HeyGen vs Synthesia: AI avatar video plans compared
Disclosure: this article contains no affiliate links; if we add any, we will label them.
Quick verdict
Synthesia has the cheaper entry plan ($19 a month against $29) and the larger free allowance.[1][2]HeyGen lists more stock avatars and languages at the lower tiers, 4K export on Pro, and a self-serve team plan with SAML/SSO.[1]Synthesia reserves SSO and SCORM export for Enterprise.[2]
Price by tier
| Tier | HeyGen | Synthesia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing, $ per month | Annual billing, $ per month | Credits | Monthly billing, $ per month | Annual billing, $ per month | Credits per month (monthly billing) | Credits per year (annual billing) | |
| FreeSynthesia plan: Basic | $0 | not listed | not listed | $0 | not listed | 500 | not listed |
| Entry paidHeyGen Creator · Synthesia Starter | $29 | $24 | 600 | $19 | $14 | 1,250 | 15,000 |
| MidHeyGen Pro · Synthesia Pro | $49 | $41 | 1,000 | $89 | $59 | 6,000 | 72,000 |
| TeamHeyGen Business | $149 | $119 | 1,500 | not listed | |||
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | |||||
Notes on Table 1
- HeyGen Free: watermarked videos up to 1 minute each. The pricing page says 3 a month; HeyGen’s help center says 1–3 depending on region.[1][3]
- Synthesia Free (Basic): 10 minutes of video, 3 survey responses and 500 credits a month; watermarked.[2]
- Credits are not comparable across vendors, since each defines its own unit. Synthesia credits are shown per month on monthly billing and per year on annual billing. HeyGen credits are shown as we recorded them, with no period attached.
- HeyGen’s Pro tiers run from 1,000 credits a month at $49 to 100,000 credits at $4,300.[1]
- HeyGen’s annual discount varies: Creator and Pro come close to 10/12 of the monthly price, while Business, at $119, is below that figure ($124).[1]
- HeyGen annual credits are allocated monthly and unused credits accumulate until renewal; Synthesia’s annual credits are available upfront.[2][3]
- Synthesia annual billing totals: Starter $14 a month is $168 a year; Pro $59 a month is $708 a year.[2]
- HeyGen Business: extra members $20/seat/mo on monthly billing.[1]
- “Not listed” means we did not find the item on that vendor’s pricing page. It does not mean the item is absent.
Feature comparison
| Feature | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Stock avatars | 500+ on Free; 700+ on paid plans | 125+ Starter, 180+ Pro, 240+ Enterprise |
| Custom / personal avatars | 1 on Free; Creator and Pro 1 or 5 depending on region and account creation date; Business 5, or 10 in some regions[1][3] | 3 Personal Avatars on Starter, 5 on Pro |
| Languages (HeyGen’s measure) | 30+ on Free; 175 languages and dialects on paid plans | Not comparable: Synthesia lists dubbing languages instead, in the next row |
| Dubbing languages (Synthesia’s measure) | Not comparable: HeyGen lists languages instead, in the row above | Dubbing in 70+ languages on Basic to Pro; 140+ on Enterprise |
| Max video length | 1 min Free; 30 min Creator and Pro; 60 min Business; no maximum on Enterprise | not listed |
| Export resolution | Up to 1080p on Creator; up to 4K on Pro and above | MP4 downloads in Full HD, 1920 × 1080, on Starter, Pro and Enterprise; Basic cannot download[2][4] |
| Seats | 1 user on Free to Pro; shared workspace on Business | 1 editor; plus 3 guests on Starter, 5 on Pro |
| SAML/SSO | Business and Enterprise | Enterprise |
| SCORM export | Business and Enterprise | Listed on the Enterprise plan card |
| Unused credits | Monthly: roll over one month; annual: allocated monthly, accumulate until renewal[1][3] | Reset each billing period; annual credits available upfront |
Who each is best for
HeyGen suits individual creators and marketing teams that want long videos, 4K output, and many presenters and languages. It also suits teams that need SSO without negotiating an enterprise contract.[1]
Synthesia suits individuals and small teams starting on a low budget. It also suits training teams that want guest collaborators, roleplay and survey features; SSO and SCORM are available on Enterprise.[2]
Sources
- Pricing Plans for Creators and Marketers | HeyGenheygen.com/pricing · Checked
- Synthesia Pricing - Compare Free and Paid Planssynthesia.io/pricing · Checked
- HeyGen Credit-Based Pricing Plans & Subscriptions Explained | HeyGen Help Centerhelp.heygen.com · Checked
- How do I download my Synthesia video? | Synthesia Knowledge Basehelp.synthesia.io · Checked
Disclosure
This article contains no affiliate links. If we add affiliate links in future, we will label them and they will not change our figures, which come only from the vendors’ published pricing pages on the dates shown. Prices are USD, exclude tax and change often; check the vendor’s page before buying.