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Synthesia vs Elai (2026): Pricing, Minutes & AI Avatar Features Compared

Synthesia and Elai both turn a written script into a presenter-led video using AI avatars and synthetic voices. This table compares their official prices, free allowances, video minutes, avatar options and policies, as read from each vendor's own pricing page, help centre and legal pages on 19 October 2026. Kuponaut did not test either product; prices are in USD and exclude tax.

✓ Updated: October 19, 2026 · By Fırat Papatya

Offer today	Synthesia	Elai.io
Kuponaut code	Link deal, no code needed	No Kuponaut code

	Synthesia	Elai.io
Monthly billing (USD)	Basic $0; Starter $29/month (1,250 credits); Pro $89/month (6,000 credits; larger Pro credit tiers up to $676 for 48,000 credits); Enterprise custom pricing	Free $0; Creator $29/month; Team $125/month for the 50-minute tier (100- and 150-minute tiers exist, prices not shown in the text we read); Enterprise "Let's Talk"
Yearly billing (USD)	Pricing page has a yearly toggle labelled "Save up to 4 months with yearly", but the yearly dollar amounts did not appear in the page text we could read; not stated. Help centre: annual Starter gets 21,000 credits a year, annual Pro 78,000	"Save 20% with Annual": Creator $23/month ($276 billed annually); Team $100/month ($1,200 billed annually, 50-minute tier); Enterprise custom
Free plan / trial	Basic plan is free: 10 minutes of video or dubbing a month, 500 credits, 9 AI avatars, 1 editor; videos carry a Synthesia watermark and are shared by link. No separate time-limited trial is stated	Free plan, no commitment: 1 render minute in total for the account (not recurring), 80+ avatars, 75+ languages, up to 3 slides per video and 60 seconds of speech per slide; download or share allowed. Knowledge base says watermark-free output is for paid accounts
Video minutes per month	Basic 10 min; Starter up to about 12 min on top of the 10-minute free allowance; Pro up to about 60 min on top of it; Enterprise unlimited. About 100 credits per finished minute; credits reset each billing period and do not roll over	Creator 15 min; Team 50, 100 or 150 min depending on tier (annual plans receive the whole year upfront: 180 for Creator; 600, 1,200 or 1,800 for Team); Enterprise custom. Minutes are deducted on every render and do not roll over. Top-ups: $2 per extra minute on the pricing page; the Creator help article says $2.50 per minute or 5 minutes for $12.50
Avatars and custom avatar	Stock avatars: Basic 9, Starter 125+, Pro 180+, Enterprise 240+. Personal avatar (from a photo or a 1-5 minute video, consent video required): Starter 3, Pro 5, Enterprise unlimited; extra personal avatars $240/year each (annual plans). Studio Express-1 custom avatar $1,000/year add-on for annual plans, up to 10 days to process	80+ stock avatars on every plan; Enterprise adds 150+ premium avatars. Selfie Avatar (recorded on a phone) $199/year add-on; Studio Avatar $500/year; Voice Clone $200/year. Team annual subscription includes 1 Selfie Avatar and 1 Voice Clone; Enterprise includes 3 custom avatars with cloned voices
Languages / voices	140+ languages and voices; AI dubbing output in 70+ languages on Basic, Starter and Pro, 140+ on Enterprise; 1-click translation and voice cloning listed for Enterprise only	75+ languages; 300+ standard voices on all plans; 100+ premium voices on Team and Enterprise (Enterprise help article: 500+ AI voices)
Commercial use / licence	Stock (Express) avatars may be used in organic posts and website content but not in paid promotion (paid TV, social, streaming or programmatic ads); custom and personal avatars are governed by your agreement with the person shown. Basic-plan videos are watermarked and share-link only	Not stated for generated videos on the pages read. Terms of Service (updated 13 March 2026) license the Website for "personal, non-commercial use" and exclude your User Content from Elai's IP; the Acceptable Use Policy requires you to hold all consents for avatars and content you upload
Team seats	Basic 1 editor; Starter 1 editor + 3 guests; Pro 1 editor + 5 guests; Enterprise custom. Learner seats for roleplay training $29 each	Free 1 user; Creator 1 user; Team 3 seats (pricing page: 3 editors and 3 guests); Enterprise unlimited users. Free plan has no collaboration
Student / education discount	None: the help centre states Synthesia does not offer general, student, non-profit or educational discounts	Not stated on the pricing page, help centre or terms
Refund policy	Purchases are non-cancellable and non-refundable under the Customer Terms of Service; a confirmed technical access problem can be reviewed by Support; forgotten renewals are not refunded; Studio Avatars cannot be refunded once produced	Terms of Service section 5(e) "No Refund Policy": fees, including automatic renewals, are non-refundable and unused minutes are not refunded. You can cancel anytime and the plan stays active until the end of the billing period
Kuponaut code	Link deal, no code (Kuponaut holds a partner link only; the yearly saving is Synthesia's own public pricing)	No Kuponaut code (tools.json lists a partner link with a code marked PENDING and no verified offer)

How to choose

Neither tool is ranked here; the right choice depends on how many minutes you render and whether you need a likeness of yourself. On monthly billing the entry plans cost the same ($29): Synthesia Starter gives about 12 minutes on top of a 10-minute free allowance with 125+ stock avatars, while Elai Creator gives 15 minutes with 80+ avatars. Elai publishes a 20% yearly saving ($276 a year for Creator); Synthesia advertises "up to 4 months" saved on yearly billing but the yearly amounts were not readable on its page, so check them before paying. For a personal avatar, Synthesia includes 3 on Starter and 5 on Pro; Elai sells a Selfie Avatar for $199 a year or bundles one with an annual Team plan ($1,200). Synthesia lists 140+ languages against Elai's 75+, and its stock avatars cannot be used in paid ads. Both vendors say purchases are non-refundable, so test on the free tiers first: Synthesia's gives 10 watermarked minutes a month, Elai's a single render minute.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, Synthesia or Elai?

On monthly billing both entry plans cost $29: Synthesia Starter and Elai Creator. Elai's yearly price is lower in absolute terms ($23 a month, $276 a year), while Synthesia only states that yearly billing saves "up to 4 months" without readable amounts. Elai's Team plan ($125 a month or $1,200 a year) is dearer than Synthesia Pro ($89 a month), but it includes 3 seats and 50 minutes.

Which one has a free plan?

Both do. Synthesia's Basic plan gives 10 minutes of watermarked video or dubbing a month, 500 credits and 9 avatars, shared by link only. Elai's Free plan gives 1 render minute in total (it does not renew), up to 3 slides per video, with 80+ avatars and 75+ languages.

Which has more avatars and languages?

Synthesia lists more of both: 125+ to 240+ stock avatars depending on plan and 140+ languages and voices. Elai lists 80+ avatars on every plan, 75+ languages and 300+ standard voices, plus 100+ premium voices on Team and Enterprise.

Can I make a custom avatar of myself?

Yes on both. Synthesia includes personal avatars from a photo or a 1-5 minute video on Starter (3) and Pro (5), with a live consent video required; a studio-grade avatar is a $1,000 a year add-on. Elai sells a Selfie Avatar for $199 a year and a Studio Avatar for $500 a year, and includes one Selfie Avatar and one Voice Clone with an annual Team subscription.

Which has a discount or Kuponaut code?

Neither has a Kuponaut code. Kuponaut holds a partner link for Synthesia, and the only public saving is Synthesia's own yearly billing; Synthesia states it offers no student, non-profit or education discounts. Elai's public saving is 20% on annual billing; no student or education discount is stated.

Current deals

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