5 Best HeyGen Alternatives In 2025

Our ranking of the alternatives to HeyGen:

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

HeyGen is an AI-powered video generation platform that enables users to create personalized videos using customizable avatars and multilingual voice options.

There are also several other platforms that offer high-quality video generation with unique features that might better meet your needs.

I've tried them all out and in this post I'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, I'll 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, I find that 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

No Multi-Avatar Scenarios: I found that HeyGen doesn’t support multiple avatars in a single video, which limits its flexibility when trying to create dynamic or conversational scenes.

Limited Avatar Selection: While there’s a variety of AI avatars available, I noticed that HeyGen’s selection is smaller compared to platforms like Synthesia, which felt restrictive.

Basic Gesture and Expression Control: One thing that stood out to me was that HeyGen’s avatars lack advanced gestures and micro-expressions, which made them feel less lifelike than those on other platforms.

Fewer Supported Languages: HeyGen supports around 40 languages, but as someone working on projects for global audiences, I found it limiting compared to competitors like Synthesia, which offers over 140 languages.

No Multi-Lingual Video Player: I also realized that HeyGen doesn’t have a multilingual video player, making it harder to switch seamlessly between languages within a single video for international audiences.

Limited Collaboration Features: Collaboration was another pain point for me—HeyGen lacks robust team features like real-time collaboration, which made it less ideal for working with others on projects.

No SCORM Export Functionality: Since I occasionally work on training and education videos, the lack of SCORM export support stood out as a big limitation for compatibility with LMS platforms.

No Detailed Video Analytics: Lastly, I found it frustrating that HeyGen doesn’t include built-in analytics, which made it harder for me to track how my videos were performing or engaging with viewers.

How to choose the best AI video generation software

Before I start my comparison, let's go over the things that I was looking for when deciding on which AI video generation platform to use:

Ease of Use: A straightforward, intuitive interface that minimizes the learning curve, allowing me to start creating quickly

Branding Capabilities: Options for logos, brand colors, and other brand-specific elements that strengthen brand identity within videos

Language Support: Multilingual and localization features to reach and engage a global audience effectively

Content Flexibility: A diverse range of templates suited to different video types (e.g., training, explainer, outreach)

Avatar and Voice Quality: High-quality, lifelike avatars and AI voices that enhance engagement

Collaboration and Scalability: Tools for multi-user access, role-based permissions, and collaboration, enabling smooth teamwork

Cost Effectiveness: A clear return on investment based on the platform’s features, usage volume, and added value

Data Security: Strong data protection and compliance features, crucial for safeguarding internal content

Customer Support: Reliable support and resources to help you get the most out of the platform and troubleshoot effectively

Here's my 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:

AI 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.

AI 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.

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 allowed me 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.

My Experience with Synthesia

What I Loved About Synthesia

Incredibly Realistic AI Avatars: The AI avatars in Synthesia are, without a doubt, some of the most realistic I’ve seen. Their lifelike appearance adds a level of professionalism and authenticity that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Support for Multiple Avatars: I really appreciated the ability to include multiple avatars in a single video. It made it so much easier to create engaging conversations or dynamic scenarios that felt natural and interactive.

Multilingual Video Player: The multilingual video player was a standout feature for me. It automatically translates videos into the viewer’s language, which is perfect for reaching global audiences effortlessly.

Broad Language Support: With support for over 140 languages, Synthesia gave me the flexibility to create content for diverse audiences. I never had to worry about whether I could localize a video properly.

Unique Live Collaboration Features: Collaboration is essential for many of my projects, and Synthesia’s live collaboration tools made working with my team seamless. We could edit, review, and tweak videos together in real-time, saving so much time.

Advanced AI Screen Recording: The advanced screen recording capabilities were a pleasant surprise. They made it easy to incorporate visual elements and demonstrations directly into my videos.

SCORM Export Functionality: As someone who creates training content, I found the SCORM export functionality incredibly useful. It ensured my videos were compatible with LMS platforms, making it ideal for L&D projects.

Detailed Video Analytics: The built-in analytics helped me track the performance of my videos and understand viewer engagement. It’s a feature I rely on to optimize future projects.

Diverse Video Templates: Synthesia offers a wide range of templates for different use cases, which saved me a lot of time. Whether I needed a training video, a product demo, or a promotional clip, there was a template ready to go.

Intuitive Video Editor: Synthesia's AI video editor is easy to use. It's similar to making a powerpoint presentation, so it all felt very familiar and straightforward.

What Could Be Improved

No Custom Photo Avatars: One limitation I noticed is the inability to create custom photo avatars. While the existing avatars are excellent, having the option to use a personalized avatar would have been a great addition.

Higher Price Point: Synthesia is on the pricier side compared to some competitors. While the features are worth the investment for me, I can see how this might be a hurdle for those with tighter budgets.

How does Synthesia compare to HeyGen?

After using both platforms, I’ve found that Synthesia truly stands out in several key areas. The highly realistic AI avatars immediately set it apart, and the ability to include multiple avatars in a single video is a game-changer for creating dynamic, conversational scenes. Synthesia’s multilingual video player is another standout feature—it automatically translates content, making videos accessible to a global audience. Plus, with support for over 140 languages, it’s far ahead in terms of language variety.

Synthesia also excels with its advanced features. From screen recording and SCORM export functionality to detailed analytics and live collaboration tools, it’s clear that the platform is designed for scalability and professional-grade video creation. The extensive library of templates adds even more versatility, helping me tailor content to specific needs with ease.

While HeyGen offers the unique ability to create custom photo avatars—a feature Synthesia currently lacks—I still find Synthesia to be the stronger choice for businesses. Its comprehensive feature set, especially in areas like collaboration, analytics, and global reach, makes it a more robust and scalable solution for professional video projects.

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.

AI 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.

AI 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.

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.

My Experience with D-ID

What I Loved About D-ID

Realistic Avatars: One of the things that impressed me most is the photorealistic quality of D-ID’s avatars. The accurate lip-syncing adds a level of realism that makes the videos feel incredibly polished.

Photo-to-Avatar Creation: I liked the ability to create a custom avatar directly from a single photo. It's a fun feature, although I'd still recommend using a high quality webcam for creating custom avatars for professional video creation.

Historical and Famous Stock Avatars: D-ID also offers a library of historical and famous figure avatars, which I found to be a fun and useful addition. It’s great for adding recognizable personas to videos. Again, it's probably not suitable for professional videos.

What Could Be Improved

Limited Avatar Variety: While the avatars are incredibly realistic, I found the selection to be quite limited—just 25+ AI presenters. Compared to other platforms with more extensive options, this felt a bit restrictive.

Watermarked Videos on Basic Plans: One big frustration for me was that D-ID’s videos are watermarked unless you upgrade to the Advanced plan. This limitation made the Lite and Pro plans unusable for professional work.

No Commercial License for Lite Plan: I also noticed that the Lite plan doesn’t include a commercial license. This meant I had to upgrade to at least the Pro plan for any kind of professional use, which adds to the cost.

Limited Templates and Media Libraries: I found the lack of video templates and media libraries to be a real drawback. It made creating videos from start to finish much more time-consuming, especially when compared to competitors with robust template options.

No Screen Recording Functionality: The absence of a built-in screen recorder stood out as a significant limitation for me. It’s a feature I rely on for creating tutorials and walkthroughs, and not having it reduced the platform’s versatility.

No SCORM Export Support: As someone who occasionally creates training content, I was disappointed by the lack of SCORM export functionality.

How does D-ID compare to HeyGen?

From my experience, HeyGen felt like the better choice when I needed speed, ease of use, and a wide variety of templates. It made the video creation process straightforward, especially for projects with tight deadlines. On the other hand, D-ID really impressed me with its focus on realism and the quality of its avatars. If lifelike visuals are your priority, D-ID is hard to beat.

That said, I did notice that both platforms have relatively limited language options, which can be a challenge for more diverse localization needs.

What stood out most about D-ID was its advanced generative AI tools. I had a lot of fun experimenting with its ability to create unique and even fantastical talking avatars, which opened up creative possibilities that other platforms didn’t quite offer.

3.‎‎ Colossyan

What is Colossyan?

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

AI 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.

AI 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.

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.

My Experience with Colossyan

What I Loved About Colossyan

L&D focus: I found Colossyan to be particularly well-suited for training and educational content. Features like scenario-based learning, the ability to upload PowerPoint or PDF files, and SCORM export support make it a better fit than HeyGen for these kinds of content.

Cost-Effective Pro Plan: The Pro plan at $87/month for unlimited video stood out as a great value. If you’re planning to create a lot of videos, this pricing is much more affordable than many other platforms I’ve used.

What Could Be Improved

Limited Avatar Selection: While the platform’s educational focus is excellent, the avatar selection feels limited. With only around 30 stock avatars, it falls short compared to platforms like HeyGen (over 100 avatars) or Synthesia (over 230).

Longer Rendering Times: I did notice that rendering times were slower than expected. It typically took over 10 minutes to render a 40-second video, which felt inefficient compared to faster competitors.

Fewer Templates and Media Options: The platform doesn’t have as many templates or media resources as the other options I’ve tried. This means you might have to put in more effort to create polished videos from scratch.

No Versioning or Real-Time Collaboration: For team-based projects, I found the lack of version control and real-time collaboration tools to be a drawback. These are essential for efficient workflows, especially when working with multiple contributors.

No Multilingual Player: Another limitation I noticed was the absence of a multilingual video player. This makes it harder to present content in multiple languages within a single video interface, which is something I’ve come to rely on with other platforms.

No Video Analytics: Finally, the lack of built-in video analytics was a significant downside for me. Without the ability to track viewer engagement and performance, it’s harder to optimize videos or measure their success.

How does Colossyan compare to HeyGen?

If Colossyan's slower rendering times and its more limited avatar and language options (with support for around 70 languages) aren’t deal-breakers for you, it’s a fantastic choice for professional training, education, and corporate projects. I found it particularly useful for creating highly customized and interactive content, like scenario-based videos and quizzes. Plus, the SCORM export functionality made it easy to integrate with learning management systems, which was a big win for me. The collaboration features also added real value, especially when working on team-based projects.

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.

AI 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.

AI 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.

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.

My Experience with Elai

What I Loved About Elai

Broad Language Support: I was really impressed with Elai’s language support—it covers around 130 languages. While it doesn’t quite match some of the other platforms, it still gave me plenty of flexibility to create videos for diverse audiences.

Automated Translation: The one-click translation feature made my life so much easier. I could instantly localize my videos into multiple languages without having to manually tweak anything, which saved me a ton of time.

AI Storyboard Feature: Elai’s AI storyboard tool quickly became one of my favorite features. With just a single prompt, it helped me organize content, visuals, and narration into a cohesive video outline. It made the planning stage feel effortless.

SCORM Export Functionality: As someone who occasionally creates learning and development content, I really appreciated the SCORM export functionality. It’s only available on the enterprise plan, but it’s a great option for those who need LMS compatibility.

What Could Be Improved

Smaller Avatar Library: Elai’s selection of over 80 avatars felt a bit limited to me, especially after using Synthesia, which offers over 230. A larger variety of avatars would definitely make the platform feel more versatile.

Limited Advanced Features: While Elai has a solid foundation, I did notice it’s missing some advanced features I’ve enjoyed on some of the other platforms, like lifelike micro-expressions and customizable gestures. These details can make a big difference in how polished the final video feels.

Fewer Templates: Elai’s template library felt pretty sparse compared to the other alternatives. I often found myself starting from scratch, which added more time to my workflow than I’d like.

Lip-Sync Quality: The lip-syncing wasn’t quite as natural as I’d hoped. Compared to Synthesia, the avatars’ speech felt slightly less lifelike, which stood out in longer videos.

Rendering Time: Rendering videos on Elai sometimes took longer than I expected. After experiencing faster processing times with the other platforms, this was a noticeable downside for me.

How does Elai compare to HeyGen?

Elai is a great fit if you’re looking for flexibility and customization in your video production. I loved features like the AI storyboard, custom avatars, and the ability to convert PPTX files directly into videos—it made creating professional content feel seamless. On the other hand, I found HeyGen to be better suited for quick and easy video creation. Its larger selection of stock avatars and extensive video templates made it simple to get started and produce polished results without much effort.

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.

AI 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.

AI 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.

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.

My Experience with Hour One

What I Loved About Hour One

Photorealistic Avatars: One of the things I appreciated most about Hour One was the quality of its avatars. They’re incredibly lifelike, closely resembling real humans, which added a polished, professional feel to my videos.

Customization Options: I liked having control over avatar expressions, camera angles, and the ability to integrate music or voiceovers. It gave me the flexibility to fine-tune my videos and make them more engaging.

What Could Be Improved

Lack of Micro-Gesture Technology: While the avatars look realistic, I noticed they lack micro-gesture technology. Without subtle facial movements and gestures, they felt a bit less expressive compared to the other platforms.

No Screen Recorder: I also missed having a built-in screen recorder. This is something I’ve found really useful on other platforms for creating tutorials or integrating visual aids.

Limited Avatar Library: The smaller library of AI avatars felt restrictive for me. I would have liked more variety to suit different video projects—especially after using platforms like Synthesia, which offers over 230 avatars.

Fewer Advanced Features: Hour One is missing certain advanced functionalities I’ve come to value, like using multiple avatars in a single video or tools like FaceSwap. These limitations made it less versatile for creating more complex or dynamic scenes.

Rendering Time: Video rendering took longer than I expected, which slowed down my workflow. Compared to the faster alternatives, this was a noticeable drawback.

No SCORM Export Support: As someone who occasionally creates training content, the lack of SCORM export support was a big downside. Without it, Hour One isn’t a great fit for learning and development videos that need LMS compatibility.

How does Hour One compare to HeyGen?

Hour One feels like a promising newcomer in the AI video market, but it still has some catching up to do compared to more established platforms like Synthesia. While I appreciated its solid features and affordable pricing, I couldn’t help but notice some gaps. For example, it’s missing micro-gesture technology, built-in screen recording, a wider variety of stock templates, and seamless integration with tools like ChatGPT—all features I’ve come to rely on with other platforms. There’s potential here, but it’s not quite there yet for my needs.

Comparison table