Synthesia offers AI avatars, voiceovers and motion graphics for corporate video, plus credits shared across features.
The Synthesia AI video generator is a business video platform that turns a prompt, a document or a slide deck into a finished video with AI avatars, voiceovers and motion graphics. It is made by Synthesia, a company founded in 2017 by researchers and entrepreneurs from UCL, Stanford, TUM and Cambridge; Forbes describes it as London-based. The numbers show why it matters: the platform reports over 2,000,000 users and says it is trusted by more than 90% of Fortune 100 companies, and CFO Daniel Kim said ARR was $150M at the time of its $200M Series E in January 2026 at a $4 billion valuation. If you are comparing options, start with our AI avatar and digital human tools hub.
Paid plans start at $19/month ($14/month billed yearly at $168 per year). Credits are the shared currency for video, dubbing, surveys and the Syren video agent, and a typical finished minute of video uses about 100 credits.
Jump to the pricing, features, strengths and limits, comparisons, FAQs, and alternatives.
Overall Rating: 4.3/5 | Free Plan: Yes β Basic is free with 500 credits per month (about 10 minutes of video), share link only, no download, watermark on videos
Best For: business teams that need AI avatars, voiceovers and 1-Click Translation in 140+ languages for training and corporate video
Pricing: Starter from $19/month ($14/month billed yearly at $168)
Last Updated: November 2026 | Version: Latest
Visit Synthesia
Synthesia is an AI video and avatar platform for business. You write or paste a script, pick an AI avatar and a voice, and the platform renders a presenter-led video. No camera, studio or editing skills are needed. The AI Video Assistant goes a step further: upload a document, PowerPoint or URL and it drafts the script, scenes and avatar for you. The homepage accepts up to 5 files, in landscape or portrait. The newer Syren agent works from a plain description of the video you want, and a one-minute video usually uses 1,000 to 2,000 credits.
From there you can edit scenes, add motion graphics and b-roll, and place two or more avatars in one scene with Dialogue. Finished videos can be shared by link, embedded, exported as SCORM for an LMS or downloaded as MP4 in Full HD. Links and embeds update automatically when you edit the video. Videos can be made in 140+ languages, and 1-Click Translation localises a finished video with glossary controls for names and terms. AI Dubbing takes any uploaded file or YouTube link and keeps the original speaker's voice and accent, with optional lip-sync. If you want to compare avatar styles before committing, our AI avatar and digital human tools guide walks through the main options.
The company was founded in 2017 by Victor Riparbelli, Steffen Tjerrild, Prof. Matthias Niessner and Prof. Lourdes Agapito, researchers and entrepreneurs from UCL, Stanford, TUM and Cambridge. Forbes describes it as London-based. In January 2026 Synthesia announced a $200M Series E at a $4 billion valuation, up from $2.1B a year earlier, led by Alphabet's GV with Evantic, Hedosophia, Nvidia's NVentures, Accel, NEA and Air Street Capital taking part, as reported by CNBC and TechCrunch. At the time of the round the company reported $150M ARR, with CFO Daniel Kim expecting it to pass $200M in 2026. The homepage claims over 2,000,000 users and 50,000+ teams, and says the platform is trusted by over 90% of Fortune 100 companies.
Professional reality: The free plan gives 500 credits a month, about 10 minutes of video, with 9 stock avatars, link-only sharing and a watermark. Paid plans start at $19/month ($14/month billed yearly), and credits reset each billing period rather than rolling over.
The avatar library grows with your plan: 9 stock avatars on Basic, 125+ on Starter, 180+ on Pro and 240+ on Enterprise. Avatar Builder lets you design your own avatar or brand mascot. Personal Avatars are made from a single photo or a short video, and a live on-camera consent recording is required. Pro includes 5 Personal Avatars, while Enterprise offers unlimited. Studio Avatars cost $1,000 per year as an add-on on annual plans only, with up to 10 days to process.
Put a consistent face on every training, sales and internal video without booking a studio or a presenter.
The AI Video Assistant turns a document, PowerPoint or URL into a draft video with script, scenes and avatar. The homepage accepts up to 5 files in PPTX, PDF, DOCX, TXT, image or video format, in landscape or portrait. Syren, the AI video agent, goes further: describe the video and it makes it. A 1-minute Syren video usually uses 1,000 to 2,000 credits. Synthesia states that 90% of users publish their first video without needing a tutorial.
Skip the blank timeline and start from a rough cut you can refine scene by scene.
Synthesia produces video in 140+ languages and voices. 1-Click Translation takes a finished video and reworks it for another market, with glossary controls so names and technical terms stay correct. 1-Click Translation covers 140+ languages and is listed as an Enterprise feature. The multilingual video player lets viewers pick their language from one link.
One master video can serve every region instead of a separate shoot per language.
AI Dubbing accepts a file upload or a YouTube link and keeps the original speaker's voice and accent. Lip-sync is optional and uses 2x credits. A Custom Glossary is included. Output covers 70+ languages on Basic, Starter and Pro, and 140+ on Enterprise. Dubbing costs 40 credits per minute without lip-sync and 80 credits per minute with it.
Localise existing footage and webinars without re-recording a single line.
Roleplay Sessions let people practise a conversation with an avatar that pushes back, with real-time coaching and scoring. Survey Sessions run avatar-led interviews with follow-up questions, then auto-summarise themes and sentiment. Basic, Starter and Pro include 10 sessions per month, and Enterprise includes 25. Survey responses cost 350 credits each after the first 3 free ones.
Use the same avatar for practice and feedback, not just one-way video.
Videos can carry quizzes, clickable CTAs and branching paths that send viewers down different routes. Dialogue scenes put 2+ avatars in one scene, and avatars can be customised with any outfit or environment. Each b-roll asset with an action costs 230 credits. Interactive videos are part of the Pro plan.
Turn passive viewing into a choice-driven experience for onboarding and product tours.
Publish by share link, embed or SCORM export for your LMS. Embeds and links update automatically when the video is edited, a feature called Smart Updates. MP4 download comes in Full HD 1920x1080. Built-in analytics track views, clicks and completion. SCORM export is listed on Enterprise. The free Basic plan is share link only, with no download and a Synthesia watermark.
Fix a typo once and every embedded copy of the video reflects it.
Live Collaboration lets teams co-edit in real time. Roles and permissions control who can change what, and approval is required before publishing. Starter includes 1 editor plus 3 guests, Pro includes 1 editor plus 5 guests, and Enterprise sets a custom number of editors and guests. Brand Kits keep colours and fonts consistent across the team.
Marketing, L&D and HR can share one workspace without stepping on each other.
The Synthesia API generates video from templates, and separate APIs cover dubbing and interactive avatars. A plan includes up to 360 minutes of API video per year, taken from the plan's usage limits, with separate API pricing listed on its own page. Other tools include Bulk Personalization from .csv or .xlsx, 60+ templates, PowerPoint import, an AI Screen Recorder Chrome extension, auto closed captions and voiceover uploads. The Interactive Avatars API costs 10 credits per minute for the avatar alone or 20 for the full widget.
Push personalised video at scale from your own systems instead of building each one by hand.
Synthesia holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001, and supports GDPR with EU data residency. SSO and SCIM are available on Enterprise. Every video goes through content moderation. Personal Avatars require a live on-camera consent recording before they can be used.
Gives IT and legal a clear paper trail before avatars reach company channels.
Synthesia has a free Basic plan and three paid tiers. Credits are the shared currency across video, dubbing, surveys and Syren. A typical finished minute of video uses about 100 credits, dubbing costs 40 credits per minute (80 with lip-sync), and editing and previewing are free.
| Plan | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 per month | 500 credits / month (10 minutes of Studio video or dubbing); 3 survey responses; 1 Syren video; 9 AI avatars; 1 editor; share link only, no download; videos carry a Synthesia watermark |
| Starter | $19 per month ($14 per month billed yearly, $168 per year) | 1,250 credits / month, or 15,000 credits per year; download and no watermark; AI Video Assistant; Survey Analytics; 1 editor + 3 guests; 125+ avatars; chat/email support |
| Pro Most popular | $89 per month ($59 per month billed yearly, $708 per year) | 6,000 credits / month, or 72,000 credits per year; 5 Personal Avatars; branded video pages; interactive videos; 1 editor + 5 guests; 180+ avatars; priority support |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom credit volumes; unlimited video minutes; 1-Click Translation into 140+ languages; 240+ avatars; unlimited Personal Avatars; SAML/SSO; live collaboration; Brand Kits; SCORM export; dedicated CSM |
Credits do not roll over: the monthly allowance resets each billing period, and annual plans get the year's credits upfront. If you run out, video creation and survey collection pause until renewal unless you buy extra credits. You can cancel anytime from account settings, and there is no pay-per-video option. Prices are US, checked November 2026, so confirm before you buy.
Synthesia suits L&D teams that need many short training videos and frequent updates. Paste a document, PowerPoint or URL into the AI Video Assistant and you get a draft with script, scenes and an avatar. SCORM export pushes each lesson into your LMS, and Smart Updates means an edited video refreshes inside the embed or link without a re-upload. If you also edit recorded footage, see our Descript text-based video editing tool for cutting clips by editing the transcript.
New-hire onboarding repeats the same message across offices and languages. One avatar presents the welcome module, and 1-Click Translation turns the finished video into 140+ languages with a glossary to keep names and job titles correct. Bulk Personalization from a .csv or .xlsx file adds each hire's name, so a single template covers every cohort.
Sales teams use Synthesia for product explainers, pitch walkthroughs and localized demos. Dialogue scenes let two avatars role-play a customer conversation, and interactive quizzes or branching paths keep reps engaged. AI Dubbing takes an existing customer call recording or YouTube clip and keeps the original speaker's voice in 70+ languages on Pro, or 140+ on Enterprise.
Sessions adds two formats beyond one-way video. Roleplay Sessions put a rep in a live conversation with an avatar that pushes back, with real-time coaching and scoring. Avatar-led interviews in Survey Sessions ask follow-up questions, then automatically summarise themes and sentiment. Plans include 10 sessions per month on Basic, Starter and Pro, and 25 on Enterprise. For teams wiring these steps into a wider pipeline, our AI video automation tools guide covers the surrounding stack.
Open a free Basic account. It gives you 500 credits per month, which covers about 10 minutes of Studio video or dubbing, 3 survey responses and 1 Syren video. No credit card is needed.
Pick a starting point. The AI Video Assistant turns a document, PowerPoint or URL into a draft with script, scenes and an avatar, and accepts up to 5 files. You can also describe the video you want to Syren, the AI video agent.
Choose an avatar and a voice. Basic includes 9 stock avatars, Starter 125+, Pro 180+ and Enterprise 240+. You can also build your own avatar or brand mascot in the Avatar Builder.
Edit the draft in the studio. You can add scenes, dialogue with two or more avatars, quizzes, clickable CTAs and branching paths. Editing and previewing do not use credits.
Generate the video. A typical finished minute uses about 100 credits, and only new footage is charged. If you run out, creation pauses until your credits renew or you buy extra credits.
Translate or dub if you need other languages. 1-Click Translation covers 140+ languages, and AI Dubbing keeps the original speaker's voice. Dubbing costs 40 credits per minute, or 80 with lip-sync.
Publish the video. On Basic you can share a link only, and the video carries a watermark. Paid plans add MP4 download in Full HD, embeds, SCORM export for an LMS and built-in analytics.
Move to a paid plan when you need more. Starter costs $19 per month ($14 per month billed yearly at $168), removes the watermark, unlocks downloads and adds 1,250 credits per month. Pro costs $89 per month ($59 per month billed yearly at $708) and adds 5 Personal Avatars and interactive videos.
Synthesia is worth it when your team makes video a routine job rather than a one-off. The company reports $150M ARR and over 2,000,000 users, and it is trusted by over 90% of Fortune 100 companies. Those numbers point to a platform built for steady corporate output: training modules, onboarding clips, product explainers and dubbing into other languages. If that sounds like your week, the time saved on filming and editing is the real return.
The pricing supports that reading. Starter is $19 per month ($14 per month billed yearly) with 1,250 credits, and Pro is $89 per month ($59 per month billed yearly) with 6,000 credits. A typical finished minute of video uses about 100 credits, so Pro covers roughly an hour of new footage each month. Editing and previewing are free, and only new footage is charged. Teams that publish often will get through those credits quickly; teams that publish once a quarter will not.
Who gets the most value: L&D and HR teams shipping courses, global teams that need 1-Click Translation and AI Dubbing, and companies that need SCORM export, Brand Kits, approval flows and SSO. Enterprise adds 140+ languages, 240+ avatars, unlimited Personal Avatars and live collaboration. Security coverage includes SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and EU data residency, which matters if procurement is involved.
Who should skip it: solo creators who want download on a free plan, since Basic is share-link only with a watermark. Anyone who needs credits to roll over should look elsewhere, because the monthly allowance resets each period. Teams wanting the full 240+ avatar library or 140+ dubbing languages below Enterprise will hit plan ceilings. Creators who want heavy creative control and advanced voice cloning may prefer HeyGen, and L&D teams that edit published courses often may compare Colossyan.
A fair verdict: start on Basic to see if the avatars and workflow fit, move to Starter yearly if you publish monthly, and choose Pro or Enterprise once dubbing, personal avatars and collaboration become daily needs. Check the wider AI avatar and digital human category before you commit to an annual plan.
| Decision Area | Synthesia | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Basic $0/mo; Starter $19/mo ($14/mo billed yearly); Pro $89/mo ($59/mo billed yearly); Enterprise custom. | Free plan with 500+ stock avatars; paid tiers add more avatars and longer videos. See the HeyGen page for current plan details. |
| AI Avatars | 9 (Basic) to 125+ (Starter), 180+ (Pro) and 240+ (Enterprise) stock avatars; Personal Avatars from one photo or a short video. | 500+ stock avatars on Free, 700+ on paid plans; Avatar V adds multiple angles from one recording; up to 3 Photo Avatars on Free. |
| Languages & Dubbing | Video in 140+ languages; AI Dubbing keeps the original voice, with 70+ output languages below Enterprise and 140+ on Enterprise. | Phoneme-level lip-sync in 175+ languages and dialects on Avatar V; lip-synced translation in 175+ languages. |
| Video Creation & Editing | AI Video Assistant, Syren agent, Dialogue scenes, interactive videos, Brand Kits, live collaboration and SCORM export. | Avatar V model, 1,000+ AI voices and 75+ video templates; Avatar IV caps at 1 min per video on Free and 30 min on paid plans. |
| Security & Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, GDPR and EU data residency; SSO and SCIM on Enterprise. | GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, CCPA, EU AI Act and DPF; custom avatars need on-camera identity verification by the person shown. |
| Scale & Reach | $150M ARR at its $4B Series E in January 2026; 2M+ users and 50,000+ teams; trusted by over 90% of Fortune 100 companies. | $200M ARR announced June 2026; 30M+ users in 196 countries; used by 85% of the Fortune 100. |
Both tools make business videos with AI avatars and voiceovers, but they lean in different directions. Synthesia builds around corporate training and internal communication, with SCORM export, Brand Kits and approval flows. HeyGen puts more weight on avatar realism and translation reach, with 175+ languages and a large stock avatar library.
Choose Synthesia if: You need SCORM export for an LMS, approval before publishing, ISO 42001 and EU data residency, or interactive videos with quizzes and branching paths. Choose HeyGen if: You want a free plan with 500+ stock avatars, lip-synced translation across 175+ languages, or multiple camera angles from a single avatar recording.
Yes, Synthesia has a free Basic plan at $0/month. It gives you 500 credits a month, which covers about 10 minutes of Studio video or dubbing, plus 3 survey responses and 9 stock avatars. Videos are shared by link only, carry a watermark and cannot be downloaded, and no credit card is needed.
Yes, Synthesia offers Personal Avatars made from a single photo or a short video. You need to complete a live on-camera consent recording, and you can pair the avatar with a cloned voice. Pro includes 5 Personal Avatars, while Enterprise has unlimited ones.
Yes, Synthesia makes video in 140+ languages and voices, and its 1-Click Translation works on finished videos with glossary controls for names and terms. AI Dubbing accepts a file upload or YouTube link and keeps the original speaker's voice and accent. Dubbing covers 70+ output languages below Enterprise, while 140+ needs Enterprise.
No, unused credits do not roll over. The monthly allowance resets each billing period, and annual plans receive the year's credits upfront. Credits you buy separately stay valid for 12 months.
Yes, you can cancel at any time from your account settings. Synthesia runs on recurring subscriptions only, so there is no pay-per-video option. If you run out of credits, creation pauses until renewal unless you buy extra credits or upgrade.
Bottom Line: Synthesia fits teams that make videos or dub content regularly and whose work matches the plan credits. Compare the Basic, Starter, and Pro plans, check the video and dubbing limits, and review output before publishing.
Reviewed by theaitoolsbox.com editorial team
For Corporate trainers: Build SCORM-packaged avatar videos and translate them for global onboarding and compliance.
For Marketing teams: Produce multilingual product videos and dub existing footage without reshooting speakers.
For HR teams: Run roleplay Sessions for interview practice and survey Sessions for employee feedback.
Synthesia starts at $19 per month on Starter when billed monthly, or $14 per month billed yearly at $168. Pro costs $89 per month monthly or $59 per month billed yearly at $708.
Yes, Synthesia offers SCORM export for learning management systems on Enterprise plans. Embeds and share links also update automatically when a video is edited.
Synthesia holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001 certifications, with GDPR compliance and EU data residency. Every video also goes through content moderation.
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Basic features included
Free plan with 500 credits, 9 avatars and share-link publishing only.
Entry paid plan with downloads, 125+ avatars and 1,250 monthly credits.
Most popular plan adding 5 Personal Avatars and 6,000 monthly credits.
Custom credits, unlimited Personal Avatars and 140+ language translation.
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