5 Best HeyGen Alternatives

Our ranking of the alternatives to HeyGen:

1. Synthesia
2. D-ID
3. Colossyan
4. ‎‎Elai.io
5. Hour One

Looking for a quick and easy way to create engaging video content without the limitations of HeyGen? Whether you’re producing videos for training, outreach, marketing, or social media, having the right tool is essential to bring your ideas to life.

While HeyGen is one option, there are several other platforms that offer high-quality video generation with unique features that might better meet your needs. In this post, we’ll dive into some of the top alternatives to HeyGen, exploring their strengths, weaknesses, standout features, and potential use cases to help you find the best fit for your video creation goals.

But first, let's quickly review HeyGen's offering.

What is HeyGen?

HeyGen is an AI-powered video generation platform that enables users to create professional-quality videos without the need for traditional filming equipment or technical expertise. HeyGen allows users to produce videos featuring customizable avatars, text-to-speech capabilities, and a variety of templates.

Monthly pricing

Here’s a summary of HeyGen's pricing plans:

In terms of value for money, HeyGen's Creator Plan likely provides the best balance for individual creators and small businesses. It removes the watermark, includes HD quality, and allows unlimited 30 minute long videos at a reasonable price.

HeyGen's limitations

1. No Multi-Avatar Scenarios: HeyGen doesn’t support multiple avatars in a single video, which limits its flexibility for creating dynamic or conversational scenes
2. Limited Avatar Selection: While it offers a variety of avatars, HeyGen’s selection is smaller than competitors like Synthesia
3. Basic Gesture and Expression Control: HeyGen’s avatars lack advanced gesture and micro-expression capabilities, making them appear less lifelike than avatars on other platforms
4. Fewer Supported Languages: HeyGen supports around 40 languages, which is fewer than the language options on platforms like Synthesia (140+ languages), limiting reach for global audiences
5. No Multi-Lingual Video Player: The platform lacks a multilingual video player, which restricts seamless language switching within videos for international audiences
6. Limited Collaboration Features: HeyGen doesn’t offer robust collaboration tools, such as real-time collaboration, which can limit its usability for team projects
7. No SCORM Export Functionality: The absence of SCORM export support makes HeyGen less suitable for training and education videos, where tracking and LMS compatibility are often required
8. No Detailed Video Analytics: HeyGen lacks built-in analytics, making it difficult to track video performance and viewer engagement metrics

How to choose the best AI video generation software

Before we start our comparison, let's go over the factors that we think should be influencing your decision when deciding on which AI video generation platform to use:

1. Ease of Use: A straightforward, intuitive interface that minimizes the learning curve, allowing you to start creating quickly
2. Branding Capabilities: Options for logos, brand colors, and other brand-specific elements that strengthen brand identity within videos
3. Language Support: Multilingual and localization features to reach and engage a global audience effectively
4. Content Flexibility: A diverse range of templates suited to different video types (e.g., training, explainer, outreach)
5. Avatar and Voice Quality: High-quality, lifelike avatars and voices that enhance engagement
6. Collaboration and Scalability: Tools for multi-user access, role-based permissions, and collaboration, enabling smooth teamwork
7. Cost Effectiveness: A clear return on investment based on the platform’s features, usage volume, and added value
8. Data Security: Strong data protection and compliance features, crucial for safeguarding internal content
9. Customer Support: Reliable support and resources to help you get the most out of the platform and troubleshoot effectively

Now we can start our comparison of the five best competitors to HeyGen.

The 5 best HeyGen alternatives

Note: If you're looking for free HeyGen alternatives, most of the competitors below offer free plans that allow you to generate videos without providing your credit card details.

1.‎ Synthesia

The world's leading AI video generator.

What is Synthesia?

Synthesia is a video generator that utilizes artificial intelligence to create realistic videos on any topic in over 140+ languages. With high quality AI and personal avatars, dynamic video templates, a screen recorder, a free media library, and lots of integrations, Synthesia offers an easy-to-use interface that doesn't require any video editing skills. Synthesia is rated 4.7/5 on G2 based on more than 1,700 reviews.

Here's how it works:

Synthesia's avatars

One of the unique features that make Synthesia stand out is its wide range of avatars. With over 230 AI avatars that cover dozens of ethnicities and looks, finding the right presenter for your video is easy, and Synthesia's "micro gestures" technology makes their avatars look even more realistic. With Synthesia’s custom avatars, you can add yourself to your video with tailored, expressive digital personas.

Synthesia's voices

Another great feature of Synthesia is the variety of languages and accents it offers. With over 2000 AI voices and more than 140 languages to choose from, you can adapt your video to different regions and countries. And if you prefer to use your own voice, you can record and upload real voice clips or even clone your voice.

Synthesia's UX/UI

Synthesia is an advanced video editor and creation tool designed to make the video editing experience as intuitive and easy as possible. They also offer extensive customer support and resources to help you every step of the way.

Synthesia pricing

Synthesia offers free AI video generation and four main plans based on the number of videos you need:

The free plan allows you to get started with 3 minutes of video per month and no credit card required.

The starter plan is best for individuals or small teams, as it's priced at $29 per month ($18 per month when paying yearly) and provides a robust set of tools and avatar options.

The creator plan is best for small teams who create videos professionally; it's priced at $89/month ($64 per month when paying yearly). Features like custom fonts and branded video pages make this plan ideal for businesses and content creators who produce regular, high-quality video content with brand-specific elements. The team collaboration feature also allows multiple users to work together seamlessly.

The enterprise plan is designed for larger organizations with extensive video production needs.

Synthesia pros:

• The most realistic AI avatars on the market
• Add multiple avatars on screen to create realistic conversations or scenarios in your videos
• Automatically translate your video to your viewers language with the multi-lingual video player
• Broad language support with over 140 languages
• Unique live collaboration features
• Advanced AI screen recording capabilities
• SCORM export functionality (for L&D content authoring)
• Detailed video analytics
• A huge number video templates for diverse use cases

Synthesia cons:

• No custom photo avatars
• Synthesia is more expensive than some competitors

How does Synthesia compare to HeyGen?

Synthesia stands out for its highly realistic AI avatars and the ability to include multiple avatars in a single video, allowing users to create dynamic, conversational scenes. Its multilingual video player automatically translates content, making videos accessible to a global audience, and the platform supports a much wider variety of languages.

Synthesia also offers advanced features like advanced screen recording, SCORM export, detailed analytics, and live collaboration, all supported by a vast template library tailored to various needs.

While HeyGen includes a custom photo avatar feature that Synthesia lacks, Synthesia’s extensive feature set—particularly in scalability and professional video creation—makes it the stronger choice for businesses.

For more details check out our in-depth comparison of HeyGen and Synthesia.

2.‎ D-ID

What is D-ID?

D-ID is a versatile AI video generator platform that uses deep learning facial animation technology, GPT-3 text generation, and Stable Diffusion text-to-image conversion capabilities to create innovative videos.

Overview of avatars

One of the standout features of D-ID is AI-generated actors. With over 20 photorealistic faces available and the ability to create custom photographic avatars from a photo, you can make your video characters look like something out of a fairy tale or fantasy universe.

Overview of voices

D-ID also offers three methods to give your avatars a voice and personality. You can use GPT-3 text generation, upload a voice recording, or use written text.

Overview of UX/UI

The user-friendly and intuitive UX/UI of D-ID makes it a great tool for creatives, regardless of their experience with AI videos or GPT-3 technology. However, one downside is that customers cannot create a video from start to finish, as the tool lacks video editing capabilities.

D-ID pricing

D-ID has 4 different paid plans plus a free trial.

At $29, the Pro plan is relatively affordable and includes a good balance of features, such as 15 minutes of video, access to 3 personal and 3 custom avatars, and 100 AI prompts. This is enough for users needing moderate customization without a high monthly cost.

D-ID's pros

• Realistic Avatars: Offers highly photorealistic avatars with accurate lip-syncing
• Photo-to-Avatar Creation: Allows users to create a custom avatar directly from a single photo
• Historical and Famous Stock Avatars: Provides a library of historical and famous figure avatars, allowing users to incorporate recognizable personas in videos

D-ID's cons:

• Limited Avatars: Offers only 25+ AI presenters, which may provide less variety compared to competitors with a larger selection
• Watermarked Videos: D-ID doesn't offer watermark-free videos until you sign up for the Advanced plan, which makes the lite and pro plans basically unusable for any professional video production
• Commercial license: Videos produced with the Lite plan don't have a commercial license - you'll have to purchase at least the Pro plan
• Fewer Templates: Lacks extensive video templates and media libraries, making it challenging to create videos from start to finish within the platform
• No Screen Recorder: Does not include a built-in screen recorder, which limits content creation capabilities, especially for tutorial or walkthrough videos
• No SCORM export support: Which is a pain point for those hoping to use D-ID to generate learning and development videos

How does D-ID compare to HeyGen?

HeyGen is best suited for those who need speed, ease of use and broader template options, while D-ID is ideal for users focused on realism and high-quality avatars.

Both platforms have relatively limited language options.

D-ID also stands out due to its advanced generative AI tools, particularly for creating unique and fantastical talking avatars.

3.‎‎ Colossyan

What is Colossyan?

Colossyan is an AI video tool that can generate videos from text input.

Colossyan's avatars

One of Colossyan's strengths is the range of emotions and realism its AI avatars can express, making them look more lifelike than HeyGen or some other Colossyan alternatives.

Colossyan's voices

Colossyan supports around 70 languages (which is similar to D-ID but more than HeyGen) and you can upload your voice recording. The platform also offers automated translation, making it effortless to translate written text into speech.

Colossyan's UX/UI

Colossyan is an intuitive tool that doesn't require any prior video editing experience, and offers various features, including some collaboration options. However, some users may find the rendering time to be too long.

Colossyan pricing

Colossyan offers three main pricing plans.

The Pro plan at $87/month offers the best value with unlimited video creation, 45 avatars, 15 avatar conversations, and advanced features like AI image generation, 10 auto-translations, and multiple export options. It’s ideal for small to medium teams needing collaborative tools and dynamic content creation without the high cost of the Enterprise plan.

Colossyan pros:

• Educational Focus: Features like scenario-based learning, PowerPoint/PDF uploads, and SCORM export support make it a better fit than HeyGen for training and educational content
• Cost-Effective Pro Plan: Provides a Pro plan at $87/month for unlimited video, offering affordability for extensive use

Colossyan cons:

• Limited Avatars: Colossyan offers around 30 stock avatars, which may be fewer compared to other platforms like HeyGen that provide over 100 avatars or Synthesia which provides over 230
• Longer Rendering Time: Typically takes 10 minutes or more to render a 40-second video, which is slower than some competitors
• Fewer Templates and Media Options: Has a limited number of templates and media resources, potentially requiring more effort in content creation
• No Versioning or Real-Time Collaboration: The collaboration tools offered are limited and lack features for version control and real-time collaboration, which can be essential for team-based projects
• No Multilingual Player: Does not offer a multilingual video player, limiting the ability to present content in multiple languages within a single video interface
• No Video Analytics: Absence of built-in video analytics makes it challenging to track viewer engagement and performance metrics

How does Colossyan compare to HeyGen?

If Colossyan's slower rendering times and limited language options (with around 70 languages supported) don't bother you, then Colossyan is a strong choice for professional training, education, and corporate environments that require high customization, collaboration features, and advanced interactivity like quizzes and scenario-based videos with SCORM exports.

4.‎‎ Elai.io

What is Elai?

Elai.io is an AI-powered video editor designed to help users produce professional videos. Similar to Synthesia, it provides voice-uploading capabilities, professional editing tools, and customizable templates in over 130 languages.

Elai's avatars

Elai.io offers a library of over 80 diverse and realistic avatars, and users can also request a personalized AI character or create an animated mascot avatar based on an illustration. Another unique feature of Elai.io is its ability to create an AI character from a photo.

Elai's voices

Elai.io offers a vast collection of over 130 languages for text-to-speech voiceovers. It also features an automatic translator, allows users to clone their voices for text-to-speech voiceovers, and submit unique audio voiceovers for their avatars.

Elai's UX/UI

Elai.io's website is easy to use and allows users to design videos with a few clicks. However, its rendering time is quite long, which can detract from its UX.

Elai pricing

Elai.io offers a free demo and three plans:

The Basic plan at $29/month works for small businesses and creators needing limited video production. It includes 15 minutes of video time, over 80 avatars, no watermark, and basic features like text-to-video and 3 monthly auto-translations. It’s suitable for simpler marketing content or training videos.

Elai pros:

• Broad Language Support: Elai supports around 130 languages, which is second only to Synthesia
• Automated Translation: Offers one-click video translation into multiple languages, simplifying localization efforts
• AI Storyboard Feature: Generates a storyboard from a single prompt - organizing content, visuals, and narration to create a structured video outline
• SCORM export functionality: Although it's only available on the enterprise plan

Elai cons:

• Smaller Avatar Library: Provides over 80 stock avatars, fewer than HeyGen's selection of over 100, potentially limiting diversity in video presentations
• Limited Advanced Features: Lacks certain advanced features like FaceSwap and extensive gesture options available in HeyGen, which may affect customization capabilities
• Fewer Templates: Offers a smaller number of video templates compared to HeyGen's extensive library, which may require more effort in content creation
• Lip-Sync Quality: Lip-sync technology may not be as advanced as HeyGen's, potentially affecting the naturalness of avatar speech
• Rendering Time: May have longer rendering times compared to HeyGen, affecting efficiency in video production

How does Elai compare to HeyGen?

Elai is ideal for businesses and creators needing flexible, customizable video production with features like AI storyboards, custom avatars, and PPTX-to-video conversion. HeyGen is better for users who want quick, easy video creation with a wider selection of stock avatars and video templates.

5.‎ Hour One

What is Hour One?

Hour One is a video editing platform that utilizes AI technology to help users create videos in minutes. Established in 2019, the platform offers several features that make video creation a breeze.

Hour One's avatars

With over 100 realistic avatars of different ages, nationalities, and appearances, Hour One ensures that users have a wide variety of options to choose from.

Hour One's voices

Hour One has a voice library with over 80 languages, ensuring that users can choose from a variety of voices to fit their personalized video messages, regardless of accent or language. The platform also has automatic subtitles.

Hour One's UX/UI

Hour One's AI video creation platform is called Reals and boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface. However, the current limitation of Hour One lies in its video editing tools, which are still under development, making it less user-friendly for personalizing videos.

Hour One pricing

Hour One offers three pricing plans: Lite, Business, and Enterprise.

While the Hour One Lite plan is affordable, it lacks branding and collaboration tools. For most teams or small businesses, the Business plan strikes a strong balance between features and cost.

Hour One pros:

• Photorealistic Avatars: Hour One specializes in creating highly lifelike AI avatars that closely resemble real humans
• Customization: Offers control over avatar expressions, camera angles, and the integration of music or voiceovers

Hour One cons:

• Micro-Gesture Technology: Hour One does not currently offer micro-gesture technology, which means avatars have limited expressiveness in terms of subtle facial movements and gestures
• Screen Recorder: Hour One does not include a built-in screen recording feature
• Limited Avatar Selection: Provides a smaller library of AI avatars compared to HeyGen's extensive selection, potentially limiting diversity in video presentations
• Fewer Advanced Features: Lacks certain advanced functionalities such as FaceSwap and multiple avatars on screen, which are available in HeyGen
• Rendering Time: Typically takes longer to render videos compared to HeyGen, which may affect efficiency in video production
• No SCORM export support: Which is a big disadvantage for learning and development use cases

How does Hour One compare to HeyGen?

While Hour One is a promising new entrant in the AI video market, it still has some ground to cover before it can compete with established players like HeyGen, Synthesia, and others. Although Hour One has solid features and affordable pricing, it lacks some of the features available on other HeyGen alternatives, such as micro-gesture technology, screen recording, more stock templates, and integration with ChatGPT.

Comparison table