HeyGen vs. Synthesia: 2025 Comparison & Better Alternatives

If you’re exploring AI video creation tools in 2025, two names you’ve likely come across are HeyGen and Synthesia. Both platforms use AI avatars to help users create videos from text, but they serve slightly different needs – and come with different strengths and limitations.

Whether you’re in corporate training, marketing, or internal communications, it’s important to pick the tool that best fits your workflow, team size, and content goals. 

In this guide, we’ll offer a complete comparison of HeyGen vs. Synthesia, explore where they shine (and fall short), and introduce a better AI video generator alternative – Colossyan.

General overview of HeyGen vs. Synthesia

First thing’s first – here’s a brief overview of each tool. 

HeyGen overview 

HeyGen is an AI video creation platform that emphasizes fast content generation with talking avatars. It’s particularly popular among solo creators, influencers, and small teams who want to produce explainer videos, product showcases, or social media content quickly.

Originally launched in 2020 under the name Surreal, HeyGen’s main selling point is its realistic avatars, drag-and-drop editor, and voice cloning feature, which allows you to replicate your own voice for use in AI videos.

Synthesia overview

Synthesia has existed in the AI video creation space since 2017, with a focus on enterprise training, onboarding, and learning & development use cases. The platform allows users to generate videos with AI avatars by simply typing a script, supporting over 120 languages.

Synthesia stands out for its enterprise-grade security, template library, and multi-avatar scenes, which cater well to global organizations and structured learning programs.

Key differences between HeyGen and Synthesia 

HeyGen and Synthesia are both AI video generators that meet very similar customer needs, although their features satisfy slightly different use cases: 

HeyGen: 

• More avatar features: HeyGen offers custom video, photo, and generative avatars. Additionally, its motion controls, personalization features, and avatar interaction differ from that of Synthesia. 
• Focus on social media and advertising: Marketing videos and social media content stand out as more prominent use cases for HeyGen’s tool than Synthesia’s. 
• Unlimited video creation: All of HeyGen’s paid plans offer unlimited video generation – a stark contrast to Synthesia’s offerings. 

Synthesia: 

• More video templates: Synthesia offers more pre-built templates for training, sales, and marketing applications than HeyGen.
• Focus on enterprises: Synthesia has a much larger focus on enterprise features than HeyGen, including security and collaboration tools. 
• Video creation minutes vary by plan: Synthesia has strict video generation caps, only allowing for 10 minutes of video per month on its lowest paid plan. 

Why Colossyan is a better alternative 

Colossyan is a leading AI video generator that helps fill the feature and functionality gaps posed by HeyGen and Synthesia. With 200+ AI stock avatars, more than 600 multilingual voices, and an intuitive video editor that’s easy to use – Colossyan is a great alternative for creating videos. 

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Here’s how Colossyan stands apart: 

• Interactive video features: Unlike Synthesia and HeyGen, Colossyan offers interactive features like multiple-choice quizzes and branching scenarios – allowing you to create engaging content in minutes. 
• Custom instant avatars: Get creative with custom avatars for social media or other video projects. The best part? It takes less than 5 minutes to create your own avatar.
• Enterprise-level security and integration features: Colossyan is an enterprise-ready solution that’s SOC 2 and GDPR compliant. Plus, the tool offers SCORM export, allowing L&D teams to use Colossyan videos within their existing LMS. 
• API capabilities included in paid plans: Unlike HeyGen, which includes API access under a separate pricing model, Colossyan offers 360 API minutes per year under its Business plan. 

HeyGen: Features, use cases, pricing, pros and cons

HeyGen is a leading AI video platform that enables users to create videos using AI avatars – without the need for traditional filming equipment. Let’s take a closer look at its offerings.

Key features 

• Talking photo avatars
• Voice cloning & lip-syncing
• Custom avatar looks
• Translation to 70+ languages 

Main use cases 

• Social media content
• Influencer marketing
• Quick product explainers
• Personalized sales videos

HeyGen pricing 

• Creator plan ($29 per month): Unlimited videos up to 5 minutes, 1 custom avatar 
• Team plan ($39 per seat/month, 2-seat minimum): Unlimited videos up to 30 minutes
• Enterprise plan (Custom pricing): 4k video export, dedicated customer support 

Related: Colossyan vs. HeyGen

Pros 

Here’s a snapshot of the HeyGen pros, according to users on G2. 

Realistic photo avatars 

G2 users like the avatar creation options offered by HeyGen, which includes custom avatars created from a photo. 

“I like how fast I could upload a still photo and have it generate a custom avatar from just one still shot.” – IT user

Natural-looking AI actors

Online reviewers find HeyGen’s AI avatars to be realistic and natural looking. 

“I was impressed by the quality of the avatars and the lip-syncing, making the videos look very natural.” – Javier M. 

Cons

Now let’s take a look at the HeyGen cons reported on G2. 

Customer support challenges

Some online reviewers report a negative experience with HeyGen’s support team, often citing long response times and surface-level answers. 

“Awful experience with service if you have any issues. It's only by message and it can take them a day (or more) to get back to you with a superficial answer that does not help, then you have to send another message and hope you get an answer.” – Greta L.

Learning curve due to frequent updates

Although HeyGen boasts a clean interface, frequent feature releases can prevent users from mastering the platform and require ongoing upskilling. 

Additionally, HeyGen doesn’t offer collaboration features or the ability to add multiple avatars to a scene to simulate avatar conversations. 

“It's not easy to implement and to use: Frequent updates make it difficult to maintain automation processes. As an admin, I have to train others on how to use the platform, but the constant updates make this inefficient.” – Yuliya V. 

Synthesia: Features, use cases, pricing, pros and cons

Synthesia is an AI video generator that helps teams turn text into AI videos in minutes. The platform is aimed at training and business communication use cases. Let’s dive into its features and more.  

Key features 

• 140+ avatars
• Automatic translations
• Selfie avatars
• Pre-built templates

Main use cases 

• Employee onboarding
• Compliance training
• Corporate communications
• Multi-language training rollouts

Synthesia pricing 

• Starter plan ($29 per month): 10 minutes of video per month 
• Creator plan ($89 per month): 30 minutes of video per month 
• Enterprise plan (Custom pricing): Unlimited video minutes 

Related: Colossyan vs. Synthesia

Pros 

Here’s a recap of Synthesia’s pros, according to G2 reviews. 

User friendliness 

Online reviewers find Synthesia’s editing interface simple and easy to use for beginners. 

“I found the software platform intuitive to use, and the ability to go from absolute beginner to publishing my first video was relatively easy.” – Grant S. 

Good translation capabilities 

Synthesia’s translation feature is automatic, but users say the translations are accurate and reliable. 

“We've also found the language translation feature to be quite accurate when evaluated by native speakers.” – Food and beverage user

Cons

Now let’s examine what reviewers say Synthesia could improve upon. 

High cost 

Synthesia’s pricing structure imposes rigid video generation limits, which can be affordable for some teams. Those in need of unlimited video minutes will need to invest in a pricey enterprise license. 

“This lack of flexibility in pricing represents a significant issue, limiting scalability for companies like ours that need a moderate increase in resources without having to face such a disproportionate cost jump.” – Insurance user

Lengthy content review timelines 

While the editing process is easy with Synthesia, strict content moderation can flag a manual review process that takes longer than some users would like. 

“They say you can make videos in about 15 minutes but it also takes them 24 hours to manually review and approve each video you create.” – John G. 

Slow avatar creation

All leading AI video generators offer custom avatars, but reviewers say Synthesia’s feature can take awhile to spin up a final result. 

“The rendering of the personal avatar takes too long.” – Jeremy B. 

How Colossyan solves HeyGen vs. Synthesia limitations

HeyGen is great for teams looking to create a lot of video content at an affordable cost, while Synthesia is a good fit for larger enterprise organizations in need of robust security and support. 

But what if your team requires both? Enter Colossyan. 

Like Synthesia and HeyGen, Colossyan is an AI video generator that helps teams create professional-quality videos using AI avatars and text-to-speech voiceovers – no equipment needed. 

As we previously mentioned, Colossyan strikes the right balance between the HeyGen’s flexible approach for solo creators with Synthesia’s enterprise focus by offering unlimited video creation, as well as several features catered to large organizations –  like interactivity, video analytics, brand kits, and more. 

Colossyan also offers a free plan for those looking to experiment with AI video content. Check out how it works: 

Here’s a brief overview of what Colossyan has to offer: 

• Scenario avatars: Colossyan’s diverse library of 200+ avatars includes AI actors in industry-specific environments, like construction sites, offices, hospitals, and more – perfect for training videos. 
• Custom avatars and voice cloning: Create an AI avatar that both looks and sounds like you in less than five minutes with our instant avatar feature. 
• Interactivity: Add quizzes and branching scenarios to your videos for added engagement, and boost learning outcomes in the process. 
• Video analytics: Access insights into your viewer retention and quiz performance with our built-in analytics feature. 
• Document to video: Turn existing documents like PDFs or PPTs into an engaging video draft in less than a minute. 
• Auto translation to 70+ languages: Translate your videos for a global audience in just one click. 
• SCORM export: Add your Colossyan videos to your existing learning tech stack by exporting them with SCORM. 

Colossyan saves up to 80% of your budget and time 

Colossyan can be used for a range of use cases – whether that’s training, marketing, or sales enablement. 

By replacing manual video production with Colossyan, customers see a significant time and cost savings – while also improving the quality of their content in the process.

Don’t just take our word for it – here’s what Colossyan customers are saying about the tool: 

"Colossyan has transformed the way we approach training in the state. Our employees are happier, engagement is through the roof, and the cost savings are impressive. It's a game-changer."

– Derella Miller, Learning and Instructional Technology Manager at the State of New Mexico

"The AI technology they've built into their software is truly cutting-edge and has significantly improved our new hire training program productivity. The user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making navigating through the various features easy."

– Franklina Tawiah, HR Project Manager at DSV

"Colossyan's AI technology and its translation capabilities have revolutionized our training processes, especially in a multi-lingual environment like ours." 

– Kristin Broadhead, Director of Learning and Development at Sonesta International Hotels

Takeaway

There you have it.

Both HeyGen and Synthesia are great tools with their own pros and cons. However, if you’re looking for a tool that combines the best aspects of each, you’ll want to consider Colossyan as a third option. 

Not only is Colossyan more affordable than Synthesia, but it also offers interactivity features that neither HeyGen nor Synthesia can match. 

Interested in trying Colossyan? Sign up for our free trial today or book a demo to learn more.