Eleven v4 90+ languages vs Sonic 3.6 44 languages: which fits yours

The two numbers

The ElevenLabs models page lists Eleven v4 at 90+ languages with a 10,000-character limit, and lists older models with fewer: v3 at 70+ and Multilingual v2 at 29. The Cartesia models page lists Sonic 3.6 as generally available with 44 languages and says it is fully backwards compatible with 3.5.

A raw count is a poor way to choose. What matters is whether your one language, or your four, is on the list and whether the voice is good enough in it.

How to check a language before you build

Do it with a script, not a table. Write the same 300-character paragraph in your target language, generate it, and listen. A language can be technically supported and still sound flat for your content type, such as product names in Korean or numbers in Arabic.

• Test with your real vocabulary, including brand names and numbers.
• Test every language you plan to ship, not just one.
• Keep the sample and settings so you can compare models later.

Where Sume fits

Sume's TTS Router lets you choose a Sonic model by id: sonic-3.6, sonic-3.5, sonic-3, sonic-latest or sonic-preview. TTS 1.0 accepts a language field, and a confirm_language_mismatch flag exists for when the text language and the setting disagree. So the route to 44 languages on Sume is the Sonic catalog, and a 90-language need means checking whether your language is in that list.

Making the call

If your language is in both lists, choose on price and integration. If it is only in the larger list, the model with the smaller list cannot serve you, whatever else it does well. Read the vendor language page for the exact entries rather than relying on the counts here.

For a multilingual product, sort languages into tiers: the two or three that carry your revenue get a full listening test, and the long tail gets a spot check.

What counts as a pass

Decide your pass mark before listening. A workable rubric has four checks: names and brands pronounced correctly, numbers and dates read naturally, no clipped word ends, and an even pace across a full paragraph. Score each language on those, and record the model and settings next to the score.

The vendor page tells you a language is offered. Only your listening test tells you it is good enough for your content.

Takeaway

A bigger language count is a coverage signal, not a quality signal. Check your languages against the vendor pages dated 2026-10-03, run a short listening test, and use the Sume model list for the Sonic side.