i
News
All Research News
News · 2026-10-20

ElevenLabs releases two models for real-time voice conversations

@neuronium_ai @neuronium_ai

ElevenLabs has released two speech-to-speech models for real-time AI conversations: compact v1 Mini, aimed at natural dialogue at lower cost, and v1 Max, designed for more demanding tasks such as customer support. The difference is not just price. Mini can distinguish a listener’s “mm-hm” from the end of a turn, a small but important signal for systems meant to hold a conversation rather than merely answer prompts.

Cover: ElevenLabs releases two models for real-time voice conversations
On the Artificial Analysis Speech to Speech leaderboard, Eleven Realtime v1 Max sits near the top left corner, combining high accuracy with low latency. | Image: Elevenlabs

On the Artificial Analysis Speech to Speech leaderboard, Eleven Realtime v1 Max sits near the top left corner, combining high accuracy with low latency. | Image: Elevenlabs

Source: the-decoder.com

What the models are for

Both models are available on ElevenAgents and through an OpenAI-compatible real-time API. Pricing combines minutes and tokens, with v1 Max costing more than v1 Mini. ElevenLabs publishes detailed rates on its pricing page.

The turn-taking feature is the more revealing part of the announcement. In voice interfaces, a system that mistakes an acknowledgment for a finished turn can interrupt; one that misses the end of a turn can leave an awkward pause. Mini is positioned as the lower-cost option, but the source does not say how often it gets that distinction right.

The unanswered question

I think the central comparison is not simply Mini against Max, but how much better Max performs on difficult conversations for its higher price. The announcement gives no benchmark, latency figures, or accuracy results, so buyers have little basis here for judging that trade-off. Until those details are available, the product split is clear, but the performance gap is not.

Source: the-decoder.com

Source

Daily AI news

Every day we pick what actually matters in AI and explain it plainly — no hype, no filler. Subscribe if you want to follow where the industry is going.

Only what matters — every day

Follow on X