Alternative to Synthesia
AI Photos, Video & 40+ Free Tools
Synthesia is the leading enterprise AI video platform for corporate training and presentations. BestPhoto offers a different approach — combining AI photo generation, 8 editing modes, video generation, and 40+ free tools in one creative platform. Here's an honest comparison.
What Synthesia Users Say
Mixed feedback from real users — Synthesia excels at corporate video but has moderation and quality concerns.
"Synthesia has become a very valuable tool for delivering video training to teams in a clear and concise manner. The AI video capabilities are the best I have come across so far."
"A fantastic tool for creating training videos as well as advertisements for our services that are professional in appearance and tone."
"The platform is constantly innovating and improving with meaningful updates that help improve my outputs. Customer service and community is first rate and responsive."
"Their content moderation is inconsistent, subjective, and completely lacking in transparency. Small edits cause unnecessary issues and delays."
"I paid $89 monthly and found the personal avatar to be horrible quality — my avatar was shaking and the voice was screechy. Despite using it for only two days, they refused a refund."
"Videos often fail to render, stalling at 99% completion. During peak times, video generation can take 20+ minutes or fail entirely."
Sources: Trustpilot • Capterra
Synthesia vs BestPhoto: Feature Comparison
A direct comparison based on publicly available information and user reviews.
| Feature | Synthesia | BestPhoto |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $29/month (or $18/mo annual) — video only | Free tier available — photos, editing & video |
| Try Before You Pay | Free plan: 3 min/month, watermarked, 1 video | 40+ free tools, no credit card needed |
| AI Photo Generation | No — video avatars only, no photo generation | Multiple AI models for photo generation |
| Photo Editing | No photo editing features | 8 editing modes on all plans |
| AI Video Generation | Avatar-based videos with text-to-speech | AI talking heads, image-to-video, text-to-video |
| AI Avatars | 150+ stock avatars, custom avatar clones | Your own trained model for personalized content |
| Language Support | 140+ languages with AI voices | English-focused with growing language support |
| Custom Trained Models | Personal avatar from 5-10 min video recording | Custom AI models trained on your photos |
| Content Moderation | Strict — content flagged/blocked without clear explanation | Standard content guidelines |
Synthesia: Honest Pros & Cons
Synthesia is a strong tool for enterprise video. Here's the balanced view.
Synthesia Pros
- Industry leader in enterprise AI video — used by 90% of Fortune 100
- 150+ diverse stock avatars with natural-looking lip-sync
- 140+ languages and accents for global content delivery
- Personal avatar clones from short video recordings (Express-2)
- Easy to use — non-technical users can create videos without tutorials
- 250+ pre-designed templates for quick video creation
- Strong for corporate training, onboarding, and L&D content
- Responsive customer support with learning resources and webinars
Synthesia Cons
- Strict and inconsistent content moderation — videos flagged without clear reasons
- No refund policy — even if you cancel within days
- No photo generation or image editing capabilities
- Personal avatar quality can be poor (shaking, screechy voice reported)
- Videos fail to render during peak times or stall at 99%
- AI voices lack warmth — long videos can feel monotonous
Why Consider BestPhoto
Key areas where BestPhoto offers a different approach.
Photos + Video in One Platform
Synthesia focuses exclusively on AI avatar videos — it doesn't offer photo generation or editing. If you need AI headshots, creative photos, or image editing alongside video, you'd need separate tools. BestPhoto combines AI photo generation, 8 editing modes, and video generation in a single platform.
BestPhoto: Complete creative suite, not just corporate video
What you get:
- AI photo generation with multiple models
- 8 specialized editing modes
- AI video generation (talking heads, image-to-video)
- Everything in one platform
Creative Freedom vs Corporate Templates
Synthesia excels at structured corporate videos — training modules, onboarding content, and presentations. But its template-driven approach can feel limiting for creative content. BestPhoto gives you more creative flexibility with AI-generated photos in any style, talking head videos, AI podcast clips, and 40+ free editing tools.
BestPhoto: Creative content, not just corporate videos
What you get:
- Generate any style of photo or video
- 40+ free editing tools for creative work
- AI podcast clips and talking head videos
- No template constraints
Click to play
Accessible Pricing
Synthesia's free plan limits you to 3 minutes of watermarked video per month, and paid plans start at $29/month. The Creator plan ($89/month) is needed for personal avatars. Enterprise features require custom pricing. BestPhoto offers a generous free tier with 40+ tools, and paid plans include all core features without tier-gating.
BestPhoto: Free tier with no watermarks on free tools
What you get:
- Generous free tier with 40+ tools
- No watermarks on free tool outputs
- All core features on paid plans
- No enterprise-only pricing gates
AI Video Generation
Synthesia is built around scripted avatar videos — you write text, pick an avatar, and it generates a talking-head video. BestPhoto takes a different approach with AI talking head videos using your own likeness, image-to-video conversion, AI podcast clips, and more. If you want creative video content beyond avatars reading scripts, BestPhoto offers more variety.
BestPhoto: Creative AI video beyond scripted avatar presentations
What you get:
- AI talking head videos with your own face
- Image-to-video conversion
- AI podcast clip generation
- Available on all paid plans
Click to play
Custom Trained AI Models
Synthesia lets you create a personal avatar from a 5-10 minute video recording — but it's limited to avatar-style videos. BestPhoto lets you train a custom AI model on your photos and then generate unlimited creative content: headshots, lifestyle photos, fantasy scenes, product shots, and videos — all using your likeness across every feature.
BestPhoto: Train once, generate photos and videos in any style
What you get:
- Train models on your own photos
- Generate content in any style or setting
- Professional headshots to fantasy scenes
- Use your trained model across all features
Click to play
Which Tool is Right for You?
Synthesia and BestPhoto serve different primary use cases. Here's a quick guide.
Synthesia might be better if you:
- Need corporate training or onboarding videos at scale
- Want AI avatars reading scripts in 140+ languages
- Have an enterprise budget and need SOC 2 compliance
- Don't need photo generation or image editing
BestPhoto might be better if you:
- Want AI photos and video in one platform
- Need creative content beyond corporate presentations
- Prefer accessible pricing without enterprise contracts
- Want to try 40+ free tools before committing
Important: What to Expect from Any AI Tool
- •AI-generated content isn't perfect — expect some iterations
- •Hands, fingers, and complex poses can be challenging for any AI
- •Results depend on input quality (photos, scripts, prompts)
- •Some prompts and scripts work better than others — there's a learning curve
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Synthesia a good tool?
Synthesia is a capable AI video platform, especially for enterprise use cases like corporate training, onboarding, and multilingual presentations. It's used by over 60,000 companies including 90% of the Fortune 100. The main considerations are its strict content moderation, no-refund policy, variable personal avatar quality, and the lack of photo generation or editing features.
What's the main difference between Synthesia and BestPhoto?
Synthesia specializes in enterprise AI avatar videos — you write a script, choose from 150+ stock avatars, and it generates a video with text-to-speech in 140+ languages. BestPhoto is a broader creative platform offering AI photo generation with multiple models, 8 image editing modes, video generation (talking heads, image-to-video, AI podcasts), and 40+ free tools. They serve different primary needs: corporate video vs. creative AI content.
Does BestPhoto have AI avatars like Synthesia?
BestPhoto takes a different approach — instead of stock avatars, you can train a custom AI model on your own photos to generate content with your likeness. This works for photos and talking head videos. If you specifically need stock avatars reading corporate scripts in dozens of languages, Synthesia is designed for that use case.
Can I generate AI photos with Synthesia?
No — Synthesia focuses exclusively on video generation. It doesn't offer AI photo generation, image editing, or photo enhancement tools. If you need AI-generated photos (headshots, creative portraits, product shots) alongside video, BestPhoto combines both in a single platform with a free tier.
Is Synthesia's free plan useful?
Synthesia's free plan gives you 3 minutes of video per month with a visible watermark and limits you to one export. It works for a quick test but isn't practical for real use. BestPhoto offers 40+ free tools with no watermarks and a free tier for AI photo generation — no credit card required.
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