Synthesia AI Video Generator Review (2026): Pricing, Credits and Alternatives
Synthesia creates avatar-presenter videos from a script. Here is what each plan costs, how credits turn into minutes, and who should look elsewhere.
Short answer: Synthesia turns a script into a video with an AI avatar presenter. It has a free Basic plan with a watermark and no downloads, Starter at $29/month (about 12 minutes of video) and Pro at $89/month (about 60 minutes), billed monthly, plus custom Enterprise pricing. It suits training, explainers and business videos, not cinematic footage.
What Synthesia does
Synthesia is an AI video generator built around avatars. You paste or write a script, pick an avatar and voice, and the platform produces a talking-presenter video, so you do not need a camera or studio. Its pricing page also lists dubbing and translation, interactive videos, surveys and roleplays, which are aimed at training and corporate teams.
Synthesia pricing (October 2026)
These numbers come from Synthesia's own pricing page, which showed monthly prices. The page has a yearly toggle that says you can save up to 4 months, but the yearly prices were not visible when we read it, so check the page for annual rates.
| Plan | Price | Credits / month | Video (approx.) | Key points | AI avatars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 500 | About 10 min free allowance | Watermark; no downloads | 9 |
| Starter | $29/month, billed monthly | 1,250 | About 12 min | Logo removed; MP4 downloads | 125+ |
| Pro | $89/month, billed monthly | 6,000 | About 60 min | Logo removed; 5 personal avatars, branded video pages | 180+ |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited video minutes | SSO, brand kits, SCORM export, dedicated manager | 240+ |
How Synthesia credits work
- Synthesia lists roughly 100 credits per minute of video, with the first 10 minutes included on the free allowance.
- Dubbing uses about 76 credits per minute, and lip-sync doubles credit use.
- The Pro plan lists higher credit tiers if you need more, such as 12,000 credits for $176 a month.
The practical limit is minutes of finished video per month, so estimate how many minutes you publish before you pick a plan.
Pros and cons
- Pro: No camera, studio or presenter needed.
- Pro: A large avatar library, 125+ on Starter and 180+ on Pro.
- Pro: Built for training and business content, with translation tools.
- Pro: A free plan lets you test the editor.
- Con: The free plan has a watermark and no downloads.
- Con: Starter gives only about 12 minutes a month.
- Con: Avatar presenters can feel stiff for entertainment content.
- Con: Personal avatars start on Pro.
Who Synthesia is for
Good fit: training videos, product explainers, onboarding, internal updates and multi-language business content. Poor fit: cinematic or creative video, or a channel built on mass-produced videos. YouTube says monetized channels must not be mass-produced or repetitive, so read our YouTube automation guide before you build a channel around AI avatars.
Synthesia alternatives
- Kapwing: an online editor with AI tools, with a free plan and no avatar focus.
- Kling AI: generates video clips from prompts, not avatar presenters.
- ElevenLabs: AI voices you can pair with your own footage.
- Other avatar tools exist. Compare each one's own pricing page for credits, watermark and commercial-use terms before you pay.
More tools: free AI tools list and the AI tools hub.
How to test Synthesia in one hour
- Write a 60-second script about something you already know.
- Choose one avatar and one voice, and keep the layout simple.
- Generate the video on the free plan and watch it on your phone, not only on a desktop screen.
- Check whether the delivery feels natural and whether names or numbers are pronounced correctly.
- Note what the free plan blocks, such as downloads, so you know what you would be paying for.
If the result feels stiff for your audience, an avatar tool may not fit, however good the price.
Five questions to ask before paying
- How many minutes of video do I publish a month, and does it fit Starter's 12 or Pro's 60?
- Do I need my own avatar? That starts on Pro.
- Will viewers accept an AI presenter for this topic?
- Do I need many languages? Check dubbing and translation credits.
- Can I get the same result more cheaply with my own voice over slides?
Common mistakes
- Buying Starter and running out of credits in the first week.
- Writing scripts for reading rather than for speaking. Short sentences work better.
- Using avatar videos for sensitive topics where viewers expect a human.
- Ignoring the platform's rules about consent when creating a personal avatar.
Cost example: price per minute of video
Using Synthesia's own numbers (about 100 credits per video minute, billed monthly):
| Plan | Price | Video minutes | Approx. cost per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/month | about 12 | about $2.42 |
| Pro | $89/month | about 60 | about $1.48 |
Example: a team that publishes four 5-minute training videos a month needs about 20 minutes, which is more than Starter includes. That points to Pro at $89 a month, or to fewer and shorter videos. Pro is cheaper per minute but only worth it if you actually use the minutes.
Sources and last checked
Frequently asked questions
Is Synthesia free?
Synthesia has a free Basic plan with 500 credits, a Synthesia watermark and no downloads. Paid plans start at $29 a month.
How much does Synthesia cost?
On Synthesia's pricing page, Starter is $29 a month and Pro is $89 a month when billed monthly. Enterprise is custom. Yearly prices are shown on the page.
How many minutes of video do I get?
Starter lists about 12 minutes a month and Pro about 60 minutes, based on roughly 100 credits per video minute.
Does Synthesia remove the watermark?
Yes. The Starter and Pro plans list the logo as removed. The free Basic plan includes a Synthesia watermark.
Can I make my own avatar?
Personal avatars are listed on Pro (5 avatars) and unlimited on Enterprise.
Is Synthesia good for YouTube?
It can help with explainers, but YouTube says monetized channels must not be mass-produced, generic or repetitive, so avatar videos still need original ideas and real value.
What are good Synthesia alternatives?
Options include Kapwing for editing with AI tools, Kling AI for prompt-based clips and other avatar tools. Compare current pricing and watermark rules first.
Want to see the avatars first?
Start on the free plan, check the watermark and download limits, then decide.
Try Synthesia →Prices and limits were read from the pages below on October 12, 2026. They change often, so confirm before you pay.