Comparison · Video

Synthesia vs HeyGen for UK small businesses (2026)

Published 19 October 2026 · Checked 19 October 2026, prices change

How we research: this comparison is based on each vendor’s official documentation, help centre and published pricing, read on 19 October 2026. We haven’t tested these tools hands-on for this page, and we haven’t been paid to include any tool. Checked 19 October 2026, prices change.

Synthesia and HeyGen both turn a typed script into a video presented by a realistic AI avatar, so you can make training, onboarding, explainer and marketing videos without a camera or a studio. For a UK small business the real differences are the free-plan limits, whether you pay in pounds or dollars, and where your scripts, faces and voices end up. Here’s how they compare on each vendor’s own published pricing and documentation.

Our verdict

Synthesia

Synthesia is the safer pick for UK training and explainer videos: it’s a London company, it stores customer data in AWS data centres in Ireland, it says it doesn’t use customer inputs or outputs to pre-train its AI, and it shows UK prices in pounds (Starter £19 a month, or £11 a month billed yearly). Its free Basic plan gives 10 minutes of video a month, with a Synthesia watermark. Visit Synthesia ↗

Pick HeyGen instead HeyGen if you make short marketing and social videos and want 4K export or translation into 175+ languages and dialects: Creator is US$29 a month (US$24 a month billed annually) and removes the watermark. HeyGen stores data in the US, and says non-enterprise inputs may be used to train its models unless you opt out by emailing [email protected].

Synthesia vs HeyGen at a glance

	Synthesia	HeyGen
Free plan	Basic £0: 10 minutes of video (or dubbing) a month, 500 credits, 9 AI avatars	Free US$0: 3 videos a month, up to 1 minute each, 500+ stock avatars, 1 custom video avatar
Free plan output	Videos carry a Synthesia watermark; shared by link (downloads are listed from Starter)	720p sharing link (HeyGen help centre); watermark removal is listed from Creator
Paid from (monthly billing)	Starter £19 a month: 1,250 credits a month (about 12 more minutes of video), no watermark	Creator US$29 a month: 600 credits, 1080p export, videos up to 30 minutes, watermark removal
Paid from (annual billing)	Starter £11 a month billed yearly: 15,000 credits a year	Creator US$24 a month billed annually
Next tier	Pro £69 a month, or £39 a month billed yearly: 5 personal avatars	Pro from US$49 a month: 4K export; Business US$149 a month plus US$20 per extra seat
Languages	140+ languages and voices; dubbing into 70+ languages	30+ languages on Free; 175+ languages and dialects from Creator
Where data is stored	AWS data centres in Ireland (EU), backups in Frankfurt	United States (AWS); UK transfers covered by the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework
Used to train AI?	Says it doesn’t use customer inputs or outputs to pre-train its AI	Non-enterprise inputs may be used to train its models; opt out by emailing [email protected]
Company	Synthesia Limited, London	HeyGen Technology Inc., Los Angeles

Prices as shown on synthesia.io/pricing (in pounds for a UK visitor) and heygen.com/pricing (in US dollars), checked 19 October 2026. Synthesia’s plans are credit-based: its pricing FAQ says a typical finished minute of video uses about 100 credits. HeyGen’s help centre says the free allowance is 1 to 3 videos, depending on your region. Neither pricing page says whether VAT is included. VAT: UK VAT (standard rate 20%, see GOV.UK) may be added at checkout unless the vendor says otherwise; if you’re VAT-registered, check how the supplier invoices you and ask your accountant how to record it.

Pick Synthesia if…

You make training, onboarding or how-to videos and want a UK supplier that stores customer data in the EU (Ireland) (Synthesia security practices).
You want prices in pounds: Starter is £19 a month, or £11 a month billed yearly; Pro is £69 a month, or £39 a month billed yearly.
You’d rather your scripts and videos weren’t used to pre-train the vendor’s AI: Synthesia’s AI governance page says customer data isn’t.
You want to try it on real scripts first: Basic gives 10 minutes of video a month, watermarked.

Pick HeyGen if…

You make short marketing, social or sales videos, and up to 3 one-minute videos a month is enough to test.
You want 1080p export from US$29 a month (Creator), or 4K from Pro at US$49 a month.
You need video translation into many languages: 175+ languages and dialects from Creator.
You’re comfortable with US storage, or you’ll email [email protected] to opt out of model training (HeyGen privacy policy).

Privacy note for UK businesses

Scripts, voice recordings and footage of staff or customers are personal data under UK GDPR, and a custom avatar or voice clone of a real person is built from their face and voice. Get the person’s clear agreement in writing before you make one, say how it will be used and agree what happens to it when they leave. The ICO biometric data guidance explains when this counts as special category data. Synthesia stores customer data in Ireland and says it doesn’t pre-train its AI on customer data (Synthesia security practices, AI governance). HeyGen says personal information may be stored and processed in the US, relies on the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for transfers, and may use non-enterprise inputs to train its models unless you opt out (HeyGen privacy policy, HeyGen trust and safety). See the ICO guidance on international transfers. This is general information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Is Synthesia or HeyGen better for UK businesses?

For training, onboarding and explainer videos we’d start with Synthesia: it’s a London company that stores customer data in Ireland, says it doesn’t pre-train its AI on customer data and shows UK prices in pounds. HeyGen suits short marketing and social videos, 4K export and translation into many languages.

Do Synthesia and HeyGen have free plans?

Yes. Synthesia Basic is free with 10 minutes of video a month, and the videos carry a Synthesia watermark. HeyGen Free gives 3 videos a month of up to 1 minute each; HeyGen’s help centre says the free allowance is 1 to 3 videos, depending on your region.

How much do Synthesia and HeyGen cost in the UK?

Synthesia shows UK prices in pounds: Starter is £19 a month, or £11 a month billed yearly, and Pro is £69 a month, or £39 a month billed yearly. HeyGen shows US dollars: Creator is US$29 a month, or US$24 a month billed annually, and Pro starts at US$49 a month. Neither pricing page says whether VAT is included.

Do Synthesia or HeyGen use my videos to train AI?

Synthesia says it does not use customer inputs or outputs to pre-train its AI. HeyGen says enterprise customers’ data isn’t used for training, but non-enterprise inputs may be used to train its models; you can opt out by emailing [email protected].

Where do Synthesia and HeyGen store my data?

Synthesia stores customer data in AWS data centres in Ireland, with backups in Frankfurt. HeyGen says personal information may be stored and processed in the United States, and lists Amazon Web Services in the United States for hosting and storage.

Have you tested these tools?

No. This comparison is based on each vendor’s official documentation and published pricing, checked on 19 October 2026. Prices change, so check the vendor’s page before you buy.

Sources

Official pages read on 19 October 2026. Checked 19 October 2026, prices change — always check the vendor’s own page before you buy.