Getting Started with HeyGen

Turn a script into a talking-head video with a realistic AI avatar — no camera, studio, or on-camera talent required.

Current prices: Free, from $29/mo · See all plans

Last reviewed 2026-07-13 · for HeyGen

How it works

You paste a script, pick a presenter and a voice, and it renders a video of that avatar speaking your words with matched lips and gestures. You watch it back, fix the script or swap the presenter, and render again.

What it is

HeyGen makes AI avatar videos. You paste a script, pick a presenter — a stock avatar, one built from a single photo, or a digital twin of yourself trained from a short recording — choose a voice, and it generates a video where the avatar speaks your words with synced lips, gestures, and expressions. It also translates videos into 175+ languages (re-syncing the speaker's lips) and can build a whole video from a single prompt. It's used for training content, product explainers, marketing, and localization.

Before you start

The free plan (no card) gives a handful of short, watermarked videos a month plus one custom avatar — enough to see the quality, not to produce real content. Creator, the first paid plan, turns the watermark off and exports in 1080p.

Before you make an avatar of anyone — including yourself — read the consent section below. It's the thing that separates responsible use from a real problem.

Scripts are where the cost lives: every re-render burns credits, so write and polish the script before you generate.

Security & privacy

Likeness needs consent — this is the whole ballgame

A HeyGen avatar is a synthetic version of a real person's face and voice. Only create a digital twin (or clone a voice) of yourself, or of someone who has given you explicit, documented permission.
HeyGen's rules prohibit deepfakes and impersonation — creating a likeness to deceive, or of a public figure without consent, can get your account suspended and may be illegal.
Worth knowing: independent reviewers have flagged that HeyGen's consent checks are lighter than some competitors', which means more of the responsibility to do the right thing falls on you, not the platform's guardrails.

The video translator re-animates a real person's mouth to speak another language. That's still that person's likeness — get their OK before translating and publishing footage of someone else.

On rights: paid users generally own their exports for commercial use (subject to the terms and to consent), and stock avatars/voices are licensed for commercial use — but free-tier output is watermarked and more restricted. Read the terms before running client work or ads.

What it's good (and not good) at

Best at

Talking-head videos from a script, no camera needed
Localizing one video into many languages with lip-sync
A reusable digital twin so you don't re-record every update
Training, explainer, and marketing content at volume

Okay at

Cinematic realism (good, but not indistinguishable from real footage)
Predictable cost (premium avatars + 4K + translation burn credits fast)
Off-axis or busy shots (front-facing, clean audio gives the best lip-sync)

Avoid

Making anyone's avatar or voice without documented consent
Deepfakes, impersonation, or anything deceptive (prohibited, often illegal)
High-authenticity content where a real human on camera matters

Starter prompts to try

A stock-avatar video from a script

Hi everyone! In this quick video I will show you three tips for staying organized at work. Let us jump right in.

Why this one: The fastest way to judge quality — pick a stock avatar and voice, paste a script, render, watch. No consent questions with a stock avatar.

Tweak: Keep the first script short; long scripts cost more credits and take longer to render.

Make a digital twin of YOURSELF

Record the short sample HeyGen asks for and create a digital twin of your own likeness, then have it deliver a line.

Why this one: Your own avatar is the standout feature and the one you can make with zero consent worry.

Tweak: Record in a quiet, well-lit spot facing the camera for a much better twin.

Translate a clip

Upload a short video of yourself and use the translator to produce a lip-synced version in another language.

Why this one: Localization with matched lip movement is HeyGen's other headline trick.

Tweak: Only translate footage of yourself or someone who's agreed to it.

Common pitfalls

Consent is the rule, and the guardrails are light. Only make avatars/voices of yourself or with documented permission — HeyGen leans on you to do the right thing.
Credits vanish fast. Premium avatars, translation, and 4K each multiply the cost, and credits mostly don't roll over.
Free output is watermarked. Fine for testing, not for publishing.

Where to next

Video Creation & Editing Voice & Speech

Want the full picture first? See the HeyGen overview for pricing, the free tier and related tools.