Pictory vs Synthesia
We give Pictory a 2.0 GPA and Synthesia a 2.4, out of 4.0. Synthesia grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Pictory
Turns scripts, articles and slides into narrated stock-footage videos
Synthesia
AI video platform that turns scripts into avatar-presented videos
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPictoryFair | 2.4GPASynthesiaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $25 a month on yearly billing ($29 monthly), the dearest start among its listed rivals: invideo at $10, Runway and LTX Studio at $12, Synthesia at $18 and HeyGen at $24. It buys 2,400 video minutes a year of stock-footage editing, but only about 12.5 minutes of generated video. | CStarter is $18 a month on the year, the top of this category's normal range against a $10 middle, and it buys roughly 12 minutes of video a month at about 100 credits a minute. Pro, with personal avatars and interactive video, is $64. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day trial with 15 video minutes, 50 AI credits and exports up to 720p. The listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. | CBasic renews monthly with 10 minutes of video or dubbing, 500 credits and 9 avatars, which is enough to see what it does. But videos carry a Synthesia watermark and you can't download them at all until Starter. |
| Features | CScript, blog link, PDF or slides into a narrated video with stock footage, text-based editing of recordings, ElevenLabs voices and brand kits. It does that job fully, but it's a smaller one: generated footage is about 12.5 minutes a year on Starter. | BAvatar videos from a prompt, link, file or PowerPoint deck, dubbing into 70+ languages in the speaker's own voice, a personal avatar from one photo, interactive videos with branching and quizzes, roleplay, a screen recorder and an API. Nothing missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | CNo app-store rating on record. Pasting a script or link gets a first cut, but scenes, templates and brand kits take some setting up. | CNo store rating on record, and the work is still making the video: choosing avatars, editing scenes, watching the credit meter. Handing the Video Assistant a prompt or a deck is the easy start of it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and a Chrome extension, with Zapier, Make, ElevenLabs, Getty and Storyblocks, and an API. No desktop or phone app. | BA web app plus a Chrome extension for screen recordings, with an API and ties to PowerPoint, HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Workday and Moodle. No phone app and no desktop app. |
| Best for | turning articles and slides into videos | training videos with no camera |
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: Pictory and Synthesia. How we grade
Where they differ
- Pictory starts at $25 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly). Synthesia starts at $18 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
- Synthesia has a free plan. Pictory does not, though it has a free trial.
- Pictory also covers transcription, video editing, image generation and video generation.
- Synthesia also covers screen recording.
At a glance
| Pictory | Synthesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $18 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Basic plan: each month 10 minutes of video creation or dubbing, 3 survey responses and 500 credits, with 1 editor and 9 AI avatars. Videos carry a Synthesia watermark. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with 15 video minutes, 50 AI credits and exports up to 720p | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Pictory | Synthesia Limited |
| Price read from | pictory.ai | synthesia.io |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Pictory
- Turning blog posts and slide decks into narrated videos
- Training and course teams producing many explainer videos
- Trimming long recordings into short clips by editing text
Synthesia
- Training and L&D teams producing videos without filming
- Localizing existing videos into many languages
- Turning slide decks and documents into narrated videos
Worth knowing
Pictory
- Generated footage is limited: Starter's 1,200 yearly AI credits make about 12.5 minutes of AI video; most minutes are stock-footage edits.
- Paid subscriptions are not refunded; cancelling only stops the next renewal.
- Monthly billing gives fewer AI credits: Professional includes 500 a month when billed monthly against 12,000 a year when billed annually.
- The trial exports at up to 720p and allows 15 video minutes.
Synthesia
- Basic videos carry a Synthesia watermark; downloading videos and removing the logo start on the Starter plan.
- Usage is metered in credits: video costs about 100 credits a minute, so Starter's 1,250 monthly credits add roughly 12 minutes.
- Self-serve plans include 1 editor; Starter adds 3 guests and Pro 5, and guests are invited to comment on videos.
- SAML/SSO, live team collaboration, SCORM export and 1-click translation are listed under the Enterprise plan.
Key features
Pictory
- Script, URL and slides to video
- Paste a script or link, or upload a PDF, PowerPoint or audio file, and Pictory splits it into scenes matched with stock footage, captions and voiceover.
- AI Studio
- Generate images from prompts and animate images into clips with Veo 3.1, Veo 3.1 Fast or PixVerse 5.5, then drop them into scenes in the editor.
- Edit video with text
- Upload a recording and cut it by editing its transcript, pull out highlight clips automatically, and add captions.
- Voices and avatars
- ElevenLabs voices in 29 languages, voice cloning and custom avatars on Professional and above, with uploaded voiceovers synced to scenes.
- Brand kits and templates
- Saved fonts, colors and logos keep videos on brand, and templates set the layout, text and timing of each scene.
- Zapier, Make and API
- Start videos from other apps through Zapier or Make, make a video from any web page with the Chrome extension, or build on the API.
Synthesia
- AI avatars
- Videos are presented by stock AI avatars, from 9 on Basic to 240+ on Enterprise, or by a personal avatar created from a single photo.
- Script, file or slides to video
- The AI Video Assistant turns a prompt, link or file into an editable video, and PowerPoint decks can be imported and narrated.
- AI dubbing and translation
- Dub an uploaded video or YouTube link into 70+ languages, 140+ on Enterprise, keeping the speaker's voice. Lip-sync uses twice the credits.
- Interactive videos
- Add clickable calls to action, branching paths and quizzes that show viewers a final score. Interactive videos are listed from the Pro plan.
- Roleplay and Survey Sessions
- Avatar-led roleplay practice and conversational surveys. Roleplay learner seats can be added to any plan at $29 per learner a month, or $25 a month on yearly billing.
- AI Screen Recorder and API
- A Chrome extension makes editable screen recordings, and the Synthesia API creates and dubs videos programmatically.
Plans
Pictory
Starter$25
per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
2,400 video minutes and 1,200 AI credits a year (about 12.5 minutes of generated video or 2,000 images), 1 brand kit. Monthly: 200 minutes, 100 credits.
Professional$35
per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
7,200 video minutes and 12,000 AI credits a year (about 125 minutes of generated video), custom avatars and voice cloning. Shown as a Pictory 2.0 offer.
Team$119
per month for 3+ users, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
21,600 video minutes and 28,800 AI credits a year, 10 brand kits and a shared team workspace. The page does not say if the price is per user.
EnterpriseCustom
10+ users, custom minutes and credits, SSO, interactive video hosting with quizzes, SCORM export and done-for-you video creation.
Synthesia
Basic$0
10 minutes of video or dubbing, 3 survey responses and 500 credits a month, with 1 editor and 9 AI avatars. Videos carry a watermark.
Starter$18
per month, billed yearly; $29 billed monthly
1,250 credits a month on top of the free allowance, video downloads, no Synthesia logo, 3 guests and 125+ AI avatars.
Pro$64
per month, billed yearly; $89 billed monthly
6,000 credits a month, 5 personal avatars, interactive videos, branded video pages, 5 guests and 180+ AI avatars.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited video minutes, 240+ avatars, 1-click translation, SAML/SSO, live team collaboration, brand kits and SCORM export.
Ways to pay less
Pictory
- Annual discount
Save up to 40% with annual billing
Annual billing costs $25 a month for Starter against $29, $35 for Professional against $59, and $119 for Team against $199.
Synthesia
- Annual discount
Save up to 4 months with yearly billing
Starter is $18 a month billed yearly against $29 billed monthly, and Pro is $64 against $89. Synthesia describes this as saving up to 4 months.
