Both tools turn a typed script into a video of a person saying it. That is the whole category, and both do it well. The decision is about what the video is for. HeyGen leans toward marketing and localisation; Synthesia leans toward the learning-and-development department. The pricing pages make the difference harder to see than it should be.
Pricing at realistic output
At the time of verification (2026-09-09), both start at $29 a month on monthly billing, and both have free tiers, but the free tiers are not equivalent. HeyGen's free plan allows 3 videos a month, 1 minute maximum, watermarked, with 1 custom avatar; it is enough to judge avatar quality and nothing else. Synthesia's Basic plan gives 1,200 credits a month, which it states is up to about 10 minutes of video or dubbing, with 9 stock avatars and no card required. For short internal videos that is usable, not just a demo.
On paid tiers, HeyGen's Creator at $29 ($24.17 annual) includes 600 credits, videos up to 30 minutes, 1080p export, unlimited photo avatars, 175+ languages, voice cloning and no watermark. Pro at $49 ($40.83 annual) lifts that to 1,000 credits and 4K. Synthesia's Starter at $29 ($18 annual) includes 1,200 credits a month (14,500 a year on annual), 125+ stock avatars, 1 editor plus 3 guests, downloads, AI dubbing and logo removal. Creator at $89 ($64 annual) gives 3,600 credits, 5 personal avatars, API access, branded pages and interactive video.
The problem with a direct comparison is that credits do not convert to minutes the same way on each platform. HeyGen's credit consumption per minute varies by feature, so real capacity per plan is unclear until you use it. Synthesia's credit-to-minute conversion is indirect and confusing when comparing plans. The honest advice is to run the same three-minute script through both free tiers and look at what each one deducted.
For teams, HeyGen's Business plan is $149 a month plus $20 per additional seat on monthly billing, with 1,500 credits, 60-minute videos, 5 custom avatars, SSO and LMS integrations; annual pricing is on request. Synthesia's Enterprise is custom, with unlimited minutes and unlimited personal avatars. Neither publishes a clean team price, and HeyGen's Business jump from $49 to $149 is steep.
Feature depth
HeyGen's edge is realism and localisation. Its avatar and lip-sync quality is among the strongest in the category, and its video translation feature takes footage you already recorded and produces lip-synced versions in other languages, which is a different job from generating from script. Interactive avatars and an API let it sit inside a product. Custom avatars are limited to one on lower tiers, and the free plan's watermark and 1-minute cap make it unusable for publishing.
Synthesia's edge is the production environment. The editor works like slides, with scenes and templates, which suits people who make training decks. Its stock avatar library is large, AI dubbing is included from Starter, and the Creator tier adds interactive video and branded pages. Personal avatars are reserved for Creator and above, which is a real limit on Starter. It is less flexible for creative or social content.
Ease of use
Both score well. HeyGen's script-to-avatar flow is straightforward; credits and custom avatar setup add friction. Synthesia's slide-deck editor is familiar to office users; the fine print on credits and avatar tiers is where new users stumble. Neither needs video-editing skill.
Exit cost
Low for the videos, which export as files. Higher for the assets: a custom or personal avatar and a cloned voice are platform-specific and get rebuilt on the other side. If you are localising a library, the translated versions live with the tool that made them.
Scenario by scenario
A solo marketer making explainers and ad variations for social: HeyGen Creator. Voice cloning and photo avatars on the entry plan cover it.
An HR or L&D team producing onboarding modules in several languages: Synthesia Starter or Creator. The editor fits the work and dubbing is included.
A company with a library of recorded product videos that needs them in five languages: HeyGen, for lip-synced translation of existing footage rather than re-generation.
A regulated organisation that needs SSO and governance before anyone can use the tool: Synthesia Enterprise, or HeyGen Business if the seat pricing works.
Someone who needs a talking-head video once for a launch: either free tier, with Synthesia's being the one that lets you actually download something usable.
What neither does well
Neither is a video editor and neither makes footage without a presenter. A faceless channel built on stock clips and voiceover should look at /tool/invideo, and anyone turning long webinars into short clips should look at /tool/pictory. Neither publishes transparent per-minute pricing, which is the single most common complaint about the whole category. And personal or custom avatars are gated on both, so the version of you that appears in the video costs more than the headline plan on either tool.
Profiles at /tool/heygen and /tool/synthesia; alternatives at /alternatives/synthesia.