Synthesia uses AI presenters, called avatars, to turn written scripts into videos. Each plan sets a monthly or annual video-minute limit and a credit balance. Synthesia uses credits when you generate a video. The free plan offers 10 minutes a month, but it adds a Synthesia logo and does not allow downloads. Paid plans start at a reported price of $18 per month with annual billing, The displayed price and plan names vary by location and over time.
The main question is whether you need more minutes, downloadable videos, or features for a larger organization. For narrated explainers and product demos, explainroo is a free, open-source alternative that uses an AI coding agent to create videos on your computer. It works differently from Synthesia, so the better fit depends on the format you want.
Synthesia plans and prices
Synthesia lists a free Basic plan, a Starter plan, a mid-tier plan called Pro on its official pricing page, and an Enterprise plan. Some third-party pricing pages call the middle tier Creator. Before subscribing, check the current Synthesia pricing page. The displayed price and plan names can vary.
| Plan | Reported video allowance | Reported price and included features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 10 minutes per month | Free; includes 500 credits and 3 survey responses. Videos carry the Synthesia logo and cannot be downloaded. |
| Starter | 120 minutes per year, equivalent to 10 minutes per month | Reported at $18 per month billed annually. Typically includes 1 editor, 3 guests, and up to 3 personal avatars. |
| Creator or Pro | 360 minutes per year, equivalent to 30 minutes per month | Reported at $64 per month billed annually or $89 billed monthly for the Creator tier. Typically includes 1 editor, 5 guests, and up to 5 personal avatars. The official page’s Pro listing may use different credit options. |
| Enterprise | Unlimited video minutes | Custom pricing. Includes features such as SCORM export, SAML/SSO, and unlimited personal avatars. |
The paid prices above are reported examples, not guaranteed quotes. Synthesia tests pricing variations and displays different prices by country, while promotions can also change the amount shown. The reported Starter and Creator prices are useful for comparison, but confirm the price and included allowance on the checkout page.
Starter has the same 10-minute monthly equivalent as Basic. So Starter does not necessarily give you more minutes; it adds paid-plan access and other features. If you need to download videos without the free-plan logo, Basic will not meet that requirement.
How minutes and credits affect the cost
Video minutes show how much finished video a plan lets you generate. Credits are a separate limit: Synthesia uses them to generate video, not to edit or preview it. The published credit cost is not consistent across sources. Synthesia’s pricing information puts a typical finished minute at about 100 credits, while another pricing breakdown reports 2 credits per second, or 120 credits per minute. Treat either figure as an estimate and check the credit balance shown for your plan.
Plans list minutes and credits separately, so do not assume that the two limits convert directly. The free plan, for example, is reported to include both 10 minutes per month and 500 credits. The available figures do not establish a single conversion that applies to every plan.
Editing does not use credits when you remove words or rearrange a script, according to the pricing breakdown of Synthesia’s editing rules. Generating new or replacement footage uses credits for the new material.
When evaluating subscriptions, weigh each plan’s price against its annual video-minute allowance. Unused allowance raises the effective cost per finished minute, and monthly billing and changing prices can shift the comparison further.
Which Synthesia features matter for your work?
Starter and the mid-tier plan fit people who want avatar-led videos and need features beyond the free plan. The middle tier’s reported 30 minutes per month is a better match when you expect to publish regularly. Compare the actual allowance and credit balance shown at signup, especially if your scripts are long or you expect frequent revisions.
Enterprise is aimed at organizations that need features such as single sign-on and course-platform exports. SAML/SSO lets people sign in through an organization’s existing identity provider. SCORM is a format for packaging online training content so a learning platform can track it. Because Enterprise pricing is custom, ask Synthesia for a quote before budgeting around unlimited minutes.
When explainroo is the better fit
Choose explainroo for narrated explainer videos or product demos made from scenes, graphics, code, or screenshots if you are comfortable describing changes to an AI coding agent. It is a free, open-source kit under the MIT license. The agent writes a script and scene instructions, then explainroo builds the video on your computer. It does not provide talking avatars or AI-generated live-action footage. It also lacks a drag-and-drop editor and tools to edit existing camera footage.
To try it, paste this prompt into a compatible coding agent, replacing the bracketed topic:
Make me a short explainer video about [your topic]. Use explainroo for it: clone the explainroo repository, read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps.The agent sets up explainroo, makes and checks the video, and gives you an MP4 file. It works with Claude Code, Codex, Pi, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, and other coding agents that can run shell commands; explainroo works best with Claude Code. The coding agent is a separate service with its own pricing. Optional AI illustrations through OpenRouter also cost money per image, while the rest of explainroo has no per-video cost.
For product demos, the agent can rebuild an app’s screens from its code or website. It can then show a pointer clicking and typing as narration explains the product. explainroo uses an open voice model for English narration. It reviews scenes with still images and a contact sheet. It also looks for cut-off or overlapping text and mispronounced words. See explainroo’s example videos or documentation before trying it.
