AI voice generator for voiceovers in videos, e-learning and ads with a studio editor and 200+ voices.
Async vs ElevenLabs
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Async is best for recording, cleaning up and publishing podcasts and talking-head content in one browser editor, while ElevenLabs is best for realistic text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing, from individual creators to API-scale apps. Async has a low learning curve, compared with medium for ElevenLabs. Both Async and ElevenLabs offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Async if…
- You need recording, cleaning up and publishing podcasts and talking-head content in one browser editor
- You're one of: podcasters, solo video creators, small marketing teams
- You want something quicker to learn
- Recording, editing and AI voice tools in one workspace
Choose ElevenLabs if…
- You need realistic text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing, from individual creators to API-scale apps
- You're one of: youtubers and audiobook narrators, developers adding voice to apps, localization teams
- Voice quality and expressiveness are among the most realistic available
At a glance
| Async | ElevenLabs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Recording, cleaning up and publishing podcasts and talking-head content in one browser editor | Realistic text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing, from individual creators to API-scale apps |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $19.99/mo | From $6/mo |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Ideal for | Podcasters, Solo video creators, Small marketing teams | YouTubers and audiobook narrators, Developers adding voice to apps, Localization teams, Game and media studios |
Feature comparison
| Async | ElevenLabs | |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-speech | Yes | Yes |
| Voice cloning | Yes | Paid plans only |
| Languages | 30+ (dubbing) | 70+ |
| Dubbing / translation | Yes | Paid plans only |
| Voice changer / speech-to-speech | — | Yes |
| Music generation | Yes | Yes |
| Recording / editing studio | Yes | Limited |
| Noise removal | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Async | ElevenLabs | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | — | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | Enterprise plan (BAA) |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | US, EU, India |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | — | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud, VPC |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Async
Async is the new name (since January 2026) for Podcastle, a browser-based studio for recording, editing and enhancing audio and video. It combines remote recording and transcript-based editing with AI voices, voice cloning, dubbing, music and sound-effect generation, plus a voice API for developers. It is mainly used by podcasters and small content teams.
Key features- Remote recording studio in the browser
- Magic Dust one-click audio cleanup
- Text-to-speech and voice cloning
- AI dubbing and lip-sync
- Music and sound-effect generators
- Developer voice API
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is an AI voice platform covering text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing, voice changing, sound effects, music and conversational voice agents. It is available as a web studio, mobile apps and a developer API. Creators, publishers and developers use it for narration, localization and voice features in apps.
Key features- Eleven v3 text-to-speech with emotion and multi-speaker control
- Instant and professional voice cloning
- Dubbing Studio for translating video and audio
- Voice changer and voice isolator
- Music and sound-effect generation
- API and voice agents platform
Pricing
Async
Free plan; Essentials ~$19.99/mo monthly or ~$11.99/mo annual
ElevenLabs
Free plan (10k credits/mo); Starter $6/mo; Creator $22/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Async
Strengths- Recording, editing and AI voice tools in one workspace
- Magic Dust cleans noisy recordings with one click
- Existing Podcastle accounts and projects carried over after the rebrand
- Has a free plan
- Rebrand and expansion into video make the product scope broad and the interface busy
- Voice library and TTS quality trail specialist TTS tools
- Web-only editor; no desktop app
- Fewer third-party integrations than larger audio platforms
Not ideal for: Teams that only need high-end text-to-speech or API voices at scale are better served by a dedicated TTS platform.
ElevenLabs
Strengths- Voice quality and expressiveness are among the most realistic available
- Very broad feature set: TTS, cloning, dubbing, music, SFX and agents
- Well-documented API used widely by developers
- Free plan includes most tools to try
- Credit-based billing makes costs hard to predict for long projects
- Free plan has no commercial license and no voice cloning
- Professional voice cloning and Dubbing Studio need higher tiers
- Large number of products can be confusing for newcomers
Not ideal for: People who just want an app to read documents aloud may find a dedicated reader app simpler.
Integrations
Async
ElevenLabs
FAQ
What is the main difference between Async and ElevenLabs?
Async is built for recording, cleaning up and publishing podcasts and talking-head content in one browser editor; ElevenLabs is built for realistic text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing, from individual creators to API-scale apps.
Is Async or ElevenLabs cheaper?
Async starts from $19.99/mo and ElevenLabs starts from $6/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, ElevenLabs is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Async and ElevenLabs have free plans?
Both Async and ElevenLabs offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Async or ElevenLabs?
Async is generally quicker to learn (Async: low, ElevenLabs: medium learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Async and ElevenLabs?
Other voice & audio tools worth comparing include Murf AI, Speechify and Riverside.
