- Synthesia makes a finished video from a script using a digital avatar and an AI voice — no camera, lights or editing software.
- It is built for workplace videos: training, onboarding, sales, compliance, marketing and internal communications.
- The free plan gives you 10 minutes of video a month, 9 stock avatars and AI voices across 160+ languages, with no credit card.
- Always get consent before cloning a real person, and label AI-generated or altered video where platforms require it.
Synthesia is an AI video generator that turns a script into a talking-head video, no camera or microphone needed. You type what you want a digital avatar to say, pick a face and a voice, and Synthesia produces a finished video you can share. It is built for workplace videos: training, onboarding, sales, compliance, marketing and internal communications.
What Synthesia actually is
Synthesia is a web app — you use it in a browser, so it runs the same way on Windows, macOS or Linux with no software to install. Instead of filming someone, you choose one of Synthesia’s AI avatars (a computer-generated person who speaks on camera), write a script, and the service renders the avatar “saying” your words. The result looks like a person presenting to camera. Synthesia says it offers 240+ AI avatars, 160+ languages and 1,000+ AI voices, and lists training, onboarding, sales enablement, compliance, marketing and internal communications as its main uses (synthesia.io).
A few terms come up with any AI tool. A token is the small chunk of text an AI model reads at a time. A model is the trained system that produces the output. A context window is how much text the model can hold in mind at once. You do not need to think about any of these to use Synthesia — it hides the model behind a simple editor.
What you can use it for
Because the avatar never needs a retake and speaks every language, Synthesia suits content you would otherwise film again and again:
- Training and onboarding — new-hire walkthroughs, software demos and safety videos, all in the learner’s language.
- Sales enablement — short product pitch videos for reps, with a consistent presenter.
- Compliance — policy and data-protection refreshers you can update each year without refilming.
- Marketing — social clips, explainers and ads where a friendly face helps.
- Internal communications — company updates from leadership, especially across regions.
Synthesia markets these as time-savers — that is the company’s own claim, not something we measured. The realistic gain is that you skip booking a room, a camera person and a presenter, and you can translate the same script into many languages in minutes rather than re-shooting each one.
How to make an AI avatar video in Synthesia
The steps below are the same in any desktop browser on Windows, macOS or Linux:
- Sign up at synthesia.io. The free plan needs no credit card.
- Choose an avatar from the stock library (the free plan has 9 of them).
- Write your script in the editor, or paste it in. Pick the language and the AI voice for that language.
- Add slides or a background if you want text or images behind the avatar.
- Generate the video. Synthesia renders it, then you download the file or share a link.
You can edit the script and regenerate without refilming anything — that is the main advantage over a real shoot. A few practical tips: keep sentences short so the avatar sounds natural; break long videos into chapters so they are easier to update later; and proofread once more before generating, because the avatar reads exactly what you wrote.
Custom avatars
Paid plans let you create a custom avatar, including one based on a real person — but only with that person’s clear consent. You should never make a video of someone’s face or voice without their permission, and Synthesia requires that agreement as part of the custom-avatar process. For voice work specifically, our AI voice cloning tools and how to make an AI voice-over guides explain the same consent rules in more depth.
Editing, branding and collaboration
Paid plans add brand controls: you can upload a logo, set brand colors and fonts, and use templates so every video looks like it came from your company. You can also place on-screen text, images and screen recordings alongside the avatar, and export captions for accessibility. Synthesia generates captions automatically, which helps with compliance training that needs subtitles. The free plan keeps branding minimal, so it is best for testing the workflow before you pay. Team features also let several people share and edit videos, which matters if your HR or marketing team will produce clips together.
The free plan and what it includes
Per Synthesia, the free plan gives you:
- 10 minutes of generated video a month
- 9 stock avatars
- AI voices in all 160+ supported languages
- No credit card required to start
That is enough to test the workflow and make a few short clips. Paid plans add more avatars, custom avatars, longer videos and brand assets, but plan prices and limits change often — check Synthesia’s own pricing page for current figures rather than trusting a third-party summary.
How Synthesia compares with other AI video tools
Synthesia is “avatar video” — a presenter speaks your script. A different category is “text-to-video,” where you type a prompt and the AI generates brand-new footage (a car driving, a landscape, an animated scene). If you want that kind of generated footage rather than a talking head, see our broader best AI video generators and best free AI video generators roundups, plus our image-to-video guide for turning a still picture into motion.
For reference, here are API (developer) starting prices for several text-to-video models — these are what developers pay through an API, not what a consumer subscription includes, and they are priced per second of output:
| Model | Maker | API starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 | from $0.05 per second | |
| Wan 2.5 | Alibaba | from $0.05 per second |
| Kling 2.5 Turbo Pro | Kuaishou | from $0.07 per second |
| Seedance 2.5 | ByteDance | from $0.097 per second |
These are a different product from Synthesia’s avatar videos and are priced for developers building apps, not for someone making a training clip. Note that OpenAI’s Sora video API (Sora 2 and Sora 2 Pro) shut down on 24 September 2026 and is no longer available to buy — mention it only as history, not a current option.
Who should use Synthesia — and who should not
Synthesia suits teams that make the same kind of presenter video again and again: HR, learning and development, internal comms, and small businesses that want professional-looking explainers without a film crew. It suits less well when you need authentic, emotional, on-location footage — a real customer story, a documentary feel, or a charismatic founder speaking from the heart. AI avatars are polished but still slightly uncanny, and viewers can often tell. For genuine talking-head authenticity, film a real person.
Honest limits and risks
Synthesia is genuinely useful, but keep three things in mind:
- It can be wrong or awkward. The avatar reads exactly what you write, so a bad script becomes a bad video. Some voices still sound slightly synthetic in certain languages.
- Privacy. Your scripts and any uploaded material are processed on Synthesia’s servers. Read the privacy terms before pasting sensitive company data.
- Over-reliance. AI video is fast, but a human review pass is still worth it for compliance and legal content where a small error is costly.
Safety and honesty rules
Never use Synthesia (or any AI tool) to make fake reviews or testimonials, to impersonate a real person, or to use someone’s face or voice without consent — those are line-crossing uses regardless of how good the technology gets. Many platforms now require AI-generated or altered content to be labelled, so check the rules of wherever you publish (social networks, ad platforms, your own site) before posting. Our deepfakes: the threat and how to detect them guide explains why this matters and how to spot manipulated video.
Frequently asked questions
Is Synthesia free to use?
Yes, there is a free plan: 10 minutes of video a month, 9 stock avatars and AI voices in all 160+ languages, with no credit card. Longer videos, custom avatars and brand features are on paid plans; see Synthesia’s pricing page for current limits.
Do I need any equipment?
No. Because the avatar is generated, you need only a browser and a script — no camera, microphone, lights or editing software. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux alike.
How many languages and voices does Synthesia support?
Synthesia lists 160+ languages and 1,000+ AI voices, so you can write one script and produce the same video in many languages without re-recording.
Can I use my own face or voice?
Paid plans support custom avatars, including ones based on a real person — but only with that person’s clear consent. Never clone a face or voice without permission.
Is an AI avatar video the same as a text-to-video AI?
No. Synthesia makes a presenter read your script. Text-to-video models generate new footage from a prompt. If you want generated footage, our best AI video generators guide covers those.
Do I have to label AI videos?
Many platforms require AI-generated or altered content to be labelled, and the exact rules differ by site and country. Check the policy of wherever you publish before sharing.
Synthesia is a good fit when you need a consistent, multilingual presenter fast and filming a real person is impractical. For other AI video needs — generated footage, free tools, or turning an image into a clip — the linked guides above go deeper.