Synthesia alternatives for training, free and paid (2026)

Synthesia makes videos in which an AI avatar presents your script, and for training and company updates it does that well. Its free plan shares videos by link only. SCORM export, the format learning management systems use to track courses, and one-click translation are listed on the Enterprise plan.

This guide compares six Synthesia alternatives, including avatar tools similar to Synthesia and two that make animated video instead. It then covers what Synthesia does well, what it costs and why people switch. We surveyed the websites and pricing pages of every tool we mention in October 2026.

What is Synthesia?

Synthesia is an AI video platform that turns a script into a video presented by an AI avatar. You choose a stock avatar or make one of yourself, type or paste a script, and Synthesia generates the presenter speaking it, with voices in more than 140 languages. It also offers screen recording, templates and an API.

Synthesia alternatives compared

The table compares six Synthesia alternatives with Synthesia itself on the points people raise most often. All prices are in US dollars. After the table, each tool has a section on how it compares with Synthesia.

Tool	Presenter	Languages	Free option	Cheapest paid plan	Best for
SynthesiaAI avatar videos	Avatar	140+	Basic plan: 10 min a month, watermarked, no download	$19 a month, $14 billed yearly	Training and company videos with a presenter
ScenemaAI generator	No presenter	75+	200 credits once, scripts up to 1,000 characters, watermarked	See pricing	Long animated explainers with consistent characters
HeyGenAI avatar videos	Avatar	30+ free, 175+ paid	3 videos a month up to 1 min, watermarked	$29 a month, $24 billed yearly	Marketing and social videos with avatars
ColossyanAI avatar videos	Avatar	120+	Starter plan with 20 min a month	$59 a month billed yearly	Training teams that need SCORM export
Elai.ioAI avatar videos	Avatar	75+	1 minute of video	$29 a month, $23 billed yearly	Short avatar videos on a small budget
AI StudiosBy DeepBrain AI	Avatar	30+ free, 150+ paid	Up to 3 videos of 1 minute	$29 a month, $24 billed yearly	Custom avatars on the entry plan
VyondAnimation builder	Animated characters	95	Free trial	$99 a month, $58 billed yearly	Training animation you build yourself

How we compared these tools: We read each tool’s own website and pricing page in October 2026, and Synthesia’s figures come from its pricing page and help center. We did not make test videos with each tool. Plans change often, so check the current terms before you sign up. Scenema is our own product.

The best Synthesia alternatives

Scenema makes animated explainers without a presenter

Training videos made in Synthesia are often about a process, a system or a policy, and Scenema makes those as animated explainers with no one on screen. You start from a prompt, a script or a training document such as a PDF. Scenema writes the narration, plans the shots and animates them in one of 78 styles, from whiteboard drawings to labelled 3D cutaways. The same characters and look carry through every lesson, and long courses are split into chapters. Narration comes from more than 500 voices in more than 75 languages. The free plan gives 200 credits once, enough for a watermarked 480p video of up to 60 seconds, and the pricing page lists the plans after that. Scenema also has a public MCP server, so assistants such as Claude can make videos with it.

Best for: Training modules about processes, systems and policies, where a drawn explanation teaches more than a presenter.

HeyGen is the closest match to Synthesia

HeyGen is the avatar tool most often compared with Synthesia, and it leans more toward marketing, social video and translation. Paid plans include more than 700 stock avatars, and every plan lets you make an avatar of yourself. Its free plan is smaller than Synthesia’s: 3 watermarked videos a month, each up to 1 minute long. Creator costs $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, which is more than Synthesia Starter. HeyGen puts SCORM export on its Business plan rather than Enterprise. Our guide to HeyGen alternatives covers its plans in detail.

Best for: Marketing and translated avatar videos, or SCORM export without an enterprise contract.

Colossyan is built for training teams

Colossyan is an AI avatar video tool aimed at workplace learning, with more than 300 stock avatars and more than 120 languages. Its free Starter plan includes 20 minutes a month of video, and no credit card is needed. The Professional plan costs $59 a month billed yearly and adds SCORM export, five times a month, so courses can go straight into a learning management system. On Synthesia, SCORM export is listed only on the Enterprise plan.

Best for: Training teams that need SCORM export without an enterprise contract.

Elai.io sells avatar video in monthly minutes

Elai.io makes avatar videos from text, with more than 80 avatars and more than 75 languages, about half of Synthesia’s 140+. Its Creator plan costs $29 a month, or $23 billed yearly, for 15 minutes of video a month. Its free plan gives 1 minute of video, against 10 minutes a month on Synthesia Basic.

Best for: Small teams that want a simple avatar tool with a fixed allowance of minutes.

AI Studios by DeepBrain AI includes custom avatars on its entry plan

AI Studios is DeepBrain AI’s avatar video tool. Its Personal plan costs $29 a month, or $24 billed yearly, and includes 3 custom avatars, while personal avatars on Synthesia start with Pro at $89 a month. Videos can be localized into more than 150 languages, with voice cloning and lip sync. Personal allows videos of up to 30 minutes, and Team allows up to 60 for $69 a seat a month, or $55 billed yearly. The free plan makes up to 3 videos of 1 minute each. Like Synthesia, it lists SCORM export on Enterprise only.

Best for: An avatar of yourself without paying for a Pro plan.

Vyond lets training teams animate every scene themselves

Vyond is an animation builder for teams who want control over every scene. Synthesia generates a presenter from a script, while in Vyond you place animated characters, props and backgrounds yourself, with AI help. Starter costs $99 a month, or $58 billed yearly, and allows videos of up to 25 minutes, with up to 90 on larger plans. Vyond lists 95 languages, and its free trial includes 2,000 credits, with a watermark.

Best for: Course teams willing to assemble each animated scene themselves.

What does Synthesia do well?

Synthesia is a strong choice when a video needs a presenter:

Avatars: The Enterprise plan includes more than 240 stock avatars. The Pro plan includes 5 personal avatars, so you can present your own videos as an avatar after recording yourself once.
Languages: Voices cover more than 140 languages, and the Enterprise plan adds one-click translation of whole videos.
Training tools: Enterprise includes SCORM export for learning management systems, and Synthesia also offers templates and screen recording.
A permanent free plan: The Basic plan is free every month rather than a trial that runs out.

Is Synthesia free, and is there a free trial?

Synthesia has a free plan, called Basic, that includes 10 minutes of video and 500 credits every month. Videos on the free plan carry a Synthesia watermark and can be shared by link, but downloading them and removing the logo needs the Starter plan or higher. The pricing page lists no separate trial of the paid plans. Instead, Starter and Pro offer a cheaper first month, at $9 and $49.

Which Synthesia alternatives are free?

Five of the six alternatives in this guide have a free plan, and Vyond offers a free trial instead. These are the free plans as each tool’s pricing page described them in October 2026:

Synthesia Basic: 10 minutes of video a month, watermarked and shared by link only.
Colossyan: The free Starter plan includes 20 minutes of video a month.
HeyGen: 3 watermarked videos a month, each up to 1 minute long.
AI Studios by DeepBrain AI: Up to 3 videos of 1 minute each.
Elai.io: 1 minute of video.
Scenema: 200 credits once when you sign up, and scripts of up to 1,000 characters, enough for a watermarked animated video of up to 60 seconds.
Vyond: A free trial rather than a free plan.

Colossyan gives the most free video each month among the avatar tools. Scenema is the only free plan on this list that makes an animated video instead of an avatar video.

Synthesia pricing: what each plan costs in 2026

Synthesia costs $19 a month on its Starter plan, or $14 a month billed yearly. Pro costs $89 a month, or $59 a month billed yearly. Both paid plans currently offer a lower price for the first month. These are the prices on Synthesia’s pricing page in October 2026:

Plan	Billed monthly	Billed yearly, per month	Video each month	Highlights
Basic	$0	$0	10 minutes of video	Watermarked, share link only
Starter	$19 ($9 first month)	$14 ($168 a year)	About 12 extra minutes	Download videos, no watermark, 125+ avatars
Pro	$89 ($49 first month)	$59 ($708 a year)	About 60 extra minutes	180+ avatars, 5 personal avatars
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Unlimited	240+ avatars, SCORM export, 1-Click Translation

Paid plans add credits on top of the free 10 minutes, and Synthesia shows the extra video those credits make as an estimate. Dubbing and surveys use the same credits.

Why do people look for a Synthesia alternative?

Most reasons to switch come from limits on Synthesia’s own pricing page:

Downloads: The free Basic plan shares videos by link only, so making a file you can upload elsewhere needs a paid plan.
SCORM export: Synthesia lists SCORM export on the Enterprise plan. Colossyan includes it on Professional.
Translation: One-click translation of a whole video is listed on Enterprise.
Video minutes: Starter adds about 12 minutes of video a month to the free 10 minutes, and Pro adds about 60.
A presenter is not always the clearest format: A talking presenter suits announcements and messages from a person. Processes, systems and abstract ideas are often easier to follow when they are drawn and animated.

What do Scenema’s styles look like?

Scenema has 78 visual styles, and each one keeps the same look and characters across a whole video. These are three that suit training and explainer videos. The rest are on the styles page.

Scenema Brutalist style: a phishing email with bold labels pointing to the fake sender, false urgency and a suspicious link — **Brutalist:** Huge type and hard grids that make compliance and security points hard to miss.

Scenema CAD Cutaway 3D style: an exploded view of a pump with labelled parts for replacing a mechanical seal — **CAD Cutaway 3D:** Exploded views and labelled parts for technical and maintenance training.

Scenema Clay Studio SaaS 3D style: clay characters on three steps labelled create account, pick a template and invite your team — **Clay Studio SaaS 3D:** Glossy clay scenes for onboarding and product training.

How to choose a Synthesia alternative

Think about the training videos you make now. Tick each point that matters, and the note under it shows which tools meet it.

Checklist for choosing a Synthesia alternative

Do you need a presenter on screen?If yes, compare the avatar tools: HeyGen, Colossyan, AI Studios and Elai.io. If the subject is a process, a concept or a product, an animated explainer from Scenema or Vyond may explain it more clearly.
SCORM export for your learning systemColossyan includes SCORM export on Professional. On Synthesia it needs the Enterprise plan.
Downloads on a free planSynthesia’s free Basic plan shares videos by link only. Check whether a free plan lets you download before you build a whole course on it.
Long videos with the same charactersFor explainers longer than a few minutes, check how each tool keeps characters and style consistent, and watch a long sample rather than the first scene.
One real test videoUse each tool’s free plan or trial to make one video from your own script before paying for anything.

Turn your next training video into an animated lesson

Upload a training document or paste a script. Scenema narrates and animates it, with the same characters in every chapter.

Start your explainer

The TL;DR on Synthesia alternatives

What is Synthesia? Synthesia is an AI video platform that turns a script into a video presented by an AI avatar, with voices in more than 140 languages.

Is Synthesia free? Synthesia has a free Basic plan with 10 minutes of video and 500 credits a month. Free videos are watermarked and shared by link only, and downloads need a paid plan.

Does Synthesia have a free trial? Synthesia offers a free Basic plan and lists no separate trial of its paid plans. Starter and Pro offer a cheaper first month instead, at $9 and $49.

How much does Synthesia cost? Synthesia’s Starter plan costs $19 a month, or $14 a month billed yearly. Pro costs $89 a month, or $59 billed yearly, according to its pricing page in October 2026. Enterprise pricing is custom.

What are some free alternatives to Synthesia? HeyGen’s free plan makes 3 watermarked videos a month of up to 1 minute each. Colossyan’s free Starter plan includes 20 minutes a month, AI Studios by DeepBrain AI makes up to 3 videos of 1 minute, and Elai.io’s free plan includes 1 minute. Scenema gives 200 credits when you sign up, for an animated video of up to 60 seconds.

Which Synthesia alternative is closest to Synthesia? HeyGen is the closest match. It has more than 700 stock avatars on paid plans, custom avatars of yourself and a free plan.

Which Synthesia alternative includes SCORM export without Enterprise? Colossyan includes SCORM export on its Professional plan, at $59 a month billed yearly. Synthesia lists it on Enterprise.

Is there a Synthesia alternative without an avatar? Scenema makes narrated, animated explainers with no presenter on screen, and Vyond lets you build animated videos with its own characters.

Sources

Each tool’s website and pricing page, read in October 2026: synthesia.io/pricing, heygen.com/pricing, colossyan.com/pricing, elai.io/pricing, aistudios.com/pricing, vyond.com/pricing, scenema.ai/pricing.

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