Best for
Best for performance marketers and agencies testing many UGC-style ad variants at speed.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
AI Avatars Comparison
Arcads vs. Synthesia
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for enterprises and L&D teams that need governed, compliant training video at scale.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Arcads | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not stated | Free tier; Starter $18 / month $18 is the rate billed yearly, $29 billed monthly. Creator is $64 a month billed yearly, $89 billed monthly. Enterprise is quoted. |
| Free trial | Three-day trial; the saved card is charged for the Starter plan unless it is cancelled inside 72 hours | Limited free plan |
| Commercial use | Not stated | Yes on paid plans |
| Output | Short UGC-style ad videos performed by AI actors | 240+ avatars in 160+ languages, produced in a structured Studio editor |
| API | Yes, an AI video API, a separate lip sync API and a hosted MCP server at mcp.arcads.ai | Yes |
| Made in | France, Freshr SAS in Mont Saint Aignan | Not stated |
| Avatar library | Yes, a library of 1,000+ AI actors | Yes, 240+ stock avatars on Enterprise, 125+ on Starter and 180+ on Creator, with 9 on the free Basic plan |
| Custom and cloned avatars | Yes, generated faces that can be made to hold a product, show an app or wear specific clothes | Yes, personal avatars built from recorded video or from a photo, included on the paid self-serve plans and unlimited on Enterprise, plus voice cloning |
| Languages and translation | Yes, translation into 30+ languages | Yes, 160+ languages with one-click translation |
| Editor | Partly: ad presets for performance marketing, emotion control, background removal and a workflow builder; one-click B-roll, music, captions and transitions is announced as coming | Yes, a structured video editor |
| Learning features | No | Yes, SCORM export on Enterprise and interactive video |
| MCP-ready | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Chat | more entries Email helpdesk, Chat, 24/7, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Live online demos and webinars |
| Company size | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Google Drive, Dropbox | more entries Articulate 360, Docebo, Moodle, SAP Litmos, TalentLMS, Thinkific, 360Learning, Workday, BambooHR, HiBob, Microsoft Teams, Slack, PowerPoint, Excel Add-in, Notion, HubSpot, Intercom, monday.com, Make, Workato, WordPress, Shopify, Vimeo, YouTube, Kaltura, Crowdin, Unsplash |
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Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Free trial Arcads Three-day trial; the saved card is charged for the Starter plan unless it is cancelled inside 72 hours Synthesia Limited free plan
- Company size Arcads Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Synthesia Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Support Arcads Chat Synthesia Email helpdesk, Chat, 24/7, Community forum
- MCP-ready Arcads Yes Synthesia No
- Output Arcads Short UGC-style ad videos performed by AI actors Synthesia 240+ avatars in 160+ languages, produced in a structured Studio editor
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Arcads
Strengths
- Large library of 1,000+ AI actors
- Generated actors can hold a product, show an app or wear specific clothes
- Several third-party video models available in one place, including Seedance 2.5, Kling and Sora 2 Pro
- AI video API and a separate lip sync API for automating ad production
- Hosted MCP server, so an AI assistant can generate ads directly
Limitations
- 30+ languages, fewer than the broad avatar platforms offer
- The one-click editor for B-roll, music, captions and transitions is announced but not yet shipped
- Built for short direct-response ads, so it is a poor fit for training or explainer video
- No learning features
Synthesia
Strengths
- Enterprise-grade governance, compliance and SCORM
- Huge language coverage
- Consistent quality across long videos
Limitations
- The full avatar library, unlimited personal avatars and unlimited minutes are Enterprise-only
- Self-serve plans are capped at 120 or 360 minutes of video a year
- Enterprise is quoted rather than priced
- Mid-market underserved
Plans
Pricing
Arcads
- Starter Not stated 8,000 generation credits a month. Credits reset each cycle and do not roll over, and the account is temporarily blocked once the limit is reached.
- Creator Not stated 16,000 generation credits a month, otherwise the same terms as Starter: no rollover, and the account pauses at the limit.
- PRO Not stated Unused credits roll over while the subscription stays active, and usage beyond the allowance is charged per extra credit instead of blocking the account. Quoted by the vendor.
- Scale Not stated Higher volume on the same terms as PRO, with a lower cost per credit. Quoted by the vendor.
- Business Not stated Highest volume on the same terms as PRO, with a lower cost per credit. Quoted by the vendor.
Synthesia
- Basic $0 Free. Up to 10 minutes of video a month and 9 AI avatars, for trying out the editor, avatars and voices.
- Starter $18 / month Billed yearly, $29 billed monthly. 120 minutes of video a year, 125+ AI avatars, one editor and three guest seats.
- Creator $64 / month Billed yearly, $89 billed monthly. 360 minutes of video a year, 180+ AI avatars, one editor and five guest seats.
- Enterprise Not stated Quoted. Unlimited video minutes, the full avatar library, unlimited personal avatars, shared workspaces and Organizations, brand kits, SSO, higher API rate limits, a dedicated customer success manager and implementation services.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Arcads
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Synthesia
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Arcads https://www.arcads.ai · checked against the official source on 2026-09-17
Synthesia https://www.synthesia.io · no check date recorded yet
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.