Elai vs Tavus (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Elai and Tavus share a 2.0 GPA, both have a free plan, and Elai starts cheaper, at $23 a month against $59 a month.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Elai grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Tavus grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Elai
AI avatar video maker that turns text, URLs and slides into video
Tavus
Developer platform for real-time AI video conversations
Which one is for you
Pick Elai if
- Fits if you make training or explainer videos with an avatar presenter
- Works for teams who need SCORM export
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as the free plan covers 1 minute of video
- Watch out: every render uses minutes, even a re-render of the same video
- Pricey if you need more minutes, as extra ones cost $2 each and only on paid plans
- Watch out: voice clones and selfie avatars cost $200 and $199 a year on Creator
Pick Tavus if
- Fits if you are a developer adding a video agent to a product
- Works for teams building a conversational avatar
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not write code, as it is a developer platform
- Pricey if you use it heavily, as overage is $0.37 a minute on Starter and $0.32 on Growth
- Watch out: extra custom replica trainings cost $65 each on Starter and $40 on Growth
- Watch out: the pricing page also holds a hidden tier set, Starter $22 to Business $975
- Watch out: PALs, the consumer app, has separate plans at $0, $20 and $50 a month
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAElaiFair | 2.0GPATavusFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCreator is $23 a month billed yearly for 15 minutes, or $29 monthly, around the top of the category's usual range. | DStarter is $59 a month plus usage, above the category's dearest tenth, with overage at $0.37 a minute. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with 1 user and 1 minute of video, which you will outgrow quickly. | CThe free Basic plan gives 25 minutes of conversation and 5 minutes of generation a month. |
| Features | CAvatars, script, URL and slide input, translation, API and SCORM export, but voice clones and selfie avatars are paid add-ons. | BConversational video, custom replicas, generation, a knowledge base and your own LLM cover the job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you build scripts and scenes before you get a video. | DNo store rating on record, and it is built through an API by developers. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with Panopto the one integration listed beside the API. | BWeb and an API, with Google Meet the one integration listed. |
| Best for | talking-avatar videos from text | building real-time AI video conversations |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Elai and Tavus. How we grade
Price against what you get
Elai starts at $23 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tavus starts at $59 a month and scores 2.3.
Tavus scores higher, and starts $36 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, 59 score higher than Elai for less, and 36 score higher than Tavus for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Elai also covers text to speech and voice cloning.
- Tavus also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| Elai | Tavus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $23 per month for 15 minutes, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $59 per month plus pay-as-you-go usage |
| Free plan | 1 user, 1 minute of video, 80+ avatars, 75+ languages and all Creator features. | Developer Basic: 25 minutes of conversational video, 5 minutes of video generation and 25 stock replicas a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Elai Inc. | Tavus |
| Price read from | elai.io | tavus.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Elai
- Plans are measured in render minutes, and every render uses minutes, even a re-render of the same video.
- Extra minutes cost $2 each and can only be bought on paid subscriptions.
- Voice clones and selfie avatars are add-ons on Creator ($200 and $199 per year); Team annual includes one of each.
- The free plan is limited to 1 minute of video.
Tavus
- Usage beyond included minutes is billed: conversational overage is $0.37 per minute on Starter and $0.32 on Growth.
- Extra custom replica trainings cost $65 each on Starter and $40 on Growth.
- The pricing page also holds a hidden four-tier set (Starter $22, Builder $59, Growth $397, Business $975) that was not the default view.
- PALs, the consumer app, is a separate set of plans at $0, $20 and $50 a month.
Key features
Elai
- Avatar videos from a script
- Choose from 80+ avatars and 300+ standard voices, type or upload a script, and render the video.
- URL, PPTX and AI storyboard input
- Paste a URL or upload a PowerPoint file, or have a script drafted from a prompt, link or document.
- Interactivity
- Add buttons, hotspots, branching paths and text quizzes; image and multi-select quizzes need a higher plan.
- Translation and captions
- Translate a video automatically, and add captions or subtitles, in 75+ languages.
- API and SCORM export
- A public API is listed in the plan comparison but not on the free plan; SCORM export is listed for Enterprise only.
Tavus
- Conversational video interface
- Real-time AI conversations with video, turn-taking, vision and 30+ languages through an API or no-code builder.
- Custom replicas
- Trains a replica of a real person from about one minute of video, including a custom voice model.
- Video generation
- Generates video from a replica, with monthly minutes on each plan and overage per minute.
- Knowledge base and memory
- Upload documents or websites for answers, with memories that persist across conversations.
- Bring your own LLM
- Swap in your own language model and use function calling to reach external tools.
- Transcripts and recordings
- Saves text transcripts of every conversation; video recordings cost $0.03 per minute.
Plans
Elai
Free$0
1 user and 1 minute of rendered video; 80+ avatars and 75+ languages.
Creator$23
per month for 15 minutes, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
1 user, Full HD video and the full avatar, voice and language library. $276 billed annually.
Team$100
per month for 50 minutes, billed annually ($125 billed monthly)
3 editors and 3 guests, 4K video, premium voices, custom images and fonts, 1 selfie avatar and 1 voice clone. $1,200 billed annually.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, brand kit, workspaces, SSO and premium avatars; sold through sales.
Tavus
Basic$0
25 conversational minutes, 5 generated-video minutes, 25 stock replicas, 1 concurrent stream.
Starter$59
per month, plus pay-as-you-go usage
100 conversational minutes, 10 generation minutes, 3 custom replica trainings, 3 concurrent streams.
Growth$397
per month
1,250 conversational minutes, 100 generation minutes, 7 custom replicas, 10 streams, recordings.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume discounts, white-labeled experience, SLAs, SOC 2 and HIPAA reports.
Ways to pay less
Elai
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Elai's pricing page shows a 20% saving when Creator or Team is billed annually instead of monthly.
Tavus
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Elai or Tavus?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Elai is cheaper to start with: $23 a month, against $59 a month for Tavus. Elai starts at $23 per month for 15 minutes, billed annually ($29 billed monthly), and Tavus starts at $59 per month plus pay-as-you-go usage.
Which has a free plan, Elai or Tavus?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Elai and Tavus have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.