HeyGen
AI avatars, lip sync and dubbing for talking-head video in 175+ languages
HeyGen makes talking-head video from a script, using a stock avatar, a photo avatar or a digital twin built from a 15-second recording. In 2026 it added Video Agent (which now writes motion graphics via HyperFrames), a 30-minute single-pass talking video model, and an open-source HTML-to-video renderer called HyperFrames. Pricing runs from a free tier (3 videos a month, 1-minute cap) up to a per-seat Business plan.
- 17 creators using
- 2 news items tracked
- 2020 first launched
- Freemium pricing
- Easy learning curve
What HeyGen can do
- Infinite canvas Partial
- AI agent Yes
- Node / flow builder No
- Public API Yes
- MCP server Yes
24 of 26 capabilities confirmed
| Capability | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Text to image | Yes | Image N model behind Avatar Look Packs; generative image models in the media library |
| Image editing | Partial | Edit Look retouches avatar images only (August 2026) |
| Text to video | Yes | Video Agent and Cinematic Avatar API generate video from a prompt |
| Image to video | Yes | Photo avatars animate a still photo; unlimited photo avatars on Creator |
| Video to video | Partial | Dubbing/translation and Speech Cleanup edit existing footage; not general restyling |
| Native audio in video | Yes | Avatar speech and voice are generated together from the script |
| Lip-sync | Yes | Lip-sync dubbing into 175+ languages; credit rate for lip-sync not verified |
| Voice / TTS | Yes | Voice cloning on Creator and above; 175+ languages |
| Music & SFX | Yes | Native music and sound effects in HyperFrames via the HeyGen CLI (June 2026) |
| Upscaling | Not confirmed | |
| Character consistency | Yes | Digital twins and Avatar Look Packs; 30-minute single-pass video keeps the avatar consistent |
| Camera control | Partial | Avatar V Custom Motion directs gaze, posture and energy; no explicit camera-move controls verified |
| Custom training | Partial | Custom avatars and digital twins from a recording; no LoRA or model training |
| Third-party models | Yes | Seedance 2.0 (ByteDance) integrated into Avatar Shots and Video Agent |
| Capability | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Infinite canvas | Partial | Free-form canvas for arranging HyperFrames compositions in Studio (April 2026). Not a moodboard or generation canvas. |
| Node / flow builder | No | |
| AI agent | Yes | Video Agent: one brief produces script, voiceover, presenter, captions, music and HyperFrames graphics; July storyboard approval step |
| Chat assistant | Partial | In-app customer support agent that answers how-to questions |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Business plan: SSO, centralized billing, collaboration; Enterprise adds SCIM |
| Capability | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Public API | Yes | Public API, CLI, Avatar V API at $0.05/s, Realtime/Broadcast avatar API |
| MCP server | Yes | HyperFrames listed as a Claude MCP connector and in the Grok connector directory |
| Mobile app | Yes | iOS app and Android app (May 2026) |
| Desktop / local | Partial | HyperFrames CLI can render locally; cloud rendering is now also offered. Avatar models are cloud-only. |
| Open source | Partial | HyperFrames (Apache 2.0) and KeyFrames are open source; avatar models are closed |
| Capability | Supported | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Free plan: 3 videos a month, 1-minute cap, Avatar IV trial access |
| Commercial use | Partial | Enterprise lists 'commercial terms'; the pricing page does not state commercial rights for Creator, Pro or Business |
Yes Partial No Not confirmed by the vendor
What makes HeyGen different
- 01
Avatar V builds a full upper-body digital twin from one 15-second recording, and the same twin works in Video Agent, Avatar Shots and the API.
- 02
Long single-pass talking video: a 30-minute avatar clip in one generation on Avatar III, IV and V, where many rivals cap clips far shorter.
- 03
Video Agent plus HyperFrames writes motion graphics as HTML and renders them, so on-screen graphics are code, not stock templates. HyperFrames is Apache 2.0.
- 04
Dubbing and Speech Cleanup work on footage you already shot, so one take can be localized and tightened without re-recording.
- 05
A public API and CLI that exposes avatar video, Avatar V and HyperFrames; Claude is listed as an MCP connector for HyperFrames.
Latest from HeyGen
- May 29 HeyGen Ranks First Across 23 G2 Summer 2026 Categories HeyGen secured 281 badges in the G2 Summer 2026 Reports, ranking as the top solution for AI avatars and video translation.
- May 6 What’s new at HeyGen: April 2026 HeyGen adds text-to-video automation and agent workflows that generate finished clips from prompts, plus updated AI avatars.
About HeyGen
HeyGen started as an avatar and dubbing tool for B2B content: training, course videos, sales explainers and spokesperson clips. Its core is still the talking avatar, now on Avatar V, which turns one 15-second recording into a digital twin with full upper-body movement, outfit and setting variations, and stable identity over long runs. Avatar V Custom Motion lets you direct face, hands, posture and gaze in plain English.
The 2026 changes move it beyond the talking head. Video Agent takes a brief and produces script, voiceover, presenter, captions, music and graphics in one pass, and HyperFrames (Apache 2.0) lets it write motion graphics as HTML. A July storyboard step lets you approve five angles and key frames before render. Cloud rendering, Speech Cleanup and a media library of 10,000+ music tracks and 75,000+ images were added in June and July. Seedance 2.0 is integrated for cinematic scenes with up to three digital twins.
For filmmakers the fit is narrow but useful: presenter shots when you cannot put a person on camera, localized versions of one take through dubbing, and quick explainers. It is not a substitute for live-action coverage or for generative shot-by-shot cinematics, where Seedance, Kling or Veo give more control over camera and action.
What's new in HeyGen
-
HeyGen for Real Estate and Edit Look avatar retouching
Real-estate video formats built on the agent's own avatar, plus Edit Look, which retouches an existing avatar with an intensity slider.
Source: heygen.com ↗ -
Video Podcast app, Video Agent motion graphics and 30-minute talking video
Two-host video podcasts from a script or URL, HyperFrames motion graphics inside Video Agent, a storyboard approval step, and a single-pass 30-minute talking video on Avatar III, IV and V.
Source: heygen.com ↗ -
HyperFrames skills, cloud rendering and Speech Cleanup
Nine HyperFrames skills (website-to-video, PR-to-video, launch video, captions), cloud rendering on HeyGen infrastructure, a live Avatar Realtime API, and Speech Cleanup for filler words.
Source: heygen.com ↗ -
Avatar V Custom Motion and Avatar V API at $0.05 per second
Plain-English control over face, hands, posture and gaze; the Avatar V model is available via API at five cents per second. Also an Android app and Codex, Canva and Superhuman integrations.
Source: heygen.com ↗ -
Avatar V launch from a 15-second recording
Digital twins with full upper-body movement, multiple outfits and settings from one clip, plus Seedance 2.0 with up to three avatars per scene via Avatar Shots and Video Agent.
Source: heygen.com ↗
Models available in HeyGen
-
Seedance 2.0 $$$ ByteDance Cinematic scenes with up to three digital twins via Avatar Shots and Video Agent
-
Avatar V — HeyGen Digital twin from one 15-second recording; Custom Motion; API at $0.05/s Also: Avatar IV · Avatar III
-
$ · $$ · $$$ = relative cost against other models of the same type, on fal.ai list prices. Cost inside HeyGen depends on its own plans and credits.
Key Features
- Avatar V digital twins from one 15-second recording, with full upper-body movement
- Avatar V Custom Motion: plain-English direction of gaze, posture, hands and energy
- Video Agent: one brief to script, voiceover, presenter, captions, music and HyperFrames graphics
- HyperFrames (Apache 2.0): HTML-to-video renderer with skills, cloud rendering and native music/sfx
- 30-minute single-pass talking video on Avatar III, IV and V
- Dubbing and lip-sync into 175+ languages; Speech Cleanup for filler words and false starts
- Video Podcast app: two-host video shows from a script, URL or PDF
- Public API, CLI and Avatar Realtime (Broadcast) API
- Business plan SSO, centralized billing and SCORM export
When to reach for it — and when to skip
Reach for it when…
- Lip sync and avatar identity hold up over long single-pass videos
- Dubbing into 175+ languages from one source take
- Public API and MCP connector let an AI assistant drive video creation
- Free tier lets you test Avatar IV and Video Agent before paying
Skip it when…
- Free plan is capped at 3 videos a month and 1 minute each
- Credit cost varies by model and length, so monthly output is hard to predict
- Commercial-use rights are not stated for Creator, Pro or Business on the pricing page
- Avatar output reads as a presenter, not as cinematic footage; limited camera control
- Business pricing is per seat, which adds up for larger teams
Best For
✓ Ideal for
- Presenter explainers when you cannot put a person on camera
- Localizing one finished talking-head video into many languages with dubbing
- Course and internal training videos built from a script
- Quick motion-graphics explainers from a brief via Video Agent and HyperFrames
- Producers who need a digital twin of a spokesperson for repeat updates
✗ Not built for
- Narrative or cinematic shots with action, camera moves and characters in scenes
- Projects that need a verified commercial license on a low-tier plan without checking terms first
Working Tips from Filmmakers Using HeyGen
- 01 Record the 15-second Avatar V clip in the lighting and wardrobe you want to keep; every later video inherits it.
- 02 Use Speech Cleanup and dubbing on existing footage before paying for a regeneration.
- 03 Check the credit cost of your model before a batch run; Avatar V costs more than the stock avatars.
- 04 Use the storyboard step in Video Agent to approve angles before rendering, so you do not burn credits on the wrong concept.
HeyGen pricing in 2026
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 monthly |
|
| Creator | $29 monthly |
|
| Pro | $49 monthly |
|
| Business | $149 + $20/seat monthly |
|
| Enterprise | Contact sales custom |
|
Prices checked against HeyGen's pricing page on 9 Oct 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm before you buy.
HeyGen vs Synthesia vs D-ID vs Hedra
| HeyGen | Synthesia | D-ID | Hedra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (3 videos/mo, 1-min cap) · Creator $29/mo · Pro from $49/mo · Business $149/mo + $20/seat | Basic free; Pro $89/mo ($64/mo yearly); Enterprise custom | Trial with watermark, then from $5.90/mo (Lite) | From $20/mo (Basic, 2,000 credits); Pro $50/mo; Ultra $100/mo; Teams $75/mo; Enterprise custom |
| Infinite canvas | Partial | No | No | Yes |
| AI agent | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Chat assistant | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Text to image | Yes | Not confirmed | Partial | Yes |
| Image editing | Partial | No | Not confirmed | Partial |
| Text to video | Yes | Partial | No | Yes |
| Image to video | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Video to video | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Native audio in video | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Lip-sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice / TTS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Music & SFX | Yes | Not confirmed | No | Not confirmed |
| Character consistency | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Camera control | Partial | No | No | Yes |
| Custom training | Partial | Partial | Partial | Not confirmed |
| Third-party models | Yes | Partial | No | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Not confirmed | Partial | Not confirmed |
| Desktop / local | Partial | No | Partial | No |
| Open source | Partial | No | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Commercial use | Partial | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes |
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page. "Not confirmed" means the vendor doesn't say.
Open the full HeyGen vs Synthesia vs D-ID vs Hedra comparison →Use Cases
Tags
Creators Using HeyGen
AI Filmmaker - Cinematic Storyteller - Google Flow - Seedance - Pixverse - Kling - Sora - Runway - Hailuo - NanoBanana - GPT - Flux - Gemini
AI Video & 3D Animation Artist | CGI & Cinematic Visuals
Red Mirage Project · AI film and brand video, start to finish
AI Filmmaker • Video Editor • AI Content Creator
AI Filmmaker & Creative Produce at Rawi AI Studio
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against HeyGen's own pricing, product and changelog pages on , then cross-checked with independent coverage where vendor pages were silent. Anything we couldn't confirm is marked "Not confirmed" rather than guessed.
- HeyGen pricing page heygen.com
- HeyGen August 2026 release heygen.com
- HeyGen July 2026 release heygen.com
- HeyGen June 2026 release heygen.com
- HeyGen May 2026 release heygen.com
- HeyGen April 2026 release heygen.com
- Synthesia pricing (comparison) synthesia.io
- Hedra pricing (comparison) hedra.com
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
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