Hedra vs HeyGen pricing and HeyGen vs Hedra for AI avatar video ads

Convert both meters to the same unit and the gap mostly disappears. Hedra's app labels Character-3 at roughly 3 to 6 credits per second, and Hedra bills actual length, so a 30-second ad is 90 to 180 credits. On Basic ($20 for 2,000 credits, 1 cent a credit) that is $0.90 to $1.80, and on Pro ($50 for 7,200) $0.63 to $1.25. The voice track is a separate input on Hedra, so add whatever your text to speech costs.

HeyGen publishes burn rates per minute in its help centre: 31 credits a minute for Avatar IV with a video look, 16 with a photo look and 48 for Avatar V. A 30-second Avatar IV ad is 15.5 credits, about $0.75 on Creator ($29 for 600, 4.83 cents a credit) and $0.62 on annual Creator. Voice is included.

One warning on Hedra. The same app text that prices Character-3 labels the newer Hedra Avatar model at about 30 credits a second, which would make a 30-second ad $9.00 on Basic. The API prices both models the same, so the label may be stale, but check the cost the app shows before you generate. For a fuller breakdown of each ladder, see our Hedra pricing and HeyGen pricing guides.

This is the clause that decides most purchases, and the two vendors answer it in opposite ways.

HeyGen's moderation policy requires the explicit consent of the person being represented, which it calls the Actor, and with that consent you can build an avatar of a hired creator, a founder or a customer. The Actor can ask for removal at any time, so keep the signed release on file.

Hedra's Acceptable Use Policy bars any output containing "individuals other than yourself", and the only exception it names is people who died at least a hundred years ago. There is no consent mechanism. Read literally, an ad built from a hired actor's photo breaks the policy even if the actor signed a release. If your ads feature anyone but you, HeyGen is the safer buy, or get Hedra's written approval first.

Earlier versions of Hedra's terms, dated October 2024, banned content involving advertising without Hedra's prior written consent and said uploads could be used to train models and for marketing. The live terms, dated 4 September 2026, no longer show either sentence, and every paid plan card now says commercial use. That is a real improvement for advertisers.

Two cautions remain. The live page is visibly condensed, with section numbers that skip, and the 2024 PDF is still hosted, so it is not certain the dropped text no longer applies. And the September terms keep a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable licence on what you upload, to operate the service for you and other users. HeyGen's terms are clearer in both directions: paid plans own their output and may use it commercially, and HeyGen's licence explicitly includes model training, with an opt-out by email under its privacy policy.

Hedra subscription credits reset at the end of each cycle, so a slow month is money lost. Credit packs never expire, and annual billing delivers all twelve months of credits on day one. HeyGen carries unused monthly credits into one more cycle, lets annual credits pile up until renewal, and wipes the balance if you pause a plan or cancel to free.

Neither vendor is generous on refunds. Hedra's app says it cannot refund prior periods after renewal. HeyGen's terms say payments are non-refundable, while its help centre allows case-by-case refunds within 15 days if few credits were used.

The ladders scale differently. Hedra stops at Ultra, $100 for 18,000 credits, and its Teams plan at $75 for 14,400 is actually cheaper per credit than Ultra although both carry a best value badge. HeyGen runs from $29 to $4,300 a month, but Creator is cheaper per credit than every Pro tier below 5,000 credits, and Business at $149 buys half the credits of Pro 3,000 at the same price. Buy Business for seats, not capacity. Our HeyGen review scores the whole product.

Choose HeyGen if your ads use a hired creator, a founder or any face other than your own, if you need 4K, if you want credits that survive a quiet month, or if a vendor's reputation matters to your finance team. Its 4.1 from over four thousand Trustpilot reviews against Hedra's 1.8 from 66 is a large gap, and Hedra's one-star reviews cluster on billing and refunds.

Choose Hedra if the person on camera is you or a stylized character, you want expressive animation from a single image, and you will use every credit each month, because at volume its Pro and Teams credits are cheaper per second than anything HeyGen sells.

Choose neither if the hard part is knowing what the ad should say. Both render whatever script you give them. If you are still comparing avatar tools, our HeyGen alternative page covers the wider field.