audio model comparison
Eleven v3 vs Sonic 3.6
Eleven v3 and Sonic 3.6 are both current audio models, from ElevenLabs and Cartesia. Sonic 3.6 is 19% cheaper per character than Eleven v3, $0.000065 vs $0.00008. On Artificial Analysis Speech Arena, Eleven v3 scores 1177 Elo and Sonic 3.6 1286 Elo (Artificial Analysis, measured October 13, 2026).
Data verified October 13, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-13
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Eleven v3 | Sonic 3.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per character | $0.00008 | $0.000065 (better) |
| Artificial Analysis Speech Arena | 1177 Elo (#7 of 11) | 1286 Elo (#3 of 11) (better) |
| Provider | ElevenLabs | Cartesia |
| Release date | Not reported | August 27, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | Not reported | Not reported |
| Max output | Not reported | Not reported |
| Input | text | text |
| Output | audio | audio |
When to choose each
Eleven v3
Best for
- Expressive multilingual speech
Watch out for
- ElevenLabs now calls it a previous-generation model; Eleven v4 replaces it at the same $0.08 per 1,000 characters
Sonic 3.6
Best for
- Multilingual speech for voice agents
- Indian-language and Hinglish speech
Watch out for
- Credit-based plans only (1 credit per character); the recorded rate is the Pro plan overage of $65 per 1M characters, falling to $38 on the Scale plan
- Cartesia does not state latency figures for this version
Eleven v3 vs Sonic 3.6 FAQ
Which is cheaper, Eleven v3 or Sonic 3.6?
Sonic 3.6 is 19% cheaper per character than Eleven v3, $0.000065 vs $0.00008.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Eleven v3 or Sonic 3.6?
Sonic 3.6 leads on Artificial Analysis Speech Arena, 1286 Elo to 1177 Elo. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Related comparisons
Production evaluation
Choosing between Eleven v3 and Sonic 3.6?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty