ElevenLabs vs Descript
Explore the differences between ElevenLabs and Descript voice AI models. Discover features, pricing, and performance metrics.
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Compare ElevenLabs and Descript Voice AI Models
Eleven Labs offers highly natural and expressive voices with emotional control, ideal for character voiceovers. Descript focuses on transcription and editing long-form content like audiobooks and podcasts.
Updated at:
Feb 14, 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
32
Up to 15 on highest self serve tier, custom for enterprise
Descript
Higher latency, impacting responsiveness
Less depth and reliability ratings in human evals
Limited character count for longer texts
Requires 90-second of audio
Not supported
IPA Support, isolated pronunciation
Stability, similarity, and style exaggeration controls
8kHz audio
25
Voice Quality Comparison
When evaluating voice quality between ElevenLabs and Descript, ElevenLabs demonstrates superior performance with a high speech naturalness rating in 89.60% of cases. This indicates that users perceive its generated speech as more human-like and fluid. In contrast, Descript's voice quality metrics suggest it may struggle with naturalness, often sounding robotic or lacking emotional depth. Additionally, ElevenLabs achieves a low WER of 2.83%, highlighting its accuracy in word reproduction. Descript, while effective, shows a higher WER, which can detract from the overall quality of its voice outputs. The combination of naturalness and accuracy positions ElevenLabs as the preferred choice for applications requiring high-quality voice synthesis.
Latency Evaluation Insights
In our latency evaluation, we measured the Time to First Audio (TTFA) for both ElevenLabs and Descript. By calculating the 90th percentile score from 100 TTFA measurements, we found that ElevenLabs consistently delivers audio faster than Descript. This low latency is crucial for applications requiring real-time voice interactions, such as virtual assistants or live customer support. ElevenLabs' ability to generate audio quickly enhances user experience, making it a strong contender in the voice AI space. Descript, while effective, may experience delays that could impact user engagement in time-sensitive scenarios. Overall, ElevenLabs excels in latency, providing a more responsive voice generation experience.
Assessing Hallucination Rates
When evaluating the hallucination rates of ElevenLabs and Descript, we focused on the accuracy of the generated content. ElevenLabs achieved a low hallucination rate, indicating that its outputs closely align with the input prompts and expected responses. This reliability is essential for applications where factual accuracy is critical. In contrast, Descript's performance showed a higher tendency for hallucinations, where the generated speech occasionally strayed from the intended message. This discrepancy can lead to misunderstandings in user interactions. The ability to minimize hallucinations positions ElevenLabs as a more trustworthy option for applications requiring precise and contextually relevant voice outputs.
Voice Cloning
In this evaluation, we compare the voice cloning capabilities of ElevenLabs and Descript. ElevenLabs stands out with a Word Error Rate (WER) of 2.83%, showcasing its accuracy in generating coherent speech. In contrast, Descript's performance metrics indicate a slightly higher WER, reflecting its challenges in achieving the same level of precision. ElevenLabs also excels in pronunciation accuracy, achieving a high score in 81.97% of cases, while Descript's scores suggest room for improvement. The naturalness of the generated speech is another crucial factor, with ElevenLabs achieving a medium rating in 44.98% of cases, indicating a need for further refinement in delivering lifelike voice outputs. Overall, ElevenLabs leads in voice cloning, but both platforms have unique strengths worth considering.
Voice Design Control
In our evaluation of voice design controllability, ElevenLabs offers users extensive customization options, allowing for fine-tuning of voice parameters such as pitch, tone, and speed. This flexibility enables creators to tailor the voice output to specific applications, enhancing user engagement. Descript, while providing some level of customization, does not match the depth of control offered by ElevenLabs. Users may find it challenging to achieve the desired voice characteristics in Descript, limiting its versatility for diverse use cases. Overall, ElevenLabs leads in voice design controllability, empowering users to create more personalized and effective voice experiences.
Look for a ElevenLabs and Descript Alternatives?
Cartesia AI offers the fastest voice model with hallucination-free, ultra-realistic voice generation and cloning.
Voice Clone with 5s of Audio
Cartesia delivers high-fidelity voice cloning with unmatched accuracy.
Ultra-Realistic Voices
Experience lifelike voices that sound nearly indistinguishable from human speech.
No Hallucinations Text to Speech
Enjoy accurate text-to-speech with no errors, handling complex transcripts and industry-specific terms effectively.
Explore Pricing for ElevenLabs and Descript
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
Descript
Hobbyist - $12/mo. with 10 transcription hours
Creator - $24/mo. with 30 transcription hours
Business - $40/mo. with 40 transcription hours
Custom solutions, dedicated support
What Cartesia customers say
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Jeffrey Liu, Founder and co-CEO, Assort Health
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