Best for: Creators and marketers publishing short avatar video and localised ads
The stronger pick for marketing and social video, and the lip-sync translation is the feature nothing else matches at this price. For a governed training library at company scale, Synthesia still fits better.
- Who it's forIndividuals, Freelancers, Small and mid-size businesses
- Not ideal forLong-form training libraries with strict enterprise governance
- Price from$29/mo · free plan
- In category#1 of 2 in Avatars · category median $29/mo
What is HeyGen?
HeyGen aims at people who publish video, where its main rival aims at people who train staff. The workflow is the same as its rivals, script in, presenter out, but the output is tuned for social and marketing: shorter clips, more expressive delivery, faster turnaround.
Avatar IV is the model that changed its position, generating longer takes with gesture and expression rather than a talking head locked to a frame. Video translation is the other half of the product and the strongest reason to pick it.
Feed in an existing video and it returns the same footage in another language with the lip movement rebuilt to match, so the speaker looks like they are speaking it.
For anyone localising customer testimonials, course content or ads, that is a different result from subtitles or a dubbed voice track.
Credits meter everything: free gives 3 videos a month, Creator $29 gives 600 credits with 1080p export, Pro $49 gives 1,000 with 4K, and Business is $149 plus $20 per seat.
Made by HeyGenLos Angeles, USAFounded 2020Launched Nov 2022
HeyGen key features
Avatar IV
Generates longer takes with gesture and expression instead of a talking head locked to a fixed frame.
Lip-sync video translation
Rebuilds the mouth movement in the target language, so an existing video looks natively spoken rather than dubbed.
Custom avatars
Record yourself once and reuse the avatar across every video, including in languages you do not speak.
1,100+ stock avatars
A large library covering ages, accents and settings, so a presenter exists without recording anyone.
4K export
Available from the Pro plan, which matters for anything running as a paid ad or on a large screen.
API and Video Agent
Generate video programmatically or let an agent assemble it, for teams producing at volume.
Credit-based usage
One allowance covers video generation, translation and avatar work rather than separate per-feature meters.
HeyGen pricing and plans
Free
Free
- 3 videos per month
- Standard video processing
- Trial access to premium features
Creator
$29/month
- $24 per month billed annually
- 600 credits
- 1080p video export
- Extended Avatar IV generation
- Fast video processing
Pro
$49/month
- 1,000 credits
- 4K video export
- Faster video processing
- Customisable monthly usage
Business
$149/month
- Plus $20 per seat per month
- Team templates and shared brand assets
- Team member 2FA enforcement
- Higher credit allocation
Pricing checked on August 26, 2026.See HeyGen's pricing page
HeyGen pros and cons
Pros
- Lip-sync translation rebuilds the mouth movement to match the new language
- Avatar IV produces expressive takes rather than a static talking head
- Free plan gives 3 real videos with no card
- 4.8 on G2 across more than 1,400 reviews
Cons
- Credits cover several features from one pool, which is hard to forecast
- 4K export is locked behind the $49 plan
- Fewer enterprise governance controls than Synthesia
HeyGen platforms, API and integrations
2 platforms
- Web app
- iOS
API available
SDKs: REST, Python, JavaScript. API documentation
12 languages
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi
Inputs and outputs
Accepts Text, Video, Audio, ImageProduces Video, Audio
2 AI models
Avatar IV, HeyGen voice models
Is HeyGen secure? Privacy, compliance and support
Data privacy
- Does not train on user data
- Retention: Uploads and generated videos are stored in your workspace; custom avatars require recorded consent from the person filmed
- Data region: US
Compliance
- SOC 2
- GDPR
Team features
- SSO: yes
- Team workspace: yes
Support channels
- Live chat
- Documentation
- Dedicated manager
Who is HeyGen best for?
Creators and marketers publishing short avatar video and localised ads. HeyGen targets individuals, freelancers, small and mid-size businesses, agencies, enterprises.
Use cases
Categories
Best HeyGen alternatives
Compare all alternatives
Synthesia
Avatars8.4Turns a script into a video with an AI presenter, in 140+ languages
- Price
- $29/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
ElevenLabs
Audio & voice8.5Lifelike text-to-speech, voice cloning and dubbing in 30+ languages
- Price
- $5/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
Runway
Video7.9Text-to-video, image-to-video and AI editing tools for filmmakers
- Price
- $15/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
Adobe Firefly
Image generation8.5Commercially safe image, video and audio generation from Adobe
- Price
- $9.99/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
Leonardo.Ai
Image generation8.3Image, video and motion generation with fine-tuned models and an API
- Price
- $12/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
Midjourney
Image generation8.1Image and video generation with the strongest aesthetic default
- Price
- $10/mo
- Free plan
- No
- API
- No
HeyGen FAQ
Is HeyGen free?
Yes, with 3 videos a month and trial access to the premium features. No card is required, which makes it a genuine way to judge output quality.
How much does HeyGen cost?
Creator is $29 per month, or $24 billed annually, for 600 credits. Pro is $49 for 1,000 credits and 4K export. Business is $149 per month plus $20 per seat.
Can HeyGen translate a video into another language?
Yes, and it rebuilds the lip movement to match the new language, so the speaker looks like they are saying the words rather than being dubbed over.
HeyGen or Synthesia?
HeyGen for social and marketing video, cheaper at entry and stronger on lip-sync translation. Synthesia for corporate training at scale, with more languages and tighter enterprise controls.
Can I make an avatar of myself in HeyGen?
Yes. You record a short clip and the avatar is generated from it, with consent recorded for the person filmed. It can then speak languages you do not.
What do HeyGen credits pay for?
One allowance covers video generation, translation and avatar work. Longer videos and higher resolutions consume more, so price a finished video rather than a single generation.