Tested this week

Tested This Week #1: five AI tools for voices, videos and editing

Our first issue: five popular creative AI tools, what they're for, and what you get free.

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Four tools this week (ElevenLabs, HeyGen, Synthesia and Murf) were hands-on tested on their free plans and Descript was partly tested (export didn't complete). Prices are from official pages (last checked Oct 2026).

#1 · hands-on tested

ElevenLabs: Turns text into natural-sounding speech.

Free option: 10,000 credits/month (~10 min of speech) · Paid from: Starter $6/month

60-second verdict: Hands-on tested: 2 takes in ~1.5s, MP3 download, no watermark seen. The easiest free way to hear AI voices. More →

#2 · hands-on tested

HeyGen: Makes videos with an AI presenter from a script.

Free option: 3 videos/month, up to 1 min, watermarked · Paid from: Creator $29/month ($24 annually)

60-second verdict: Hands-on tested: a 4s clip rendered in ~1–2 min and downloaded free (720p, watermarked). Good for trying avatar videos. More →

#3 · hands-on tested

Synthesia: AI presenter videos aimed at training and business.

Free option: 10 min/month, watermarked · Paid from: Starter $19/month (in-app)

60-second verdict: Hands-on tested: free 1080p download (watermarked) in ~35s; its beta assistant went off-script on avatar choice. More →

#4 · partly tested

Descript: Edit audio/video by editing the transcript.

Free option: 1 media hour/month, 100 AI credits, 720p with watermarks · Paid from: Hobbyist $24/month ($16 annually)

60-second verdict: Partly tested: free AI speech worked (1 credit), but our export never finished. Best for podcasters who dislike timelines. More →

#5 · hands-on tested

Murf: AI voiceovers in a point-and-click studio (plus an API).

Free option: Studio Free: 10 min, no downloads · Paid from: Studio Creator $19/month (billed yearly)

60-second verdict: Hands-on tested: generating worked (5s clip used ~1s of 10 free min), but free can't download or export. Pay to use the audio. More →

Also tried this week

AI writing tools for marketing: Jasper, Writesonic, Surfer

All three asked us to pick a plan before we could really use them. Writesonic (partly tested) ran a free AI Search Report on our site (25 answers, 12% visibility, most answers locked) and then needed a plan from $79/month billed annually. Jasper (research-based) went straight to a Pro trial picker ($69/month, or $59/month billed annually). Surfer (research-based) had no free tier, with plans from $82/month billed yearly. We didn't start any trials. More →

This week's skip

None yet: we'll name a skip once we've done hands-on tests.

Sources

Prices and plans change often. Always confirm on the official site before you buy.