HeyGen vs Arcads: Pricing, AI Actors and Which to Choose

What is the difference between HeyGen and Arcads?

HeyGen is a general AI video platform, while Arcads is an AI platform specifically for making ads. HeyGen's pricing page frames it as an AI video generator for creators, marketers and teams, with avatars, voice cloning, video translation, SCORM export and LMS integrations on its Business plan (HeyGen pricing). It also runs a dedicated AI UGC page for testimonial-style and TikTok-style ads.

Arcads describes itself as "an AI platform for making ads": video ads, UGC-style ads with AI actors, product videos, B-roll, static ads, voiceovers, captions and translations, all on one credit balance (What is Arcads). It names performance marketers, e-commerce brands, app and game companies and agencies as its users, and it bundles third-party video models such as Veo 3.1, Kling and Seedance alongside its own talking-actor models.

In short, HeyGen covers ads as one use case among many. Arcads treats ad production and testing as the whole product.

HeyGen vs Arcads at a glance

This table lists only what each company publishes. Where a company does not state something publicly, the table says so.

How does Arcads pricing compare with HeyGen pricing?

Arcads pricing is credit-based and its dollar amounts are not listed publicly, so a direct price comparison is not possible from public pages. Arcads' help center says, "Current prices are on the pricing page in the app," and that plans can be billed monthly or yearly, with yearly billing 20% off (How does Arcads pricing work?). It also notes that Arcads tests new pricing from time to time, so rates in your account may differ.

What Arcads does publish is the plan structure:

Every Arcads plan includes all models up to 4K. Creator adds Workflows, background removal and AI captions; Pro adds the public API, team seats, custom actors, ElevenLabs voices and free voice cloning. As one example of a per-feature cost, Translate Video uses 240 credits per started 30 seconds, per language.

HeyGen publishes dollar prices. The Free plan is $0; Creator is $29/month ($24/month billed annually) with 600 credits, 1080p export and videos up to 30 minutes; Pro starts at $49/month with 1,000 credits and 4K export; Business is $149/month plus $20 per extra seat with 1,500 credits; Enterprise is quoted by sales. Monthly subscribers' unused credits roll over for one more month (HeyGen pricing).

Because both tools count credits differently by model and length, the only reliable comparison is the cost of your own ad set. Note the credits each test render uses in both tools.

Can you try HeyGen and Arcads for free?

Yes, but the free options work differently. HeyGen's Free plan is an ongoing plan: up to 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with no credit card required, plus limited trial access to features such as Avatar IV and lip-sync translation.

Arcads offers a time-limited trial instead. According to its help center, the trial lasts 72 hours from sign-up and includes 1,000 credits with every feature unlocked. A card is required at sign-up but is not charged during the trial. If you don't cancel within 72 hours, the Starter monthly plan starts automatically, and cancelling during the trial ends access right away (How the free trial works). Prepare your scripts and product assets before you start the Arcads clock.

How do Arcads AI actors compare with HeyGen avatars?

Both tools give you a large library of ready-made presenters plus the option to create your own. Arcads' homepage advertises a library of 1,000+ AI actors and the option to create your own AI avatar. Its FAQ says the actors are based on real actors who gave consent and are paid for the use of their likeness, and that custom actors stay private to your workspace (Arcads FAQ). Custom actors are a Pro-and-above feature.

HeyGen's pricing page lists 500+ stock video avatars on Free and 700+ on paid plans, plus photo avatars and custom video avatars. Its AI UGC page mentions more than 1,100 avatars across industries, age groups and styles, and custom avatars made from a photo or a text description.

Avatar counts do not tell you much about fit. What matters for an ad is whether two or three presenters look believable for your audience and product, so shortlist actors for your niche in both tools.

Which is better for translating ads into other languages?

Both tools can localize a finished ad, and HeyGen lists the larger number of languages for its core product. HeyGen's paid plans list 175+ languages and dialects, and its UGC page says its video translator keeps the original speaker's voice and lip sync.

Arcads says its talking actors speak 74 languages with accents, and its Translate Video tool offers 176 language and accent options, charged per started 30 seconds per language. Language counts are each vendor's own figures and are not measured the same way.

For either tool, have a native speaker review the translated hook and on-screen text before you spend on media. For a wider view of the process, see our video localization guide.

HeyGen or Arcads: which should you choose?

Choose by the job you repeat every week, not by the longest feature list.

• Paid-social ads with many hooks and actors: lean Arcads. Workflows, hook variations and bundled video models are built around ad testing.
• Mixed marketing work (explainers, product updates, training): lean HeyGen, which also offers SCORM export and LMS integrations on Business.
• You want to see prices before signing up: HeyGen publishes them; Arcads shows them in the app.
• You need an ongoing free tier: HeyGen's Free plan continues month to month; Arcads' trial ends after 72 hours.
• Ads in several languages: test both on your top market language, and transcreate hooks and slogans rather than translating them word for word (see what is transcreation).
• Still comparing avatar studios: see our HeyGen alternatives, Synthesia alternatives and HeyGen vs Synthesia guides.

How do you run a fair HeyGen vs Arcads ad test?

A fair test keeps the script, offer and budget identical, so the only variable is the tool. This is the routine we suggest:

1. Write one ad script with three hooks. Keep the body and call to action the same. Our free AI video script generator can draft hook variations from a product brief.
2. Pick two actors per tool that match your buyer, and keep their delivery similar.
3. Render the six versions in each tool in 9:16, and record the credits each render used.
4. Review on a phone at full speed: lip sync, hands, product shots and captions.
5. Run them as one test on the same ad account, with the same audience and budget split.
6. Judge on cost per result, not views. Then work out the credit cost of producing a winning variant in each tool.

Keep notes on how long editing took. Rendering time is only part of the real cost.

Do you need to disclose AI actors in UGC ads?

You should never present an AI actor as a real customer. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's final rule on fake reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, prohibits testimonials that misrepresent that they come from someone who does not exist, "such as AI-generated fake reviews," or from someone without actual experience of the product (FTC announcement). Script AI actors as presenters or demonstrators, not as satisfied buyers.

Platforms add their own rules. YouTube, for example, requires creators to disclose realistic AI-generated content, including content that makes it appear someone gave advice they did not actually give (YouTube Help). Check each ad platform's current AI and advertising policies before launch. This section is general information, not legal advice.

Where does Deepege fit?

Deepege (引擎AI) is not a direct HeyGen or Arcads replacement. It is an AI content marketing platform for Chinese-speaking business teams that combines marketing video production, asset organization and multi-account publishing (about Deepege). Its English site lists publishing to Douyin, Kuaishou, WeChat Channels and Xiaohongshu in China and to multiple TikTok accounts by language and region. There is no public price list; Deepege runs a fit assessment before quoting (Deepege pricing). If you sell in China and overseas from one team, it may be worth a look; for English-only UGC ads, compare HeyGen and Arcads first.

How we compared HeyGen and Arcads

We used only HeyGen's and Arcads' official pages, read on October 17, 2026: HeyGen's pricing and AI UGC pages, and Arcads' homepage and help center. We did not test output quality or ad performance, and neither company paid to be included. Arcads' help center gives two different credit figures for talking-actor videos, so we left that number out. Deepege is our own product.

Conclusion

HeyGen vs Arcads is a choice between a broad AI video platform with public prices and a free plan, and an ad-focused platform with AI actors, bundled video models and in-app pricing. Performance marketers producing many ad variants should trial Arcads with a prepared brief; teams that make many kinds of video should start with HeyGen. Either way, test the same script in both and keep AI actors honest about who they are.

FAQ

Is HeyGen better than Arcads?

Neither is better for every team. Arcads is built for ad production, with AI actors, bundled video models and Workflows for batch variations. HeyGen is a broader AI video platform for marketing, explainers, training and translation. Test the same ad script in both.

How much does Arcads cost?

Arcads does not list dollar prices on its website; its help center says current prices are on the pricing page in the app. It lists five self-serve plans by monthly credits (Starter 8,000, Creator 16,000, Pro 48,000, Scale 96,000 and Business 192,000), with yearly billing 20% off, as checked on October 17, 2026.

Is there a free version of HeyGen or Arcads?

HeyGen has an ongoing Free plan with up to 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute, and no credit card. Arcads offers a 72-hour trial with 1,000 credits; a card is required, and the Starter plan starts automatically unless you cancel.

Which supports more languages, HeyGen or Arcads?

HeyGen lists 175+ languages and dialects on its paid plans. Arcads lists 74 languages for its talking actors and 176 language and accent options for its Translate Video tool. Each vendor counts languages its own way.

Can AI actors be used as customer testimonials?

Not as real customers. The FTC's final rule on fake reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, prohibits testimonials that misrepresent that they come from someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews, or from someone without actual experience of the product. Present AI actors as presenters and follow each platform's AI disclosure rules.

Further Reading

• HeyGen alternatives
• Synthesia alternatives
• HeyGen vs Synthesia
• video localization guide
• AI video script generator
• what is transcreation

References

• HeyGen pricing
• HeyGen AI UGC page
• What is Arcads
• How does Arcads pricing work?
• How the free trial works
• Arcads FAQ
• FTC announcement
• YouTube Help