Skip to content

Cartesia vs ElevenLabs: startup credits compared

Side-by-side amounts, eligibility and access paths, both verified against the official program pages.

At a glance

FactCartesiaElevenLabs
Value12 months of the Scale plan free ($299/mo list): 8M credits + $299 agent credits a month33M characters over 12 months (ElevenLabs values it at $5,500+)
TypeFree planCredits
Duration1 year1 year
StagesAny stagePre-seed, Seed, Series A, Bootstrapped
RegionsGlobalGlobal
Max funding raisedNot statedNot stated
Max company ageNot statedNot stated
Ways to get it
  • Apply directly — 12 months on the Scale plan
  • Cartesia VC partners — Fast-tracked grant approval and Cartesia credits
  • Apply directly — 33M characters over 12 months ($5,500+ value)
  • ElevenLabs VC partners — Fast-tracked access to ElevenLabs credits, events and product updates
Requirements
  • Startups at any stage; students and one-off projects reviewed case by case
  • Agree to Cartesia using your name and logo in its marketing
  • Post about the grant on social media if Cartesia asks
  • Fewer than 25 employees
  • Long-term product with a business or monetization strategy
  • Valid business email
Not eligibleNone stated
  • Agencies, consulting firms and SMBs
  • Existing enterprise customers
  • Projects building for children aged 18 or under
  • One-off projects and campaigns
VerificationVerified· Nov 4, 2026Verified· Nov 3, 2026

Which should you pick?

The two programs are not directly comparable on dollar value. Cartesia accepts a wider range of funding stages, while ElevenLabs is more targeted. If you qualify for both, there is usually no reason not to apply to both; the programs are independent.