HeyGen vs InVideo (2026): Avatar or AI Footage?
Vorec Team · 2026-10-25 · About 7 min read
HeyGen is built around a talking presenter: you write a script and an AI avatar delivers it on camera. InVideo AI is built around generated and stock footage: its plans buy credits for AI video and image models, agents, premium stock clips and a timeline editor. If your video needs a face speaking to the viewer, start with HeyGen; if it needs scenes, b-roll and edited footage, start with InVideo AI. On pricing pages read 25 October 2026, HeyGen's Creator plan is $29 a month, or $24 a month paid annually, and InVideo AI's Basic plan showed $4 per seat a month, labelled "billed annually", under a 50% off promotion. Everything here comes from those two pages, plus our 1 October 2026 read of InVideo's page where noted. We did not test either product. Vorec, which publishes this page, comes up briefly near the end.
Side-by-side
| HeyGen | InVideo AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Core output | Avatar video: a stock or custom presenter reads your script | Generated video and images, stock footage, edited on a timeline |
| Free option | Free plan: 3 watermarked videos a month, up to 1 minute each | No free plan card on the 25 Oct page; our 1 Oct read found a free plan mentioned only in the cancellation FAQ |
| Entry paid plan | Creator: $29 a month, or $24 a month paid annually; 600 credits | Basic: $4 per seat a month, "billed annually" (struck-through $9); 190 credits per seat |
| Mid plan | Pro: from $49 a month, 1,000 credits | Pro: $15 per seat a month, "billed annually" (struck-through $30); 1,000 credits |
| Top self-serve | Pro tiers up to 100,000 credits for $4,300 a month | Ultra: $40 per seat a month, "billed annually" (struck-through $80); 3,000 to 9,000 credits |
| Credit rollover | Monthly: one extra month; annual: accumulate until renewal | "Unused credits don't roll over to the next month" |
| Export | Up to 1080p on Creator, up to 4K on Pro | 4K export listed in the plan calculator, including Basic |
| Video length | 1 minute on Free, 30 minutes on Creator and Pro | Not stated on the page we read |
| Languages | 30+ on Free, 175 languages and dialects on paid plans | Not listed on the pricing page we read |
| Seats | 1 seat on Creator and Pro; Business $149 a month plus $20 per seat | Basic up to 5 seats; Pro adds 10 free guest seats, Ultra 20 (190 credits each) |
What are you actually paying for?
With HeyGen, the paid plans unlock avatar engines (Avatar III, IV and a limited Avatar V on Creator), HeyGen Voice text to speech (up to 10 hours on Creator, 16+ hours on Pro), a custom avatar made from your own voice and likeness, and video translation. The 25 October page also lists text, image and reference to video through "HeyGen Video 1", plus Seedance 2.5, VEO 3.1 and Nano Banana access on Pro. The presenter is still the centre of its plan cards.
With InVideo AI, the credits pay for generation. The page prices examples per model: a Nano Banana Pro image costs about 2.5 credits, and a 5-second Seedance 2.5 clip at 1080p about 96. InVideo says credits are not used for downloads, and that it may change credit costs without notice. Plans also include premium stock footage (45 clips on Basic, 150 on Pro, 180 on Ultra) and storage from 100 GB to 800 GB. Its product menu links to an AI avatar generator, UGC ads, text to speech and voice cloning, but the pricing page does not break those down by plan.
Which is cheaper, HeyGen or InVideo?
On sticker price, InVideo AI's annual promotion is lower. Read carefully, though:
- InVideo's 25 October capture shows the annual view only. Basic $4, Pro $15 and Ultra $40 are each labelled "per seat/mo, billed annually", next to struck-through prices of $9, $30 and $80. A banner tied to annual plans offered "50% discount" and 30 days of unlimited image models; no end date was visible.
- The same page disagrees with itself. Its "Compare features" table lists Basic at $5 per seat a month billed annually, not $4. Confirm at checkout.
- Monthly InVideo prices were not in our 25 October capture. Our 1 October read showed Basic at $9 a month, Pro (1,000 credits) at $30, and Ultra (3,000 credits) at $72 renewing at $80.
- HeyGen's numbers are steadier. Creator is $29 monthly; HeyGen's FAQ says $24 a month if you pay annually, and the toggle advertises "2 months free" on yearly billing.
Credits are not comparable across vendors. HeyGen says a video's credit cost depends on model, duration and complexity; InVideo prices each model separately. Price a typical month of your videos on each. Full tier tables are in our HeyGen pricing guide and InVideo AI pricing guide.
HeyGen or InVideo for YouTube?
Faceless channels: InVideo AI fits better on paper. Faceless videos lean on b-roll, generated scenes and a voiceover, and InVideo's plans are built around stock clips, generative models and a full timeline editor. Watch the model costs: higher resolutions burn credits faster, and unused credits expire monthly.
Channels with a host: HeyGen, if you want a consistent on-screen presenter without filming. A custom avatar with your own voice and likeness starts on Creator, and paid videos run up to 30 minutes.
Which suits training videos, ads and localization?
Presenter-led training: HeyGen. Its comparison table includes a Learning & Development section (interactive video, quizzes, branching, SCORM export), but our text capture does not show which plans include each row. Check the tier before you buy.
Ads: a split. InVideo's menu lists an AI ad generator and UGC ads, and its models suit product shots and short scenes. HeyGen suits spokesperson-style ads where a person talks to camera.
Localization: HeyGen has the clearer story on its pricing page: 175 languages and dialects on paid plans, script proofreading for translations on Pro, plus rows for switching and uploading voices in the translation section. InVideo's pricing page does not list translation, so verify it with InVideo before relying on it.
For more pairings, read Synthesia vs InVideo, Synthesia vs HeyGen, HeyGen vs ElevenLabs and our list of HeyGen alternatives.
Quick answers
Is InVideo AI better than HeyGen?
Neither wins on every job. InVideo AI suits videos built from footage, generated scenes and editing. HeyGen suits videos where an avatar presents.
Does HeyGen have a free plan?
Yes. On 25 October 2026: 3 videos a month, watermarked, up to 1 minute each, with no credit card required according to HeyGen's FAQ.
Does InVideo AI have a free plan?
The 25 October pricing page showed no free plan card. Our 1 October read found a free plan mentioned in the cancellation FAQ without any limits listed.
Is the InVideo discount permanent?
The page shows 50% off on annual plans with no end date and no stated renewal price. Treat it as a promotion.
Do credits roll over?
HeyGen: yes, for one extra month on monthly plans and until renewal on annual plans. InVideo AI: no, unused credits reset each month.
Where Vorec fits
If the video is a software walkthrough, neither a generated scene nor a presenter is what viewers need: they need to see the real app. Vorec turns screen recordings into narrated tutorials. Record with its macOS recorder (an AI agent can drive capture through the CLI) or upload a recording you already have; the AI drafts narration from what happens on screen and generates the voiceover, with no microphone and no avatar. The editor has cursor-follow zoom, click auto-zoom and freeze-sync, which holds a frame while narration finishes, and Vorec also writes a step-by-step guide from the same capture. Pricing: a free trial with no credit card required (current allowances on the pricing page) (3 projects, 1080p watermarked exports), then Starter at $9 a month or $86 a year, Pro at $24 or $230, and Business at $59 or $566.
Have a silent screen recording of your app? Vorec narrates it for you. Start your free trial, no card needed. The trial covers 3 projects, with watermarked exports.