Tools / AI Avatar & Talking Head
Hedra
Character-3 talking characters — one photo and a voice become an expressive presenter
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Facts checked · Nov 2026 — the pricing, free-plan and watermark facts on this page were checked against Hedra's official pages. See how we verify and the listing changelog.
Price alerts for Hedra
AI video tools change prices and credit rules without warning — Kling has raised prices roughly 3× before. Get emailed when Hedra's price, credits or free plan changes.
Our verdict
Best for making a single photo talk with real expression, billed honestly by the second — but note the company is visibly pivoting toward API and infrastructure buyers, so check the Studio is still where your money goes.
Hedra at a glance
| Starting price | Paid plans from $20/month (Basic, billed monthly) |
| Pricing type | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free export allowed | ✓ |
| No watermark on free export | ✕ |
| API available | ✓ |
| Category | AI Avatar & Talking Head |
| Entry price estimate (our calculator) | $20/month, credits-based |
| How the billing works | Studio Basic $20/mo billed monthly, 2,000 credits/mo, per-second deduction — Studio tab figures from Oct 2026 checks of hedra.com/pricing; API/FAQ re-read Nov 2026 |
What Hedra really costs
Hedra's billing unit is the second. Its pricing FAQ confirms credits are deducted by generated length — a 10-second Character-3 video is charged for 10 seconds — and its older published rate for Character-3 was 6 credits per second at 720p. At Basic's price (2,000 credits for $20), that historical rate works out to about $3.60 per finished minute of Character-3 video; Pro's cheaper credits (7,200 for $50) bring it to roughly $2.50 a minute.
We present those figures as explanation, not as cards, because Hedra's current pricing page no longer publishes the per-second credit table — the live rate now appears in the app's model picker (reported as a range of roughly 3–6 credits per second depending on resolution and model), and hosted third-party models cost far more. The API side, by contrast, publishes hard dollar rates: avatar and lip-sync generation from 2.5 cents per second, which is $1.50 per finished minute at the floor.
Per-second deduction and pack/rollover rules are from Hedra's official pricing page FAQ, read this session (Nov 2026). The 6 credits/second Character-3 rate is Hedra's last published table rate (removed from the pricing page in 2026); confirm the live rate in the app's model picker before budgeting. API floor rates are from the same official pricing page.
What is Hedra?
Hedra is the company behind Character-3, the model that made 'one photo talks' feel expressive rather than robotic: give it a portrait and audio or a script, and the character speaks with facial expression and movement. Its Studio wraps that model in creator subscriptions — Basic, Pro, Ultra and Teams — and also hosts third-party image and video models, so the same credit pool can generate scenes as well as presenters.
A visit to Hedra's site today tells a second story: the homepage now leads with production inference and model infrastructure for companies, and its pricing page opens on API rates rather than Studio plans. The Studio subscriptions still exist (the pricing FAQ still explains subscription credits, packs and cancellation in Studio terms), but the centre of gravity has moved. That does not make the tool worse; it does mean a new subscriber should confirm the Studio roadmap matches their needs before paying annually.
How Hedra works
- 1Start in the app on the free route to test Character-3 with your own photo and voice — free generations are watermarked and cannot be used commercially.
- 2Check the per-second rate on the model you pick before generating: Hedra's FAQ confirms credits are deducted by generated length, and third-party models cost far more per second than Character-3.
- 3Subscribe to Basic ($20/month, 2,000 credits) for commercial use and watermark-free output, and estimate your month in finished seconds, not clips.
- 4Generate short takes first and keep the best; per-second billing rewards tight scripts.
- 5Top up with credit packs rather than upgrading if a busy month is a one-off — pack credits never expire, plan credits reset.
- 6If you are building a product rather than making videos, price the API instead: avatar and lip-sync output starts at 2.5 cents per second from a prepaid balance.
Core features
Character-3 talking characters
Animate a single photo with speech, expression and gesture. Hedra's FAQ uses Character-3 as its billing example: a 10-second generation is charged as 10 seconds, never rounded up to a minute.
Hosted third-party models
Studio also offers other providers' video and image models from the same credit pool — convenient, but their per-second rates can be many times Character-3's, so the picker deserves a look before every render.
Per-second credit billing
Credits are deducted based on generated video length, which makes costs unusually forecastable for talking-head work.
Credit packs that never expire
Pack credits are spent only after plan credits run out and do not expire between cycles — though Hedra notes lapsed accounts keep only limited, watermarked access until they resubscribe.
Developer API
The pricing page now leads with API rates: video generation from 1.22 cents/second, avatar and lip-sync from 2.5 cents/second, billed per output from a prepaid balance with no subscription or minimum.
Voice and audio tools
Speech, voice conversion and cloning appear in the API catalogue (voice cloning listed as free there), feeding the talking-character workflow.
The free plan — the full truth
Hedra's free route lives inside the app rather than on its pricing page. Independent readings of Hedra's pricing and help pages in October 2026 describe a free plan with watermarked generations, a short per-video cap (reported as 20 seconds) and no commercial use. Hedra's own pricing FAQ supports the watermark picture from the other direction: it explains that cancelling a subscription leaves an account with 'limited watermarked generations', which is the state free and lapsed accounts share.
So treat free Hedra as a Character-3 demo: enough to learn whether a still photo of your presenter performs convincingly, not enough to publish from. Commercial use and clean output start at Basic ($20/month). One caution we will state plainly: because the company is repositioning around API and infrastructure, free-tier details could change without much notice — check the app on the day you rely on them.
- • Free generations are watermarked
- • No commercial use on the free plan — commercial use starts at Basic
- • Short per-video cap on free (reported as 20 seconds in Oct 2026 readings)
- • Free plan is not listed on the current pricing page; details live in the app and help pages
- • Monthly plan credits never roll over (packs do not expire)
Hedra pricing plans
| Plan | Price | Credits included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $20/month billed monthly | 2,000 credits/month; slower generations; commercial use | Light talking-character work with commercial rights |
| Pro | $50/month billed monthly | 7,200 credits/month; faster generations | Regular creators — the value step, with 3.6x Basic's credits |
| Ultra | $100/month billed monthly | 18,000 credits/month; fastest generations | Heavy solo producers |
| Teams | $75/month billed monthly | 14,400 credits/month with team access | Small teams sharing one Studio account |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom allowances, SSO and dedicated support | Organisations with procurement and support needs |
Studio plan prices and credits are as published on Hedra's pricing page Studio tab in October 2026 checks; this session we re-read the pricing page's API tab and FAQ directly (the Studio cards load by script), and the FAQ's subscription, credit-pack and cancellation terms match those plans. A yearly option at about 20% off is offered in-app without published dollar figures. Confirm the Studio tab on hedra.com/pricing before subscribing.
Pros
- + Per-second billing is fair and forecastable for talking-head work
- + Character-3 expression quality is the reason to choose Hedra
- + Credit packs never expire — top-ups are not wasted
- + Published API floor rates (avatar/lip-sync from 2.5¢/second) suit builders
- + Commercial use starts at the entry Basic plan
Cons
- − Plan credits reset monthly with no rollover
- − Third-party hosted models can burn a month of credits in a few clips
- − Free plan details are no longer published on the pricing page
- − Company focus is shifting to API/infrastructure — Studio users should verify the roadmap
Best for
- ✓ Creators animating a photo into a speaking character
- ✓ Advertisers testing talking-head ad variants cheaply by the second
- ✓ Developers who may later switch from Studio to the API
- ✓ Character and mascot content that needs expression, not just lip flap
Not ideal for
- ✕ Corporate training teams needing templates, SCORM-style workflows and admin controls
- ✕ Anyone who wants a generous, publishable free plan
- ✕ Users who dislike checking a model picker for per-second rates
Hedra alternatives
See all alternatives →HeyGen is the polished all-round avatar alternative — expressive presenters, voice cloning and translation, with a watermarked free plan and Creator from $24/month billed annually. D-ID is cheaper for simple talking photos and has a strong API. In this batch, Akool covers similar ground (talking photos and avatars) inside a broader suite from $12/month, though its cheap tiers carry a personal licence. Hedra's edge over all three is per-second billing and Character-3's expressiveness from a single photo.
HeyGen
HeyGen turns a script into a video of a realistic digital presenter, with a large avatar library, voice cloning and translation features. It is widely used for marketing videos, product explainers and social content where a human-like presenter is needed without filming.
Synthesia
Synthesia is an enterprise-focused avatar video platform used heavily for training and internal communication. It offers a large stock avatar library, personal avatars, multi-language narration and compliance and admin features that larger organisations require.
D-ID animates a still photo or avatar into a speaking presenter and is well known for its API, which businesses use to generate personalised talking videos at scale. It also offers a studio for individual creators making presenter content cheaply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Hedra cost?
Studio plans are Basic $20/month (2,000 credits), Pro $50 (7,200), Ultra $100 (18,000) and Teams $75 (14,400), billed monthly. The API is separate: pay per output from a prepaid balance, with avatar and lip-sync from 2.5 cents/second.
Is Hedra free?
There is a free route inside the app with limited, watermarked generations and no commercial use. It is a demo tier; publishing starts at Basic.
How are Hedra credits charged?
By the second of video generated — Hedra's FAQ gives the example that a 10-second Character-3 video is charged for 10 seconds, not a full minute. Rates vary by model and resolution; check the model picker before a long render.
Do Hedra credits roll over?
Plan credits do not — they reset each billing cycle. Credit packs bought on top never expire and are used only after plan credits run out, though a lapsed account keeps only limited watermarked access.
Hedra or HeyGen?
Hedra for a single photo that must perform expressively, billed by the second, and for API floor pricing. HeyGen for a full presenter-video platform with translation, templates and a more corporate feature set.
Is Hedra still a creator tool?
Yes, the Studio subscriptions remain on sale, but Hedra's homepage and pricing now lead with its API and inference business. If your workflow depends on Studio features, that repositioning is worth weighing before an annual commitment.