Synthesia vs HeyGen: Which Text to Video AI is Worth Your Money? [2025]

Text-to-Video Capabilities

These platforms turn written scripts into professional videos without any technical know-how. Synthesia's system turns AI-generated text into dynamic video content with custom avatars that show unique personalities. HeyGen uses advanced algorithms to create smooth videos with AI presenters.

Each platform shines in its own way. HeyGen has unique features like 'Talking Photo,' 'FaceSwap,' and 'AI Script Generation' that works with ChatGPT. On top of that, it can turn URLs into videos. Synthesia stands out with its screen recorder that turns your voice into an editable script - perfect for tutorials and product demos.

New users looking for the best text-to-video tool will find HeyGen's easy-to-use interface helps create engaging content quickly. Synthesia feels like Google Slides, which makes most users feel right at home.

AI Avatar Quality and Realism

Avatar quality shows the biggest difference between these text-to-video competitors:

• HeyGen has over 100 AI avatars with great lip-sync and natural movements
• Synthesia's library is bigger with 140+ AI avatars
• Both platforms show avatars of different ethnicities and looks

HeyGen leads in making avatars look real with better lip-sync and more natural movements that avoid looking fake. Their avatars come as Avatar Pro, Avatar Lite, and Talking Photo, and you can view them in close-up, half-body, or circle view.

Synthesia might have fewer avatars, but they're smart enough to change expressions. These AI avatars adjust their voice tone, body movement, and expressions to match your script - they'll look sad during unhappy parts and happy during upbeat moments.

Customization Options

Both platforms give creators plenty of ways to customize their videos. HeyGen focuses on visual touches with AI-generated outfits, studio-quality backgrounds, and special AI effects. Their FaceSwap lets you replace faces in videos with realistic AI versions.

Synthesia puts more emphasis on how avatars perform. You can adjust facial expressions and lip-sync to get things just right. Your brand colors and logos can go on avatar clothing. You can even put up to 20 avatars on screen at once to create engaging conversations.

Multilingual Support

Global businesses need multilingual support in their text-to-video AI. Synthesia clearly wins here with over 120 languages, while HeyGen supports between 40-80 languages (depending on who you ask).

Voice options tell a similar story - Synthesia has 400+ AI voices and HeyGen comes with 300+. You'll find various accents in both, but Synthesia's broader language support makes it a better choice for international businesses.

Both platforms can translate content, but HeyGen gets extra points for its up-to-the-minute translation that quickly converts videos into different languages.

Synthesia's Pricing Structure

Synthesia uses a monthly video limit model with four distinct tiers:

• Free Plan: $0/month with 3 minutes of video per month, access to 9 AI avatars, and simple features
• Starter Plan: $29/month ($18/month when billed yearly) with 10 minutes of video per month, 125+ AI avatars, and better features like AI script assistant
• Creator Plan: $89/month ($64/month when billed yearly) offering 30 minutes of video per month, 180+ AI avatars, and extra features including branded video pages
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with unlimited video minutes, 230+ AI avatars, and advanced capabilities like 1-click translation

Synthesia caps video duration at 3, 10, or 30 minutes monthly based on your plan. Users can't create more videos after reaching this limit until the next billing cycle. The platform doesn't allow unused minutes to carry forward.

HeyGen's Subscription Options

HeyGen made a fundamental change to an unlimited video generation model:

• Free Plan: $0/month allows 3 videos per month (up to 3 minutes each) with 720p export quality
• Creator Plan: $29/month ($24/month billed yearly) offers unlimited video creation (up to 5 minutes per video), 1080p exports, and access to 700+ stock avatars
• Team Plan: $89/month per seat ($69/month per seat billed yearly) gives unlimited videos (up to 30 minutes each), makes shared workspace possible, and speeds up processing
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing includes unlimited videos, no duration limits, 4K exports, and premium features like SAML/SSO

HeyGen's platform has additional avatar options: Video Avatar slots cost $29/month or $300/year and Interactive Avatar slots are priced at $49/month or $480/year.

Free Plan Limitations

Both platforms give users a chance to try their services with some restrictions:

Synthesia's free tier provides:

• 3 minutes of video creation monthly
• Access limited to 9 AI avatars
• Simple features without advanced customization

HeyGen's free plan comes with:

• 3 videos per month up to 3 minutes each
• 720p video export quality
• Access to 1 custom video avatar and 500+ stock avatars
• Standard processing speeds

These free options let users test each platform's capabilities before buying. Content creators who make videos regularly might find HeyGen's unlimited approach more valuable than Synthesia's limited model.

Interface Simplicity

Synthesia makes its platform accessible through an interface design similar to Google Slides. This familiarity helps users feel at home right away. Users can create professional output with minimal technical knowledge. Many users say, "You don't even need a tutorial. The platform is so easy to use and intuitive". The platform's module-based structure lets users change individual elements on their own. This creates a stable editing environment.

HeyGen reduces complexity with drag-and-drop features and clear navigation. The scene composition system looks like professional video editing software but removes unnecessary complexity. The platform's progressive loading system creates smooth transitions between editing modes. Load times between project sections average just 1.2 seconds.

Template Availability

Template libraries are the foundations of quick video creation. HeyGen's collection includes over 100 templates. These templates work great with casual and social-first content. Users can launch projects quickly without building from scratch.

Synthesia's library has more than 60 templates. Notwithstanding that, these templates look more polished and professional. This lines up with Synthesia's corporate and educational focus. The difference shows each platform's target audience—HeyGen serves content creators and marketers, while Synthesia caters to corporate training and communications.

Time to First Video

Generation speed becomes most important when picking the best text to video generator. HeyGen shines in quick production. Most changes show up instantly in its preview engine. Only big changes like avatar swaps or background updates need full re-renders. These usually finish in 3-5 seconds. A standard 5-second video takes about 25 seconds to 1 minute to create.

Synthesia shows similar speed improvements. Testimonials mention, "What used to take us 4 hours to create now takes 30 minutes". Yes, it is remarkable that one company reduced video generation time by 90% compared to traditional methods.

Both platforms save much more time than conventional video production. Some users mention that HeyGen sometimes needs external software to trim and split videos.

Training and Educational Content

These platforms turn traditional training materials into engaging video content. Synthesia has helped companies improve their efficiency in remarkable ways:

• DuPont's Operational Excellence team reduced video production costs by $10,000 per training video compared to third-party providers
• Zoom's instructional designers cut 90% off their video creation time—from days to hours
• BSH saw over 30% increase in engagement with their e-learning compared to text-based modules and PowerPoints

HeyGen stands out with its LMS integration. The platform works through a proprietary API that supports major systems like Articulate and Teachfloor and offers progress tracking and completion reporting.

Marketing and Sales Videos

Marketing teams find these text-to-video models give them big advantages in creating promotional content. Synthesia lets marketers "produce branded product videos in minutes", so they save time and resources while keeping their brand consistent.

HeyGen works great for businesses looking for affordable video solutions that still offer high customization. The platform's FaceSwap feature lets marketers replace faces in videos with realistic AI-generated alternatives without expensive reshoot costs.

Customer Support and FAQ Videos

Companies can now turn their text-based knowledge bases into engaging videos using either platform. This improves their support effectiveness. Reviews show these AI-generated videos improve online support modules and add an interactive element to digital experiences.

Synthesia's platform lets companies update existing videos without re-recording everything. This feature helps them keep their support content current as products and policies change.

Internal Communications

These text-to-video AI tools create great value in internal messaging too. Companies use them to create executive messages, team announcements, and policy updates.

Synthesia helps organizations "turn boring internal communication into engaging videos", which promotes better employee engagement. Users can "automatically generate videos from existing PDFs, PowerPoints, Docs, URLs, scripts or prompts". This makes content repurposing quick and easy.

HeyGen's collaborative system makes shared work easier. Multiple team members can work on video projects at the same time through real-time synchronization. This streamlines team-based communication projects.

API Access and Flexibility

API integration is crucial for businesses building automated video workflows. Synthesia offers robust API options that let companies automate video creation at scale. Their custom webhook system goes beyond simple functions. It allows smooth communication with internal business tools. Companies can trigger video generation automatically based on data changes or specific events in their systems.

HeyGen's API access lets businesses combine lifelike avatar videos smoothly into their digital products. Apps, websites, and digital experiences work naturally with the system. This feature is especially useful when you have companies developing customer-facing applications that need video components.

Review platforms show Synthesia scoring slightly higher in API implementation with an 8.6 rating. However, direct comparison data remains limited.

Compatible Platforms and Software

Software ecosystem compatibility shapes how well text-to-video AI tools fit into organizational infrastructure. Synthesia's SCORM export functionality makes video uploading to learning management systems (LMS) natural. On top of that, it supports DeepL and OpenAI integration to expand its content translation and generation capabilities.

HeyGen's LMS integration works through its own API that supports major systems like Articulate and Teachfloor. This setup does more than embed videos - it tracks progress, measures engagement, and reports completion.

Team environments benefit from both platforms' collaborative features. Synthesia has shared spaces where teams store, track, and work together on video projects. HeyGen's system lets multiple team members work on video projects at the same time. Its real-time synchronization prevents version conflicts.