How we tested it
“In March 1942, a lighthouse keeper off the Scottish coast logged the same sentence three nights in a row: 'The light is fine. Something else is wrong.' On the fourth night, the log stops. This is the story investigators pieced together from what he left behind, and the one detail none of them could explain.”
Same 58-word script, default stock avatar, default voice. HeyGen's lip-sync tracked the consonants in 'lighthouse keeper' visibly better than Synthesia's, and the head movement read as a person talking rather than a presenter presenting. The free export carried the HeyGen logo in the corner for the full runtime.
Watermark & licensing, the part that decides monetization
Why the free plan fails: Watermark on every free export
Watermark
Every free-tier export carries a HeyGen logo in the corner for the entire video. It sits far enough from the edge that cropping it means visibly reframing your shot, and cropping a watermark out is itself a breach of the terms, not a workaround.
License
Free-tier output is intended for personal evaluation; the watermark is the enforcement mechanism. Commercial rights come with paid plans, Creator ($24/mo) removes the watermark, unlocks 1080p, and is the first tier we'd put on a monetized channel.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Best-in-class lip-sync among avatar tools
- Avatar range includes casual UGC looks, not just suits
- Strong translation and dubbing pipeline
- Usable API for batch production
Cons
- Free plan: watermark plus 720p cap
- Credit model is hard to predict for longer videos
- Custom avatars cost extra on top of the plan
- Render queues slow down at peak hours
Pricing, which plans are actually safe
| Plan | Price | What you get | Monetization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited credits, 720p, watermark on all exports | Not safe |
| Creator | $24/mo | No watermark, 1080p, commercial use, more credits | Safe |
| Pro | $49/mo | More credits, higher limits, brand kit, priority rendering | Safe |
Affiliate link, commission costs you nothing and never changes a verdict.
Alternatives we’ve tested
Synthesia8.0
AI avatar · Studio-grade avatar presenter videos
ElevenLabs8.6
AI voice · Text-to-speech & voice cloning
Pictory7.4
AI editing · Turn scripts & posts into stock-footage videos
FAQ
Can I crop or blur the HeyGen watermark?
No. Removing or obscuring the watermark violates the terms, and the placement is designed to make cropping ruin the frame anyway. If the video earns money, pay for Creator.
Does the Creator plan include commercial rights?
Yes, paid plans grant commercial use of your exports, which is what a monetized channel needs.
HeyGen or Synthesia for a faceless Shorts channel?
HeyGen for delivery and UGC realism, Synthesia for price and languages. We break it down line by line in our head-to-head.