Tools / AI Avatar & Talking Head
HeyGen
Expressive AI avatars and presenter videos for creators and marketing
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Facts checked · Nov 2026 — the pricing, free-plan and watermark facts on this page were checked against HeyGen's official pages. See how we verify and the listing changelog.
Price alerts for HeyGen
AI video tools change prices and credit rules without warning — Kling has raised prices roughly 3× before. Get emailed when HeyGen's price, credits or free plan changes.
Our verdict
Best for marketing and creator videos fronted by a realistic digital presenter — expressive avatars, strong voice cloning and translation, priced in credits that reward planning.
HeyGen at a glance
| Starting price | Creator plan from $24/month billed annually |
| Pricing type | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free export allowed | ✓ |
| No watermark on free export | ✕ |
| Commercial use on free plan | ✕ |
| API available | ✓ |
| Category | AI Avatar & Talking Head |
| Entry price estimate (our calculator) | $24/month, minutes-based |
| How the billing works | Creator plan billed annually; priced around included avatar minutes |
What HeyGen really costs
HeyGen sells credits, not minutes — its pricing page FAQ says exactly that in structure: every paid plan includes a monthly credit allocation spent across features, and the number of credits a video uses varies with the AI model, the duration and the complexity of the generation. Our listing's warning is the practical version of the same fact: costs vary a lot by avatar type. Two users on the same Creator plan can therefore get very different amounts of finished video from the same 600 credits.
That variability is why there are no cost cards here: HeyGen does not publish one per-minute rate that holds across its avatar engines, and printing one would mislead. The budgeting method that works is to render one representative video first, read the credit cost HeyGen shows before generation, and multiply by your monthly volume. Note the rollover terms while you plan: monthly subscribers' unused credits roll over for one more month, and annual subscribers' credits accumulate until renewal — unused credit is delayed, not saved forever.
Credit behaviour, plan prices and rollover rules are from HeyGen's official pricing page and its FAQ, checked Nov 2026. No cost cards are shown because credit consumption varies by avatar type, model and duration.
What is HeyGen?
HeyGen turns a script into a video of a digital presenter who speaks it. You choose an avatar from a large stock library — or build one from your own likeness on higher tiers — pick or clone a voice, paste the words, and HeyGen renders a talking-head video with lip-sync handled for you. Around that core sit voice cloning, video translation that re-voices existing footage into other languages, and templates for the marketing and explainer formats this kind of video is usually made in.
It is widely used because the presenters are expressive enough to carry a product demo, a social ad or a course segment without a camera, a studio or a reshoot when the script changes. What it is not is a footage generator: there are no cinematic scenes here, only presenters. And its credit system means the same plan can feel generous or tight depending on which avatar type you render with — a fact to understand before you commit, which the cost section below explains.
How HeyGen works
- 1Start free — no credit card required — and make one of the three free monthly videos to judge avatar quality on your own script.
- 2Choose a stock avatar that fits your audience, or plan a custom avatar on a paid tier if the presenter must be you or a specific spokesperson.
- 3Paste your script and pick a voice; use voice cloning when the video must sound like a real person on your team rather than a stock voice.
- 4Check the credit cost shown before you generate — HeyGen displays it in-product, and avatar types consume credits at different rates.
- 5Generate, watch the lip-sync and pacing, and fix the script rather than re-rendering blindly, because every render spends credits.
- 6Export at up to 1080p on Creator or 4K on Pro, or use the translation workflow to produce localised versions of a video that already works.
Core features
AI avatar presenter videos
A library of 700-plus stock video avatars on paid plans (500-plus on free) fronts your script, with custom video avatars and photo avatars for when the presenter needs to be a specific person.
Voice cloning
Clone a voice so presenter videos sound like you or your spokesperson; the free plan includes one voice clone with limited usage, and paid plans expand it — useful when a channel's recognisable voice matters as much as the face.
Video translation and lip-sync
Existing videos can be translated and re-voiced across a large language suite — 30-plus languages on free, 175 languages and dialects on paid plans — with lip-sync adjusted to the new audio.
Custom avatar creation
Higher plans add more custom video avatars and looks, so a brand can keep one consistent presenter across a whole library of videos instead of switching stock faces.
Templates and studio editor
A full studio editor and 75-plus templates frame the presenter with layouts, text and branding, so the output is a finished marketing video rather than a bare talking head.
Developer API
A pay-as-you-go API lets teams generate avatar videos from their own systems — the route for personalised video at scale, priced separately from the web app's credit plans.
The free plan — the full truth
HeyGen's free plan is real but narrow, and HeyGen's own pricing FAQ states its shape plainly: up to 3 videos per month, no credit card required, with videos capped at 1 minute and trial-level access to premium features. Our verified data adds the two limits that matter commercially: free videos are watermarked, and free-plan output may not be sold or monetised under HeyGen's terms. It is a casting session — enough to see whether an avatar can carry your script — not a free publishing channel.
The first paid step, Creator at $24/month billed annually, is where the working product starts: watermark removal, exports up to 1080p, videos up to 30 minutes and a monthly credit allocation. If your videos are ads, client work or anything revenue-bearing, the free plan's licence alone rules it out before its 3-video cap even comes into play.
- • Up to 3 free videos per month, each capped at 1 minute
- • Free videos carry a watermark
- • Free-plan output may not be used commercially
- • Free plan covers 30-plus languages against 175 on paid plans
- • Premium features such as Avatar IV are trial-access only on free
HeyGen pricing plans
| Plan | Price | Credits included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 3 videos/month, capped at 1 minute each, watermarked | Testing whether an avatar can carry your script |
| Creator | $24/month billed annually ($29 monthly) | 600 credits/month — videos up to 30 minutes, exports up to 1080p, watermark removed | Solo creators and marketers publishing presenter videos regularly |
| Pro | $49/month (starting tier) | From 1,000 credits/month, scaling by tier — exports up to 4K | Advanced individuals who need more credits, 4K and faster processing |
| Business | $149/month plus $20/seat/month | Team credit allocation with workspace, collaboration and admin controls | Teams producing and reviewing avatar video together |
Plans and credit figures are from HeyGen's official pricing page, checked Nov 2026. Pro is sold in tiers that change only the credit allocation; an Enterprise plan with custom terms sits above Business.
Pros
- + Avatars are expressive and natural enough to front marketing videos
- + Voice cloning plus translation makes localisation unusually complete
- + Easy script-to-presenter workflow with a proper studio editor
- + Credits roll over — one month for monthly subscribers, to renewal for annual
- + API available for teams generating personalised video programmatically
Cons
- − Credit burn varies a lot by avatar type, so monthly output is hard to predict
- − Free plan is very limited: 3 watermarked videos of 1 minute a month
- − Free-plan output cannot be used commercially
- − Creator cannot buy one-time credit top-ups — running dry means upgrading
- − Not a footage generator; cinematic scenes need a different tool
Best for
- ✓ Marketing and creator videos needing a realistic on-screen presenter
- ✓ Product explainers and social ads produced without filming
- ✓ Teams localising one video into many languages with lip-sync
- ✓ Businesses generating personalised presenter video through the API
Not ideal for
- ✕ Cinematic generated footage — use a text-to-video model instead
- ✕ Anyone planning to monetise free-plan output
- ✕ Users who want a simple per-video price they can predict to the cent
HeyGen alternatives
See all alternatives →Synthesia is the first alternative our page shows and the natural comparison: it leans corporate — training, onboarding and compliance-friendly admin — where HeyGen leans creator and marketing, so choose by the room the video will play in. D-ID is the better pick when the job starts from a single photo or an API-first talking-head integration rather than a studio workflow. Colossyan suits workplace learning content built around scenarios and interactive elements. All three make presenter videos like HeyGen; none of them makes cinematic footage, so keep a text-to-video tool for that half of the job.
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.
Colossyan creates presenter-led videos aimed at workplace learning, with scenario-style content, many languages and features for localising training across regions. It competes most directly with Synthesia in the corporate training niche.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HeyGen free?
There is a free plan with no credit card required: HeyGen's pricing FAQ says it includes up to 3 videos per month. The limits are strict — videos are capped at 1 minute, carry a watermark, and may not be used commercially — so it is for testing, not publishing.
Does HeyGen put a watermark on free videos?
Yes. Our verified data records free-plan videos as watermarked, and watermark removal is a paid-plan feature starting with Creator at $24/month billed annually.
How much does HeyGen cost per video?
There is no fixed per-video price. Paid plans spend monthly credits across features, and HeyGen states the credit cost varies with the model, duration and complexity — avatar type alone changes it a lot. Render one typical video, read the credit cost shown before generation, and multiply by your monthly volume.
Can I use HeyGen videos commercially?
On paid plans, that is the product's purpose — marketing and client videos. On the free plan, no: our verified data records free-plan output as not permitted for commercial use, so anything revenue-bearing needs Creator or above.
HeyGen or Synthesia — which should I choose?
HeyGen leans creator and marketing-friendly, with expressive avatars, strong voice cloning and translation. Synthesia leans corporate, with stronger compliance and admin features for training at scale. Same format, different rooms: pick by audience and governance, not by avatar count.
Does HeyGen have an API?
Yes — a pay-as-you-go API exists alongside the web app plans, which our verified data confirms. It suits teams generating avatar videos from their own systems, priced separately from subscription credits.