HeyGen vs. Synthesia

What is the best AI avatar platform? Is it HeyGen, Synthesia, or an alternative? Find out in HeyGen vs. Synthesia.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven technologies, HeyGen and Synthesia emerge as prominent players, each offering innovative solutions in the field of synthetic media and content generation. This comparison delves into the distinctive features and capabilities of HeyGen and Synthesia, shedding light on the nuances that set them apart in the dynamic realm of AI-driven content creation as well as a game-changing alternative.

HeyGen vs. Synthesia: A brief overview

• Best overall: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best pricing: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best avatars: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best voices: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best languages & accents: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best video templates: HeyGen ↓ Jump to review
• Best customizations: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best customer support: Synthesia ↓ Jump to review
• Best alternative: Speechify AI Video Generator ↓ Jump to review

What is HeyGen?

HeyGen is an AI video creation platform with a specialized focus on AI avatars. This technology harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to improve video content creation, particularly in the realm of AI-generated avatars. HeyGen employs advanced algorithms and automation to seamlessly transform text into professional videos featuring AI avatars, eliminating the need to hire actors for short-form video content like social media videos.

What is Synthesia?

Synthesia.io is an AI video generation platform that leverages advanced artificial intelligence to seamlessly transform AI-generated text into engaging video content. Synthesia.io offers a user-friendly interface with customizable avatars and supports AI voice overs and subtitles, catering to the diverse workflow needs of content creators. The platform's unique feature lies in its diverse range of avatars, each exhibiting distinct personalities, allowing creators to choose the perfect representation for their business in video marketing.

HeyGen history

HeyGen, initially established in China under the names Surreal and Movio, has undergone a transformative journey to become a prominent player in the AI video creation landscape.

Founder and CEO Josh Xu, a former Snapchat engineer, along with co-founder and CPO, Wayne Liang, who brings valuable experience from ByteDance and Smule, founded HeyGen in November 2020 with the mission to simplify video creation for businesses.

After securing substantial funding in 2022, totaling $9 million from investors such as IDG, Sequoia Capital China, and Baidu, the company, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, announced it received an additional $5.6 million in venture capital funding led by Sarah Guo's Conviction Partners, valuing HeyGen at an impressive $75 million.

Synthesia history

Synthesia, the pioneering company behind AI avatars, was founded in 2017 with a vision to transform the way video content is created and consumed. The company was established by a group of visionary individuals, including Victor Riparbelli (CEO), Steffen Tjerrild (CEO & COO), Matthias Niessner, and Lourdes Agapito. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, Synthesia has been at the forefront of AI-driven video technology.

Its journey has been marked by significant milestones, including a remarkable achievement in funding, having raised over $156.6 million to date. In a Series C funding round led by Accel, with a strategic investment from Nvidia and participation from renowned investors such as Kleiner Perkins, GV, Firstmark Capital, and MMC, Synthesia garnered an impressive $90 million. This substantial funding valued the startup at $1 billion post-money, marking a remarkable growth from its $300 million valuation in December 2021.

How HeyGen works

HeyGen converts text to videos using automation, machine learning algorithms, and AI technology, guaranteeing smooth video content creation without the need for prior video editing knowledge. Users can create captivating films using HeyGen's generative AI video generator by simply entering their desired text or selecting from a wide variety of pre-designed templates and AI presenters or avatars.

How Synthesia works

Synthesia operates by employing advanced artificial intelligence to interpret and transform AI-generated text into dynamic video content. The process begins with users inputting their desired text, after which the platform generates custom avatars to visually represent the content. These avatars come with varying personalities, allowing users to select the most suitable one for their specific communication style or brand image.

Pricing

HeyGen offers three plans, including its Free Plan, Creator Plan ($288/yearly), Business Plan ($864/yearly), and Enterprise Plan (Custom pricing). Its Free Plan comes with the ability to create a 1-minute test video, and its Creator Plan allows users to create 15 five-minute videos, while its Business plan supports 30 twenty-minute videos, and its Enterprise plan allows unlimited videos.

Synthesia offers three plans as well, including its Starter Plan ($264/yearly), Creator Plan ($804/yearly), and Enterprise Plan (Custom pricing). Synthesia’s Starter Plan allows 120 minutes of video/year, while its Creator Plan supports 360 minutes of video/year, and its Enterprise Plan allows unlimited videos.

According to these pricing plans, users can get more high-quality video generation at a cheaper price with Synthesia compared to HeyGen.

Free trial

Both HeyGen and Synthesia provide users with the opportunity to explore their services through free trial offerings. HeyGen extends a free plan that allows users to create a 1-minute test video. On the other hand, Synthesia also offers a free trial in the form of a demo. This allows users to try out both platforms before committing to a paid subscription.

Avatars

HeyGen boasts an impressive collection of 100+ AI avatars, each designed to add a unique visual element to synthesized videos. These avatars serve as digital representations that users can integrate seamlessly into their projects, enhancing the overall engagement and visual appeal. However, Synthesia takes it a step further, providing an extensive array of 140+ AI avatars. While both platforms offer various avatars in a range of ethnicities, Synthesia’s broader selection ensures that users have even more options to choose from when crafting their videos.

Natural-sounding voices

Both HeyGen and Synthesia boast extensive libraries of natural-sounding text to speech AI voices, providing users with a diverse range of options for their synthesized content. HeyGen offers a collection of over 300 AI voices, each designed to emulate human speech patterns and tones. Meanwhile, Synthesia takes it a step further with a repertoire of 400+ AI voices, expanding the possibilities for users seeking specific vocal characteristics.

Languages and accents

HeyGen provides users with access to AI voices in over 40 different languages, accompanied by various accents. However, Synthesia takes language versatility to a new level by offering natural-sounding AI voices in a staggering 120+ languages. This extensive language support ensures that users can generate content in numerous dialects and linguistic variations, promoting inclusivity and broadening the reach of their synthesized materials on a global scale.

Voice cloning capabilities

HeyGen and Synthesia offer voice cloning capabilities, enabling users to replicate specific voices for their synthesized content. HeyGen facilitates voice cloning with just 2 minutes of video footage, supporting a variety of 25+ voices through an add-on feature. Synthesia also provides voice cloning functionality for an additional fee, but it requires a slightly longer duration of 10 minutes of voice audio.

Video templates

HeyGen stands out with an extensive collection of 100+ templates, providing users with a wide range of options to suit different contexts and styles. Synthesia, while offering a slightly smaller selection, still impresses with 60+ templates. These templates empower users to craft professional-looking videos effortlessly, catering to diverse needs and preferences.

Customization controls

HeyGen provides users with the ability to create custom avatars for an additional fee, enabling a high degree of personalization. Additionally, HeyGen incorporates generative AI outfits, studio-level background matting on studio avatars, improved avatar quality, enhanced lip sync, and AI matting effects, all available for an extra charge. Synthesia, while also allowing the creation of custom avatars for an additional fee, focuses on facial expressions and lip sync customization. This allows users to fine-tune the emotional and visual aspects of their synthesized characters, providing a nuanced level of control over the final output.

Commercial usage

HeyGen supports commercial usage and even offers users the ability to create custom avatars, albeit with an additional fee. However, HeyGen maintains strict content policies, prohibiting the generation of content that involves violence, hate speech, discrimination, illegal activities, spam, or fraudulent content. Synthesia also supports commercial usage, providing users with the flexibility to use stock avatars with certain limitations or opt for custom avatars without restrictions. This enables content creators to choose the level of customization that aligns with their commercial goals while ensuring adherence to platform-specific guidelines and ethical content creation standards.

Support

HeyGen, while lacking live chat support, offers users the option to reach out through email at contact@heygen.com. Although response times may take a few hours, HeyGen also provides a self-serve help center with tutorials to address common queries and concerns. On the other hand, Synthesia excels in immediate support with a live chat feature available Monday to Sunday, from 8 am to 12 am. Users can also directly email support at support@synthesia.io for assistance or explore Synthesia’s comprehensive knowledge base, including tutorials and FAQs.

Comparing HeyGen vs. Synthesia side-by-side

HeyGen pros

There are many advantages to using HeyGen, including the following:

• Personalization: HeyGen’s AI-generated video custom avatars and voice cloning ensure each video is tailor-made, providing a unique touch to content and enhancing viewer engagement.

• Ease of use: With pre-designed video templates and user-friendly editing tools, even video creators new to video editing can craft professional-grade videos.
• Global reach: The auto-translation feature ensures content is accessible to a global audience, breaking language barriers.

HeyGen cons

While HeyGen offers many benefits, here is a look at some of the top issues users have reported:

• Slow customer service: Users of HeyGen have expressed concerns over the platform’s slow customer service response times. Delays in addressing issues or answering queries can create a sense of uncertainty, leading users to question the reliability of the platform.
• TalkingPhoto quality concerns: The TalkingPhoto feature, intended to bring photos to life by adding a talking element, hasn’t lived up to expectations for some users. The output quality is reported to be subpar, leading to dissatisfaction.
• Credits expire too quickly: Another point of contention for many HeyGen users is the swift expiration of credits. For those who purchase credits in bulk, hoping to use them over an extended period, the quick expiration can feel like a lack of value for money.

Synthesia pros

Synthesia shines in many areas, including:

• Save time and money — With Synthesia, you don’t need to pay actors, directors, or a film crew to make advertisements. Moreover, you don’t have to match anyone’s schedule; you can make videos whenever you feel like it.
• Easy to use interface — You don’t have to have any previous video editing skills. It’s simple to use and does most of the work for you. All you have to do is choose the avatar and add the text.
• Customer support — You can set up your Synthesia account so that it covers 24/7 customer support through a live chat. This is a pretty handy feature that can save you from spending additional money on customer support.

Synthesia cons

While Synthesia offers many benefits, it also has some downsides, such as:

• Limited functionality — Synthesia’s stock avatars can be limited in terms of being super customizable, which can be frustrating for some users.
• Add-ons — Synthesia offers a range of add-ons that users may need to purchase separately, which can drive up the cost of using the platform.
• Strict content moderation — Since Synthesia’s AI human avatars are based on the likeness of real humans, the company has a strong content moderation policy to ensure the actors are not being used to promote potential misinformation. However, many users have said their Synthesia videos were denied in the fields of healthcare, etc., without explanation.

Speechify AI Video Generator – The best AI video avatar platform

Speechify AI Video Generator is the #1 AI avatar and video production platform. The platform offers 100s of AI-powered avatars, allowing users to include multiple avatars in video projects at no additional cost. Additionally, Speechify AI Video Generator provides users complete control over the AI voice, tone, emotion, and more. Users can even craft a custom character from scratch. Explore the most lifelike text to speech voices on the market across various languages and accents, effortlessly add transitions, AI effects, and animations as well as translate your videos to any language with 1-click dubbing and try Speechify AI Video Generator for free today to level up your content creation, whether you’re creating PowerPoints, marketing videos, explainer videos, or more.

FAQ

What are the use cases for AI avatars?

AI video avatars serve a range of applications, from enhancing online training modules and virtual presentations to creating engaging marketing content, providing an interactive and visually compelling dimension to various digital experiences.

What is better than Synthesia?

Speechify AI Video Generator offers more advanced AI avatar features as well as more lifelike AI voice overs than Synthesia.

What is the difference between Synthesia and HeyGen?

While Synthesia and HeyGen both offer AI avatars, Synthesia provides a better deal when it comes to pricing. However, Speechify AI Video Generator offers more advanced features as far as customization than either platform.