Model comparison
Compare Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking and Eleven v3 Conversational using the same provider-sourced voice & realtime rubric. No mystery score and no invented benchmark ranking.
Quick take
A separate Gemini voice model that works through complex requests in the background while keeping the conversation going.
Integration differs from standard Live: tools must be asynchronous, and the app must track interaction_status. A finished utterance does not mean the background task has finished.
ElevenLabs' expressive realtime text-to-speech model for natural dialogue, emotional delivery, audio tags, and more than 70 languages.
It is not a complete speech-to-speech agent by itself. End-to-end latency also includes transcription, LLM response time, transport, and playback.
Compare the published facts
Values use each provider's own published units and limits. A blank means the provider did not publish a directly comparable value in the sources reviewed.
| Voice & realtime | Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking | Eleven v3 Conversational |
|---|---|---|
| Price basisToken-, character-, or minute-based price for the listed access route. | Audio $0.005/min in · $0.018/min out | $0.05 / 1K characters |
| Interaction modeSpeech-to-speech, audio-to-audio, or streamed text-to-speech behavior. | Speech-to-speech with visual input and background reasoning | Realtime text-to-speech / text-to-dialogue |
| Published latencyProvider-published measurement with its stated exclusions; not a Cody test. | Not published | ~280ms, excluding app/network |
| LanguagesProvider-documented language coverage or a clear unpublished marker. | Multilingual; verify current Live API support | 70+ languages |
| Tools & controlNative function calling, reasoning, or speech-control features. | Async functions only, search grounding | Audio tags; orchestration handled by your agent stack |
| Context or input limitDocumented token or character limit where it is meaningful. | 131,072 input · 65,536 output | 5K-character guidance for v3 family; verify endpoint |
How to choose
Start with the job you need to complete, then validate cost, access, and policy details on your exact provider route.
Google says paid Gemini API prompts and responses are not used to improve its products. Unpaid-service content generally may be used, with different treatment for EEA, UK, and Swiss users; check the current terms for your account and region.
Provider and API links
ElevenLabs says enterprise customer data is not used for training by default. Other users can opt out of model improvement; enterprise zero-retention and regional environments are available with plan-specific limits.
Provider and API links
Frequently asked questions
Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking: A separate Gemini voice model that works through complex requests in the background while keeping the conversation going. Eleven v3 Conversational: ElevenLabs' expressive realtime text-to-speech model for natural dialogue, emotional delivery, audio tags, and more than 70 languages.
Consider Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking when your priority is Multi-step voice support workflows. Consider Eleven v3 Conversational when your priority is Expressive support and assistant voices. Test both with your own data and provider route before committing.
No. This comparison aligns provider-published facts for the Voice & realtime category. It does not claim a universal winner or combine incompatible third-party benchmark scores.
