Should you use DIY tools like ElevenLabs or hire a professional service? Here's an honest assessment to help you decide—including when DIY makes perfect sense.
Full Transparency: We're not here to sell you something you don't need. DIY tools like ElevenLabs work great for many situations. This page gives you honest guidance on which option fits your specific needs. (Yes, that's our affiliate link—we earn a small commission if you sign up, which helps us keep providing free resources. We recommend them because they're genuinely good.)
| Factor | 🛠️ DIY (ElevenLabs) | ✅ Done-For-You (CloneMyVoice.ai) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $22-99/month | $997-$1,997/month |
| Setup Cost | $0 | $1,997-$2,997 (one-time) |
| Your Time Investment | 10-20 hours initial
learning 3-6 hours per project |
0 hours (we do everything) |
| Quality Control | You handle QC, editing, pronunciation fixes | Professional QC included |
| Turnaround Time | As fast as you can work (minutes to generate) | 48 hours (rush: 24hrs) |
| Learning Curve | Moderate (UI is good, but takes practice) | None (just send scripts) |
| Technical Support | ElevenLabs support (email/chat) | Dedicated account contact |
| Pronunciation Dictionary | You create and manage | Custom dictionary created for you |
| Best For | Budget-conscious, tech-savvy teams with time | High-volume teams needing guaranteed quality |
Looking at just the subscription cost is misleading. Here's the real TCO including your team's time.
Reality Check: The gap narrows significantly when you factor in your team's time. And if volume increases to 40+ modules/year, done-for-you becomes more cost-effective even before considering the value of freeing up your team's time.
Recommended: ElevenLabs (starts at $22/month)
Or get our Guided Implementation for $497 — we'll set it up and train you.
Next Step: Get a free sample to experience quality firsthand
đź’ˇ Middle Ground: Not sure? Try DIY first. If you find it takes too much time or you're not satisfied with quality control, switch to done-for-you. Many of our clients started DIY and decided their team's time was better spent strategy elsewhere.
"We started with ElevenLabs because the budget was tight. It worked, but our instructional designer was spending 6-8 hours per week on voice generation instead of actual course design. When we crunched the numbers on her time, switching to done-for-you was a no-brainer."
Learning & Development
Manager
SaaS Company (300 employees)
"For our use case (5-6 modules per year), DIY is perfect. ElevenLabs quality is excellent, and I don't mind spending a few hours per project getting it right. Saved us thousands compared to voice actors or a full service."
Training
Coordinator
Nonprofit Organization
"We produce 40+ training modules annually across 6 languages. Done-for-you made sense immediately—no learning curve, consistent quality, and our team stays focused on content strategy. ROI was positive within 3 months."
Director of Global
Training
Healthcare Company (2,000+ employees)
Book a 15-minute call and we'll give honest advice based on your specific situation—even if that means recommending DIY.
Or try ElevenLabs yourself first.