Dubbing API Pricing Comparison: Pinch vs ElevenLabs vs Rask.ai (2026)
A transparent comparison of AI dubbing API pricing in 2026. Compare costs, features, and limitations across Pinch, ElevenLabs, Rask.ai, and HeyGen for video and audio dubbing.
Why pricing matters for dubbing APIs
When you’re evaluating a dubbing API, the sticker price per minute is only part of the story. Subscription requirements, watermark policies, API access restrictions, and volume discounts all affect your real cost. This guide breaks down the actual pricing structures of the major dubbing providers as of March 2026.
Pricing overview
| Provider | Per-minute cost | Subscription required? | Watermarks? | API access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinch | $0.50/min | No | Never | All users |
| ElevenLabs | $0.50–$1.10/min | Yes ($5–$99+/mo) | On free tier | Paid plans |
| Rask.ai | Custom | Yes ($60+/mo) | On free tier | Enterprise |
| HeyGen | Custom | Yes ($24+/mo) | On free tier | Business plan |
Pinch pricing
Pinch uses a straightforward pay-per-use model:
- $0.50 per minute of input media
- No monthly subscription — you buy credits and use them when you need them
- No watermarks on any output, regardless of spend amount
- $5 free credits on sign up (no credit card required) — enough to dub 10 minutes
- API access included for all users
- No per-language surcharge — same price whether you dub into Spanish, Japanese, or any other supported language
Example costs:
- 5-minute YouTube video → 1 language: $2.50
- 30-minute podcast episode → 1 language: $15.00
- 30-minute podcast → 5 languages: $75.00
- 100 hours of course content → 1 language: $3,000
There are no tiers, no feature gates, and no volume minimums.
ElevenLabs pricing
ElevenLabs uses a tiered subscription model. Dubbing is available on paid plans:
- Free tier — Limited minutes, watermarked output, no API access for dubbing
- Starter ($5/mo) — 30 minutes of audio generation, limited dubbing
- Creator ($22/mo) — 100 minutes, dubbing included
- Pro ($99/mo) — 500 minutes, higher quality voices, full API access
- Scale ($330/mo) — 2,000 minutes, commercial license
- Enterprise — Custom pricing
The effective per-minute cost varies significantly by plan:
- On the Creator plan ($22/mo for 100 min): ~$0.22/min for TTS, but dubbing minutes draw from the same pool and are more expensive per minute of output
- On the Pro plan ($99/mo for 500 min): ~$0.20/min base, but overages cost more
- API access for dubbing requires at minimum the Pro plan ($99/mo)
Important considerations:
- Minutes are shared across all ElevenLabs features (TTS, voice cloning, dubbing)
- Unused minutes don’t roll over on most plans
- Watermarks on the free tier
- Dubbing API is separate from the general TTS API
For an audio quality comparison between ElevenLabs and Pinch, see our detailed comparison with samples.
Rask.ai pricing
Rask.ai is primarily a video localization platform with these tiers:
- Free — Limited minutes, watermarked
- Basic ($60/mo) — 25 minutes per month
- Pro ($140/mo) — 100 minutes per month
- Business ($560/mo) — 500 minutes per month
- Enterprise — Custom pricing
Effective per-minute rates:
- Basic: $2.40/min
- Pro: $1.40/min
- Business: $1.12/min
API access is generally limited to Enterprise plans. Rask focuses on their web UI and workflow tools rather than API-first integration.
HeyGen pricing
HeyGen is primarily an avatar/video generation platform. Their dubbing feature is secondary:
- Free — 1 credit, watermarked
- Creator ($24/mo) — 15 credits/month
- Business ($120/mo) — 30 credits/month
- Enterprise — Custom
HeyGen’s pricing is credit-based rather than per-minute, making direct comparison harder. Their strength is AI avatars and lip-sync rather than pure audio dubbing.
Cost comparison by use case
YouTube creator (10 videos/month, 8 min average, 3 languages)
| Provider | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Pinch | $120 (240 min × $0.50) |
| ElevenLabs (Pro) | $99/mo + overages |
| Rask.ai (Pro) | $140/mo (may exceed 100 min limit) |
| HeyGen | $120/mo (credit-limited) |
E-learning platform (50 hours of courses, 5 languages, one-time)
| Provider | Total cost |
|---|---|
| Pinch | $7,500 (15,000 min × $0.50) |
| ElevenLabs | $5,000–$10,000+ (requires enterprise/bulk) |
| Rask.ai | $8,000–$15,000+ (requires enterprise) |
Developer building a multilingual product (sporadic, 30 min/month)
| Provider | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Pinch | $15 (pay-as-you-go) |
| ElevenLabs | $22–$99/mo (must subscribe for API) |
| Rask.ai | $60/mo minimum |
Beyond pricing: what to evaluate
Price is important, but it shouldn’t be the only factor:
- Translation quality — The cheapest option is worthless if the output sounds robotic. Always test with your actual content before committing.
- Voice preservation — How well does the original speaker’s voice carry through? This varies significantly across providers.
- API design — If you need programmatic access, evaluate the API documentation, error handling, and developer experience.
- Background audio — Music and ambient sound handling differs. Some providers destroy background audio; others preserve it cleanly.
- Output format — Some providers only output audio tracks. Others return a complete video file with dubbed audio.
Try before you commit
The best way to evaluate is to test with your own content. Pinch offers $5 in free credits — enough for 10 minutes of dubbing across any supported language. No credit card required.
- Try free in browser — Upload a file and hear the results
- API Quickstart — Start building in 5 minutes
- Full API Reference — Detailed endpoint documentation
Try Pinch Dubbing free
Sign up and get $5 of free credits — enough for 10 minutes of dubbing. Upload a video in your browser or integrate via our API.
No credit card required · $0.50/min · No watermarks