ElevenLabs — self-build AI voice agent platform
ElevenLabs is a New York-based voice AI company whose ElevenAgents platform lets a business, developer or agency build its own AI voice agent: one that answers and makes calls, books appointments, updates a CRM and transfers to a person. It is sold worldwide in US dollars, from a free tier and a $6-a-month Starter plan, and the business connects its own phone provider for the call itself.
Key facts
| Who they are | ElevenLabs is a US voice AI company, known for its synthetic voices, that sells ElevenAgents as a platform for building conversational voice agents. It does not set up or run an agent for you: the business, or a developer it hires, designs and configures the agent. |
| What it does | Agents answer and place calls, book appointments, push call details into a CRM, transfer a caller to a human number, handle text messages and keep transcripts. The behaviour, voice and integrations are configured by whoever builds the agent. |
| Telephony | ElevenLabs adds no telephony fee. You connect your own provider, such as Twilio or a SIP trunk, which bills you directly for the carrier side of each call. |
| Hosting and security | Customer data is hosted in the United States by default; EU, India and Singapore data residency is available on Enterprise only. ElevenLabs holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level 1 certification and runs a public status page. SLAs are offered on Enterprise terms only. |
| ICASA licence | Not applicable. ElevenLabs is software rather than a South African network operator; number licensing and call termination stay with the phone provider you connect. |
| Pricing | Published in US dollars, excluding taxes. Free ($0, 15 call minutes); Starter $6 a month (75 minutes); Creator $22 (275 minutes); Pro $99 (1,238 minutes); Scale $299 (3,738 minutes); Business $990 (12,375 minutes); Enterprise on request. Extra minutes cost $0.08 each, and the AI model usage is billed separately on top, along with your phone provider’s charges. |
| Listed In | AI Voice Agent Providers |
A toolkit for building an agent, not a ready-made receptionist
ElevenLabs sits at a different point in the market from the South African AI receptionists in this directory. Its plans are cheap to start, and the voices are among the most natural available, but what you buy is the platform: someone still has to design the agent, connect a phone number through Twilio or a SIP trunk, and wire in the calendar or CRM. The monthly plan is also only one of three costs, because the AI model usage and the carrier’s call charges are billed separately, and everything is priced in US dollars, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate. Data is hosted in the US unless you are on Enterprise terms. For a business with technical help, or an agency building agents for clients, that flexibility is the point; for an owner who wants a receptionist answering the phone next week, a managed local service is the simpler route.
Who ElevenLabs is a fit for
- Businesses with an in-house developer, or an agency, to build and maintain the agent
- Teams that want full control over the voice, script and integrations
- Agencies and software companies building voice agents for their own clients
How ElevenLabs sits in the AI voice agent category
- 7 verified AI receptionist and voice agent providers on WhichVoIP; 1 carry a Google rating.
- No published Google rating for ElevenLabs (1 of 7 in the category have one; median 9 reviews).
Computed from the WhichVoIP provider register; refreshes as ratings and reviews change.
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ElevenLabs is a self-build platform, while most AI receptionists sold in South Africa are set up and run for you. WhichVoIP’s comparison puts the reviewed options side by side, so you can weigh control against convenience.
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WhichVoIP has reviewed and scored six AI voice agents sold in South Africa. The comparison puts them side by side on languages, minutes and published prices.
Compare AI voice agents →Commonly asked questions
How much does an AI voice agent through ElevenLabs cost?
ElevenLabs publishes its ElevenAgents plans in US dollars, from $6 a month for the Starter plan with 75 call minutes (sampled 30 September 2026), up to $990 a month for Business; extra minutes cost $0.08 each. AI model usage and your phone provider’s call charges are billed on top, so ask for an estimate that includes all three before you commit. Compare published prices or request an AI pilot.
Does ElevenLabs provide a phone number in South Africa?
No. ElevenLabs adds no telephony of its own; you connect your own provider, such as Twilio or a SIP trunk, and that provider supplies the number and bills for the calls.
Where does ElevenLabs store call data?
In the United States by default. Data residency in the EU, India or Singapore is available on Enterprise plans only.
Will ElevenLabs set up the agent for me?
No. ElevenAgents is a platform you configure yourself, or through a developer or agency. Businesses wanting a managed AI receptionist usually choose a provider that builds and runs it for them.
This listing is maintained by WhichVoIP, an independent South African telecoms comparison service running since 2019. Details are taken from the provider’s public website, sampled 30 September 2026.