HeyGen and Synthesia are among the most recognisable platforms for creating videos with AI avatars. Both tools let you prepare content without a camera, studio, actor or traditional editing. All you need to do is choose a digital presenter, paste in a script, match a voice and generate the finished video.
At first glance the differences between the platforms may seem small. Both HeyGen and Synthesia offer ready-made avatars, the ability to create your own digital character, voice generation, video translation, subtitles and a scene-based editor. In practice, however, the tools were designed with slightly different users in mind.
HeyGen is more strongly aimed at online creators, marketing, social media, ads, video translation and more creative uses of avatars. Synthesia focuses primarily on training, internal communication, onboarding, instructions and producing business content at a larger scale.
This does not mean that HeyGen is unsuitable for training or that Synthesia is unsuitable for marketing. Both platforms can be used in many similar applications. They differ, however, in how you work, the character of the avatars, the scope of company features, the price structure and the kind of content that is most convenient to create in them.
In this comparison we check whether HeyGen or Synthesia is better, which tool offers more realistic avatars, how they handle the Polish language, how much they cost and which solution is worth choosing for marketing, training, online courses, YouTube and e-commerce.
HeyGen or Synthesia – a quick answer
If you need a quick answer, the choice can be simplified to two basic scenarios.
HeyGen will be the better choice for creators, marketers, agencies and small business owners who want to prepare sales videos, social media content, UGC ads, content with their own digital double, and translate existing recordings into other languages.
Synthesia will be the better choice for companies, HR departments, training teams and organisations that need professional onboarding materials, instructions, presentations, compliance videos, internal communication and the ability to manage production in a larger team.
You can test the first videos without buying a paid plan. People interested in a more marketing-focused use of avatars can create a free HeyGen account, while companies preparing training and professional presentations can check out the Synthesia business video generator.
HeyGen vs Synthesia – the most important differences
| Criterion | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Main use | Marketing, social media, ads, creators, video translation | Training, onboarding, instructions, business communication |
| Ready-made avatars | Over 500 Stock Digital Twins in selected plans | From 9 to over 240 avatars depending on the plan |
| Your own avatar | Digital Twin and an avatar created from a photo | Personal Avatar and Studio Avatar |
| Languages and dialects | Over 175 in paid plans | Over 160 languages and accents |
| Video translation | Very extensive, with lip sync and voice preservation | Translation, dubbing and content localisation available |
| Social media videos | Very good capabilities | Possible, but the platform is more business-oriented |
| Training and onboarding | Good | One of the main uses |
| Team features | Extensive in business plans | Very extensive, especially in Enterprise |
| Avatar customisation | Photos, Digital Twin, styles, voices and appearance | Ready-made, personal, studio and configurable avatars |
| Generating a video from a prompt | Video Agent and generating full videos | AI Video Assistant and creation from a script, document or presentation |
| Free plan | 3 videos per month up to 1 minute | Basic plan with limited access and a monthly limit |
| Price of the basic paid plan | 29 USD per month | 29 USD per month |
| Best for | Creators, marketers, small businesses and agencies | Companies, HR departments, L&D and larger teams |
What is HeyGen?
HeyGen is a platform for creating videos using avatars, voices and generative artificial intelligence models. The user can choose a ready-made character, prepare their own digital double, animate a photo, type in a script or use the tool to generate an entire video based on a prompt.
One of HeyGen’s most important advantages is its wide range of uses. The platform is not limited to formal business presentations. In it you can create product videos, ads, educational content, courses, short content for TikTok and Instagram, offer presentations and multilingual versions of existing recordings.
HeyGen is heavily developing features related to realistic characters. Avatar IV lets you create expressive avatars from a photo, and Digital Twin makes it possible to prepare a digital version of a real person. The user can also clone their own voice and use it in subsequent content.
The platform will be especially interesting for people who want to scale video production without regularly appearing in front of a camera. An expert can prepare their own digital presenter and then create further statements by changing the script.
You can check the basic capabilities through the free HeyGen video and avatar generator. The best way to start the test is with a short, 30-second video in Polish.
What is Synthesia?
Synthesia is an AI platform for producing professional business videos. Its basic element is digital presenters who speak the text typed in by the user. The content can be supplemented with presentations, photos, screen recordings, charts, animations, subtitles, brand elements and additional voices.
The platform was designed primarily with companies in mind that create a lot of repetitive educational and informational content. These can be employee training, safety procedures, user manuals, onboarding, product presentations, internal announcements and compliance content.
Synthesia lets you create videos based on a prompt, a document, a PowerPoint presentation or an empty project. The user can use ready-made characters, create their own Personal Avatar or order a more advanced Studio Avatar.
An important part of the platform is the features intended for larger organisations. Synthesia offers, among other things, workspaces, user management, brand elements, team collaboration, translations, SCORM and security and compliance solutions.
You can prepare your first video using Synthesia for creating videos with AI avatars. Free access lets you assess the interface, the quality of the characters and the way of working with a script before choosing a paid plan.
What do HeyGen and Synthesia have in common?
Both platforms solve a similar problem. They let you create videos with a speaking character without traditional recording. The user does not need a camera, studio or actor, because the statement is presented by a digital avatar.
In both tools you can:
- choose a ready-made presenter,
- create your own digital character,
- type in a script,
- generate a voice,
- create videos in many languages,
- add subtitles,
- use photos and recordings,
- use templates,
- add a logo and brand colours,
- prepare language versions,
- work without any editing experience.
The biggest difference is therefore not that one platform has avatars and the other does not. The difference concerns the nature of the content produced and the working environment.
HeyGen gives more freedom to experiment with characters, photos, short formats and translating existing videos. Synthesia provides a more structured system for creating business content, especially for training teams and larger organisations.
Which tool has more realistic avatars?
Avatar quality is one of the most important selection criteria. A digital character can have correctly synchronised lips and still look unnatural because of stiff facial expressions, repetitive gestures or a mismatched voice.
However, there is no single objective answer to the question of which platform has better avatars. The result depends on the chosen character, the type of script, the length of the video, the voice and the way it is edited.
Avatars in HeyGen
HeyGen strongly emphasises the variety of characters and creative ways of creating them. The user can use ready-made avatars, prepare a Digital Twin, animate a photo or generate a more expressive character with Avatar IV.
A big advantage is the ability to create characters from a single photograph. This lets you quickly test protagonists, virtual influencers, digital experts and different visual styles.
HeyGen avatars work well in short marketing content. With a properly prepared script, lip movement, facial expressions and gestures can look natural. The platform also offers features that affect the tone, pace and emotional character of a statement.
In longer videos you can still notice some repetitiveness of movements. That is why it is best to combine the avatar with product photos, screen recordings, stock footage and graphic elements.
Avatars in Synthesia
Synthesia offers ready-made characters, Personal Avatars, Studio Avatars and avatars whose appearance, clothing and surroundings can be adapted to the needs of the brand.
Newer character models can perform gestures related to the script, for example pointing, waving or emphasising particular information. Thanks to this, a presentation can look more natural than a traditional video with a motionless digital host.
Synthesia avatars fit well with professional presentations, instructions and training materials. Their movements are usually orderly and predictable, which in business communication can be an advantage.
In more emotional ads and short social formats, however, some characters may look too formal. In such a use HeyGen often gives more stylistic freedom.
HeyGen or Synthesia – the avatar verdict
For dynamic marketing videos, ads, social media and experimenting with characters, HeyGen will most often be the better choice.
For professional training, instructions, internal communication and business content, Synthesia will be a very good choice.
In both cases it is worth preparing a test video. Comparing only the demo videos from the providers’ websites can be misleading, because they are created with the best available settings and carefully polished.
Creating your own avatar – HeyGen or Synthesia?
Your own avatar lets you keep a specific person’s appearance and voice in videos without having to record each piece of content again. The feature can be particularly useful for experts, trainers, business owners and course creators.
Your own avatar in HeyGen
HeyGen offers Digital Twin, which replicates the user’s appearance, voice and way of presenting. The character can then be used in subsequent videos created from text.
The platform also makes it possible to prepare an avatar from a photo. This is a faster solution, but the result may be less consistent than with a model prepared from a recording.
HeyGen will be a good choice for people building a personal brand. A digital double can appear in reels, offer presentations, educational videos and sales content.
Your own avatar in Synthesia
Synthesia offers a Personal Avatar created from a photo or a short video. You can also clone your voice so that the character looks and sounds like the user.
For larger companies, Studio Avatars prepared during a professional session are available. Such a solution is aimed mainly at organisations that need a very high-quality digital representation of a CEO, expert or brand spokesperson.
Synthesia uses procedures related to the consent of the person whose likeness is to be used. This is especially important in a company environment, where avatars may represent employees and managers.
Which own avatar to choose?
For a creator, influencer, expert or small business owner, the more accessible solution will usually be creating your own avatar in HeyGen.
For a larger organisation that needs formal consent processes, team collaboration and more advanced avatar management, the Synthesia business platform may work better.
HeyGen or Synthesia in Polish?
Both tools make it possible to create videos in Polish. You can type in a Polish script, choose a voice and generate the digital presenter’s statement.
The quality of pronunciation depends on the specific voice and the type of text. The biggest problems can be caused by:
- English brand names,
- abbreviations,
- surnames,
- web addresses,
- numbers,
- specialist terms,
- sentences containing two languages.
On both platforms it is worth checking a short fragment before generating a long video. Sometimes it is enough to change the punctuation, split a sentence or write a name phonetically to get a better result.
In paid plans HeyGen supports over 175 languages and dialects. Synthesia reports support for over 160 languages and accents. The number of languages alone should not decide the choice, however. For a Polish user, the naturalness of a specific voice, the pace of speech and the ability to correct difficult words are more important.
Which tool translates videos better?
Translating existing content is one of HeyGen’s strongest features. The user can upload a video or provide the address of the content, choose a target language and generate a new version with translation, voice preservation and lip movement matching.
The feature is attractive for companies that already have finished videos and want to start communicating in new markets. There is no need to recreate the whole production, hire another presenter or re-edit the content.
Synthesia also offers translation, dubbing and localisation. However, the platform is particularly strong when working with content created from scratch in its environment. Companies can prepare one project and then generate further language versions.
| Translation area | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Translating an existing video | A very strong feature | Available |
| Lip sync | Yes | Yes |
| Preserving the character of the voice | Yes, depending on the material and plan | Yes, with dubbing and voice cloning |
| Language versions of a video created in the platform | Yes | Yes |
| Managing a large number of versions in a company | Good | Very good in business plans |
| Best use | Localising ads, social media, YouTube and existing recordings | Localising training, instructions and company materials |
If the main task is translating already recorded videos, HeyGen will most often be the more natural choice. If a company is building an extensive library of training in many languages, Synthesia can provide a more orderly content management process.
Every translation has to be verified. The tool may translate a sentence correctly and at the same time use a term that is not used in a given industry or on a specific market.
Which tool is easier to use?
HeyGen and Synthesia were designed for people who do not know traditional editing. On both platforms a video is made up of scenes containing an avatar, text and additional elements.
HeyGen encourages quick experimentation. The user can choose an avatar, type in a script, generate a character from a photo or start creating a whole video based on a prompt. The interface is approachable, but the growing number of features may initially require a moment of learning.
Synthesia is more structured in nature. The work resembles preparing a presentation in which each scene is the equivalent of a slide. This is convenient for people creating training, instructions and company presentations.
For a social media creator HeyGen may be more intuitive. For someone working with presentations, training and documents, Synthesia may turn out to be easier.
HeyGen or Synthesia for marketing?
In marketing, speed, variety, emotion and the ability to test many versions of a video matter. An ad intended for social media should look less formal than a training video.
HeyGen provides more freedom when creating:
- short ads,
- UGC videos,
- reels and TikToks,
- service presentations,
- content with a virtual influencer,
- videos from an animated photo,
- multilingual ads,
- videos with your own digital double.
The platform can be especially useful for agencies that prepare many variants of creatives for clients. One script can be changed, shortened and translated without organising further recordings.
Synthesia can also create marketing videos, especially product presentations, sales materials and professional explainers. Its style, however, is more often associated with orderly business communication.
For marketing, social media and ads, we would most often choose HeyGen. You can prepare the first creative variants through the HeyGen AI marketing video generator.
HeyGen or Synthesia for training?
Training is one of Synthesia’s strongest areas. The platform makes it possible to create onboarding materials, procedures, lessons, instructions and compliance videos.
Features that go beyond simply generating an avatar are very important. Depending on the plan, Synthesia offers team collaboration, interactive videos, SCORM export, brand elements, translations, user management and integrations.
HeyGen can also be used to create training. It will work in a small company, an online course or a series of instructions. For a more extensive training environment, however, Synthesia offers a better-suited back end.
For systematic production of company training and onboarding, Synthesia will usually be the better choice. You can check the platform through Synthesia for training videos with AI avatars.
HeyGen or Synthesia for online courses?
A course creator needs not only an avatar, but also the ability to show presentations, screen recordings, examples, charts and additional materials.
HeyGen will be a good choice for a course created by an expert who wants to use their own digital likeness. Digital Twin can lead introductions, summaries and short lessons.
Synthesia may work better in courses that have the character of structured training. The scene editor, templates and company styling make it easier to build consistent modules.
In both cases it is not worth showing the avatar throughout the whole lesson. The content should be supplemented with:
- screen recordings,
- presentations,
- examples,
- tasks,
- exercises,
- diagrams,
- photos,
- animations.
A long course consisting solely of a digital character reading text can be monotonous regardless of the quality of the avatar.
HeyGen or Synthesia for YouTube?
For faceless YouTube channels both tools can be useful, but they should not make up the whole production process.
HeyGen will work better in channels based on the host’s personality, commentary, tips, news and short statements. Your own avatar can play the role of a recognisable channel host.
Synthesia will be suitable for educational, training, technical and business channels. You can create orderly content resembling presentations or lessons.
In a longer video the avatar should appear at the beginning, between sections and at the end. The rest is worth filling with additional shots, screen recordings and visualisations.
If the main goal is to create complete videos from many shots, and not just to use an avatar, InVideo AI or Pictory may be a better complement.
HeyGen or Synthesia for e-commerce?
In e-commerce, videos can present products, answer questions, explain how to use them and support ad campaigns.
HeyGen will be stronger in:
- UGC ads,
- short product presentations,
- content for TikTok and Reels,
- seasonal promotions,
- multilingual ads,
- videos with a virtual influencer.
Synthesia will be a good choice for:
- user manuals,
- product training,
- materials for salespeople,
- feature presentations,
- videos for trade partners,
- B2B communication.
An online store focused on social campaigns will probably gain more from HeyGen. A manufacturer with an extensive distribution network that needs product training may benefit more from Synthesia.
HeyGen or Synthesia for a marketing agency?
An agency needs flexibility, because each client may have a different target group, communication style and type of product.
HeyGen enables quick testing of avatars, voices, language versions and ad formats. It can be used to create social content, ads, offer presentations and UGC videos.
Synthesia can be useful for an agency serving corporate clients, especially in the area of training, internal communication and business presentations.
In practice, a larger agency can use both platforms. HeyGen for more creative and sales-oriented projects, and Synthesia for corporate and educational work.
HeyGen or Synthesia – price comparison
Platform prices may change, so before buying you need to check the current terms on the provider’s website. The data below was verified in June 2026.
HeyGen pricing
| HeyGen plan | Monthly price | Key limits and features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 USD | 3 videos per month, maximum 1 minute, access to Avatar IV and Video Agent, one Custom Digital Twin |
| Creator | 29 USD | 600 credits, videos up to 30 minutes, 1080p export, no watermark, voice cloning, over 175 languages |
| Pro | 49 USD | 1000 credits, 4K export, faster processing, a larger usage pool |
| Business | From 149 USD | Team features, greater scale, management and business solutions |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Security, integrations, support and organisation-level management |
HeyGen uses a credit model. Different features may consume a different number of credits, so plans should not be compared solely on the basis of the number of videos.
Synthesia pricing
| Synthesia plan | Monthly price | Key limits and features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 0 USD | Limited access, up to 10 minutes of video per month, 9 ready-made avatars |
| Starter | 29 USD per month or 18 USD with annual payment | Up to 10 minutes of video per month or 120 minutes per year, over 125 avatars, logo removal |
| Creator | 89 USD per month or 64 USD with annual payment | Up to 30 minutes per month or 360 minutes per year, over 180 avatars, team and interactive features |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Full avatar library, translations, collaboration, SCORM, SSO and organisation management |
Synthesia bills usage through credits and video limits. With annual plans the available pool may be granted on a full-year basis, which makes it easier to create more content in selected months.
Which tool offers better value for money?
For an individual creator and a small business, the basic plans of both platforms cost about the same. The difference appears in how they are used.
The Creator plan in HeyGen will be more attractive for someone who wants to experiment with avatars, create marketing videos, clone a voice and use over 175 languages.
The Starter plan in Synthesia will be better for a user who needs orderly business content and a predictable minute limit.
At a larger scale Synthesia becomes more expensive, but it offers features important for teams and organisations. HeyGen, on the other hand, gives more creative possibilities in lower plans.
For an individual creator or marketer, HeyGen will most often be more advantageous. For a company investing in training and managing a content library, Synthesia’s higher cost may be justified.
Free plan – HeyGen or Synthesia?
Free plans let you check the basic capabilities of both tools, but they were designed differently.
HeyGen gives three videos per month, each of which can be a maximum of one minute long. This is a good model for preparing a few specific test videos.
Synthesia provides a monthly limit that can be used to check different scenes, avatars and layouts. The number of characters available in the free plan is, however, limited.
The best solution is to test both platforms with the same script. This lets you compare:
- the Polish voice,
- lip movement,
- the naturalness of facial expressions,
- the look of the character,
- generation speed,
- ease of editing,
- subtitle quality,
- the ability to add your own materials.
Comparing tools on the basis of different videos does not give a reliable result. The same text and a similar character will let you assess the differences much better.
Pros and cons of HeyGen
| HeyGen pros | HeyGen cons |
|---|---|
| Very good marketing capabilities | The credit system can be hard to predict |
| Digital Twin and avatars from photos | Advanced generation quickly consumes credits |
| Over 175 languages and dialects | Longer videos can look monotonous |
| Extensive translation of existing videos | Not every voice and avatar sounds equally natural |
| A good choice for social media | Requires checking the script and pronunciation |
| Voice cloning | Some features are only available in paid plans |
| UGC videos and creative uses | A less extensive training environment than Synthesia |
| An attractive price for an individual creator | The large number of features can be overwhelming at first |
Pros and cons of Synthesia
| Synthesia pros | Synthesia cons |
|---|---|
| A very good tool for training and onboarding | A higher cost of the more extensive plans |
| Over 240 avatars in the full offer | A less free-form character of marketing content |
| Extensive team features | Some avatars may look formal |
| Personal Avatars and Studio Avatars | Minute limits can be restrictive |
| Over 160 languages | The most interesting company features are in Enterprise |
| Security and consent processes | Not primarily geared towards short UGC ads |
| SCORM and interactive videos | May be too extensive for an individual creator |
| Good management of company content | Marketing videos may require additional editing |
When to choose HeyGen?
HeyGen is worth choosing when the most important things are:
- videos for social media,
- ads and UGC content,
- your own digital double,
- animating a character from a photo,
- translating existing videos,
- voice cloning,
- creating content in many languages,
- marketing and sales,
- a YouTube channel,
- flexibility for an individual creator.
HeyGen will be a good solution for an expert who wants to publish videos regularly without setting up a camera. It will also work in a marketing agency, an online store and a company creating ads for several markets.
You can check the tool through a free HeyGen account with AI avatars. The free plan is enough to prepare a short test in Polish.
When to choose Synthesia?
Synthesia is worth choosing when the most important things are:
- employee training,
- onboarding,
- instructions,
- videos about procedures,
- compliance materials,
- internal communication,
- managing content in a team,
- SCORM export,
- organisational security,
- consistency of the company video library.
The platform will be especially useful in HR, Learning and Development, sales, customer service and corporate communication departments.
You can test the capabilities through Synthesia with professional business avatars. Before buying, it is worth checking whether the monthly minute limit matches the planned number of videos.
Is it worth using both tools?
Some companies may use both platforms, because they meet different needs.
HeyGen can be used for creating ads, sales videos, social media and translating content. Synthesia can be used for training, onboarding and internal instructions.
Such a solution makes sense in a larger organisation or an agency serving different kinds of clients. A small company should, however, start with one tool. Paying for two platforms without a specific plan for using them is a simple way to get more subscriptions that you only remember when the card statement arrives.
First you should determine the main type of video, prepare several videos and check the actual usage of the limits. A second tool can be added only when the first clearly fails to cope with a particular task.
How to compare HeyGen and Synthesia on your own content?
The best test should include the same script, a similar type of avatar and an identical video format.
It is worth preparing a 30-second text containing:
- a brand name,
- one English word,
- a number,
- a question,
- an emotional sentence,
- a call to action.
Such a script will show how the platforms cope with Polish pronunciation, changes of intonation and the naturalness of the statement.
Then you should compare:
| Test element | What to look for? |
|---|---|
| Voice | Naturalness, pace, pauses and pronunciation of names |
| Lip movement | Match to the statement |
| Facial expressions | Whether the emotions fit the text |
| Gestures | Whether they are natural and non-repetitive |
| Editor | How easy it is to change a scene and add materials |
| Subtitles | Linguistic correctness and synchronisation |
| Working time | How long it takes to prepare a correct version |
| Limit | How many credits or minutes the test uses |
| Export | Resolution, watermark and format |
| Final result | Whether the video fits the brand and the audience |
After such a test the choice will be much easier than after watching a dozen or so sponsored reviews.
Frequently asked questions about HeyGen and Synthesia
Which is better: HeyGen or Synthesia?
HeyGen is usually better for marketing, ads, social media and creative use of avatars. Synthesia works better for training, onboarding, instructions and business communication.
Do HeyGen and Synthesia work in Polish?
Yes. Both platforms make it possible to create videos with a Polish script and voice. The pronunciation of brand names, abbreviations and English words should be checked before publishing.
Which tool has better avatars?
HeyGen offers great flexibility, avatars from photos and Digital Twin. Synthesia provides professional business avatars, Personal Avatars and Studio Avatars. The assessment of realism depends on the chosen character and the type of video.
Which tool is cheaper?
The basic plans, HeyGen Creator and Synthesia Starter, cost 29 USD per month each. HeyGen may offer better value for an individual creator, while Synthesia provides features better suited to companies and training.
Is HeyGen good for ads?
Yes. HeyGen works well in product ads, UGC content, service presentations and short social videos.
Is Synthesia suitable for TikTok?
You can create vertical content in it, but the platform is primarily aimed at professional business videos. For dynamic social content HeyGen may be more convenient.
Which tool translates videos better?
HeyGen stands out for translating existing recordings, preserving the voice and lip sync. Synthesia works well for creating many language versions of training and company materials.
Can I create my own avatar?
Yes. HeyGen offers Digital Twin and avatars created from photos. Synthesia lets you prepare a Personal Avatar and, in a more advanced variant, a Studio Avatar.
Do videos with AI avatars look artificial?
They can look natural, especially in short content. The result depends on the character, voice, script and the way it is edited. Long videos showing only the avatar can be monotonous.
Can an AI avatar replace a real presenter?
It can replace a presenter in simple, repetitive informational, training and sales content. It will not replace a real person in videos that require spontaneity, deep emotions and direct contact with the audience.
HeyGen or Synthesia – the final verdict
HeyGen and Synthesia belong to the same category of tools, but were created with different priorities in mind.
HeyGen wins in marketing, social media, ads, creative avatars, digital doubles and translating existing videos. It is more flexible for creators, freelancers, agencies and small business owners.
Synthesia wins in training, onboarding, instructions, content management and the work of larger teams. It provides a professional environment for HR, L&D and organisations producing a lot of business content.
A person developing a personal brand, a store, an agency or a social channel should start by testing HeyGen. A company building a library of training and instructions should check out Synthesia’s capabilities.
The best answer, however, will not come from a feature table alone. You should generate the same short video on both platforms and assess which of them provides a more natural voice, a better character and a more convenient way of working.
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