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The Stack / Video
Synthesia
03 CreationYes for training and internal video at company scale — Synthesia is the category's enterprise standard for a reason, and Pro's five personal avatars plus API access covers serious production. For creator-style social content, HeyGen still reads more native to the feed; choose by audience, not brand recognition.
The job in the stack
The corporate avatar seat: training, onboarding, and internal comms video at scale, with the compliance posture big companies require.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 500 credits/mo (about 10 min of video, 3 survey responses), 9 stock avatars, no personal avatar, Synthesia watermark, no download |
| Starter | $29/mo | $18/mo billed yearly. 15,000 credits/year (up to ~150 min of video or ~197 min of dubbing) on top of the free allowance, 125+ avatars, 3 personal avatars, downloads, no watermark, 1 editor + 3 guests |
| Pro | $89/mo | $64/mo billed yearly (renamed from Creator). 72,000 credits/year (up to ~720 min of video or ~947 min of dubbing) at the base level, with higher credit levels available. 180+ avatars, 5 personal avatars, API (360 min/yr included), branded pages, interactive video, 1 editor + 5 guests |
| Enterprise | custom | Custom credit volumes, unlimited video minutes, 240+ stock avatars, unlimited personal avatars, SAML/SSO, SCORM export |
| Roleplay learner seat (add-on) | $25/learner/mo | Adds AI roleplay practice to any plan; no session limits for seated learners |
Pricing verified 2026-10-21. Plans change — the source of truth is Synthesia's own pricing page.
Models & versions
- Personal Avatars Digital versions of you or team members; none on Basic, 3 on Starter, 5 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise. Studio Avatars are a $1,000/year add-on
- 140+ languages Script-to-speech localization across the catalog
- AI Dubbing Translates and re-voices existing footage, priced in credits (76 credits per minute); 70+ languages on self-serve plans, 140+ on Enterprise
- Interactive Avatars (beta) Avatars that respond in a live session rather than playing back a script
- Roleplay Sessions Practice conversations against an interactive avatar with real-time coaching — a training-delivery feature, not a video-production one. Sold as a $25/learner/month add-on
- Credits Since October 2026 usage is metered in credits: about 100 credits per minute of video, 76 per minute of dubbing, 350 per survey response. Avatars, B-roll and motion graphics change the burn rate
The honest read
What works
- + The enterprise reference point: security posture, consistency, scale
- + Huge avatar and language catalog for global teams
- + Branded video pages with CTAs turn training video into a distribution asset
- + API access from the Pro tier, not just Enterprise
What breaks
- − Credit pools are tight — 15,000 credits/year on Starter is roughly 150 min of video, about three minutes a week, and the burn rate varies with what is in the video
- − Style reads corporate; social-feed content feels stiff next to HeyGen
- − Watermarked, non-downloadable free tier is a demo, not a trial
Use it for
- →L&D teams converting slide decks into watchable training
- →Multilingual internal comms without re-recording
- →SOPs and onboarding libraries that need updating quarterly
Skip it if
- ×You're making YouTube/TikTok creator content — HeyGen fits the format better
- ×Your video needs exceed ~720 min/year but the budget doesn't reach Enterprise
Questions operators ask
?Synthesia or HeyGen?
Synthesia for corporate training, compliance-conscious teams, and multilingual internal video. HeyGen for creator content, shorts, and marketing that has to feel current. They're the two poles of the same category — pick the one shaped like your audience.
What changed
- REAL DRIFT: Synthesia moved from minute pools to credits. Prices hold (Starter $29 monthly / $18 yearly, $89 / $64 for the middle tier, Enterprise custom), but Creator is now named Pro and allowances are credits: Basic 500/mo, Starter 15,000/yr (~150 min video), Pro 72,000/yr at the base level (~720 min) with higher levels on offer. That doubles the video minutes we listed (120/360), but credit burn now depends on what is in the video. Languages now read 140+ (was 160+). Roleplay learner seats are a $25/learner/month add-on, and Studio Avatars a $1,000/year add-on. Rewrote pricing, cons, skip_if and the heygen-vs-synthesia "minutes, not credits" argument.
- Freshness sweep: checked synthesia.io/pricing and found no change. Basic is free (10 min/mo, 9 avatars, no personal avatar). Starter is $29 monthly or $18 yearly with 3 personal avatars. Creator is $89 monthly or $64 yearly with 5 personal avatars and API access. Enterprise is custom. Roleplay Sessions, AI Dubbing and Interactive Avatars are still the headline features.
- CORRECTION: the 08-15 entry said the free tier now includes 1 personal avatar. Re-checked against synthesia.io/pricing directly — the free/Basic tier shows no personal avatar (crossed out on the comparison table); Starter is still the first tier that includes one, at 3. Everything else from 08-15 holds: prices unchanged, minutes still published as annual pools.
- Prices hold ($0 / $29 / $89 / custom, $18 and $64 on yearly), but three things moved. Starter personal avatars went from 1 to 3, and the free tier now includes one — the personal-avatar ladder loosened across the board. Minutes are now published as annual pools (120/yr Starter, 360/yr Creator) rather than monthly caps, which is the same allowance with room to batch. And the product grew past rendered video: AI Dubbing on paid tiers, Interactive Avatars in beta, and Roleplay Sessions for live training practice.
- Freshness sweep — re-verified against synthesia.io/pricing: no changes. Free, Starter $29/mo ($18 annual), Creator $89/mo ($64 annual), Enterprise custom all hold.
- Added to the stack (corporate avatar seat). Verified pricing: Free, Starter $29 (~$18 annual), Creator $89 (~$64 annual), Enterprise custom.
Give Synthesia a job
The corporate avatar seat: training, onboarding, and internal comms video at scale, with the compliance posture big companies require.
Try Synthesia →Alternatives with different jobs
HeyGen
03 CreationThe talking-head seat: avatar videos from script, lip-synced translation, and presence at scale without a camera setup.
DeepBrain AI Studios
03 CreationThe alternate avatar seat: script-to-presenter video, strong on multilingual output and formal, corporate-style delivery.