Best free AI voice and text-to-speech tools
Free text-to-speech plans come in two kinds. Murf AI and ElevenLabs are editors where you paste a script and pick a voice; Cartesia and Deepgram are APIs for developers. None of the free plans below include commercial use rights, so treat them as a way to test voices before you pay. Our pick for voiceovers is Murf AI, for its studio editor and 200+ voices on paid plans, with one real limit: Free has 10 minutes of voice generation and no downloads.
4 listings · facts checked on official pages, latest 2026-11-02. Plans change; confirm on the vendor's site.
| Plan | Free allowance | Main limit |
|---|---|---|
| Murf AI | 10 minutes of voice generation | No downloads, no commercial rights |
| ElevenLabs | 10,000 credits a month (about 10 minutes) | No commercial license |
| Cartesia | 20K credits a month (about 27 minutes) | No commercial license |
| Deepgram | $200 one-time credit | Pay as you go after the credit |
Our pick first, then the other editor, then the developer APIs. Buttons marked "affiliate link" may earn us a commission at no cost to you; they never change the order. See the affiliate disclosure.
Checked on the official pricing pages, 2026-11-02
Murf AI Free (Studio): $0/month, "No Credit Card required": 10 projects, 10 minutes of voice generation and 1 editor, with Business plan features to try but "No Downloads" and "No Commercial Rights". Creator is $19/month ($228 billed annually) with unlimited downloads and commercial rights. Source: murf.ai/pricing, checked 2026-11-02.
ElevenLabs Free: $0 per month with 10k credits a month for text to speech, speech to text, sound effects, voice design, music and 3 Studio projects. The commercial license starts on Starter, and the FAQ says rollover does not apply to the Free plan. Source: elevenlabs.io/pricing, checked 2026-11-02.
Cartesia Free: $0 with 20K credits a month (about 27 minutes of Sonic-3.6 text to speech) and $1 of prepaid voice-agent usage. The commercial use license and instant voice cloning start on Pro ($5). Source: cartesia.ai/pricing, checked 2026-11-02.
Deepgram: "Free $200 credit then pay-as-you-go", with no credit card required; the FAQ says the credit does not expire. Aura-2 text to speech is $0.030 per 1,000 characters on pay as you go. Source: deepgram.com/pricing, checked 2026-11-02.
01Murf AIAI Audio
From the official page · checked Nov 2, 2026
Pick this if: You want to write and time a voiceover in an editor, need no credit card to start, and 10 minutes is enough to judge the voices before buying Creator.
Our pick.
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Disclosure: Murf AI may pay us a commission if you sign up or upgrade through our link. It costs you nothing extra.
02ElevenLabsAI Audio
From the official page · checked Nov 2, 2026
Pick this if: You want a monthly allowance that also covers sound effects, music and speech to text, and you do not need commercial use yet.
03CartesiaAI Audio
From the official page · checked Nov 2, 2026
Pick this if: You are building an app and want a low-latency TTS API with a monthly free allowance.
04DeepgramAI Audio
From the official page · checked Nov 2, 2026
Pick this if: You are building a voice app and want one large credit for TTS, speech to text and voice agents, with no card and no expiry.
Questions
What is the best free text-to-speech tool?
For voiceovers made in an editor, Murf AI: 10 minutes of voice generation on Free and no credit card (checked 2026-11-02). For a monthly allowance, ElevenLabs gives 10,000 credits a month. Developers can start on Cartesia or Deepgram.
Is Murf AI free?
Yes. Murf's pricing page lists a Free plan at $0/month with 10 minutes of voice generation and 10 projects. Downloads and commercial rights start on the paid Creator plan.
Can I use free AI voices commercially?
Not on these free plans. Murf lists "No Commercial Rights" on Free, and ElevenLabs and Cartesia put the commercial license on their first paid plans.
Do I need a credit card?
Murf AI and Deepgram say no card is needed. ElevenLabs and Cartesia do not say either way on their pricing pages.