Making a training video usually means a camera, a presenter, a quiet room and a lot of retakes. Updating it later means doing it all again. Teams put it off, and the onboarding video stays out of date.
Synthesia offers a different route: type a script and get a presenter-led video with an AI avatar and voiceover. This review covers what Synthesia does, how its credit system and plans work, who it suits and who should look elsewhere. Our analysis uses Synthesia’s published pricing, with figures checked 2026-10-04. You can see Synthesia on the vendor’s site.
What is Synthesia?
Synthesia is an AI video platform. You write a script, pick an AI avatar and a voice, and it produces a video with no camera, actors or studio. Synthesia says it supports 160+ languages and voices. That is the vendor’s figure and we did not verify it.
The vendor targets training and onboarding, product explainers, internal updates and multilingual versions of the same video. To look at the product, explore Synthesia.
How much does Synthesia cost?
Synthesia runs a shared credit system. One pool of credits covers video, dubbing, surveys and AI-generated assets. Every plan includes a free allowance of 10 minutes of video or dubbing plus 500 credits. Prices below are monthly billing, checked 2026-10-04. Annual billing lowers the monthly figures, so check the live page for those. To compare plan details, check Synthesia pricing.
| Plan | Price per month (monthly billing) | Credits per month | What Synthesia lists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 500 | 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing, 9 AI avatars, 1 editor, Synthesia watermark on videos |
| Starter | $29 | 1,250 | Up to about 12 extra minutes of video per month on top of the free allowance, 125+ AI avatars, 3 personal avatars, downloads, remove Synthesia logo, AI Video Assistant, survey analytics, 1 editor and 3 guests |
| Pro | $89 | 6,000 | Up to about 60 extra minutes of video per month on top of the free allowance, 180+ AI avatars, 5 personal avatars, branded video pages, interactive videos, API access, priority support, 1 editor and 5 guests |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited video minutes, 240+ AI avatars, unlimited personal avatars, 1-click translations into 80+ languages, SAML/SSO, live team collaboration, Brand Kits, SCORM export, dedicated customer success manager |
The Pro tier was previously sold as “Creator”. If you read older reviews or screenshots, that is the same tier.
Two points for buyers. Unused video minutes do not roll over, according to the vendor’s FAQ. And the free Basic plan puts a Synthesia watermark on videos, which rules it out for published work.
What are Synthesia’s key features?
Per Synthesia’s published specs, these are the features that decide which plan fits.
AI avatars. Stock avatars come with every plan. Personal avatars, which are custom avatars made from a person’s likeness, are listed on Starter and above. Only create a personal avatar with the person’s consent.
Voice cloning. A synthetic copy of a voice. Same consent point applies.
AI dubbing with lip-sync. Translate a video and match mouth movement to the new language.
One-click translation. Listed on Enterprise, covering 80+ languages.
Interactive video. CTAs, branching and quizzes, listed on Pro.
AI roleplays and surveys. For training and feedback.
Brand Kits and templates. Synthesia lists 60+ templates. Brand Kits are listed on Enterprise.
AI screen recorder. Record your screen and combine it with an avatar.
Bulk personalization. Generate many versions from a spreadsheet.
API access. Listed on Pro and Enterprise. If you plan to use it, try Synthesia.
What does Synthesia say about itself?
Synthesia makes claims about avatar realism, language coverage and customer numbers. These are the vendor’s claims and we did not verify them. We cite no ratings or user counts. Watch sample videos in your language before you commit.
Who should use Synthesia?
- Learning and development teams. Training and onboarding are the vendor’s main use cases.
- Companies with multilingual staff or customers. One script, many languages.
- Product marketers making explainers. No studio is needed.
- Teams that update videos often. Change the script, regenerate the video.
- Organizations that need SCORM or SSO. Both are listed on Enterprise.
- Anyone who wants to try first. Basic is free, with a watermark. When ready, try Synthesia.
Who should skip Synthesia?
- Brands that want a real human on camera. An avatar is not a person.
- Anyone who needs watermark-free videos on a free budget. Starter removes the logo.
- Heavy producers on small plans. Starter lists about 12 extra minutes per month.
- Teams that need to bank unused minutes. They do not roll over.
- Buyers who need leader-level scale at a fixed low price. Unlimited minutes sit on Enterprise.
Questions to ask before you buy
- How many video minutes do I make each month? Compare the allowances.
- How do credits count against dubbing and other features? Ask for rates.
- Do I need personal avatars? Starter lists 3, Pro lists 5.
- Do I need interactive video or API access? Both start on Pro.
- How realistic are the avatars in my language? Watch samples.
- What consent do personal avatars require? Ask for the process.
- What do annual plans cost? Check the live page.
- What happens to unused minutes? They do not roll over.
The verdict
Synthesia is a strong option for teams that make training and explainer video often and want to skip the studio. The credit system is clear once you read it, and the plan steps map to real needs such as logo removal, interactivity and API access.
The catch is minute limits and the avatar format. Count your monthly minutes, decide whether an avatar suits your audience and read the credit rules. Try Synthesia on the free plan first. Choose Starter to remove the watermark and Pro for interactive video and API access. Skip it if you need real on-camera people or very high volume at a low fixed price.
To compare other tools, browse the Tech Yarde catalog.
How we evaluate
Tech Yarde is an independent publisher and an independent affiliate of Synthesia. We did not run hands-on tests for this article. We compare products using each vendor’s published pricing, feature pages and documentation, and we read independent reviews for context. Figures come only from the vendor’s own site and carry a checked date, and anything a vendor says about itself is labeled as that vendor’s claim. Synthesia links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through one and later pay, Tech Yarde may earn a commission at no cost to you. Spot an error? Email enter@techyarde.com and we will check it.
Try Synthesia
Synthesia is a trademark of its owner. Tech Yarde is not the vendor of Synthesia, and mentions here are factual.
Keep exploring
See Synthesia’s plans, pricing and details on Tech Yarde. Comparing options? Read our Pictory review and our Descript review.
1 response