Synthesia is cheaper to start and cheaper per year at the entry level: Starter costs $9 for the first month, then $19 a month, or $168 a year on annual billing. HeyGen Creator costs $29 a month on monthly billing, or $24 a month on annual billing, which is $288 a year by our arithmetic. HeyGen’s free plan includes a custom avatar of yourself but is limited to personal, non-commercial use, while Synthesia’s free plan adds a watermark and does not state its commercial-use rights. Neither provider offers refunds as standard.
This is a documentary comparison based on the two providers’ official pages. We have not bought either plan or generated any videos, so nothing here judges avatar realism, voice quality or editing tools. Feature and policy statements are the providers’ own claims.
Prices at a glance
Prices and plan details were checked on the providers’ official pages on 5 November 2026. Figures are in USD as displayed. Prices vary by country, currency, taxes and promotions, so confirm the final amount at checkout.
| Item | Synthesia | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Basic: 500 credits/month, 10 min of Studio video or dubbing, watermark | Free: 3 videos/month up to 1 minute each, watermark, non-commercial only |
| Entry plan, first month (monthly billing) | Starter: $9 | Creator: $29 |
| Entry plan, ongoing (monthly billing) | Starter: $19/month | Creator: $29/month |
| Entry plan, annual billing | Starter: $14/month, $168/year | Creator: $24/month ($288/year, our arithmetic) |
| Mid plan, monthly billing | Pro: $49 first month, then $89/month | Pro: $49/month for 1,000 credits; tiers up to $4,300/month |
| Mid plan, annual billing | Pro: $59/month, $708/year | Not confirmed |
| Team plan | Enterprise: custom | Business: $149/month, extra seats $20/seat/month |
| Refunds | Non-refundable unless the contract says otherwise | Non-refundable except where required by law |
First month vs a full year
Synthesia’s monthly plans start with an introductory price, so the first month is not a good guide to the ongoing cost. On monthly billing, a first year works out as follows (our arithmetic):
- Synthesia Starter: $218 ($9 + 11 × $19), then $228 a year after that.
- HeyGen Creator: $348 (12 × $29), with no introductory price shown.
- Synthesia Pro: $1,028 ($49 + 11 × $89), then $1,068 a year.
- HeyGen Pro at the 1,000-credit tier: $588 (12 × $49).
On annual billing, Synthesia Starter is $168 and HeyGen Creator is $288 (our arithmetic). HeyGen labels its yearly toggle “2 months free” but only states the annual price for Creator. Synthesia Pro on annual billing is $708 a year. At the mid tier, HeyGen Pro’s monthly price is lower than Synthesia Pro’s, but the two plans give different allowances, so price alone does not settle it.
What the allowance buys
Both providers sell credits, and the two credit systems are not equivalent. Synthesia translates credits into approximate minutes: Starter gives 1,250 credits a month, or up to about 12 minutes of video, and Pro gives 6,000 credits, or up to about 60 minutes. HeyGen Creator gives 600 credits a month, and HeyGen says credit use varies by model, duration and complexity. HeyGen states maximum video lengths instead: 30 minutes on Creator and Pro, 60 minutes on Business.
Unused credits are handled differently. Synthesia resets allowances each billing period with no rollover, and pauses video creation until renewal once you reach the limit. HeyGen rolls unused credits over for one month on monthly billing and lets them accumulate until renewal on annual billing; nothing carries over after cancellation. You can check the current credit tiers on HeyGen.
Other listed differences:
- Users: Synthesia Starter includes one editor and three guests, Pro one editor and five guests. HeyGen Creator and Pro are one seat; Business adds seats at $20 each per month.
- Export: HeyGen lists 1080p on Creator and 4K on Pro and Business. Synthesia lists Full HD 1920×1080 MP4 downloads, without a per-plan breakdown.
- Languages: Synthesia lists 140+ languages and voices. HeyGen lists 175+ languages and dialects on paid plans.
- Stock avatars: Synthesia lists 125+ on Starter and 180+ on Pro. HeyGen lists 700+ on Pro.
Free plans
Synthesia Basic gives one editor 500 credits a month, 10 minutes of Studio video or dubbing and nine stock avatars. Videos carry a Synthesia watermark or logo, and commercial-use rights for the free plan were not confirmed. Synthesia’s FAQ says personal avatars are included with paid plans. You can see what Basic includes on Synthesia.
HeyGen Free gives three videos a month of up to one minute each, one Custom Video Avatar and 500+ ready-made presenters. Videos are watermarked. HeyGen’s terms license free-plan output only for personal, non-commercial and internal evaluation purposes, and it may not be monetized. That makes it a way to test a custom avatar, not a way to publish client or marketing work.
Commercial use and ownership
HeyGen’s terms are the more explicit of the two: on Creator, Pro and Business, you own all rights in your input and output. Synthesia’s Customer Terms say the customer owns Customer Data, including Output, on its plans, but they do not use the phrase “commercial use”. This is a summary of what the providers state, not legal advice. If commercial rights matter for your project, read the current terms for the exact plan you buy.
Custom avatars, consent and labelling
Both providers make you responsible for consent. Synthesia’s terms require that the person behind a custom avatar has given free and informed consent and is above the applicable legal age. Synthesia Pro includes five personal avatars; availability on Starter was not confirmed. HeyGen requires a consent video in which the person reads the provided consent text exactly, under 30 seconds, recorded and submitted together with the avatar footage. Its terms add that owning a recording does not by itself establish permission to clone someone’s voice. HeyGen Creator includes a Custom Video Avatar with your own voice and likeness, and Business includes five.
On labelling, Synthesia says its content is labeled in line with Article 50 of the EU AI Act, shows a Content Authenticity Initiative logo and says it applies content moderation to all videos. HeyGen’s terms say that, where the law requires it, you must disclose that output was made with AI and may not present it as entirely human-made. Neither page confirmed C2PA Content Credentials. Our guide to provenance and disclosure for AI media explains how to label your own videos consistently.
Refunds and renewals
Synthesia’s help center says all purchases are non-cancelable and, unless the contract says otherwise, non-refundable, including unused renewals. Studio Avatars cannot be refunded once produced. Its terms say plans renew automatically for one year or the preceding term, whichever is shorter, with non-renewal notice due at least 30 days before the term ends. To stop a plan, cancel in Billing before the renewal date; Synthesia says a reminder email is not guaranteed.
HeyGen’s terms say subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel and payments are non-refundable, except where required by law. Upgrades take effect immediately with proration, while downgrades and cancellations take effect at the end of the billing cycle. With no refunds on either side, the free plans are the only safe way to try before paying.
Who each suits
Synthesia suits people who want the lowest confirmed entry price, a small team with guest reviewers, or a provider that states its own labelling approach. Starter on annual billing is $168 a year. HeyGen suits solo creators who want to test a custom avatar for free, need clear ownership wording on paid plans, or want rollover of unused credits. Teams that need several full seats can price HeyGen Business at $149 a month plus $20 per extra seat. For Colossyan and D-ID as well, see our AI avatar video generators comparison, and plan review steps with our guide to AI-assisted video production with review.
- Use the free plan first: neither provider offers standard refunds.
- Compare the full-year cost, not the first month.
- Check that your plan gives the commercial rights you need; HeyGen Free does not.
- Record consent before creating any custom avatar of another person.
- Decide how you will label AI-generated videos.
- Note the renewal date and cancel ahead of it if needed.
- Confirm the final price, taxes and currency at checkout.
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