Tool review · est. 2017
Synthesia
Enterprise AI avatar video platform with full compliance
Tier across use cases
Strengths
- G2 rating of 4.7/5 across 2,376 reviews — the largest verified review sample in the AI avatar video category.
- Adopted by 90% of Fortune 100 companies including Amazon, Reuters, BBC, and Heineken; lowest vendor risk for enterprise procurement.
- Full compliance stack (SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO 42001) — only major AI video platform certified across all three as of May 2026.
- Pricing transparency: minute-based credit system (1 credit = 1 minute of any video type) avoids the "premium credit" confusion of competitors per G2 reviewers.
- 2026 AI Playground feature gives direct access to Veo 3.1 and Sora 2 for b-roll generation without leaving Synthesia — uniquely included on all plans, even Free.
Trade-offs
- Free plan capped at 3 minutes/month — practically a trial tier, not a working plan.
- Custom avatars cost $1,000/year as an add-on — significantly more expensive than HeyGen's $99 one-time custom avatar.
- Content moderation reportedly over-aggressive — multiple G2 reviewers from healthcare/biotech report legitimate corporate content rejected as "medical related" without diagnostic claims.
- SCORM export and 1-click translation locked behind Enterprise tier — versus HeyGen which includes both from free plan.
- No 4K export at any price tier — HeyGen offers 4K on Business plan, a gap for high-fidelity production.
- Avatars cited as less expressive than HeyGen's Avatar IV in 50+ side-by-side tests per third-party reviewers; gap noticeable in short-form (<3 min) content.
Key features
- 240+ AI avatars (Express-2 engine with micro-expressions)
- 140-160+ language support
- Slide-based structured editor
- 90+ clonable example videos (Synthesia Academy)
- AI Playground (Veo 3.1 + Sora 2 b-roll, all plans)
- SCORM export (Enterprise)
- 1-click multilingual translation (Enterprise)
- Custom avatars ($1,000/year add-on)
- PowerPoint-to-video converter
- Interactive branching scenarios
- SSO and user role management (Enterprise)
- Real-time collaboration
Pricing
Freemium. Free (3 minutes/month). Starter $18/mo (annual) or $29/mo (monthly). Creator $64/mo (annual) or $89/mo (monthly). Enterprise custom. 240+ avatars, 140-160+ languages, SOC 2 Type II / GDPR / ISO 42001 compliant. Trusted by 90% of Fortune 100.
Free
$0/mo
1 seat
- 3 min/month video
- Limited avatars
- AI Playground (Veo 3.1, Sora 2 b-roll access)
Starter
$18/mo
1 seat
- 60+ avatars
- Up to 10-min videos
- No watermark
- Express-2 avatars with micro-expressions
Creator
$64/mo
1 seat
- 90+ avatars
- Custom fonts
- Audio downloads
- Brand kits
Enterprise
Custom
- 240+ avatars
- SCORM export
- 1-click translation
- SSO
- SOC 2 Type II
- GDPR
- ISO 42001
- Custom avatars
- API access
What reviewers say
g2
4.7/5
2,376 reviews
Largest G2 sample in AI avatar video category
Best for
Enterprise L&D teams, corporate trainers, internal communications professionals, and compliance-driven organizations (Fortune 100, regulated industries) where avatar consistency, security certifications, and SCORM/LMS integration matter more than cutting-edge avatar realism.
Frequently asked
- Who is Synthesia best for?
- Enterprise L&D teams, corporate trainers, internal communications professionals, and compliance-driven organizations (Fortune 100, regulated industries) where avatar consistency, security certifications, and SCORM/LMS integration matter more than cutting-edge avatar realism.
- How is Synthesia ranked on TIERSAI?
- Synthesia earns A tier (8.38/10) for AI Avatar & Talking-head, and is ranked across 2 use cases in total. Every score uses the same transparent 0-to-10 scale across five axes.
- How much does Synthesia cost?
- Freemium. Free (3 minutes/month). Starter $18/mo (annual) or $29/mo (monthly). Creator $64/mo (annual) or $89/mo (monthly). Enterprise custom. 240+ avatars, 140-160+ languages, SOC 2 Type II / GDPR / ISO 42001 compliant. Trusted by 90% of Fortune 100.
Ready to try Synthesia?
Start with the free or entry plan and test it on your own work — pricing and limits change often, so check the current options on their site.
Try Synthesia →