AI Video
AI video tools, from talking-head avatars to generative clips.
Avatar platforms and generative video, lined up by what they cost to start and whether you can try them free. No face required.
AI video tools fall into two camps: avatar tools that turn a script into a talking-head presenter (Synthesia, HeyGen, Colossyan) and generative tools that create footage from a prompt (Runway, Pika). We compare them on price, free tier and what each plan includes.
Like voice, video quality is subjective and evolves fast, so we focus on the numbers: the starting price and whether there is a free tier to try before you pay.
| # | Tool | Type | From | Free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | D-ID D-ID is an avatar video platform that turns a single photo into a talking, lip-synced presenter and exposes a developer API for programmatic generation. | Avatar | $5.90/mo | — | Visit |
| 02 | Pika Generative AI video tool for creating and editing short clips from prompts. | Generative | $8/mo | — | Visit |
| 03 | Captions Captions is a mobile-first AI video app for faceless short-form content, combining auto-captions, AI avatars, voiceover and dubbing. | Faceless | $9.99/mo | — | Visit |
| 04 | Kling Kling is a generative AI video model from Kuaishou that produces high-fidelity clips from text or image prompts. | Generative | $10/mo | — | Visit |
| 05 | Hedra Hedra turns a single image plus audio or text into an expressive, lip-synced talking or singing character video using its Character-3 model. | Avatar | $15/mo | — | Visit |
| 06 | Runway Generative AI video suite (Gen-3/Gen-4) for text-to-video and editing. | Generative | $15/mo | — | Visit |
| 07 | Zebracat AI video generator that turns text, blogs and audio into short videos. | Faceless | $19/mo | — | Visit |
| 08 | InVideo AI AI video generator that turns prompts and scripts into edited videos. | Faceless | $25/mo | — | Visit |
| 09 | Colossyan AI avatar video creator focused on workplace learning and training. | Avatar | $27/mo | — | Visit |
| 10 | Fliki Text-to-video and text-to-speech, turns scripts and blogs into videos. | Faceless | $28/mo | — | Visit |
| 11 | HeyGen AI avatar video generator for marketing, sales and training videos. | Avatar | $29/mo | — | Visit |
| 12 | Synthesia AI video platform for talking-head videos from text, with avatars. | Avatar | $29/mo | — | Visit |
| 13 | Luma Dream Machine Luma Dream Machine is a generative AI model that creates short cinematic video clips from text prompts or still images. | Generative | $30/mo | — | Visit |
Prices are the cheapest paid monthly tier. Video tools bundle minutes or credits that vary by plan. Prices may change. Some links are affiliate links.
Popular comparisons
How we compare
We list each tool's cheapest paid monthly tier and whether it has a free tier. Video tools bundle minutes, credits or exports rather than charging a simple per-unit rate, so the starting price plus the free tier is the fairest way to compare what it costs to get going.
We do not score video quality: it depends heavily on the use case, and a talking-head avatar and a generative clip are not the same product. Prices come from each tool's live pricing page in US dollars.
Frequently asked
What is the best AI video generator?+
It depends on the job. For talking-head videos with an avatar, Synthesia and HeyGen lead the market. For generative footage from a prompt, Runway and Pika are the best known. All offer a free tier, so try the ones that match your use case.
Is there a free AI video maker?+
Yes. Synthesia, HeyGen, Fliki, InVideo, Colossyan, Zebracat, Pika and Runway all have a free tier or free credits, usually with a watermark and limited minutes or exports.
How much does an AI video tool cost?+
Paid plans mostly start between 8 and 29 dollars per month. Pika starts at 8 dollars and Runway around 15; the avatar platforms Synthesia and HeyGen start at 29. Higher tiers add more minutes, avatars and export quality.
Avatar video or generative video?+
Use an avatar tool such as Synthesia, HeyGen or Colossyan if you want a presenter reading a script, for training, marketing or explainer videos. Use a generative tool such as Runway or Pika if you want to create or edit visual footage from a text prompt.
Can I make videos without showing my face?+
Yes, that is the main point of these tools. Avatar tools give you a synthetic presenter, and generative tools create footage from text, so you never need to be on camera.