HeyGen and Synthesia both make artificial intelligence (AI) avatar videos without a camera, and both pricing pages list a free plan plus an entry paid plan at $29 a month. The HeyGen pricing page lists a free plan with 3 videos a month of up to 1 minute each. The Synthesia pricing page lists a free Basic plan with 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing, and those videos carry a Synthesia watermark.
The HeyGen pricing page frames its plans for creators and marketers, while Synthesia measures its plans in credits and leans toward business and training video. At Earn by Creating, we compared the two published pricing pages and feature lists for this guide. We did not make test videos, so nothing here rates avatar quality or speed. Run the free plan of each with your own script before you pay for either one.
HeyGen vs Synthesia Side by Side
HeyGen and Synthesia both start paid plans at $29 a month on their pricing pages, so the comparison comes down to what each plan includes. The table lists the plan details that change how many videos you can make, how long they run and whether they carry a watermark.
| Factor | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free, $0: 3 videos a month, up to 1 minute each | Basic, $0: 500 credits a month, 10 minutes of creation or dubbing |
| Entry paid plan | Creator, $29 a month | Starter, $29 a month billed monthly |
| Credits on entry plan | 600 a month, with credit rollovers | 1,250 a month |
| Next plan up | Pro, $49 a month, 1,000 credits | Pro, $89 a month billed monthly, 6,000 credits |
| Video length | Up to 30 minutes on Creator and Pro, 60 minutes on Business | About 12 minutes on Starter, about 60 minutes on Pro |
| Export | 1080p on Creator, 4K on Pro | Downloads included from Starter; resolution not in the plan details we recorded |
| Stock avatars | 500+ stock video avatars on Free | 125+ on Starter, 180+ on Pro, 240+ on Enterprise |
| Your own avatar | 1 custom video avatar on Free, 5 on Business, unlimited photo avatars on Creator | 5 personal avatars on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise |
| Languages and dubbing | 30+ languages on Free, 175+ languages and dialects on Creator | Dubbing in the free allowance, 1-click translation into 140+ languages on Enterprise |
| Voice cloning | Listed on Creator | Not in the plan details we recorded |
| Watermark | Watermark removal listed on Creator | Watermark on Basic videos, logo removed on Starter |
| Who the pricing page targets | Creators and marketers | Business and training video |
| Team sign-in | Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) single sign-on (SSO) on Business, $149 a month plus $20 per extra seat | SAML/SSO on Enterprise, custom pricing |
All figures come from the HeyGen pricing page and the Synthesia pricing page, both fetched on 2026-10-19. Prices change often, so confirm them on the HeyGen pricing page and the Synthesia pricing page before you pay.
What HeyGen Offers Creators
HeyGen’s pricing page frames its plans for creators and marketers, with a free plan and three paid tiers before Enterprise. The HeyGen pricing page lists the free plan at 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute long. That plan includes Avatar IV access, 500+ stock video avatars, 1 custom video avatar and 30+ languages.
The Creator plan costs $29 a month on the HeyGen pricing page and includes 600 credits. It raises the video length to 30 minutes and exports in 1080p. It also adds unlimited photo avatars, watermark removal, voice cloning and 175+ languages and dialects.
Creator also lists credit rollovers.
HeyGen’s Upper Plans
The HeyGen pricing page lists Pro at $49 a month with 1,000 credits, 4K export and videos up to 30 minutes. Pro suits you if you want 4K files for your channel, because Creator tops out at 1080p.
Business costs $149 a month on the HeyGen pricing page, with additional seats at $20 each. It adds 1,500 credits, videos up to 60 minutes, 5 custom video avatars and SAML/SSO sign-in. HeyGen also offers an Enterprise plan through its sales team, with no price on the pricing page.
Where HeyGen’s Free Plan Stops
HeyGen’s free plan allows 3 videos a month of up to 1 minute each, according to the HeyGen pricing page. That is enough to test a script, an avatar and a voice before you spend money. It does not cover a weekly posting schedule or any video longer than a minute.
What Synthesia Offers
Synthesia’s plans are measured in credits, and its site and plans lean toward business and training video. The Synthesia pricing page says credits are the shared currency across features.
The Synthesia pricing page lists the Basic plan at $0 with 500 credits a month and a free allowance of 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing. Basic videos carry a Synthesia watermark. Treat Basic as a test account for your script and avatar choice.
Starter costs $29 a month billed monthly on the Synthesia pricing page. It includes 1,250 credits a month and lets you download your content. It also removes the Synthesia logo and gives you 125+ Synthesia AI avatars, 3 guests, chat and email support, and videos up to about 12 minutes.
Synthesia Pro and Enterprise
The Synthesia pricing page lists Pro at $89 a month billed monthly with 6,000 credits a month. Pro adds 180+ Synthesia AI avatars, 5 personal avatars and videos up to about 60 minutes. It also includes branded video pages, interactive videos and 5 guests.
Enterprise has custom pricing on the Synthesia pricing page. It lists 1-click translations into 140+ languages, 240+ stock avatars, unlimited personal avatars and SAML/SSO. The Synthesia pricing page also says yearly billing costs less than monthly billing.
Features Built for Training Teams
Some Synthesia features are sold for training work. The Synthesia pricing page lists AI roleplay learner seats at $29 per learner per month, which is a training feature you can skip as a solo creator. Before you pay for Pro, decide whether you will use the guests, branded video pages and interactive videos it lists.
Cost of HeyGen vs Synthesia for a Weekly Creator
A weekly creator outgrows HeyGen’s free plan, and Synthesia’s free Basic plan carries a watermark. The numbers below use only the two pricing pages, and the video lengths are made-up examples to show the math.
A month has at least four weeks, so a weekly schedule means at least 4 videos a month. HeyGen’s free plan covers 3 videos a month according to the HeyGen pricing page, which leaves you at least one video short. Moving to HeyGen Creator costs $29 a month on the HeyGen pricing page.
Synthesia’s Basic plan gives 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing a month, according to the Synthesia pricing page. Four videos of 2 minutes each use 8 minutes, which fits inside that allowance. Those videos carry a Synthesia watermark, and removing the logo means Synthesia Starter at $29 a month billed monthly.
Short Videos: The Two Entry Plans
If your weekly videos run under 12 minutes, both $29 entry plans cover the length on their pricing pages. Paying monthly for a year comes to $29 × 12 = $348 on either the HeyGen Creator price or the Synthesia Starter price. The Synthesia pricing page says yearly billing costs less, and the exact yearly price is listed on the Synthesia pricing page.
Long Videos: Where the Plans Split
Say your weekly video runs 15 minutes. HeyGen Creator allows videos up to 30 minutes on the HeyGen pricing page, so the $29 plan covers it at $348 a year paid monthly. Synthesia Starter allows about 12 minutes on the Synthesia pricing page, so you would need Synthesia Pro at $89 a month billed monthly, which is $89 × 12 = $1,068 a year.
How Far the Credits Go
This guide does not have a credits-per-minute figure for either paid plan. Look up how many minutes 600 credits buy on the HeyGen pricing page and how many 1,250 credits buy on the Synthesia pricing page before you commit. Both pages list monthly credit amounts.
YouTube’s requirements are covered in YouTube monetization requirements.
Monetization Rules for AI Avatar Videos
YouTube allows faceless and AI-made videos to earn money, but it sets two rules that apply to HeyGen and Synthesia videos alike. Your choice of tool does not change either rule.
The first rule is disclosure. YouTube requires you to disclose realistic content generated or meaningfully altered with AI, using the “AI use” setting in YouTube Studio, as explained on YouTube Help. Turn the setting on when you upload any avatar video that fits that description.
The second rule is YouTube’s inauthentic content policy, renamed in July 2025. Under that policy, mass-produced, repetitive, template-made videos cannot monetize. Channels that add original commentary or value remain eligible.
To stay on the right side of that policy, take these steps:
- Write each script yourself, with your own opinion, research or explanation.
- Change the format between videos instead of reusing one template with new words.
- Add commentary or examples a viewer cannot get from another channel’s video.
- Avoid producing large batches of near-identical videos from one script.
Our guide to YouTube automation covers automated channels.
Which to Choose
The better tool depends on your video length, your budget and the features you will use. Match your plan to one of these situations.
- You want to test before paying. Use both free plans with the same script. HeyGen’s pricing page lists 3 one-minute videos a month, and Synthesia’s pricing page lists 10 minutes with a watermark.
- You make videos longer than 12 minutes on $29 a month. HeyGen Creator lists videos up to 30 minutes on the HeyGen pricing page, against about 12 minutes on Synthesia Starter.
- You want voice cloning on an entry plan. HeyGen’s pricing page lists voice cloning on its $29 Creator plan, and the Synthesia plan details we recorded do not list it.
- You want 4K files. HeyGen’s pricing page lists 4K export on Pro at $49 a month.
- You want a $29 plan with downloads and 125+ avatars. Synthesia’s pricing page lists 125+ avatars and downloads on Starter.
- You make training videos for a business client. Synthesia’s plans lean toward business and training video, and its Pro plan lists interactive videos and branded video pages for $89 a month billed monthly.
- You want several personal avatars. Synthesia’s pricing page lists 5 personal avatars on Pro, and HeyGen’s pricing page lists 5 custom video avatars on Business at $149 a month.
Who Should Not Pick Either Yet
Start with how to start a faceless YouTube channel and draft five scripts first. If you are still deciding between avatars and other faceless formats, read our guide to AI avatar videos before you sign up.
What Would Change This Comparison
The comparison would shift if Synthesia raised the Starter length limit above about 12 minutes, which would remove HeyGen Creator’s length lead at $29. It would also shift if HeyGen dropped credit rollovers, or if either company published a credits-per-minute figure showing one plan buys far more video. Any price change on the HeyGen pricing page or the Synthesia pricing page would change the cost math above.
Your next step is to open both free plans, make the same one-minute video in each, and settle HeyGen vs Synthesia on which file you would put on your channel.