Synthesia review: AI presenter videos without a camera
Synthesia turns a typed script into a video with a realistic AI presenter. Here's what the free plan gets you and what the paid plans cost.
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Hands-on tested Oct 2026. We used the tool ourselves on the free plan; details are in the “Our hands-on test” section. Prices and plans are from official pages (last checked Oct 2026). How we test
Quick verdict (hands-on tested on the free plan)
Good fit if: you make training, how-to or business explainer videos and want a talking presenter without filming anyone.
Maybe skip if: you need watermark-free videos for free (the free plan adds a Synthesia watermark), or you want to pay per video (Synthesia says it's subscription-only).
Try Synthesia free →Our hands-on test (Oct 14, 2026, free Basic plan)
- Signup worked with email + password and a code sent by email.
- Onboarding sent us to Syren (beta), Synthesia's AI video assistant. We asked for a stock avatar; instead it generated its own presenter portrait and animated it, and added a title card we didn't ask for (“The Tool Sweep / AI TOOLS, TESTED”).
- The app said the video was built in about 35 seconds: 5.7 seconds long, 3 shots.
- Free download worked: MP4, 1920×1080 at 30fps, with a Synthesia logo watermark bottom-right.
- We found no credits counter in the app.
- The in-app upgrade screen lists “Download your content” and “Remove Synthesia logo” as Starter features, yet we could download on the free plan through Syren. We're reporting what we saw; this may differ outside Syren.
Watch our free-plan sample (watermarked, 1080p):
No one on our team has judged video quality or lip-sync yet, so we're not scoring it. Watch and judge for yourself.
What is Synthesia?
You write or paste a script, choose an AI avatar (a digital presenter) and a voice, and Synthesia generates the video. It also offers AI dubbing (translating a video into other languages), PowerPoint import, auto captions and screen recording.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What you get each month |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 10 minutes of video (or dubbing), 500 credits, 3 survey responses; watermarked (confirmed: logo bottom-right). Our free download was 1080p |
| Starter | In-app: $19/month billed monthly or $14/month billed yearly (public page showed $29 monthly) | Adds 1,250 credits: about 12 more minutes of video (~22 min total per Synthesia), no watermark, 125+ avatars, 3 guests |
| Pro | $89/month billed monthly; yearly $59/month in-app ($64 on the public page) | 6,000 credits (up to ~60 more minutes), 5 personal avatars, 180+ avatars, 5 guests |
| Enterprise | Custom | 240+ stock avatars, SCORM export, dedicated support |
Prices differ between Synthesia's public pricing page and the in-app upgrade screen we saw on Oct 14, 2026 (in-app: Starter $19 monthly / $14 yearly, Pro $89 monthly / $59 yearly, 1,250 and 6,000 credits a month). The in-app price is what you'd be charged when upgrading, but check before you buy.
Good to know
- Credits: a typical finished minute of video uses about 100 credits. Dubbing uses 40 credits/min (80 with lip-sync).
- No rollover: the monthly allowance and plan credits reset each billing period.
- If you run out, video creation pauses until renewal unless you buy extra credits.
- Paid plans list 140+ languages and voices and Full HD (1080p) MP4 downloads.
Pros
- Free plan with 10 video minutes a month; free download was full HD in our test
- Fast: a short video built in ~35s
- No filming, mics or actors needed
- Built-in dubbing and captions
Cons
- Free videos are watermarked
- Syren (beta) ignored our stock-avatar request and added an unrequested title card
- No credits counter visible in-app
- Starter adds only ~12 minutes
- Unused minutes don't roll over
Compare: Synthesia vs HeyGen · Best AI avatar video makers
Sources
- Synthesia pricing: last checked Oct 2026
- Our free-plan sample video: last checked Oct 14, 2026
Prices and plans change often. Always confirm on the official site before you buy.
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