $99/mo. per month with 500k characters
Scale - $330/mo. per month with 2M characters
Deepgram
Free - $200 of credit
Growth - $4k+/year with discounted credits
Enterprise - $15k+ / year
Custom solutions for large-scale needs
What Cartesia customers say
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Jeffrey Liu, Founder and co-CEO, Assort Health
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