HeyGenvsSynthesia
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
HeyGen
- Platform full of bugs, updates break features(6/10)
- Videos held in pending until you pay more(8/10)
- ~49 outages in the past year(6/10)
- Inconsistent results affect agency client quality(7/10)
Synthesia
- Videos stuck at 99% or fail to render(7/10)
- Render queues at peak times(4/10)
HeyGen
- Unlimited plan bait-and-switch to 120 minutes(10/10)
- Credits exhausted after 7 videos in 18 hours(9/10)
- Avatar IV limited to 5 minutes despite Creator plan(8/10)
- $30/month plans billed as $119 with no warning(9/10)
Synthesia
- Strict no-refund policy even for immediate issues(9/10)
- Credits don't roll over month to month(6/10)
- Enterprise pricing escalates with seats and workspaces(6/10)
HeyGen
- 80% of Trustpilot reviews cite support failures(9/10)
- Videos rejected for false reasons, only bots respond(7/10)
- No way to change payment or properly cancel(7/10)
Synthesia
- Inconsistent and unpredictable content moderation(9/10)
- Accounts banned within minutes of subscribing(10/10)
- Customer support hides behind policy links(7/10)
- No self-service account deletion(4/10)
HeyGen
- Processing time jumps from instant to 5-6 hours(7/10)
Synthesia
No signals
HeyGen
- Files locked after submission - no modifications(6/10)
- Cannot control avatar gestures(5/10)
- Voice tone control is missing(5/10)
Synthesia
- Every video requires human review - adds days(7/10)
- Avatar quality and lip-sync issues(6/10)
- Custom avatar creation rejected for minor issues(6/10)
- Robotic voices on longer narrations(5/10)
- Limited editor requires external tools(5/10)
- No control over avatar gestures and expressions(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
HeyGen
Users: 1 user
Storage: 3 videos/month
Limits: 3 videos total, watermarked, limited avatars, no commercial use
Users: 1 user
Storage: Limited credits
Limits: Avatar IV only 5 min, credit-based not truly unlimited, no API
Users: 1 user
Storage: 200 credits/month
Limits: Annual lock-in, same credit restrictions, subject to mid-term changes
Users: Team (2+ seats)
Storage: More credits
Limits: Per-seat costs add up quickly, still credit-based
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Custom
Limits: Sales process required, terms subject to change
Synthesia
Users: 1 user
Storage: Limited
Limits: 3 min/month total, only 9 avatars, watermarked, no downloads
Users: 1 user
Storage: 10 minutes video/month
Limits: No custom avatars, no API, limited collaboration, no advanced brand control
Users: 1 user
Storage: 360 minutes video/year
Limits: No team features, no SSO, credits still expire monthly
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Custom
Limits: Must contact sales, long procurement, minimum commitments
Users: Varies
Storage: Based on purchase
Limits: Credits still expire, no rollover
Feature Comparison
| Feature | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Video Generation | ||
| AI avatars with micro-expressions Avatar IV - limited to 5 min/month on Creator | ||
| AI avatars (125+) | ||
| Text-to-video Requires human review (1-2 days) | ||
| LiveAvatar real-time Unique feature for live interactions | ||
| Custom avatars Enterprise only | ||
| Instant generation No human review unlike Synthesia | ||
| Instant video generation All videos require human review | ||
| Localization | ||
| 175+ languages Industry-leading | ||
| Multi-language support 80+ languages | ||
| Video translation Native-quality lip-sync | ||
| Integrations | ||
| API access From $5, pay-as-you-go | ||
| LMS integration Enterprise tier | ||
| Customization | ||
| Avatar gesture control Constrained to onboarding video motions | ||
| Security | ||
| SSO Enterprise only | ||
| Audio | ||
| Voice inflection control No tone/inflection control | ||
| AI Features | ||
| AI Playground Veo 3.1, Sora 2 access - all plans | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Unlimited video generation Credit-based, terms changed mid-subscription | ||
| Billing | ||
| Easy cancellation No self-service cancellation | ||
| Credit rollover Credits expire monthly | ||