Synthesia for enterprise polish. HeyGen for marketing speed and translation. Both ship studio-quality AI video; the differentiation is positioning, not quality.
The 30-second comparison
| HeyGen | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | HeyGen | Synthesia |
| Entry price | $29/mo Creator | $22/mo Starter |
| Avatars | 1,000+ | 230+ (more polished) |
| Languages | 40+ | 140+ |
| Best for | Marketing, creators | Enterprise training |
| Custom avatars | Excellent | Excellent (stricter consent) |
When HeyGen wins
Marketing and creator workflows. Faster iteration, larger avatar library, friendlier UX.
Cheaper entry tier. $29/mo Creator vs Synthesia's $67/mo Creator equivalent.
Translation features. Lip-sync translation into 40+ languages is genuinely production-ready.
More avatars. 1,000+ vs Synthesia's 230+.
When Synthesia wins
Enterprise training videos. Default avatar professionalism, stricter content controls, established enterprise sales motion.
More languages. 140+ languages for transcription/dubbing.
Tighter content compliance. Built for L&D teams; integrations with LMS systems.
Pricing breakdown
| Tier | HeyGen | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/mo (15 min) | $22/mo (10 min) |
| Creator | $89/mo (60 min) | $67/mo (30 min) |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
For marketing teams making 15-30 minutes of video monthly, HeyGen is the better cost-quality balance. For corporate L&D producing 100+ minutes, Synthesia's enterprise pricing usually wins.
The verdict
- Marketing video → HeyGen
- Enterprise training → Synthesia
- Multilingual content → Synthesia (more languages) or HeyGen (better translation flow)
- Solo creator → HeyGen (cheaper, more avatars)
- L&D / compliance video → Synthesia
For other AI video options see Runway and Tavus. The full landscape: The 15 best AI agents of 2026.