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 script, comparable stock presenter. Synthesia's output looked the most broadcast-ready, lighting and framing are genuinely good, but the delivery was a notch stiffer than HeyGen's on the emotional final line. The free render carried a watermark and counted against the 10-minute monthly cap.
Watermark & licensing, the part that decides monetization
Why the free plan fails: Watermark on free + 10 min/month cap
Watermark
Free renders are watermarked, and the 10-minute monthly cap means you can't even stockpile drafts. Treat the free tier as a way to evaluate avatars and templates, not as a production lane.
License
Commercial use requires a paid plan. Starter (~$18/mo) removes the watermark and grants commercial rights with a monthly minute allowance, enough for a Shorts-first channel, tight for long-form.
Free workspace videos include a watermark and may not be used for commercial purposes.
Pros & cons
Pros
- 140+ languages with reliably consistent output
- Scene templates cut production time significantly
- Cheapest safe avatar plan in our index (~$18/mo)
- Studio look suits education and B2B-adjacent niches
Cons
- Free plan: watermark plus a hard 10 min/month cap
- Delivery is stiffer than HeyGen on emotional scripts
- Fewer casual or UGC-style avatars
- Minute limits continue to apply on Starter
Pricing, which plans are actually safe
| Plan | Price | What you get | Monetization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10 min/month, watermark, 1080p | Not safe |
| Starter | ~$18/mo | No watermark, commercial use, 1080p, monthly minute allowance | Safe |
| Creator | ~$64/mo | More minutes, custom branding, faster renders | Safe |
Affiliate link, commission costs you nothing and never changes a verdict.
Alternatives we’ve tested
Free plan: Watermark on every free export
Free plan: No commercial license on free, attribution to elevenlabs.io required
Free plan: Watermark on free trial exports
FAQ
Is 10 free minutes a month enough to run a channel?
Not a monetized one, every free render is watermarked regardless of length. The cap exists so you can evaluate the product, and for that it's fine.
Is Synthesia Starter enough for Shorts?
Usually yes. A 30–45 second Short burns under a minute per video, so the monthly allowance covers a steady Shorts schedule. Long-form daily uploads will outgrow it.
Synthesia or HeyGen?
Synthesia wins on price and languages; HeyGen wins on lip-sync and natural delivery. Our comparison page puts the two free plans and safe plans side by side.