HeyGen vs Synthesia

Both make videos with AI avatars from a script.

Pick HeyGen if

You make marketing videos, social ads or product demos and want avatar videos, voice clones or translations into other languages. HeyGen is strong for marketing content and for translating one video into several languages.

Pick Synthesia if

You make training, onboarding or explainer videos and want a polished presenter-style result from a script. Synthesia is built around that kind of content, and its yearly billing lowers the monthly price.

How to decide

Both list free plans, so write one short script (about 60 seconds) and make the same video in each. Compare how natural the presenter looks, how easy edits are, and whether the free plan's limits (length, watermarks, export quality) are enough for you. Check each pricing page for current limits.

Whichever you choose, get consent before creating an avatar or voice based on a real person, and follow platform rules on labeling AI-generated video.

Also compare what each plan includes for video minutes, avatar choices and languages, since those limits, not the headline price, usually decide which plan you need. If you only need narration over slides or screen recordings, a voice tool such as ElevenLabs may be enough on its own.

Our verdict

HeyGen for marketing and multilingual videos; Synthesia for polished training content.

Prices from each vendor's official pricing page, checked Nov 2026. "See site" means we couldn't verify the price.