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HeyGen vs Synthesia: Which AI Avatar Video Tool Fits?
HeyGen and Synthesia both turn scripts into videos presented by AI avatars and support translation or dubbing. HeyGen focuses on marketing and educational content, with mobile apps and voice cloning. Synthesia targets corporate training and internal communication, with interactive videos, roleplays and surveys.
The short answer
Pick HeyGen if you make marketing or educational videos, want multilingual versions and like working from a phone. Pick Synthesia if you produce training and onboarding videos and need interactive features, an API or enterprise options such as SSO.
Side by sideHeyGen vs Synthesia
| HeyGen | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | HeyGen | Synthesia |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starts at | $29 / mo (Creator) | $29 per month (Starter, billed monthly) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, api |
| Models used | Avatar IV | — |
| Best for | Marketers and educators who need talking-avatar videos and multilingual versions without filming. | Companies producing training, onboarding and internal communication videos with AI avatars. |
Facts in this table come from the verified profile of each product.
Key differences
Creator at $29/month billed monthly, or $24/month billed annually; Business $149/month plus $20/seat/month.
Starter at $29/month billed monthly, or $18/month billed yearly; Pro $89/month with 6,000 credits.
3 videos a month up to 1 minute each, Avatar IV, 500+ stock avatars, 1 custom avatar and 30+ languages.
10 minutes of video or dubbing, 3 survey responses and 500 credits a month; watermarked and not downloadable.
Talking-avatar marketing and education videos, and multilingual versions without filming.
Training, onboarding and internal communication videos presented by AI avatars.
Stock, custom and photo avatars on the Avatar IV model; voice cloning and 175+ languages on paid plans.
Dubbing and multilingual avatars; the full avatar library is only on Enterprise.
Credit-based plans; Pro scales from 1,000 to 100,000 credits, up to $4,300/month.
Interactive videos, roleplays and surveys; Enterprise adds SSO and custom avatars.
Web, iOS and Android.
Web, plus the Synthesia API.
Choose HeyGen if…
- You make marketing or educational videos with talking avatars.
- You need many languages; paid plans list 175+.
- You want to create or review videos from iOS or Android apps.
- You want voice cloning and photo avatars.
Choose Synthesia if…
- You produce training, onboarding or internal communication videos.
- You need interactive videos, roleplays or surveys.
- You need an API or enterprise options such as SSO.
- You prefer yearly billing; Starter drops to $18/month.
Frequently asked questions
Is HeyGen or Synthesia cheaper?
Both start at $29/month on monthly billing (HeyGen Creator and Synthesia Starter). With annual billing, Synthesia Starter is $18/month and HeyGen Creator is $24/month. Both run on credits, so heavier use moves you to higher tiers.
Can I download videos made on the free plan?
Synthesia's free Basic plan videos carry a watermark and cannot be downloaded. HeyGen's free plan allows 3 videos per month, each up to 1 minute long, with access to Avatar IV and 500+ stock avatars.
Which supports more languages, HeyGen or Synthesia?
HeyGen lists 30+ languages on its free plan and 175+ on paid plans. Synthesia offers dubbing and multilingual avatars, but its language count is not confirmed here.
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