HeyGen Review (2026): Who It's For, What It Costs, and When to Use Something Else
HeyGen in short: a general-purpose AI avatar video platform. You type a script, pick or create an avatar, and get a presenter-style video, with video translation, voice cloning.
HeyGen is an AI avatar video tool that cover viedos like training, translation, sales video, and an API.
Visit HeyGen's official site-
Training and internal comms
HeyGen covers this. Presenter-style video, long videos on paid plans, and SCORM export on Business.
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Translation and localization
HeyGen has a translation feature for this. 175+ languages, lip sync, and your own voice carried across.
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Sales outreach
HeyGen has a feature for this. One template becomes personalized videos, with a native HubSpot integration.
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Developers
HeyGen has a public API with pay-as-you-go pricing, priced separately from the web plans.
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Social ads for e-commerce
HeyGen makes avatar-led ads. If you want branded ads that follow all inputs, compare it with Predis.ai. Our side-by-side test shows both.
Disclosure: Predis.ai makes a competing product for one of HeyGen's use cases, social ads. We built this review from HeyGen's public pricing and help docs, user reviews, and one side-by-side ad test.
What is HeyGen?
HeyGen makes AI video with digital presenters. You write or paste a script, choose a stock avatar or create one of yourself, pick a voice, and HeyGen renders a video of that avatar speaking your script.
Around that core it offers AI voices, video translation, personalized videos at scale, and an API for developers.
That range is why people arrive at HeyGen for very different reasons: an L&D team building a course, a marketer localizing a product video, a sales rep sending personalized intros, or a developer adding avatar video to an app.
Company snapshot
HeyGen ยท Los Angeles, California| Company | HeyGen |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Founded | Late 2020 |
| Founders | Joshua Xu (CEO, formerly a software engineer at Snap) and Wayne Liang (formerly a product design lead at ByteDance), both Carnegie Mellon graduates |
HeyGen pricing
HeyGen has a permanent free plan and four paid tiers. Paid plans run on monthly credits, and how far those credits go depends on which avatar engine you use. Prices below were checked on 13 Oct 2026 on HeyGen's pricing page.
- 3 videos a month, up to 1 minute each
- HeyGen watermark
- 1080p
- Videos up to 30 minutes
- Watermark removed
- Voice cloning
- 4K export
- Higher credit tiers available
- 4K
- SSO
- SCORM export
- Team workspace
- Contact sales
How far credits go: minutes by avatar engine
Credits buy different amounts of video depending on the engine. Avatar III is the standard engine. Avatar IV and V are the premium engines, which HeyGen markets for more lifelike motion. Full video translation has its own rate.
| Plan | Credits | Avatar III | Avatar IV/V | Full translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | 600 | about 200 min | about 30 min | about 120 min |
| Pro | 1,000 | about 333 min | about 50 min | about 200 min |
| Business | 1,500 | about 500 min | about 75 min | about 300 min |
Business figures for Avatar III and full translation are calculated from the Creator and Pro rates, about 3 credits per minute of Avatar III and about 5 credits per minute of full translation.
The free plan
HeyGen's free plan is permanent, not a trial. It includes 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with a HeyGen watermark. HeyGen's pricing page does not state the free plan's export resolution, so check it in the editor before you rely on it. It is enough to test the workflow, not to publish branded videos.
Annual billing
Annual billing lowers the monthly price on every paid plan we checked: Creator is $24/month billed annually against $29 monthly, Pro is from $41 against $49, and Business is $119 against $149. Check the pricing page on the day you subscribe.
Buying more credits
Only Business can buy extra credits, at $5 per 100 credits. Creator has no one-time credit purchases, and on Pro you move up to a higher credit tier instead.
The API is priced separately
HeyGen's API is a separate product from the web plans. It runs on pay-as-you-go pricing from a $5 prepaid balance and is available on any plan, including Free. More on this in the developers section.
For training and internal comms
Verdict: HeyGen covers this. Training and internal video is presenter-style by nature: one person explaining a process, a policy, or a product. That is the format HeyGen produces.
- Long videos. Creator and Pro handle videos up to 30 minutes, and Business up to 60 minutes, enough for a full course module.
- Your own presenter. You can create a custom avatar of a trainer or executive, so videos keep a familiar face without booking a shoot.
- Script-based updates. When a policy changes, you edit the script and render again, instead of reshooting.
- LMS-ready on Business. SCORM export lets you load videos into a learning management system, and SSO fits company security requirements.
- Translation built in. A course recorded once in English can be translated for other offices (see the next section).
HeyGen vs Synthesia
Synthesia is the other common choice for training video. Both make presenter-style business video. The clearest difference is entry price: HeyGen's Creator plan is $29/month for 600 credits, about 30 minutes of its premium Avatar IV engine, while Synthesia's Creator plan is $89/month, or $64/month billed annually, for about 30 minutes. If you are choosing between them for training, run the same script through both free plans and compare the avatars your learners will see.
For translation and localization
Verdict: HeyGen is designed for this. Video translation is one of HeyGen's main features.
- 175+ languages and dialects.
- Lip sync. The translated speech is matched to the speaker's mouth movements in the original video.
- Your own voice. Voice cloning carries the original speaker's tone into the new language, or you can choose an AI voice instead.
- Review before you render. You can proofread and edit the translated script, and a brand glossary protects product names and terms you do not want translated.
- Real footage, not just avatars. You can upload an existing video or paste a YouTube link, including videos with more than one speaker.
- Captions included. AI-generated subtitles come with the translation.
Full translation uses about 5 credits per minute, so Creator's 600 credits cover about 120 minutes. This is the rate to check if you publish the same video in several markets.
For sales outreach
Verdict: HeyGen has a dedicated feature for this. Personalized video at scale is one of HeyGen's core products, not an add-on.
- One template, many videos. You record or build one video and add variables such as prospect name, company, and industry. HeyGen generates a separate version for each prospect.
- Batch from a spreadsheet. You can map columns in a CSV to the template's variables and generate a batch without writing code. HeyGen has temporarily disabled direct CSV uploads in the web dashboard, so for now batches run through automation tools such as Zapier or Make.
- Native HubSpot integration. HubSpot contact properties map to script variables, and any HubSpot workflow trigger can generate a video: a new lead, a booked meeting, or a deal stage change.
- Videos land in the CRM. Each video is saved to the contact record as a shareable link and an animated preview, ready for emails, deal records, and sequences.
- Other tools through automation. Zapier, Make, and n8n connect HeyGen to other CRMs.
For developers
Verdict: HeyGen offers an API for this. If you want avatar video, translation, or personalized video inside your own product, HeyGen offers it through its API.
- Separate from the web plans. The API is its own product with its own billing, so you do not need a Business plan to use it.
- Pay as you go. You start with a $5 prepaid balance and pay for what you generate.
- Recent changes. HeyGen removed free API credits in February 2026 and has deprecated its legacy API plans, so older guides that mention free API credits or monthly API tiers are out of date.
- Documentation and integrations. HeyGen publishes API documentation at docs.heygen.com, and its integrations page covers API and MCP client connections.
- Works on any plan, including Free.
Where Predis.ai fits, and where it doesn't
Predis.ai is an AI ad platform for videos, ads, social ads that look like your brand. It is not a training video tool. If your job is in one of those areas, Predis.ai does not cover it, and the sections above cover what HeyGen offers.
In our side-by-side test, Predis.ai made the stronger product ad, mainly because it built the ad from the actual product. That result covers product ads only. It does not cover training, translation, sales video.
you make ads, videos, UGC, social content for a brand and want them to look like the brand rather than generic.
Scene editing lets you change one part of an ad without starting over, reference-ad input lets you start from an ad you already like, and insights and competitor intelligence show what works in your category before you spend.
Predis.ai offers a 3-day trial (card required), so you can run the same product through both tools.
you need translated videos, training videos, or sales video inside your own app.
For those, and for personalized sales video at scale, see the HeyGen sections above.
What users say
HeyGen has a large review footprint. It holds 4.0 on Trustpilot and 4.8 on G2 from 1,973 reviews. Here are the patterns that come up most on Trustpilot.
What users like
- Ease of use. Non-technical users say they can make a professional-looking video quickly, with a short learning curve.
- Avatar and voice quality. Reviewers say the avatars look realistic and the voices sound natural.
- Speed. Users say it takes less time than filming and editing a video the traditional way.
- Flexibility. Users like being able to arrange scenes and customize videos for different audiences.
What users complain about
- Credits. The most common complaint is credit use that is hard to predict or that runs out faster than expected, which matches the engine-by-engine rates above.
- Editing reliability. Some users describe edits that do not apply as expected and revisions that have to be repeated.
- Bugs. Some reviewers report occasional glitches and missing features.
- Interface changes. A few users say redesigns disrupted workflows they were used to.
Pros and cons
- Stock and custom avatars, AI voices, and voice cloning
- Video translation in 175+ languages with lip sync
- Personalized video at scale with a native HubSpot integration
- A separate pay-as-you-go API available on any plan
- Permanent free plan to test the workflow
- Credit use is hard to predict across avatar engines
- Premium avatars use credits 6 to 7 times faster
- Extra credits can only be bought on Business
- Free plan limited to 3 one-minute videos with a watermark
- Some users report unreliable edits and occasional bugs
FAQs
The free plan, credits, the API, voice cloning, Synthesia, and ads.
Is HeyGen free?
Yes, HeyGen has a permanent free plan. It includes 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with a HeyGen watermark. Paid plans start at $29/month for Creator.
Does HeyGen have a free trial, or a free plan?
A free plan. It does not expire, so it is not a trial in the usual sense. You can keep using it within its limits, and upgrade when you need longer videos or no watermark.
How many minutes do HeyGen credits buy?
It depends on the avatar engine. On Creator, 600 credits cover about 200 minutes of Avatar III, about 30 minutes of Avatar IV or V, or about 120 minutes of full video translation.
How much does the HeyGen API cost?
The API is priced separately from the web plans. It is pay-as-you-go from a $5 prepaid balance and is available on any plan, including Free. HeyGen removed free API credits in February 2026.
Can HeyGen clone my voice?
Yes. Voice cloning is included from the Creator plan, and video translation can carry your cloned voice into other languages.
HeyGen vs Synthesia: which is better?
Both make presenter-style business video. HeyGen's Creator plan is $29/month, while Synthesia's Creator plan is $89/month, or $64/month billed annually. HeyGen also offers video translation and a separate API. Run the same script through both free plans before you choose.
Is Predis.ai better than HeyGen for ads?
It depends on the ads. HeyGen makes avatar-led ads with a presenter. Predis.ai is built for branded ads, videos with editing, reference-ad input, and insights. The side-by-side test above shows both on the same product. Predis.ai does not cover training or sales videos.
For marketers making ads and UGC: HeyGen vs Predis.ai
This is the one use case where Predis.ai competes with HeyGen, so it is where we ran our test. HeyGen can make social ads: you script an ad, an avatar presents it, and you export it in 9:16 for Reels and TikTok. The question is how its output compares with a tool built for ads.
We ran one test: the same product, in 9:16, at the same length, in both tools, using defaults and each tool's first output without edits. It is a single test rather than a full benchmark, so treat it as a sample of what each tool does by default.
Scores, 1 to 5
Scored by Predis.ai TeamCredits are each tool's own unit, so the two numbers are not comparable.
What we saw
Predis.ai scored higher than HeyGen on every criterion we scored: script (5 against 2), product visuals (4.5 against 0), brand fit (4 against 3), and editability (4 against 2). The biggest difference was the product itself: Predis.ai built the ad from the actual product assets and showed the chair in use, which lifted its script, visual, and brand-fit scores. HeyGen was a little faster, at about 4.5 minutes against 5.5. This is one test with default settings, so treat it as a sample of what each tool does out of the box.