Hedra vs HeyGen vs Sync.so vs Synthesia
A side-by-side look at Hedra, HeyGen, Sync.so and Synthesia for filmmakers: what each one can do, what it costs, and where they actually differ.
-
Character video AI: a portrait plus audio becomes a directed talking or acting performance
- Price
- From $20/mo (Basic, 2,000 credits); Pro $50/mo; Ultra $100/mo; Teams $75/mo; Enterprise custom
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Talking-character explainers and spokesperson videos from a single portrait
-
AI avatars, lip sync and dubbing for talking-head video in 175+ languages
- Price
- Free (3 videos/mo, 1-min cap) · Creator $29/mo · Pro from $49/mo · Business $149/mo + $20/seat
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Presenter explainers when you cannot put a person on camera
-
Lip sync, dubbing and image-to-talking-video for footage you already shot
- Price
- Free (3 gens/month, 20s max); Hobbyist $5/mo; Creator $19/mo; per-second usage on top (sync-3 $0.107 to $0.133/sec by plan)
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Redubbing a finished spot or doc for several language markets
-
AI avatar video for training and corporate comms, with brand controls and 140+ languages
- Price
- Basic free; Pro $89/mo ($64/mo yearly); Enterprise custom
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Corporate training and compliance explainers with a presenter to camera
The short version
Where they differ
- Sync.so is the only one without native audio in video.
All 4 offer: lip-sync, public API, MCP server, free tier.
Feature by feature
Hedra vs HeyGen vs Sync.so vs Synthesia: capabilities
| Hedra | HeyGen | Sync.so | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From $20/mo (Basic, 2,000 credits); Pro $50/mo; Ultra $100/mo; Teams $75/mo; Enterprise custom | Free (3 videos/mo, 1-min cap) · Creator $29/mo · Pro from $49/mo · Business $149/mo + $20/seat | Free (3 gens/month, 20s max); Hobbyist $5/mo; Creator $19/mo; per-second usage on top (sync-3 $0.107 to $0.133/sec by plan) | Basic free; Pro $89/mo ($64/mo yearly); Enterprise custom |
| Infinite canvas | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| AI agent | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| Chat assistant | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Text to image | Yes | Yes | No | Not confirmed |
| Image editing | Partial | Partial | No | No |
| Text to video | Yes | Yes | No | Partial |
| Image to video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Video to video | Partial | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Native audio in video | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Lip-sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice / TTS | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music & SFX | Not confirmed | Yes | No | Not confirmed |
| Character consistency | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Camera control | Yes | Partial | No | No |
| Custom training | Not confirmed | Partial | No | Partial |
| Third-party models | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Desktop / local | No | Partial | No | No |
| Open source | No | Partial | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use | Yes | Partial | Not confirmed | Yes |
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page. "Not confirmed" means the vendor doesn't say.
Plans
Pricing compared
Hedra
| Free | $0monthly |
|---|---|
| Basic | $20monthly |
| Pro | $50monthly |
| Teams | $75monthly |
| Ultra | $100monthly |
| Enterprise | Customcustom |
HeyGen
| Free | $0monthly |
|---|---|
| Creator | $29monthly |
| Pro | $49monthly |
| Business | $149 + $20/seatmonthly |
| Enterprise | Contact salescustom |
Sync.so
| Free | $0monthly |
|---|---|
| Hobbyist | $5monthly |
| Creator | $19monthly |
| Growth | $49monthly |
| Scale | $249monthly |
| Enterprise | Customannual |
Synthesia
| Basic | $0monthly |
|---|---|
| Pro | $89 (monthly) or $64/mo billed yearlymonthly or yearly |
| Enterprise | Customcustom |
The verdict
Which one should you pick?
Hedra
Pick it for
- Talking-character explainers and spokesperson videos from a single portrait
- UGC-style ads and product walkthroughs with an illustrated or AI-generated presenter
- Music videos and animated shorts where a character must sing or talk on camera
Stands out
- Built for character performance first: one portrait plus audio gives lip-sync, expression and gesture, and it works on illustrated characters as well as photos.
- Character-3 clips run up to 10 minutes per generation, far longer than most single-shot video models, and are priced per second at 2.5c (540p), 5c (720p) or 6.25c (1080p).
Watch out
- Output tops out at 1080p on Character-3 and Omnia, below 4K-capable rivals
- Credits expire monthly and do not roll over, according to third-party reviews
HeyGen
Pick it 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
Stands out
- 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.
- 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.
Watch out
- 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
Sync.so
Pick it for
- Redubbing a finished spot or doc for several language markets
- Fixing a flubbed line or matching new VO to an existing take
- Lip syncing an AI-generated or photo-based character to a recorded performance
Stands out
- Lipsync is the whole product: it works on footage you already shot, so you don't regenerate the performance or the shot.
- sync-3 is stated to output up to 4K at 60fps, and the model handles multiple speakers by identifying who is talking before syncing the face.
Watch out
- Lipsync only: no generation, no shot creation, no soundtrack or music
- Free tier output is watermarked and capped at 20 seconds
Synthesia
Pick it for
- Corporate training and compliance explainers with a presenter to camera
- Localising one spokesperson video into many languages with dubbing
- Internal onboarding and product walkthroughs that need brand approval
Stands out
- Commercially licensed stock avatars and a brand kit with approval controls, which is the main reason legal and HR teams pick it over open-ended video models
- Paid plans remove the logo watermark from Starter upward (Basic free tier carries it), so the output is client-ready without a fee
Watch out
- Avatars look polished but corporate; less expressive and less playful than HeyGen
- Not a cinematic tool: no camera control, no free-form scene generation beyond B-roll
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page, checked against vendor pricing and changelog pages (oldest check: ). Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Build a different comparison →