How to Use Synthesia in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

Synthesia is an AI video creation platform that generates professional-quality videos from text scripts using digital AI avatars, without cameras, studios, or video editing skills. A user writes a script, selects an avatar and voice, chooses a background template, and receives a complete, presenter-style video in minutes. The platform is used for corporate training, product explainers, marketing content, and multilingual communication at scale.

Synthesia's core workflow centers on text-to-video through AI avatars: realistic digital humans who speak your script and are available in dozens of styles, ethnicities, and presentation formats. The avatar catalog includes both Synthesia's stock presenters and, on higher-tier plans, custom avatars built from a brief video recording of an individual. Users select a background, add the script, choose a voice from Synthesia's library (or clone their own with a voice sample), and export the finished video.

The platform includes an editor for adding text overlays, screen recordings, images, and supporting visuals. It integrates with PowerPoint-style slide templates, making it easy to convert existing presentations into video walkthroughs without rebuilding content from scratch.

Localization is one of Synthesia's most significant practical advantages. With support for over 140 languages and accents, the same script can generate French, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, and English versions without hiring voice actors or re-recording. Companies with multilingual training, compliance, or marketing content requirements that previously required expensive localization workflows can produce consistent global video assets at a fraction of the previous cost.

Consistency and speed are the other clear advantages. A training video that would take days with a production crew takes hours with Synthesia. Updating a script does not require reshooting. Avatar presenters look professional across every video, do not age, and are available on demand without scheduling.

Where Synthesia falls short is in use cases where authenticity and human presence matter. For executive communications, thought leadership content, or any context where a real human face is central to the message, AI avatar video does not fully substitute for the real thing. The uncanny valley effect, while significantly reduced compared to early versions of the technology, still affects certain audiences.

Synthesia starts at $18 per month for the Starter plan (limited videos per month). Enterprise pricing for large-team deployments varies. The free tier allows three videos per month, which is useful for evaluation.

Synthesia's core customers are L&D teams at mid-to-large enterprises, marketing departments producing high volumes of explainer content, HR teams creating onboarding and compliance training, and companies with multilingual content programs. HeyGen is Synthesia's closest direct competitor. Pictory specializes in repurposing long-form content into clips. For more cinematic AI video generation, Runway and Pika occupy a different creative space.