Description: ElevenLabs Free users can purchase Pay As You Go credits, but those credits expire after 12 months. Compare the monthly allowance, paid-plan rollover, app-store restrictions and 2FA purchase caps.
Short answer: Yes. Eligible self-service ElevenLabs accounts can buy Pay As You Go (PAYG) credits while keeping the underlying Free tier. Purchased credits expire 12 months after purchase. There is an important exception: subscriptions bought through the iOS or Android app cannot buy PAYG top-ups. These conditions were checked against official documentation on October 17, 2026. [1][2]
Two balances, two different clocks
The Free tier includes 10,000 credits per month. Starter includes 30,000, Creator 121,000 and Pro 600,000. PAYG is a separate prepaid balance rather than an automatic upgrade to Starter. Included subscription credits are spent first; once they run out, eligible usage draws on the purchased PAYG balance. Free monthly credits do not roll over. PAYG purchases have no monthly rollover cap but expire after 12 months. [1][3][4]
| Balance or plan | Allowance | Renewal or expiry | Important condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free monthly credits | 10,000/month | No rollover | No commercial licence |
| Starter subscription | 30,000/month; regular price US$6/month | Up to two months of unused credits roll over on a continuing paid plan | Up to 90,000 combined credits |
| Creator / Pro | 121,000 / 600,000 monthly | Same paid-plan rollover rule | Unused subscription credits are forfeited when a cancellation or downgrade takes effect |
| PAYG top-up | From US$5; supported currencies USD and INR | Expires 12 months after purchase | Non-refundable, separate from monthly credits |
Displayed subscription prices are regular US-dollar list prices, excluding taxes and local checkout variations. [1][3]
How to add funds without upgrading
On the web, open Developer settings → Top Up, add a payment method and choose a prepaid amount. You can top up manually or enable Auto Top Up. Automatic top-ups can charge your saved payment method when the balance falls below a threshold, so manual top-ups may be preferable when spending is unpredictable. If the PAYG balance reaches zero and automatic recharge is off or fails, PAYG usage pauses; it does not create a postpaid debt. [1]
The interface may display “Pay As You Go” instead of “Free” after activation. That label does not turn the account into a paid subscription tier. PAYG can enable access to certain APIs otherwise unavailable to Free users, but plan-level feature and licensing restrictions remain relevant. A paid commercial licence is listed as a Starter benefit; do not assume a top-up grants it. [1][3][5]
The calendar-month cap is not your credit reset date
Without two-factor authentication (2FA), the monthly PAYG purchase cap is US$100 for Free, Starter and Creator; US$200 for Pro; US$600 for Scale; and US$2,000 for Business. These are purchase caps, not generation allowances. They reset at the beginning of each calendar month. Enabling 2FA removes this particular cap, while other restrictions, including a maximum of 250 top-ups per month, still apply. The exact time when your subscription credits renew follows your account’s billing cycle instead. [1][4]
App Store, legacy and Enterprise exceptions
If you subscribed inside the iOS or Android app, PAYG purchases are unavailable. To move to web billing, cancel through the app store, wait for that subscription to expire and then subscribe through the website. Check the renewal date first to avoid paying for overlapping plans. [2]
Existing subscribers using the older postpaid usage-based billing model can keep it. New self-service accounts use PAYG instead, while Enterprise contracts retain their separate overage arrangements. The documentation describes the current rules but does not give a single global launch date or a guaranteed local-currency checkout price for every country. Do not mistake the October 17 verification date for a launch date. [1][5]
Bottom line
Free monthly credits replenish on the account cycle, paid subscription credits can roll over under conditions, and PAYG top-ups last 12 months from purchase. For occasional extra usage, check web PAYG. For commercial projects or higher-tier voice features, compare Starter or above. Before paying, check your billing channel, commercial rights, automatic top-up switch and purchase expiry.
References (1)
[1] ElevenLabs, “Pay As You Go” — https://elevenlabs.io/docs/overview/administration/pay-as-you-go
[2] ElevenLabs, “How do credits work on the ElevenLabs iOS or Android app?” — https://elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center/product/mobile-apps/eleven-labs-for-ios-and-android/how-do-credits-work-on-the-eleven-labs-ios-or-android-app
[3] ElevenLabs, “Pricing” — https://elevenlabs.io/pricing
[4] ElevenLabs, “What happens to my subscription and quota at the end of the month?” — https://elevenlabs.io/docs/help-center/account/general/what-happens-to-my-subscription-and-quota-at-the-end-of-the-month
[5] ElevenLabs, “Billing” — https://elevenlabs.io/docs/overview/administration/billing
