Users create a new video project in the Synthesia web interface, write or paste a script, and select from available AI avatars and voice options. The platform synthesises the video by animating the avatar to deliver the script with appropriate lip sync and expression. Users can add slides, screen recordings, images, and background music. Finished videos are rendered in the cloud and can be shared via link or exported as MP4 files. Custom AI avatars can be created from an approved recorded video of a real person.
Synthesia
Synthesia is an AI video generation platform that creates videos using AI avatars that deliver spoken content from a text script. Users write a script, select an AI avatar and voice, and the platform generates a professional-quality talking-head video without cameras, actors, or studio equipment.
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in London, Synthesia is primarily used by enterprise learning and development teams, corporate communications departments, and marketing organisations that need to produce video content at scale without the traditional production overhead.
It is one of the most established platforms in the AI video avatar market, offering over 100 AI avatars and supporting 120+ languages, making it particularly relevant for multilingual training and communication content.
Best For
- L&D and HR teams producing training content
- Enterprise communications teams
- Global organisations needing multilingual video
- Marketing teams scaling video production
- Sales teams creating personalised video outreach
How It Works
Key Features
Core Capabilities
- Script-to-video with AI avatars
- 100+ built-in AI avatars
- 120+ language and voice support
- Slide and media layer integration
- Video export and sharing
Advanced Capabilities
- Custom personal AI avatar creation
- Screen recording integration
- Brand kit with colours and logos
- API access for programmatic video generation
- Analytics on video viewing
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Eliminates camera and studio requirements for talking-head video
- Strong multilingual support
- Consistent quality across large video volumes
- Custom avatar option for brand authenticity
- Enterprise-grade reliability and security
Cons
- Avatars retain an artificial quality visible to attentive viewers
- Custom avatar creation requires a recorded video submission and approval process
- Less suitable for live-action, narrative, or highly dynamic video
- API access is not available on all plans
- Per-video or credit costs can add up at high volumes
Pricing
Synthesia offers a free tier for limited personal use with restricted avatar and video options. Paid plans are priced per seat per month and increase the number of videos, avatar choices, and advanced features such as custom avatars and analytics. Enterprise plans offer custom pricing, API access, and dedicated account support.
How It Compares
Synthesia's primary competitors in the AI avatar video space are HeyGen and D-ID. HeyGen has gained notable traction with real-time video translation features. D-ID targets more developer-focused use cases via API. For general video generation without avatars, Runway and Pika are different category tools. Synthesia differentiates on enterprise readiness, avatar variety, and multilingual production capabilities.