CElevenLabs · Cartesia · Compare · Checked Oct 27, 2026
ElevenLabs Agents vs Cartesia Managed Agents pricing: which is cheaper?
At 1,000 minutes a month, ElevenLabs Agents costs $97.35 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $53.35 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 27, 2026 (ElevenLabs) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
ElevenLabs$97.35$0.0974/min at 1,000 minTry ElevenLabs Affiliate link · elevenlabs.ioMonthly cost at four volumes
| Volume | ElevenLabs | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| 500 min/mo | $49.25 | $22.00 |
| 1,000 min/mo | $97.35 | $44.00 |
| 5,000 min/mo | $482.11 | $220.00 |
| 10,000 min/mo | $963.11 | $440.00 |
Our calculation from list prices: 3-minute inbound calls, 10 at once, one US number. A green dot marks the cheaper side. Change the scenario.
What each one bills for
| Item | ElevenLabs | Cartesia |
|---|---|---|
| How it bills | Plan + overage | Bundled rate |
| Headline rate | $0.08/min extra minutes | $0.03/min call time |
| All-in per minute at 1,000 | $0.0974/min | $0.044/min |
| Concurrency | 4 (Free) to 40 (Business) | 8 to 60 calls by plan |
| Free to start | 15 min/month | Free plan with $1 of agent minutes |
| Telephony | No ElevenLabs fee; your carrier bills you | Cartesia number, or bring Twilio or SIP |
| LLM | Billed separately, rate not on the pricing page | Billed separately |
Where the money goes at 1,000 minutes
Platform & linesBundled AI rateLLMTranscriberVoicePhone
ElevenLabs Agents
$97.35 /mo at 1,000 min
- Creator plan fee (275 min incl.)$22.00
- Additional minutes$58.00
- LLM (stand-in: Retell GPT 4.1 mini rate) (assumption)$12.80
- Telephony: Twilio Elastic SIP, US local inbound$3.40
- Twilio number$1.15
CCartesia Managed Agents
$44.00 /mo at 1,000 min
- Managed Agents call time (voices and transcription included)$30.00
- Telephony: Cartesia-provided phone number$14.00
- Concurrency for 10 calls (Pro includes 12)$0.00
LLM usage during calls is billed separately and is not in this total, so the real cost is higher. Voices and transcription are included in the agents rate. Assumption: one Cartesia-provided phone number at Cartesia's per-minute rate. Plan fees and prepaid agent dollars are not subtracted.
FAQ
Is ElevenLabs cheaper than Cartesia?
At 1,000 minutes a month, ElevenLabs Agents costs $97.35 and Cartesia Managed Agents costs $44.00 on our stack, a difference of $53.35 in favor of Cartesia Managed Agents, before Cartesia's LLM usage. Checked Oct 27, 2026 (ElevenLabs) and Oct 30, 2026 (Cartesia).
How much does ElevenLabs cost per minute?
ElevenLabs Agents lists $0.08/min (extra minutes). All-in on our stack it works out to $0.0974 a minute at 1,000 minutes a month, or $97.35.
How much does Cartesia cost per minute?
Cartesia Managed Agents lists $0.03/min (call time). All-in on our stack it works out to $0.044 a minute at 1,000 minutes a month, or $44.00.
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