SwitchMyToolSynthesia vs HeyGen: Pricing, Credits, Video Limits & Best Fit (2026)
Last updated June 26, 2026. This comparison treats Synthesia credits, video minutes and generated assets separately from HeyGen web credits, duration caps and API wallet billing.
Quick verdict
Synthesia is the clearer fit for structured employee training, Learning & Development, compliance content, SCORM, enterprise brand governance, controlled team collaboration and workflows planned around video-minute packages.
HeyGen is the clearer fit for flexible credit-based avatar video, engine-specific credit usage, video translation, localization, sales and marketing video, API/MCP workflows and business integrations.
Both products have free entry points, but the allowance units are different. A direct overall choice is not appropriate.
Pricing and usage basis
| Product | Permanent Free plan | Monthly paid entry | Annual monthly equivalent | Billing unit | Credit allocation | Credit refresh / rollover | Video allowance / project limit | Generated-asset allowance | Export resolution | Avatars | Languages | Dubbing / translation | Seats / collaboration | SCORM | API access | API billing pool | Security controls | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesia | Basic / Free $0; no credit card required | Starter $29/month billed monthly | Starter $18/month billed yearly; FAQ conflict retained | Account subscription with separate credit, minute and asset fields | Monthly: 1,200 credits/month; annual: 14,500 credits/year | Plan period refresh; unused video minutes do not roll over | Monthly: 10 minutes/month; annual: 120 minutes/year | Monthly: 25 assets/month; annual: 300 assets/year | Plan-specific; exported-video resolution not summarized as a pricing unit here | 9 avatars on Basic; 125+ AI avatars on Starter; 180+ on Creator | 160+ languages and voices listed on Basic and higher plans | AI Dubbing shares the plan minute pool | Starter 1 editor and 3 guests; Creator 1 editor and 5 guests | Enterprise context | Creator and Enterprise plan-specific API minutes | Creator API access is up to 360 minutes/year deducted from plan usage; Enterprise includes 360 minutes/year and additional paid add-on usage. | Enterprise SAML/SSO, moderation, SOC 2 and GDPR references | Synthesia pricing |
| HeyGen | Free $0; no credit card required; 3 videos/month | Creator $29/month billed monthly | Creator $24/month billed annually | Web-plan credits; Direct API wallet is separate | Creator 600 credits; Pro starts at 1,000 credits; Business 1,500 credits | Monthly rollover one extra month; annual credits accumulate until renewal | Duration cap per video: Free 1 minute, Creator/Pro 30, Business 60 | Credits consumed by engine or asset type | Creator 1080p; Pro and Business 4K | 500+ stock Digital Twins on Free; unlimited Photo Avatars on paid plans | Creator lists 175+ languages and dialects | Audio Dubbing and Full Video Translation consume credits per minute | Business includes collaboration controls plus $20/seat/month | Business/Enterprise contexts list SCORM or LMS integrations | MCP OAuth on web credits; Direct API and Skills use API key | Web-plan credits and Direct API/Skills API dashboard balance are separate. MCP uses OAuth and web-plan premium credits; Direct API uses API key and API dashboard balance. | SAML/SSO, SCIM, MFA/2FA enforcement and audit logs on higher tiers | HeyGen pricing and API pricing |
Synthesia annual cards show Starter at $18/month and Creator at $64/month when billed yearly, while the FAQ states $264/year and $804/year. That official conflict is preserved in shared data.
Plan-level details
| Synthesia plan | Price | Credits | Minutes | Assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic / Free | $0/month | 1,200 credits/month | Up to 10 video minutes/month | 25 AI-generated video assets/month |
| Starter | $29/month billed monthly$18/month annual equivalent; derived annual card total $216 | Monthly: 1,200 credits/month; annual: 14,500 credits/year | Monthly: 10 minutes/month; annual: 120 minutes/year | Monthly: 25 assets/month; annual: 300 assets/year |
| Creator | $89/month billed monthly$64/month annual equivalent; derived annual card total $768 | Monthly: 3,600 credits/month; annual: 44,000 credits/year | Monthly: 30 minutes/month; annual: 360 minutes/year | Monthly: 75 assets/month; annual: 900 assets/year |
| Enterprise | Custom pricingCustom annual enterprise terms | Custom credits | Unlimited video minutes | Custom generated-asset allowance |
| HeyGen plan | Price | Credits | Max duration | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | No public Free credit amount; uses 3 videos/month | 1 minute/video | / |
| Creator | $29/month billed monthly$24/month billed annually | 600 web credits; monthly rollover one extra month, annual accumulation until renewal | 30 minutes/video | 1080p |
| Pro | Starts at $49/monthAnnual pricing depends on selected tier | Entry tier 1,000 credits/month; public FAQ says tiers range to 100,000 credits/month at $4,300 | 30 minutes/video | 4K |
| Business | $149/month plus $20/seat/monthAnnual Business price not listed in captured UI | 1,500 credits; Business can buy packs or enable auto-reload | 60 minutes/video | 4K |
| Enterprise | Contact SalesCustom commercial terms | Custom usage | No duration maximum shown | 4K |
Feature and workflow matrix
| Dimension | Synthesia | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Credits plus video or AI Dubbing minutes | Credits by engine plus separate API wallet |
| Permanent Free plan | Available | Available |
| Training workflow | SCORM and enterprise governance context | Training possible; localization and avatar workflow emphasized |
| Translation workflow | 1-click translation and AI Dubbing | Explicit per-minute credit costs for dubbing and translation |
| Avatar workflow | AI avatars plus paid Studio Avatar add-on | Digital Twins, Photo Avatars and Avatar IV/V credit usage |
| Collaboration | Editors, guests, brand kit and approval controls by plan | Workspace collaboration, SAML/SSO and business integrations by plan |
| API model | Plan-specific API minutes tied to plan usage | MCP web credits; Direct API wallet separately billed |
| Security references | Security, governance, privacy and terms references | Security, trust, privacy and terms references |
Scenario fit
Synthesia fit
- Employee training, compliance and Learning & Development videos.
- Teams that need brand governance, guests and structured approval paths.
- Buyers who can plan around video or AI Dubbing minute packages.
HeyGen fit
- Avatar video, localization, sales outreach and multilingual content.
- Teams that need explicit credit costs for dubbing and translation engines.
- Developer workflows that separate web credits from Direct API wallet balance.
Switching checklist
- Export required MP4 files, source scripts, images, audio and uploaded media.
- Record avatars, voices, languages and pronunciation settings.
- Save templates, Brand Kits, logos, fonts and color settings.
- Inventory Personal Avatars, Custom Digital Twins and consent records.
- Estimate monthly generated-video, dubbing and translation volume.
- Separate web-app usage from API usage.
- Record SCORM, LMS, embed and interactive-video dependencies.
- Export workspace members, roles, comments and approval workflows.
- Review model-training, retention, biometric and consent requirements.
- Test one real video in both tools before migrating the full workflow.
Official sources
Synthesia sources
- Synthesia homepage
Synthesia · official homepage
- Synthesia pricing
Synthesia · official pricing
- Synthesia Help Center
Synthesia · official documentation
- Synthesia Security Portal
Synthesia · official security
- Synthesia Privacy Policy
Synthesia · official legal
- Synthesia Customer Terms
Synthesia · official terms
- Synthesia Responsible AI
Synthesia · official documentation
- Synthesia AI Governance
Synthesia · official documentation
- Synthesia API Documentation
Synthesia · official documentation
- Synthesia API Reference
Synthesia · official documentation
HeyGen sources
- HeyGen homepage
HeyGen · official homepage
- HeyGen pricing
HeyGen · official pricing
- HeyGen API pricing
HeyGen · official pricing
- HeyGen Developers
HeyGen · official documentation
- HeyGen avatars
HeyGen · official features
- HeyGen video translator
HeyGen · official features
- HeyGen security
HeyGen · official security
- HeyGen security portal
HeyGen · official security
- HeyGen Trust and Safety
HeyGen · official documentation
- HeyGen Privacy Policy
HeyGen · official legal
- HeyGen Terms
HeyGen · official terms
- HeyGen Help Center
HeyGen · official documentation
FAQ
Is Synthesia or HeyGen cheaper?
A direct cheaper label is not appropriate because pricesDirectlyComparable is false. Synthesia combines credits, video or AI Dubbing minutes and generated assets, while HeyGen web credits burn at different rates by engine and its Direct API wallet is separate.
Do Synthesia and HeyGen have permanent free plans?
Yes. Synthesia shows Basic / Free at $0 with no credit card required. HeyGen shows Free at $0 with no credit card required and 3 videos/month. The limits are not equivalent.
How do Synthesia credits differ from HeyGen credits?
Synthesia credits are stored separately from video or AI Dubbing minutes and generated assets. HeyGen credits are a web-plan currency consumed at different rates by Avatar III, Avatar IV/V, Audio Dubbing, Full Video Translation and Video Agent.
How many video minutes can Synthesia generate?
Synthesia displays plan video or AI Dubbing minute allowances: Basic and monthly Starter up to 10 minutes/month, monthly Creator up to 30 minutes/month, annual Starter 120 minutes/year, annual Creator 360 minutes/year, and Enterprise unlimited minutes with plan conditions.
How long can HeyGen videos be?
HeyGen max duration is a per-video limit, not a total account allowance: Free videos up to 1 minute, Creator and Pro up to 30 minutes/video, Business up to 60 minutes/video, and Enterprise no video-duration maximum shown.
Which tool is better for training and SCORM workflows?
For structured training and SCORM workflows, Synthesia is the more direct fit in this comparison because SCORM, Brand Kits, collaboration and governance are central to its enterprise plan language. HeyGen also lists SCORM and LMS integrations in Business/Enterprise contexts, so plan conditions should be checked.
Which tool is better for translation and localization?
HeyGen is the more direct fit when the decision depends on explicit per-minute credit costs for translation and dubbing. Synthesia also offers 1-click translation and AI Dubbing, but its allowance model is organized around plan minutes and credits.
How do Synthesia and HeyGen API charges work?
Synthesia API access is plan-specific and Creator API minutes are deducted from plan usage, while Enterprise includes API minutes with additional paid usage available. HeyGen MCP uses OAuth and web-plan premium credits, while Direct API and Skills use an API key and separate API dashboard balance.
How do their security and AI-training policies differ?
Synthesia security and AI governance sources were checked, but broad training statements remain unlisted here. HeyGen states Enterprise customer data is excluded from AI model training by default, while non-Enterprise customers may opt out by contacting HeyGen; this is not legal advice.
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Pricing information may change. Always check the official website for the latest pricing.