What Is Synthesia and Is It the Future of Video Creation?
Synthesia is changing how we make videos—and not in a gimmicky, TikTok-filter kind of way. I say this as someone who’s been knee-deep in systems design and AI infrastructure for the last decade—tools like this don’t just shift trends, they reshape pipelines.
If you’re creating content for global teams, scaling training modules, or telling your brand’s story in a world moving twice as fast, Synthesia is worth paying attention to. You can write a script in English, pick an avatar, and generate a crystal-clean corporate video that sounds like it was recorded by a studio team in Berlin, São Paulo, or Jakarta. All in minutes.
Let’s break it down. This article will answer:
- What is Synthesia, really?
- How does it compare to tools like Pictory or DeepBrain?
- Use cases that actually matter—beyond the fluff.
- Honest pros, cons, pricing, and who this is really for.
And by the end? You’ll know whether it earns a spot in your content tech stack—or should sit on the AI sidelines.
First, What Is Synthesia?
Synthesia is a browser-based AI video creation platform. You type your script, choose an AI-generated avatar, and boom—a finished professional video gets rendered. No cameras. No microphones. No editing suites. No green-screen guts.
Their avatars look and sound realistic, lip-syncing to your text. There are over 140 of them to choose from, including the option to create your own branded avatar (a big plus for Fortune 500s needing consistency). And the platform supports over 65 languages.
Use cases range from internal employee training videos to external marketing materials, sales messages, and multilingual onboarding content. It’s used by companies like Amazon, Reuters, and Accenture—not just a bunch of YouTubers chasing trends.
📌 Want to try it yourself?
Why Traditional Video Production Is Broken
Let’s get honest. Classic video production? It’s expensive, slow, and non-repeatable at scale. Between scripting, casting, filming, editing, and redoing scenes because someone blinked—it’s days or weeks of work and thousands of dollars.
Want simple localization? Multiply the budget by how many languages you need—then prep for burned-out creative teams and slipped timelines.
Synthesia solves this with scalability built in. You update your script, hit render, and can distribute a new version of the video by lunchtime. That’s architectural agility—not just a flashy AI trick.
Key Features: What Makes Synthesia Stand Out?
🔥 Typed Script to Pro Video
Paste your content, pick your avatar, and watch a studio-quality video materialize—with background music, subtitles, and voiceover synced to your words.
🌍 65+ Languages
From Mandarin to Arabic to German regional dialects, Synthesia’s multilingual engine lets you localize training or marketing content without rehiring voice actors or translators. Global reach, real fast.
🧑🏼🎤 Custom Avatars
Want a real employee to be your virtual face across hundreds of videos? You can make a custom avatar using Synthesia’s capture pipeline. Great for HR, onboarding, or thought leadership without locking someone in a studio.
🎛️ Editable and Template Ready
Need fast rollouts? Use pre-templated designs for everything from product walkthroughs to pitch decks. Make real-time edits with granular control of scene elements, layouts, and timing.
💡 AI-First Production Efficiency
Save up to 80% of time and cost vs. traditional studios¹. Teams no longer get stuck in pre-production cycles. The lift is lighter—and repeatable at scale.
Footnote:
1 – Forbes called Synthesia a “top AI company reinventing enterprise communication.” Source: https://www.forbes.com/
Real Use Cases That Actually Matter
I’m less interested in hypothetical, shiny-object uses—and more in what real people are doing with Synthesia. Here’s what I’ve actually seen clients do:
Manufacturing firms use Synthesia to spin training videos in 3+ languages for line workers without booking a single studio hour.
🛒 SaaS Product Marketing:
Startups roll out explainers across their pricing pages, onboarding sequences, and cold emails—adding dynamic video without hiring a motion graphics artist.
🌎 Sales Localization:
B2B sales footage gets duplicated into Spanish, Japanese, and Portuguese versions—turning one sales asset into a regionally adapted playbook.
Educators and course creators publish full classes from home. One script = auto-rendered multilingual content for students across the globe.
Is Synthesia Easy to Use?
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: if you can write an email and click a dropdown, you can use Synthesia.
UI is clean. The workflow is logical. Scene-based editing feels intuitive. You won’t need a tutorial rabbit hole to publish your first video, which is rare in tools with this much firepower.
Try creating your first AI video:
Pricing: What Does Synthesia Cost?
As of 2025, here’s the rough pricing breakdown (but always check their site for changes):
- Personal Plan: Ideal for individual creators and freelancers
- Business Plan: Unlocks collaboration, higher limits, and custom avatars
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for large global organizations
Keep in mind: You’re replacing voice talent, editing teams, filming equipment, and post-prod software—so even premium pricing saves you more in the long run.
✨ Tip: Use the free trial to explore features. See what it replaces in your stack.
Synthesia vs Alternatives
I’ve tested Pictory. I’ve demoed DeepBrain. They’re good tools—but they’re not the same.
Pictory’s strength is stock-footage-based video creation. It’s great for vlog recaps or social cutdowns, but lacks Synthesia’s avatar system or enterprise control. DeepBrain has visually impressive avatars, sure—but often at the cost of usability, and usually for high-end enterprise use with barriers to entry.
Synthesia lands in that sweet spot: usable, scalable, avatar-realistic, and language versatile.
Honest Pros and Cons Based on Real Feedback
Here’s what users actually say, pulled from G2, Capterra, and the often-unfiltered Reddit corridors:
👍 Pros:
- Beginner-friendly with zero learning curve
- Video output looks polished and professional
- Saves up to 80% time over traditional production
- Multilingual localization is seamless
👎 Cons:
- Some avatars still feel a bit stiff in facial motion
- Limited CRM integration compared to full-stack video marketing tools
- Price might be steep for solo freelancers on tight budgets
Who Should Actually Use Synthesia?
Synthesia isn’t just for marketers. It’s a modern content utility that fits where communication meets scale:
Best for:
- HR teams & L&D departments creating training videos
- Marketers and product teams building multi-language promos
- Course creators scaling content to global audiences
- Agencies needing client videos—yesterday
Not great for:
- Users needing deep video editing or high-VFX workflows
- Creators chasing TikTok-style entertainment over professional polish
Final Thoughts: Is Synthesia Worth It?
Here’s my take as a strategist:
Synthesia is not another “AI trend.” It’s infrastructure. It automates video production the way Canva automated design or the way Stripe made payments developer-native.
If your team touches content, training, or outbound messaging—and you care about speed without sacrificing quality—there is no real competitor offering this much power, globally, so fast.
FAQs
Can I create a custom avatar that looks like me?
Yes. You can record a short video using Synthesia guidelines, and they’ll generate a custom avatar voice/lip-synced to your appearance.
What languages does Synthesia support?
Over 65 languages and dialects, including region-specific accents for English, Spanish, Arabic, and more.
Does Synthesia have a free trial?
They offer a free demo and trial options to test the platform before you commit.
Ready to reinvent how your business creates video content?
© Ari Vale – AI Research Analyst, AI Insider Labs
I test tech so you don’t have to.