Last updated 17th July 2024
In this article we’re going to review Synthesia – taking into consideration pricing, features, and more – to see if it’s a tool that you need for your business in 2024.
But, there are many things to consider when adopting new AI tools to use in your business. That’s why it’s important to look at thorough reviews like this one before you part with your money!
So, let’s take a closer look at Synthesia to see how it could help your business in 2024 and beyond…
What is Synthesia?
Synthesia is an AI video generation platform that allows users to turn text into video in minutes. It’s easy to use and can generate studio quality videos with voiceovers in over 130 languages.
The videos feature realistic-looking AI avatars that make it feel as though a real person is delivering the content – this makes their videos great for a wide number of both B2B and B2C use cases.
Take a look at this Synthesia video we created below:
Pretty cool, right?!
No wonder Synthesia is already being used by 50,000+ teams to create videos at scale.
Who is Synthesia for?
Synthesia is extremely versatile and can be used by virtually anyone who wants to make a polished video quickly and with minimal effort.
The 5 main use cases of Synthesia are:
Learning and Development
Sales Enablement
Customer service
Information security
Marketing
As you can see from these examples, the possibilities are practically endless here! And, in addition to multiple languages and accents, Synthesia also has over 160 diverse avatars to choose from.
You can even create your own custom avatar, which is a realistic digital version of yourself. This is great for if you want to add a personal touch but don’t have the time or resources to record and edit tons of videos.
Synthesia user experience
Synthesia is a joy to use. Even if you have no experience with video creation, you can generate a professional-looking video in minutes!
When you first log in, you’ll be sent to your dashboard where you can choose from multiple video templates or start from scratch:
When you start from scratch you’ll be randomly assigned an avatar (that you can change later) and asked what size you want your video to be:
From there, the studio couldn’t be more user-friendly. You just start typing your script into the text-to-speech box.
You can also add in silent scenes, select different gestures for your avatar, and choose the perfect voiceover:
Plus, you have the option to personalise the video even further with different assets, fonts, your brand colours. Synthesia’s thought of pretty much everything – and it’s so intuitive!
One thing worth noting is that you won’t be able to see your avatar moving until the video is rendered. This is because the rendering process takes time. It’s much easier (and faster!) to get all of your edits out of the way first and make sure you’re happy with everything else before you see the avatar in action.
Synthesia’s features
Let’s dig into the features. Synthesia has many impressive features – far too many to cover in one article! – and you can check out a full list here.
However, if you’re interested, here are our top 3 picks for the coolest features on Synthesia.
1. Micro gestures
We wanted to make this one of our top features because we think it’s so fun and an additional way to make Synthesia’s AI videos seem more natural. You can select from different micro gestures, such as nodding and raised eyebrows, and add those to your video to further emphasise certain points.
2. AI script assistant
Don’t have a script? No problem. The AI can generate that too! All you need to do is enter a topic and objective for your video, and select a tone of voice. Synthesia will do the rest.
It’s important to note that this feature isn’t available on the Free plan.
3. Commenting
Users on the Starter plan and above can add comments to videos. This allows you to collaborate with your team and gather feedback in real time, so you can make your videos the best they can be.
Synthesia’s Pros & Cons
Synthesia Pricing
Synthesia has 4 pricing plans on offer: Free, Starter, Creator, and Enterprise. Let’s take a look at each in a little more detail.
The Free plan is very generous, allowing users to generate up to 3 minutes of video every month and choose from 6 different AI avatars. Users also get access to key features like different languages and voices, an array of video templates, plus the chance to upload custom videos and images to further personalise their video.
The Starter plan is £23 per month and builds on the features of the Free plan. With this plan, users can invite 3 guest editors and generate up to 10 minutes of video per month, choosing from over 70 avatars. This plan also offers users access to an AI video assistant, plus the option to create their own custom avatar.
The Creator plan is slightly more expensive, at £69 per month. This gives users access to 90+ avatars and the chance to generate up to 30 minutes of video per month – which should be plenty for the average small to medium sized business. Speaking of business, this plan also allows users to add their own branding and custom call-to-actions to their video share pages.
The last plan on the list is Enterprise. As with most softwares, users will need to get in touch to discuss a custom quote for this plan. The Enterprise plan gives users access to all features: unlimited minutes of video, over 140 avatars, one-click translations and, of course, priority support.
Synthesia’s Customer Support
Wherever you are on Synthesia, you can click the blue chat icon at the bottom of the screen to get help. This will open up a help centre window:
You can search for help here and look through different articles, or you can chat to an AI chatbot or team member. Here’s an example of a reply they gave us when we asked for help:
There’s also a knowledge base that has several articles covering the most common issues that users have, and even a Synthesia Academy where you can learn how to get the very best out of the platform.
If you’d rather go down the old-fashioned route, you can send an email to [email protected]
Synthesia alternatives
AI is such a booming industry at the minute and, as such, Synthesia does have a couple of competitors in the market.
We’ve actually reviewed a bunch of them…
…but if you just want to know which are the closest Synthesia alternatives then we’d say Veed and HeyGen.
Both platforms have the ability to create impressive videos that feature realistic-looking AI avatars. And they can do so quickly, and for a low cost – just like Synthesia.
There’s honestly not much in it between all of these alternatives. It’s just down to your personal preferences and which you think you’d find easier to use when creating video content.
Synthesia: Final score
Interested in other video creation tools? Check out our review of Wondershare Filmora.
