Can Synthesia Replace Traditional Video Production? I Tested It for My Digital Projects
By Ari Vale, AI Research Analyst & Product Strategist @ AI Insider Labs
Let me drop the formalities: If you’re still spending hours (or thousands) on traditional video production in 2025, you’re falling behind.
I come from the systems architecture side of AI. I care about efficiency, scalability, and whether a tool works not just for a demo—but for real-world impact. And over the past few months, I’ve embedded Synthesia into my content workflows for L&D, marketing, and client onboarding materials.
Spoiler: it’s shifted how I think about video content… massively.
This isn’t your typical AI clone gimmick. Synthesia is a business tool disguised as a content platform—and today, I’ll show you exactly why.
What Is Synthesia and Why Are Businesses Switching?
Synthesia is an AI-powered video creation platform that lets you generate avatar-led videos without… well, any actual filming. No actors. No voiceover talent. No green screens. You type your script, choose from 230+ avatars, pick a language/voice/accent combo, and boom, you’ve got a video ready to upload.
So what makes it different from tools like Pictory or D-ID?
Here’s the kicker: Synthesia gives you laser control without needing a video editor on payroll—or inside your Zoom meetings every week.
🎯 Use it for:
- Training & onboarding videos
- Explainers and social content
- Internal comms
- Multi-language campaigns (140+ supported!)
- Customer support how-to videos
- Tutorials and SaaS demos
If you want to try it yourself, click below—I set up this affiliate link so you can jump in:
Why Synthesia Works: Features Worth Talking About
Most reviews throw around features like they’re buzzwords. I want to break down why they matter in use—not just on landing pages.
1. Avatars & Voices That Don’t Feel Robotic
You get access to over 230 AI avatars. They’ve got different ethnicities, ages, roles—even ones tailored for formal business presentations or social-friendly formats. This isn’t Uncanny Valley territory—they work.
Pair that with 140+ languages and accents, and you’ve just unlocked global scalability. I’ve generated French explainer videos, Mandarin onboarding modules, Arabic training flows—all from English input.
No voice actor coordination. No retakes.
✅ Good to know: You can also clone your own voice with Synthesia (Creator tier required). This makes your videos feel deeply branded—without repeating yourself across 20 takes.
2. Script Assistant & Text-to-Video in Minutes
One surprise I didn’t expect? The built-in AI script assistant. Give it a few prompts and it outlines a script catered to your purpose—whether you’re introducing a product feature or explaining an internal process.
It shaved off an hour of planning for me just on my first few trials.
Then, just drop the script in, choose your tone/voice/avatar/brand elements, and you’re done.
For marketers like myself who don’t always want to write a new 800-word script from scratch, this made iteration 10x faster.
3. PowerPoint Import and Screen Recording
Raise your hand if your team has a decade’s worth of buried PowerPoint decks never touched again. Now you can import them directly into Synthesia—and convert them into ready-to-publish videos with voiceovers and avatars.
Teams love this for:
- Onboarding modules
- Sales decks transformed into video formats
- Executive updates
Plus, you can record your screen, add voice-over narration, and embed in your final video—all without leaving the tool or opening a separate editor like Loom or Camtasia.
4. Template Library & Brand Customization
Over 65 pre-designed templates mean your video starts professional. Brand kits let you import your fonts, colors, and logos to keep everything polished. If brand consistency matters (and it should), this is a solid win.
Also: auto-generated closed captions—ADA-compliant videos by default, without spending a minute doing manual transcriptions.
The Real Business Value: What It Saves
📉 Estimating cost comparisons based on my agency work:
| Approach | Time to Produce | Average Cost per Minute |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Filming | 2–3 weeks | $1,000+ |
| Freelance Animations | 1–2 weeks | $500+ |
| Synthesia | <1 hour | ~$20–$60 per video |
Synthesia’s Creator plan currently runs at about $67/month (billed annually), and you get 10+ video credits to start. That’s essentially a professional video every few days—or rapid iterations if you’re running paid media tests or course series.
Is it worth $67/month for most businesses?
Short answer for teams actually publishing video regularly? Yes.
Who Should Use Synthesia in 2025?
Synthesia isn’t just for marketers or solopreneurs (though it works great for both).
Based on what I’ve seen inside orgs, here’s where it’s already delivering impact:
- 📈 HR & People Teams: for onboarding and compliance training materials
- 🇪🇸 Global Marketing Teams: for multi-language ads and campaigns
- 📚 Course Creators & L&D: for scenario walkthroughs and instructor-led training
- 👩💼 SaaS Companies: for UI tutorials or feature explainers
- 🎓 Educators & Nonprofits: for budget-friendly learning content at scale
If your org struggles with slow video pipelines, localization bottlenecks, or recurring training deliverables—this is the shortcut without sacrificing quality.
Limitations Worth Knowing Before You Buy
Let’s be honest. No AI tool is perfect. Synthesia is remarkably strong, but here’s what to expect:
- ❌ Custom avatars or voice cloning are only available in the higher-tier Creator Plan
- ❌ Not a full video editor (don’t expect After Effects-level control here)
- ❌ No free forever plan—although you can test-drive a demo
And yes, if your team makes heavy post-processed video that relies on transitions, chroma key, or cinematic polish—this isn’t meant to replicate that. It’s not for narrative directing.
It’s for crisp, professional, clear communication—delivered at speed.
Still on the fence? Try out a sample video directly:
✍️ Real Feedback, Real People
I don’t just test tools in isolation—I track what actual users say. Synthesia today carries over 4,000 reviews across G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and Reddit.
Key sentiments:
- “We produced a multi-language training series in under 48 hours. Saved thousands.” – G2 Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “AI avatars work great. The pricing stings a bit if you’re a team of one.” – Trustpilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “Synthesia’s avatars are borderline indistinguishable from real humans on smaller screens.” – Reddit User ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translation? The value’s there if you’re even semi-serious about content creation speed or multilingual output.
Synthesia vs Competition: Why This One Scales
I’ve evaluated tools like Pictory, Deepbrain AI, and HeyGen in the same use cases.
My verdict?
- Pictory is fast, but still media-heavy—video voiceovers often feel generic
- Deepbrain has fewer avatar customization features and louder voice stylings
- Synthesia wins in avatar quality, realistic voice tones, and script-to-publish ease
Most importantly: It’s the only one that nailed a slide-to-video conversion process that felt clean.
Almost every enterprise I advise is adding Synthesia to their L&D or marketing stack.
Final Thoughts — Who Should Skip It?
💡 If your content needs complex motion, cinematic storyboarding, or you’re producing documentaries—not the right fit.
But if you want:
- Quick, scalable client onboarding materials
- Training videos that feel professional across languages
- Branded explainers in bite-sized timelines
- Ads that don’t require actors or location shoots
Then Synthesia is a no-brainer.
Make the Shift — Your Video Creation Process Just Got Smarter
Let me leave you with this:
In a world where information is consumed in 90-second vertical scrolls, expecting your audience to tolerate clunky Zoom recordings or 20-slide decks is dated. Video isn’t just preferred anymore—it’s expected.
With Synthesia, you don’t need a production budget or design team to deliver world-class content that aligns with your voice, values, or visuals.
Start now, make a test video, and see what you can build in the next 30 minutes.
Your content doesn’t need to be louder. It needs to be smarter.
Let the AI do the lighting.
—
Ari Vale
AI Research Analyst, AI Insider Labs
Exploring the edges of machine intelligence since before GPT made it cool.
📚 Cited research:
[1] Synthesia’s Official Features Page
[2] G2 User Reviews on Synthesia