HeyGen vs Tavus (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HeyGen grades higher than Tavus: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HeyGen grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HeyGen
AI video generator with realistic avatars and video translation
Tavus
Developer platform for real-time AI video conversations
Which one is for you
Pick HeyGen if
- Fits if you need a presenter on screen and don't want to film one
- Works for videos that must go out in several languages with the lips matching
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only need a video now and then, since you pay every month regardless
- Tight if you want the newest avatars, where Creator's 600 credits is about 12 minutes and there's no top-up
- Not for you if you need to know the bill in advance, as credit use varies with the model, length and complexity
- Skip it if refunds or quick support matter: payments are generally non-refundable, and reviewers report unanswered emails
- Watch out: credits vanish when you cancel or pause, SSO and SCORM start on Business at $149 a month, and extra seats add no credits
Pick Tavus if
- Fits if you are a developer adding a video agent to a product
- Works for teams building a conversational avatar
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not write code, as it is a developer platform
- Pricey if you use it heavily, as overage is $0.37 a minute on Starter and $0.32 on Growth
- Watch out: extra custom replica trainings cost $65 each on Starter and $40 on Growth
- Watch out: the pricing page also holds a hidden tier set, Starter $22 to Business $975
- Watch out: PALs, the consumer app, has separate plans at $0, $20 and $50 a month
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHeyGenGood | 2.0GPATavusFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DCreator is $24 a month on yearly billing against a $10 middle for video tools here, and that buys 600 credits. HeyGen's help page puts its newest avatar at 48 credits a minute, so about 12 minutes of video. 4K and all the advanced models need Pro at $41. | DStarter is $59 a month plus usage, above the category's dearest tenth, with overage at $0.37 a minute. |
| Free plan and trial | CThree videos a month, a minute each, and the help center says the quota is 1 to 3 depending on region. No card needed, but the watermark stays until you pay, and 1080p starts on Creator. | CThe free Basic plan gives 25 minutes of conversation and 5 minutes of generation a month. |
| Features | BStock and custom avatars, voice cloning, lip-synced translation into 175+ languages, a Video Agent that builds a whole video from one prompt, and an API with an MCP server. Synthesia covers the same ground, and here credits meter all of it. | BConversational video, custom replicas, generation, a knowledge base and your own LLM cover the job. |
| Ease of use | A4.78 from about 26,000 App Store ratings, the highest in this category. One reviewer who hands anything technical to their teenager made videos alone. Working out what things cost in credits is the hard part, going by the one-star reviews. | DNo store rating on record, and it is built through an API by developers. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with an API, an MCP server and Canva and Adobe Express plugging straight in. There's no desktop app, and Zapier, Make and HubSpot are listed under Business. | BWeb and an API, with Google Meet the one integration listed. |
| Best for | presenter videos without a camera | building real-time AI video conversations |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HeyGen and Tavus. How we grade
Price against what you get
HeyGen starts at $24 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tavus starts at $59 a month and scores 2.3.
HeyGen scores higher and starts $35 a month lower. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than HeyGen for less, and 36 score higher than Tavus for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- HeyGen also covers templates.
- Tavus also covers AI agents and video generation.
At a glance
| HeyGen | Tavus | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $24 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $59 per month plus pay-as-you-go usage |
| Free plan | Up to 3 videos a month of up to 1 minute each (1 to 3 depending on region), with 500+ stock video avatars, 1 custom video avatar, 1 voice clone and 30+ languages. No credit card required. | Developer Basic: 25 minutes of conversational video, 5 minutes of video generation and 25 stock replicas a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | HeyGen Technology Inc. | Tavus |
| Price read from | heygen.com | tavus.io |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HeyGen
- The Free plan allows up to 3 videos a month of 1 minute each, and the help centre says the quota is 1 to 3 depending on region. Watermark removal and 1080p export start on Creator.
- Paid plans are metered in credits, and the number a video uses varies with the AI model, its duration and its complexity.
- SAML/SSO, SCORM export, LMS integrations and workspace collaboration are listed from Business at $149 a month, plus $20 per extra seat.
- Unused credits roll over for one month on monthly billing and are lost when a subscription is cancelled.
Tavus
- Usage beyond included minutes is billed: conversational overage is $0.37 per minute on Starter and $0.32 on Growth.
- Extra custom replica trainings cost $65 each on Starter and $40 on Growth.
- The pricing page also holds a hidden four-tier set (Starter $22, Builder $59, Growth $397, Business $975) that was not the default view.
- PALs, the consumer app, is a separate set of plans at $0, $20 and $50 a month.
Key features
HeyGen
- AI avatars
- Scripts are delivered by stock video avatars or a custom avatar of yourself, with lip-sync across more than 175 languages and dialects.
- Video Agent
- Type an idea and get a finished video with presenter footage, motion graphics and B-roll. Every element stays editable afterwards in AI Studio.
- AI Studio editor
- A text-based editor that directs words, gestures and emotion from the script, with Brand Kit, auto captions and comments for teams.
- Video translation
- Upload a file or paste a YouTube link to translate a video with cloned voice and lip-sync. Pro adds editing and proofreading of the translated script.
- Voice cloning
- Clone your voice so avatar and translated videos keep your tone and delivery. Voice cloning is listed from the Creator plan.
- API and integrations
- Developer APIs for video generation, translation and lip-sync, an MCP server, and direct integrations with tools such as Canva and Adobe Express.
Tavus
- Conversational video interface
- Real-time AI conversations with video, turn-taking, vision and 30+ languages through an API or no-code builder.
- Custom replicas
- Trains a replica of a real person from about one minute of video, including a custom voice model.
- Video generation
- Generates video from a replica, with monthly minutes on each plan and overage per minute.
- Knowledge base and memory
- Upload documents or websites for answers, with memories that persist across conversations.
- Bring your own LLM
- Swap in your own language model and use function calling to reach external tools.
- Transcripts and recordings
- Saves text transcripts of every conversation; video recordings cost $0.03 per minute.
Plans
HeyGen
Free$0
Up to 3 videos a month (1 to 3 depending on region) of up to 1 minute each, 500+ stock video avatars, 1 custom video avatar, 1 voice clone and 30+ languages.
Creator$24
per month, billed annually ($288); $29 billed monthly
600 credits a month, videos up to 30 minutes, 1080p export, watermark removal, voice cloning and 175+ languages and dialects.
Pro$41
per month, billed annually ($488); $49 billed monthly
From 1,000 credits a month, with larger credit tiers at higher prices, 4K export and access to all advanced AI models.
Business$119
per month, billed annually ($1,428); $149 billed monthly
1,500 credits, videos up to 60 minutes, 5 or 10 custom video avatars depending on the account, SAML/SSO, SCORM export and collaboration. Extra seats are $20 a month each.
EnterpriseCustom
No maximum video duration, multi-workspace management, SCIM provisioning, invoice billing and a dedicated customer success manager.
Tavus
Basic$0
25 conversational minutes, 5 generated-video minutes, 25 stock replicas, 1 concurrent stream.
Starter$59
per month, plus pay-as-you-go usage
100 conversational minutes, 10 generation minutes, 3 custom replica trainings, 3 concurrent streams.
Growth$397
per month
1,250 conversational minutes, 100 generation minutes, 7 custom replicas, 10 streams, recordings.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume discounts, white-labeled experience, SLAs, SOC 2 and HIPAA reports.
Ways to pay less
HeyGen
- Annual discount
Save about 16% to 20% with annual billing
Creator is $24 a month billed annually ($288) against $29 billed monthly. Pro is $41 against $49, and Business is $119 against $149.
Tavus
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HeyGen or Tavus?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HeyGen is cheaper to start with: $24 a month, against $59 a month for Tavus. HeyGen starts at $24 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly), and Tavus starts at $59 per month plus pay-as-you-go usage.
Which has a free plan, HeyGen or Tavus?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HeyGen and Tavus have a free plan.
Which platforms do HeyGen and Tavus run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only HeyGen lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.