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ElevenLabs UI: Enterprise-Grade Voice and Audio Components for React Applications

Comprehensive guide to ElevenLabs UI component library for building voice-first applications. Covers audio visualization, conversational AI widgets, voice activity indicators, and integration with ElevenLabs APIs.

Published: 10/7/2025

ElevenLabs UI: Enterprise-Grade Voice and Audio Components for React Applications

Executive Summary

ElevenLabs UI represents a significant evolution in frontend component libraries—moving beyond generic UI primitives to deliver specialized, production-ready voice and audio components designed specifically for building multimodal AI agents and audio-first applications. Built on the solid foundation of shadcn/ui (the community-favorite component system using Radix UI primitives and Tailwind CSS), ElevenLabs UI extends this ecosystem with sophisticated audio visualization components (waveforms, audio orbs), conversational AI agent interfaces, voice activity indicators, audio players with advanced controls, and platform switchers for voice-enabled applications. All components are open-source under MIT license, fully customizable, and designed to integrate seamlessly with ElevenLabs' industry-leading text-to-speech and conversational AI APIs.

The rise of voice-first interfaces—driven by advances in speech synthesis quality, natural language understanding, and multimodal AI models—creates a growing need for sophisticated audio UI components that traditional component libraries simply don't address. Building production-quality voice interfaces from scratch requires deep expertise in Web Audio API, real-time audio visualization, WebRTC for voice streaming, audio codec handling, and complex state management for conversational flows. ElevenLabs UI abstracts this complexity behind React components that "just work": drop in an component to visualize voice agent activity, use for full-featured voice chat interfaces, or leverage for audio playback with visual feedback—all with TypeScript support, accessibility compliance, and responsive design out of the box.

Real-world adoption demonstrates ElevenLabs UI's production readiness: companies building AI voice assistants reduced voice interface development time from weeks to days by leveraging pre-built components instead of building from scratch; customer support platforms integrated conversational AI widgets with just hours of development; and content platforms added sophisticated audio players without hiring specialized audio engineers. These productivity gains stem from ElevenLabs UI's focus on the 80% use case—components handle common patterns (voice streaming, audio visualization, playback controls) while exposing customization props for specialized requirements.

However, ElevenLabs UI is not a generic component library competing with Material-UI or Chakra—it's a specialized toolkit for voice and audio interfaces, complementing rather than replacing general-purpose component systems. Teams building traditional CRUD applications, dashboards, or text-based interfaces gain little value from ElevenLabs UI; its power emerges specifically for applications centered on voice interaction, audio content, and conversational AI. Additionally, many components are tightly integrated with ElevenLabs' own APIs (text-to-speech, voice agents), meaning production usage often requires ElevenLabs accounts and API keys—though the open-source codebase allows forking and adapting for alternative voice providers.

This comprehensive guide provides technical depth on ElevenLabs UI: architectural patterns for integrating voice components into React applications, detailed component APIs and customization options, implementation strategies for common voice interface patterns (voice assistants, audio content platforms, conversational forms), integration with ElevenLabs and alternative voice APIs, comparative analysis versus building custom audio UI or using alternative libraries, and strategic guidance on when ElevenLabs UI's specialized components justify adoption versus when simpler alternatives suffice. Whether you're building a voice-first AI assistant, adding audio features to existing applications, or evaluating component libraries for multimodal interfaces, the technical insights and practical examples below illuminate how to leverage ElevenLabs UI effectively.

Understanding ElevenLabs UI Architecture

Built on Modern React Foundations

ElevenLabs UI inherits design philosophy and technical architecture from shadcn/ui:

Component Distribution Model: 

Components are added to YOUR codebase, not installed as dependencies

npx @11labs/cli components add audio-orb


This copies component source into your project:


components/ui/audio-orb.tsx


You own and can modify the component code

Key Architectural Principles:

  • 1. Copy-Paste Components: Unlike npm packages, components copy into your project, giving full controlCopy-Paste Components: Unlike npm packages, components copy into your project, giving full control
  • 2. Radix UI Primitives: Built on headless, accessible Radix primitivesRadix UI Primitives: Built on headless, accessible Radix primitives
  • 3. Tailwind CSS Styling: Utility-first styling, easy customizationTailwind CSS Styling: Utility-first styling, easy customization
  • 4. TypeScript First: Full type safety and IntelliSense supportTypeScript First: Full type safety and IntelliSense support
  • 5. Composable: Build complex interfaces by composing simple componentsComposable: Build complex interfaces by composing simple components

Core Component Categories

1. Audio Visualization Components

// AudioOrb - Animated visualization for voice activity
import { AudioOrb } from '@/components/ui/audio-orb';

function VoiceAgent() {
  const [isListening, setIsListening] = useState(false);
  const [amplitude, setAmplitude] = useState(0);


  return (
    
  );
}


// Waveform - Real-time audio waveform display
import { Waveform } from '@/components/ui/waveform';


function AudioVisualizer({ audioStream }: Props) {
  return (
    
  );
}

2. Conversational AI Components

// ConversationWidget - Full-featured voice chat interface
import { ConversationWidget } from '@/components/ui/conversation-widget';

function VoiceAssistant() {
  return (
     {
        console.log('Conversation started:', session.id);
      }}
      onMessage={(message) => {
        console.log('Message:', message.text);
      }}
      onConversationEnd={(summary) => {
        console.log('Conversation ended:', summary);
      }}
    />
  );
}


// VoiceActivityIndicator - Shows when agent is speaking/listening
import { VoiceActivityIndicator } from '@/components/ui/voice-activity-indicator';


function AgentStatus({ status }: Props) {
  return (
    
  );
}

3. Audio Player Components

// AudioPlayer - Feature-rich audio playback control
import { AudioPlayer } from '@/components/ui/audio-player';

function PodcastPlayer({ episode }: Props) {
  return (
     {
        // Save playback position
        saveProgress(episode.id, progress.currentTime);
      }}
    />
  );
}

4. Platform and Navigation Components

// PlatformSwitcher - Dropdown for selecting voice/audio platforms
import { PlatformSwitcher } from '@/components/ui/platform-switcher';

function VoiceSettings() {
  const platforms = [
    { id: 'elevenlabs', name: 'ElevenLabs', icon: ElevenLabsIcon },
    { id: 'openai', name: 'OpenAI TTS', icon: OpenAIIcon },
    { id: 'google', name: 'Google Cloud TTS', icon: GoogleIcon },
  ];


  return (
     {
        console.log('Switched to:', platform.name);
      }}
    />
  );
}

Integration with ElevenLabs APIs

ElevenLabs UI components work seamlessly with ElevenLabs services:

// Text-to-Speech Integration
import { useElevenLabsTTS } from '@elevenlabs/react';
import { AudioPlayer } from '@/components/ui/audio-player';

function TTSDemo() {
  const { generate, audio, isLoading } = useElevenLabsTTS({
    apiKey: process.env.ELEVENLABS_API_KEY,
    voiceId: 'pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB', // Adam voice
  });


  const handleGenerate = async () => {
    await generate({
      text: 'Hello! I am speaking using ElevenLabs text-to-speech.',
      modelId: 'eleven_multilingual_v2',
    });
  };


  return (
    

      
      {audio && }
    

  );
}


// Conversational AI Integration
import { useConversation } from '@elevenlabs/react';


function AIAssistant() {
  const { status, messages, startConversation, endConversation } = useConversation({
    agentId: process.env.ELEVENLABS_AGENT_ID,
  });


  return (
    

      
      
      
    

  );
}

Getting Started with ElevenLabs UI

Installation and Setup

Prerequisites: 

// package.json
{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.3.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.3.0",
    "tailwindcss": "^3.4.0",
    "@radix-ui/react-*": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

Install ElevenLabs CLI: 

npm install -g @11labs/cli


Or use npx for one-time usage

npx @11labs/cli components add

Initialize shadcn/ui (Required): 

ElevenLabs UI builds on shadcn/ui

npx shadcn@latest init


Configure Tailwind, components directory, etc.


Select default options or customize as needed

Add ElevenLabs UI Components: 

Add individual components

npx @11labs/cli components add audio-orb
npx @11labs/cli components add waveform
npx @11labs/cli components add conversation-widget


Or add all components at once

npx @11labs/cli components add --all

Directory Structure: 

my-app/
├── components/
│   └── ui/
│       ├── audio-orb.tsx
│       ├── waveform.tsx
│       ├── conversation-widget.tsx
│       ├── audio-player.tsx
│       └── voice-activity-indicator.tsx
├── lib/
│   └── utils.ts
├── app/
│   └── page.tsx
└── tailwind.config.ts

Basic Usage Examples

Example 1: Simple Voice Button with Audio Orb

// components/VoiceButton.tsx
'use client';

import { useState } from 'react';
import { AudioOrb } from '@/components/ui/audio-orb';
import { useElevenLabsVoice } from '@elevenlabs/react';


export function VoiceButton() {
  const [isActive, setIsActive] = useState(false);
  const { startRecording, stopRecording, isRecording } = useElevenLabsVoice();


  const toggleVoice = async () => {
    if (isRecording) {
      await stopRecording();
      setIsActive(false);
    } else {
      await startRecording();
      setIsActive(true);
    }
  };


  return (
    
  );
}

Example 2: Audio Player with Waveform

// components/AudioPlayerWithWaveform.tsx
'use client';

import { useState, useRef } from 'react';
import { AudioPlayer } from '@/components/ui/audio-player';
import { Waveform } from '@/components/ui/waveform';


interface Props {
  audioUrl: string;
  title: string;
  artist: string;
}


export function AudioPlayerWithWaveform({ audioUrl, title, artist }: Props) {
  const audioRef = useRef(null);
  const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);


  return (
    

      {/* Waveform Visualization */}
      

        
      


      {/* Audio Player Controls */}
       setIsPlaying(true)}
        onPause={() => setIsPlaying(false)}
        showDownload={true}
        showSpeed={true}
      />
    

  );
}

Example 3: Full Conversational AI Widget

// components/AIVoiceAssistant.tsx
'use client';

import { ConversationWidget } from '@/components/ui/conversation-widget';
import { VoiceActivityIndicator } from '@/components/ui/voice-activity-indicator';
import { useConversation } from '@elevenlabs/react';


export function AIVoiceAssistant() {
  const {
    status,
    messages,
    startConversation,
    endConversation,
    sendMessage,
  } = useConversation({
    agentId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_ELEVENLABS_AGENT_ID!,
    onMessage: (message) => {
      console.log('Received message:', message);
    },
    onError: (error) => {
      console.error('Conversation error:', error);
    },
  });


  return (
    

      {/* Status Indicator */}
      

        
AI Voice Assistant

        
      


      {/* Conversation Widget */}
      


      {/* Control Buttons */}
      

        
        
      

    

  );
}

Advanced Implementation Patterns

Pattern 1: Custom Audio Orb Animations

Customize the audio orb appearance and animations:

// components/CustomAudioOrb.tsx
'use client';

import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';


interface CustomAudioOrbProps {
  isActive: boolean;
  amplitude: number; // 0-1 range
  color?: string;
  size?: number;
}


export function CustomAudioOrb({
  isActive,
  amplitude,
  color = 'blue',
  size = 120,
}: CustomAudioOrbProps) {
  const [pulseScale, setPulseScale] = useState(1);


  useEffect(() => {
    if (isActive) {
      // Map amplitude to scale (1.0 to 1.3)
      setPulseScale(1 + amplitude * 0.3);
    } else {
      setPulseScale(1);
    }
  }, [isActive, amplitude]);


  return (
    

      {/* Outer glow rings */}
      {isActive && (
        <>
          absolute inset-0 rounded-full bg-${color}-500 opacity-20}
            animate={{
              scale: [1, 1.5, 1],
              opacity: [0.2, 0, 0.2],
            }}
            transition={{
              duration: 2,
              repeat: Infinity,
              ease: 'easeInOut',
            }}
          />
          absolute inset-0 rounded-full bg-${color}-500 opacity-30}
            animate={{
              scale: [1, 1.3, 1],
              opacity: [0.3, 0, 0.3],
            }}
            transition={{
              duration: 2,
              repeat: Infinity,
              ease: 'easeInOut',
              delay: 0.5,
            }}
          />
        
      )}


      {/* Core orb */}
      absolute inset-0 rounded-full bg-gradient-to-br from-${color}-400 to-${color}-600 shadow-lg}
        animate={{
          scale: pulseScale,
        }}
        transition={{
          type: 'spring',
          stiffness: 300,
          damping: 20,
        }}
      />


      {/* Inner highlight */}
      
    

  );
}

Pattern 2: Real-Time Waveform with Web Audio API

Build custom waveform visualizations using Web Audio API:

// components/RealtimeWaveform.tsx
'use client';

import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';


interface RealtimeWaveformProps {
  audioStream: MediaStream;
  bars?: number;
  color?: string;
  height?: number;
}


export function RealtimeWaveform({
  audioStream,
  bars = 64,
  color = '#3b82f6',
  height = 128,
}: RealtimeWaveformProps) {
  const canvasRef = useRef(null);
  const analyzerRef = useRef(null);
  const animationFrameRef = useRef(0);


  useEffect(() => {
    const canvas = canvasRef.current;
    if (!canvas || !audioStream) return;


    // Setup Web Audio API
    const audioContext = new AudioContext();
    const source = audioContext.createMediaStreamSource(audioStream);
    const analyzer = audioContext.createAnalyser();


    analyzer.fftSize = bars * 2;
    analyzer.smoothingTimeConstant = 0.8;
    source.connect(analyzer);


    analyzerRef.current = analyzer;


    // Draw waveform
    const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d')!;
    const bufferLength = analyzer.frequencyBinCount;
    const dataArray = new Uint8Array(bufferLength);


    function draw() {
      animationFrameRef.current = requestAnimationFrame(draw);


      analyzer.getByteFrequencyData(dataArray);


      // Clear canvas
      ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1)';
      ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);


      // Draw bars
      const barWidth = canvas.width / bars;


      for (let i = 0; i < bars; i++) {
        const barHeight = (dataArray[i] / 255) * canvas.height;
        const x = i * barWidth;
        const y = canvas.height - barHeight;


        // Gradient
        const gradient = ctx.createLinearGradient(x, y, x, canvas.height);
        gradient.addColorStop(0, color);
        gradient.addColorStop(1, ${color}80); // 50% opacity


        ctx.fillStyle = gradient;
        ctx.fillRect(x, y, barWidth - 2, barHeight);
      }
    }


    draw();


    return () => {
      cancelAnimationFrame(animationFrameRef.current);
      audioContext.close();
    };
  }, [audioStream, bars, color, height]);


  return (
    
  );
}

Pattern 3: Multi-Platform Voice Provider Integration

Support multiple voice providers with platform switcher:

// lib/voice-providers.ts
export interface VoiceProvider {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  icon: React.ComponentType;
  generateSpeech: (text: string, options: any) => Promise;
}

export const voiceProviders: Record = {
  elevenlabs: {
    id: 'elevenlabs',
    name: 'ElevenLabs',
    icon: ElevenLabsIcon,
    generateSpeech: async (text, options) => {
      const response = await fetch('https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'xi-api-key': process.env.ELEVENLABS_API_KEY!,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          text,
          voice_id: options.voiceId,
          model_id: options.modelId || 'eleven_multilingual_v2',
        }),
      });


      const audioBuffer = await response.arrayBuffer();
      return audioBuffer;
    },
  },
  openai: {
    id: 'openai',
    name: 'OpenAI TTS',
    icon: OpenAIIcon,
    generateSpeech: async (text, options) => {
      const response = await fetch('https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/speech', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Authorization': Bearer ${process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY},
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          model: options.model || 'tts-1',
          input: text,
          voice: options.voice || 'alloy',
        }),
      });


      const audioBuffer = await response.arrayBuffer();
      return audioBuffer;
    },
  },
  google: {
    id: 'google',
    name: 'Google Cloud TTS',
    icon: GoogleIcon,
    generateSpeech: async (text, options) => {
      // Google Cloud TTS implementation
      // ...
    },
  },
};


// components/MultiPlatformVoiceWidget.tsx
'use client';


import { useState } from 'react';
import { PlatformSwitcher } from '@/components/ui/platform-switcher';
import { AudioPlayer } from '@/components/ui/audio-player';
import { voiceProviders } from '@/lib/voice-providers';


export function MultiPlatformVoiceWidget() {
  const [currentProvider, setCurrentProvider] = useState('elevenlabs');
  const [audioUrl, setAudioUrl] = useState(null);
  const [isGenerating, setIsGenerating] = useState(false);


  const handleGenerate = async (text: string) => {
    setIsGenerating(true);


    const provider = voiceProviders[currentProvider];
    const audioBuffer = await provider.generateSpeech(text, {
      voiceId: 'default',
    });


    // Convert buffer to URL
    const blob = new Blob([audioBuffer], { type: 'audio/mpeg' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    setAudioUrl(url);


    setIsGenerating(false);
  };


  return (
    

       setCurrentProvider(platform.id)}
      />