# Synthesia alternatives

> Six Synthesia alternatives for AI avatar videos, from free plans to paid tools, with what each does best and prices read off their own sites on 20 Oct 2026.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-10-26
- **Category**: Video tools
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives/synthesia-alternatives

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The main Synthesia alternatives are HeyGen, Colossyan, Elai, Creatify and MakeUGC. Synthesia has a free plan, and its paid plans start at $29 a month billed monthly (checked 2026-10-20).

## What Synthesia does well, and why teams look elsewhere

Synthesia makes videos with AI presenters from a script. Basic is free and gives 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing, with a watermark. Starter is $29 a month billed monthly, or $18 a month billed yearly. Pro is $89 a month billed monthly, or $64 billed yearly.

Credits are one shared pool for video, dubbing and surveys. A custom Studio Express-1 avatar is a paid add-on of $1,000 a year, for annual plans only.

Teams look elsewhere for a lower price per minute, avatars built for ads, or fewer add-ons.

## Quick comparison

| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesia | Presenter-style avatar videos | Free; Starter $29/month |
| HeyGen | Avatar videos and voice cloning | Free; Creator $29/month |
| Colossyan | Training videos with avatars | Free Starter; Professional $59/month, billed yearly |
| Elai | Avatar videos from text | Free; Creator $29/month ($23 billed yearly) |
| Creatify | Ad videos with AI actors | Free; Standard $15/month |
| MakeUGC | UGC-style ads | $29/month, billed yearly |

Prices checked 2026-10-20 on each company's own site, in dollars.

## HeyGen

The free plan makes up to 3 videos a month and needs no card. Creator has 600 credits and voice cloning. Pro is $49 a month with 1,000 credits. Business is $149 a month plus $20 for each extra seat.

## Colossyan

Aimed at training and learning content. The free Starter plan needs no card and gives 20 minutes a month. Professional is $59 a month billed yearly (it lists no monthly price) and gives 30 minutes a month on its NEO model, with extra members at $30 a month each.

## Elai

The free plan makes 1 minute of video and includes 80+ avatars and 75+ languages. Creator is $29 a month ($23 billed yearly) for 15 minutes a month. Team is $125 a month ($100 billed yearly) for 50 minutes.

Say you need 10 minutes of finished video a month. Elai's Creator plan includes 15 minutes at $29, which its page puts at $1.93 a minute. Synthesia's Starter includes about 12 minutes at $29. Both cover you, so compare minutes, not plan names.

## Creatify

Made for ads. The free plan gives 10 credits a month and a watermark. Standard is $15 a month ($12 billed yearly). See [Creatify compared](/compare/creatify).

## MakeUGC

UGC-style ads with AI actors, product-in-hand videos and an API. Starter is $29 a month billed yearly. You can try any plan for $1. See [Arcads alternatives](/alternatives/arcads-alternatives) for more AI UGC tools.

## Marxx

We make Marxx, so weigh this. It is built for ads, not training courses. Its production canvas makes image, video, voice, dubbing, avatars and UGC, and publishes campaigns, ad sets and ads to Meta. See the [production canvas](/features/production-canvas).

## How to choose

1. Pick the job: training, explainers or ads.
2. Price per finished minute. Ask what a retake costs.
3. Test the same script in two tools. Compare voice and lip-sync.
4. For ads, ask whether AI faces fit your buyers. Read [AI UGC vs human UGC](/compare/ai-ugc-vs-human-ugc).

## FAQ

### Does Synthesia have a free plan?

Yes. Basic is free, with 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing and a watermark (checked 2026-10-20).

### Which Synthesia alternative is best for ads?

Creatify and MakeUGC are built for ads. See [what UGC ads are](/glossary/ugc-ads).

### How much is Synthesia if I pay yearly?

Starter is $18 a month billed yearly, against $29 billed monthly. Pro is $64 a month billed yearly, against $89 billed monthly (checked 2026-10-20).

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