Synthesia

Synthesia is a browser-based tool for creating videos from a written script. You pick an avatar, type or paste your text, choose a voice, and the platform renders a presenter-style video without cameras, actors or studio time. It is used mainly for training material, product explainers, internal communications and localized marketing.

The current version is Synthesia 3.0, built around the Express-2 avatar engine, which generates full-body avatars with natural hand and body movement rather than static talking heads. Version 3.0 also added interactive Video Agents. On October 9, 2026, Synthesia launched Syren in beta, a separate way to create video from a text prompt, a preset, or a branded document; it generates the video as code, renders it live in the browser, and lets you edit through chat. Synthesia has moved to a credits system that is now the shared currency across its usage-based features, and the former 'Creator' plan has been renamed 'Pro'.

The avatar catalog scales with plan: 9 AI avatars on the free Basic plan, 125+ on Starter, 180+ on Pro, and 240+ on Enterprise. Personal avatars are not available on Basic, but Starter includes 3, Pro includes 5, and Enterprise allows unlimited personal avatars. Enterprise also includes one-click translation into 140+ languages. Syren videos run up to 3 minutes, in horizontal or vertical format, and are aimed at launch videos, explainers and marketing clips, while the standard avatar editor remains the tool for exact, repeatable content such as compliance training. Add-ons include a Roleplay learner seat and a Studio Express-1 custom avatar built for annual-plan customers.

Pricing is tiered and credit-based. The free Basic plan is $0 per month and includes 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing per month, 500 credits per month, 9 AI avatars, a watermark, no personal avatars and no downloads. Starter is $29 per month billed monthly, or $18 per month billed annually, with 1,250 credits per month (15,000 credits per year on annual billing), roughly 12 minutes of video, 125+ avatars, 3 personal avatars, downloads, logo removal and an AI Video Assistant. Pro (formerly Creator) is $89 per month billed monthly, or $64 per month billed annually, with a base of 6,000 credits per month (scalable to higher credit tiers at additional cost), roughly 60 minutes of video, 180+ avatars, 5 personal avatars, interactive videos and branded video pages. Enterprise is custom-priced with unlimited video minutes, 240+ avatars, unlimited personal avatars, SAML/SSO and SCORM export. A Roleplay learner seat add-on is $29 per month billed monthly or $25 per month billed annually, and a Studio Express-1 custom avatar is $1,000 per year for annual-plan customers. Syren is also credit-based, with a 1-minute video typically using 1,000-2,000 credits; Basic plan users currently get a limited-time allotment of promotional Syren credits, and Syren output on Basic carries a watermark.

The main limitations are the credit-based minute caps, which are tight on the Basic and Starter tiers, and the fact that the core avatar-led format suits explanatory content better than cinematic or emotionally nuanced storytelling. Syren, which extends the product into motion-graphics marketing video, is still in beta and capped at 3-minute videos, so it does not yet replace a full production workflow. The credits system adds a layer of complexity to understanding usage limits across features, and the most advanced capabilities, such as interactive video and higher avatar counts, sit behind the Pro and Enterprise plans.

Synthesia is a strong fit for L&D teams, HR, product marketing and anyone who needs to produce or localize a high volume of talking-head videos quickly and without a film crew, and now also for teams wanting fast launch or marketing clips through the beta Syren tool. It remains less suited to creators chasing long-form, highly produced cinematic output.