HeyGen turns a script into a video of a realistic presenter, can build a digital version of you from your own footage, and can dub your existing videos into other languages with matching lip movement. It is the best-known tool in its category. It is also priced in credits, and the avatar model you pick can make the same minute of video cost twelve times more. So I did the part most reviews skip and worked out what a minute actually costs.
No commission here. HeyGen’s affiliate program only accepts video creators, not blogs, so every HeyGen link on this page is a plain link and I earn nothing if you sign up.
The receipt
HeyGen, scored
| Time | A stock-avatar video in minutes; your own twin needs a short consent recording |
| Cost | Free to try; paid from $24 a month; $0.19 to $2.32 per minute by avatar model |
| Output | Among the most realistic avatars; still slightly synthetic in long close-ups |
| Real earning path | Dubbing videos into other languages; training videos for businesses |
| Overall | 7.5/10 |
Worth paying for if… you need presenter-style videos regularly (training, explainers, sales intros, social posts) or want to translate videos you already have, and you’re willing to keep an eye on credits.
Skip it if… you only need a voiceover (a voice tool is far cheaper), you mainly make product ads (ad-specific tools fit better), or you want a fixed number of minutes you can budget without doing credit sums.
How I put this review together
I haven’t used HeyGen for paid client work. This review is built from sources you can check: HeyGen’s pricing page, its help-centre credit table, consent and digital-twin documentation, about 5,000 Trustpilot reviews and nearly 2,000 G2 reviews, independent hands-on write-ups, and the pricing pages of four competitors. Everything was checked on 28 September 2026, and the cost figures below are my own calculations from HeyGen’s published numbers.
| What I scored | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 9/10 | The most praised thing across both review sites |
| Output quality | 8/10 | Realistic avatars and lip-sync; long, emotional close-ups still look synthetic |
| Value for money | 6/10 | Credits burn fast on the newest models; “expensive” is the top complaint |
| Trust and safety | 7/10 | Consent checks and an established company, but 13% of Trustpilot reviews are one-star |
The overall score is the average of the four. If you use HeyGen and something here doesn’t match your experience, tell me and I’ll update the review.
Where most HeyGen reviews go wrong
- Many quoted credit costs are out of date. Several popular reviews still say Avatar IV costs 20 credits a minute. HeyGen’s own help centre now lists 31 credits a minute for an Avatar IV video look, and 48 for the newest Avatar V.
- Your choice of avatar model is the price. The same 600 monthly credits buy 150 minutes of the older Avatar III or 12 minutes of Avatar V. That’s a twelvefold difference for one setting.
- Translation is the best value in the product. Dubbing a video with lip-sync costs 6 credits a minute in speed mode, so a $29 plan covers 100 minutes of translation a month.
- The free plan has no credits. You get between one and three watermarked videos a month, depending on your region, each up to a minute long.
- Surprise credit use is the most common complaint. Trustpilot reviewers describe newer features draining more credits than expected, including one 2 minute 36 second video that used 156 credits. Check the estimate before you render, and draft on a cheaper model.
What HeyGen does
- Stock avatars: 500+ presenters on the free plan and 700+ on paid plans. Type a script and pick a voice.
- Digital twin: a custom avatar of you, made from your own footage plus a short consent video. The free plan includes one twin slot, Creator and Pro include five, and Business includes ten.
- Photo avatars: animate a still photo into a talking presenter.
- Voice cloning: one cloned voice on the free plan, more on paid plans.
- Video translation: dub an existing video into 175+ languages and dialects on paid plans (30+ on free), with optional lip-sync. The Pro plan lets you edit the translated script before rendering.
- Video Agent: describe a video in a prompt and HeyGen plans and builds it. Powerful, but one of the most credit-hungry features.
- For teams: the Business plan adds shared workspaces, single sign-on, interactive videos and SCORM export for training platforms. There’s also an API for developers.
HeyGen pricing
| Plan | Price | Credits and key limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No credits; 1 to 3 watermarked videos a month, up to 1 minute each |
| Creator | $29 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly | 600 credits a month; videos up to 30 minutes; 1080p; no watermark |
| Pro | From $49 a month | From 1,000 credits a month; 4K export; edit translation scripts |
| Business | $149 a month plus $20 per extra seat | 1,500 credits a month; 60-minute videos; team features; extra credits at $0.05 each |
| Enterprise | Custom | No video length limit; unlimited voice cloning |
Unused credits carry over for one extra month on monthly plans, and until renewal on yearly plans. Cancelling stops the next renewal; you keep your credits until the end of the billing period.
What a minute of video really costs
This is my own calculation from HeyGen’s published credit costs, using the $29 Creator plan and its 600 monthly credits:
| What you make | Credits per minute | Minutes per month | Cost per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar III, video look | 4 | 150 | $0.19 |
| Avatar III, photo look | 7 | 85 | $0.34 |
| Avatar IV, photo look | 16 | 37 | $0.77 |
| Avatar IV, video look | 31 | 19 | $1.50 |
| Avatar V | 48 | 12 | $2.32 |
| Video Agent (standard) | 80 | 7 | $3.87 |
| Translation, speed mode | 6 | 100 | $0.29 |
| Translation, precision mode | 10 | 60 | $0.48 |
How to spend less: draft and approve scripts on Avatar III, and only render final versions on Avatar IV or V. On the yearly Creator plan ($24 a month) every figure above is about 17% cheaper. Minutes are rounded down.
Consent, commercial use and safety
- You can’t make an avatar of someone without them. Every custom avatar needs a consent video read from HeyGen’s script, recorded at the same time as the footage and by the same person. You can make an avatar for a colleague or client, but they have to record their own consent.
- Commercial use is allowed on every plan. HeyGen says videos can be used and distributed commercially on any platform, as long as what you put in doesn’t break copyright or its content rules.
- Misuse exists, which is why the rules matter. Security researchers have reported HeyGen-made deepfakes in scams and propaganda. The consent step is HeyGen’s main safeguard, and it’s why realistic AI videos should always be used openly.
What users say
HeyGen has far more independent feedback than most tools I review. On Trustpilot it holds 4.2 out of 5 from about 5,000 reviews: 70% five-star and 13% one-star. The company replied to 34% of negative reviews. On G2 it rates 4.8 out of 5 from nearly 2,000 reviews.
- Praised: ease of use, realistic avatars and lip-sync, and how fast you get a professional-looking video without filming.
- Criticised: price, credits running out faster than expected on newer features, uneven support, and occasional gaps between the preview and the final render.
One independent tester found Avatar IV the most expressive avatar in the category but still slightly synthetic in long, emotional videos, and noted that translated lip-sync holds up best on clean, front-facing footage, while fast cuts and side profiles give it away.
Pros and cons
Where HeyGen is strong
- Very easy to learn
- Some of the most realistic avatars available
- Excellent-value video translation
- Real free plan to test with
- Consent checks on custom avatars
Where it lets you down
- Credits make costs hard to predict
- Newest avatars cost over $2 a minute
- Free plan has no credits
- Support quality is inconsistent
- 30-minute video cap below Business
HeyGen alternatives, and when to pick them
| Tool | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HeyGen | Free plan; from $24 a month | Realistic avatars, digital twins and lip-synced translation |
| Synthesia | Free plan (10 min a month); Starter $29 a month or $18 billed yearly | Budgeting in minutes rather than credits; corporate training |
| Colossyan | Free plan (20 min a month); Professional $59 a month billed yearly | E-learning teams that need courses and SCORM |
| Creatify | Free plan (10 credits); Standard $15 a month | Product ads for online stores |
| BlueFX AI Media Machine | $297 once or $37 a month | An all-in-one ad kit (see my review) |
Verdict: who should pay for HeyGen
HeyGen is the most capable AI avatar tool I’ve looked at, with the widest independent praise and real safeguards around consent. Its weakness is predictability: credits make the true cost depend on which model you choose, and the newest avatars are expensive. Start on the free plan, move to Creator when you need to remove the watermark, draft on Avatar III, and use translation, the best value in the product, wherever you can.
Four ways people actually earn with HeyGen
The strongest opportunity isn’t faceless channels or fake testimonials. It’s selling what businesses already pay for, like dubbing courses into new languages and turning training documents into videos. Agencies charge $20 to $50 or more per minute to dub a video, while HeyGen’s own cost can be under 50 cents a minute. My separate guide walks through four methods, with real market rates and the rules to follow.
Related reading: ElevenLabs review · Descript review
HeyGen FAQ
Is HeyGen free?
There’s a free plan with one to three watermarked videos a month (depending on region), each up to a minute long. It includes no credits. Paid plans start at $24 a month billed yearly.
How much does one minute of HeyGen video cost?
On the $29 Creator plan, from about $0.19 a minute with the older Avatar III to $2.32 with Avatar V. Lip-synced translation costs $0.29 to $0.48 a minute.
Can I use HeyGen videos commercially?
Yes, on any plan, according to HeyGen, as long as your scripts, images and footage don’t break copyright or its content rules.
Can I make an avatar of someone else?
Only with their participation. The person must record their own consent video at the same time as the avatar footage.
Do unused credits roll over?
On monthly plans, for one extra month. On yearly plans, until your renewal date.
Is HeyGen legit?
Yes. HeyGen was founded in 2020, is based in Los Angeles, and raised $60 million in 2024 in a round led by Benchmark that valued it at $500 million. It holds 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from about 5,000 reviews.
Does HeyGen have an affiliate program?
Yes: 20% to 30% of subscription payments for six months, depending on how many sign-ups you bring. It’s generally for creators with 5,000+ followers who promote through original videos, not blogs or paid search.
Update log: 28 September 2026: first published, with plans, credit costs and review counts checked that day.
Update log: 1 November 2026: Video Agent now costs 80 credits a minute instead of 40 ($3.87 a minute, 7 minutes on Creator), Trustpilot moved from 4.0 to 4.2 (about 5,000 reviews), the affiliate program now pays 20% to 30% for six months, and Creatify’s entry plan is Standard at $15 a month.
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