AI Short Video Production · Deepege Editorial Team
HeyGen vs D-ID: Pricing, Avatars, Translation and API Compared
HeyGen vs D-ID comes down to how you will use AI avatars. HeyGen fits teams that produce and translate many avatar videos, with a credit system, 175+ languages and dialects on paid plans and a free plan for testing. D-ID fits teams that pay by the minute, want a cheap entry plan, or are building real-time conversational avatars through its API.
Key points (every plan and price below was checked on HeyGen's and D-ID's official pricing pages, product pages and help center on October 20, 2026):
- At the same $29 monthly price, HeyGen Creator gives 600 credits and D-ID Pro gives 15 minutes a month shared across videos, agents, video translation and the API.
- HeyGen's Free plan makes up to 3 watermarked videos a month, up to 1 minute each. D-ID offers a 14-day trial with 3 minutes and a full-screen watermark.
- D-ID's entry plan, Lite, costs $5.90 a month, or $4.70 a month billed annually, but keeps the D-ID watermark and a personal-use license.
- HeyGen lists 175+ languages and dialects for video translation on paid plans; D-ID's pricing table lists 30+ output languages.
- Deepege, our own product, is covered briefly at the end and is not part of the ranking.
HeyGen vs D-ID at a glance
This table summarizes what each official page listed on October 20, 2026. Prices are in USD, on monthly billing unless noted.
| HeyGen | D-ID | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free plan: up to 3 videos/month, 1 min each, watermarked | 14-day trial: 3 minutes, full-screen watermark |
| Entry paid plan | Creator $29/month ($24 billed annually) | Lite $5.90/month ($4.70 billed annually) |
| Same-price comparison | Creator $29/month: 600 credits | Pro $29/month: 15 minutes |
| How usage is counted | Credits; rate per minute depends on the feature | Minutes, rounded up to the nearest 15 seconds |
| Max video length | 1 min (Free), 30 min (Creator and Pro) | Up to 30 minutes on every plan |
| Video translation | 175+ languages and dialects on paid plans | 30+ output languages; up to 5 min per translated video below Enterprise |
| Watermark | Removed from Creator | Removed with a custom logo from Advanced ($196/month) |
| Real-time avatars | LiveAvatar API | Visual Agents |
| Commercial-use license | Not stated on the pricing page | From Pro |
How we compared HeyGen and D-ID
We compared the two tools on what buyers ask before they pay: what the free option includes, what a month of usage costs, how many languages translation covers, when the watermark goes away and what the license allows. Every fact comes from HeyGen's and D-ID's pricing pages, product pages and HeyGen's help center, opened on October 20, 2026.
- What we did not do: we did not generate test videos or rate avatar realism, lip sync or voice quality, so this page makes no claim about which output looks better. Both tools have a free option, so test your own script on each.
- What we left out: first-month promotions, D-ID's per-plan credit options (the pricing page shows them without explaining how they map to minutes), marketing counters and customer testimonials. We did not check HeyGen's license terms per plan.
- One inconsistency to know about: D-ID's own pages give different language counts for video translation: 30+ in the pricing table, "as many as 29 languages" on the Video Translate page and 40+ on the Creative Reality Studio page. We used the pricing table and recommend checking the current list for your target language.
Pricing: HeyGen credits vs D-ID minutes
HeyGen charges in credits and D-ID charges in minutes, so the same $29 buys different amounts depending on what you make. HeyGen's paid plans include a monthly credit balance spent across features (HeyGen pricing); D-ID's Studio plans include a fixed number of minutes for videos, agents, video translation and the API combined (D-ID pricing).
| Plan (monthly billing) | HeyGen | D-ID |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Creator $29: 600 credits | Lite $5.90: 10 min/month |
| Next tier | Pro $49: 1,000 credits, 4K export | Pro $29: 15 min/month, commercial license |
| Higher | Business $149 + $20 per seat | Advanced $196: 100 min/month |
| Annual billing | Creator $24/month | Lite $56/year, Pro $191/year, Advanced $1,293/year |
To turn HeyGen credits into minutes, divide by the per-minute rate in HeyGen's help center (How to use credits on HeyGen). This is our arithmetic from published rates, assuming the whole month's balance goes to one feature:
- Avatar III with a video look costs 4 credits per minute, so 600 credits cover about 150 minutes.
- Avatar IV costs 16 credits per minute with a photo look (about 37 minutes) and 31 credits per minute with a video look (about 19 minutes).
- Video translation with lip sync costs 6 credits per minute in Speed mode (about 100 minutes) and 10 in Precision mode (about 60 minutes).
D-ID deducts the length of each video from your minutes and rounds up to the nearest 15 seconds, so a 1-minute-10-second video uses 1 minute 15 seconds. On HeyGen, monthly subscribers' unused credits roll over for one more month, and annual subscribers' credits build up until renewal. Plan credits on HeyGen cannot be used for API or automation integrations; HeyGen sells API credits separately.
Free plan and trial: which one lets you test more?
HeyGen lets you keep testing month after month, while D-ID's trial ends after 14 days. HeyGen's Free plan is ongoing: it makes up to 3 watermarked videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with access to Avatar IV and one custom video avatar, and needs no credit card. HeyGen's help center notes that free users get 1 to 3 free videos depending on their region. D-ID's Trial lasts 14 days and includes 3 minutes for videos, agents, translation and the API, 100+ stock avatars, one personal avatar and a full-screen watermark, under a personal-use license (D-ID pricing).
Avatars and voices
Both tools let you make a personal avatar and offer ready-made presenters. HeyGen's Free plan includes 500+ stock video avatars and Creator raises that to 700+, with one custom video avatar and voice cloning on every plan. D-ID's Trial includes 100+ stock avatars and one personal avatar; Pro adds 3 personal avatars, premium voices and 1 voice clone, and Advanced has 5 personal avatars and 3 voice clones.
D-ID's Creative Reality Studio turns text, audio or a still image into an avatar video, (D-ID Creative Reality Studio), and its pricing table lists a Canva app, a PowerPoint add-in and a mobile app on all plans. HeyGen offers several avatar engines (Avatar III, IV and V); the credit cost per minute rises with the newer engines, and Avatar V has limited usage on Creator.
Video translation: HeyGen vs D-ID
HeyGen is the broader option for translating existing videos. Its video translator covers 175+ languages and dialects with voice cloning and lip sync, lets you pick up to 10 target languages at once, accepts an upload or a YouTube link, and lets you proofread the translated script before you finalize (HeyGen video translator). Script proofreading is listed on Pro.
D-ID Video Translate also clones the speaker's voice and adapts lip movements, through both the studio and the API (D-ID Video Translate). On Lite, Pro and Advanced each translated video can be up to 5 minutes long, Enterprise raises that to 30 minutes, and proofreading is listed for Enterprise only. For the full process around dubbing, subtitles and review, see our video localization guide.
Interactive avatars and API
D-ID puts real-time conversational avatars at the center of its product. Its Visual Agents connect to the language model and knowledge base of your choice, can trigger workflows, and embed in websites, apps, LMS platforms and kiosks, with SSO, role-based access and optional VPC or on-premises deployment for enterprises (D-ID Agents). D-ID also sells separate API plans; after a free trial, paid API plans start with Build at $14.40 a month billed annually, or $172.80 a year (D-ID API pricing).
HeyGen offers real-time avatars through its LiveAvatar API, with 1080p half-body or full-body avatars and custom avatars built from an image or two minutes of footage; HeyGen says rates fall to $0.01 per minute at its top volume tier (HeyGen LiveAvatar). If you mainly need an avatar that talks to users live, compare both APIs on a pilot; if you mainly need finished videos, the studio plans above are the better basis for comparison.
Watermark and commercial use
HeyGen removes its branding from the Creator plan up. D-ID uses a full-screen watermark on the Trial, a D-ID watermark on Lite and what it calls an "AI watermark" on Pro; only Advanced and Enterprise replace it with your own logo. D-ID's pricing table gives Trial and Lite a personal-use license and Pro and above a commercial-use license, so D-ID videos for client or ad work start at Pro.
HeyGen or D-ID: which should you choose?
Choose by the main job, then run the same script through both free options before you pay.
- Many finished avatar videos a month: HeyGen, because by our arithmetic $29 of credits covers more minutes than D-ID Pro's 15, especially on its lighter avatar engines.
- Translating existing videos into many languages: HeyGen, for its 175+ languages and dialects and up to 10 languages per run.
- The lowest monthly entry price: D-ID Lite, if the D-ID watermark and personal-use license are acceptable.
- A conversational avatar on your website or app: D-ID Visual Agents, or a pilot of HeyGen's LiveAvatar API.
- Simple minute-based billing: D-ID Pro or Advanced, where every feature draws from one minute balance. Note that D-ID lists team collaboration on Enterprise only.
If neither fits, our HeyGen alternatives guide compares Synthesia, Colossyan, Elai.io and others, and HeyGen vs Synthesia covers the other common head-to-head. For voiceover without an avatar, try our free AI voiceover generator.
Where Deepege fits (our product)
Deepege (引擎AI) is our own product and is not part of the comparison above. It is an AI marketing agent for Chinese businesses that plans a marketing video shot by shot, uses your own footage first and fills gaps with public assets, AI shots or digital avatars, then waits for your approval before it makes the video. It suits teams publishing every week to Douyin, Kuaishou, WeChat Channels, Xiaohongshu and TikTok; there is no public price list, and pricing follows a fit assessment (Deepege pricing). If you only need avatar videos, HeyGen or D-ID is the more direct choice.
Conclusion
HeyGen and D-ID solve overlapping problems with different pricing logic. HeyGen gives more video and translation capacity per dollar when you use its lighter engines and covers far more languages, while D-ID has the cheapest entry plan, simple minute-based billing and a product line built around real-time conversational agents. Prices, credit rates and limits change often, so recheck both pricing pages before you commit.
FAQ
Is D-ID cheaper than HeyGen?
D-ID's entry plan is cheaper: Lite costs $5.90 a month, against $29 for HeyGen Creator. At the same $29 a month, D-ID Pro gives 15 minutes, while HeyGen Creator's 600 credits cover about 19 to 150 minutes by HeyGen's published rates, depending on the avatar engine.
Is D-ID free?
D-ID offers a 14-day free trial with 3 minutes for videos, agents, video translation and the API, with a full-screen watermark and a personal-use license. Its pricing page lists a trial rather than an ongoing free plan.
Does HeyGen have a free plan?
Yes. HeyGen's Free plan makes up to 3 watermarked videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with no credit card required. HeyGen's help center notes that free users get 1 to 3 videos depending on their region.
Which is better for video translation, HeyGen or D-ID?
HeyGen covers more languages: 175+ languages and dialects on paid plans, up to 10 target languages per run and script proofreading on Pro. D-ID lists 30+ output languages, up to 5 minutes per translated video below Enterprise, and proofreading on Enterprise only.
Can I use D-ID videos commercially?
D-ID's pricing table gives the Trial and Lite plans a personal-use license and Pro and above a commercial-use license. Commercial work therefore starts on Pro, at $29 a month or $16 a month billed annually.