ClipCost · HeyGen pricing · Cheapest AI avatar · How many credits · 1-minute cost · Pricing comparison · FAQ · Last checked Nov 5, 2026
HeyGen cost per minute: Avatar III / IV / V credits and real cost per finished minute
Every verified HeyGen avatar credit rate per finished minute — Avatar III, IV and V, Photo vs Video Look, plan minutes, credit traps and how avatar cost compares to scene generators for talking-head video.
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Quick answer
HeyGen’s cheapest verified rate is Avatar III Video Look at 4 credits per minute — $0.16 per finished minute on Creator annual credits ($24/mo for 600 = $0.04 each), or $0.48 with 2 retries. Photo Look is 7 credits ($0.28 / $0.84). Avatar IV is 16 Photo / 31 Video ($0.64 / $1.24); Avatar V is 48 ($1.92 / $5.76 usable). Creator’s 600 credits cover 150 single-try minutes of Avatar III Video Look, or 50 usable minutes if every minute needs 3 renders. Checked Nov 5, 2026 on heygen.com/pricing and HeyGen’s How to Use Credits help article. HeyGen rates are not in ClipCost’s scene-generator $/sec ranking (avatar tools are priced per finished minute).
New Nov 5, 2026 (9am): Dedicated HeyGen cost page built from rates already in data.js. Official pages re-checked: Creator $29/mo or $24/mo annual (600 credits), Pro from $49 (1,000+ credits), Business $149 + $20/seat (1,500 credits; $5/100 top-ups). Credit rates unchanged: Avatar III 4/7, Avatar IV 16/31, Avatar V 48 credits/min. No new models added; sitewide ranks unchanged (17 tools / 222 models / 210 ranked / 166 API).
Basis: usable = 3 attempts (1 + 2 retries), as in our calculator. $/min = credits/min × plan $/credit. Cost only — no quality ranking. HeyGen bills by generated avatar seconds (not whole timeline silence); confirm the in-product quote.
HeyGen avatar rates (cheapest first)
| # | Model · Look | Credits / min | $/credit basis | 30s try | 1 min try | Usable 1 min (2 retries) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar III · Video Look | 4 | $0.0400 (Creator annual) | $0.08 | $0.16 | $0.48 | Verified |
| 2 | Avatar III · Photo Look | 7 | $0.0400 (Creator annual) | $0.14 | $0.28 | $0.84 | Verified |
| 3 | Avatar IV · Photo Look | 16 | $0.0400 (Creator annual) | $0.32 | $0.64 | $1.92 | Verified |
| 4 | Avatar IV · Video Look | 31 | $0.0400 (Creator annual) | $0.62 | $1.24 | $3.72 | Verified |
| 5 | Avatar V · Photo/Video Look | 48 | $0.0400 (Creator annual) | $0.96 | $1.92 | $5.76 | Verified |
Maths: credits/min × $0.04 (Creator annual). Example: Avatar IV Video Look = 31 × $0.04 = $1.24 per minute; × 3 = $3.72 usable. Avatar V is listed at 48 credits/min for both Photo Look and Video Look on the help article; HeyGen’s Avatar & Voice FAQ has also said Avatar V is not available for photo-based looks — confirm in-product which Looks you can pick.
Cost per 15s, 30s and 60s clip: try and usable
| Model · Look | 15s try | 15s usable | 30s try | 30s usable | 60s try | 60s usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar III · Video Look | $0.04 | $0.12 | $0.08 | $0.24 | $0.16 | $0.48 |
| Avatar III · Photo Look | $0.07 | $0.21 | $0.14 | $0.42 | $0.28 | $0.84 |
| Avatar IV · Photo Look | $0.16 | $0.48 | $0.32 | $0.96 | $0.64 | $1.92 |
| Avatar IV · Video Look | $0.31 | $0.93 | $0.62 | $1.86 | $1.24 | $3.72 |
| Avatar V · Photo/Video Look | $0.48 | $1.44 | $0.96 | $2.88 | $1.92 | $5.76 |
Pro-rated from the per-minute credit rate (HeyGen charges for generated avatar seconds). A 30s Avatar III Video Look try is half a minute of credits.
Plans and credit price
| Plan | Price | Credits / mo | $/credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | — | 3 videos/mo, up to 1 min each, watermarked; no credits |
| Creator (annual) | $24/mo ($288/yr) | 600 | $0.0400 | 1080p; watermark removal; 1-mo rollover on monthly; annual accumulates |
| Creator (monthly) | $29/mo | 600 | $0.0483 | Same features; ~21% dearer per credit than annual |
| Pro (entry) | From $49/mo | 1,000+ | ~$0.0490 at 1,000 | 4K; Avatar V; tiers scale to 100,000 credits/$4,300; no one-time packs |
| Business | $149/mo + $20/seat | 1,500 | $0.0993 | Can buy 100-credit packs at $5 ($0.05/credit); auto-reload |
| Business top-up pack | $5 / 100 credits | — | $0.0500 | Creator & Pro cannot buy packs — upgrade instead |
Pro tiers keep the same features and only change the monthly credit allocation (1,000 at $49 up to 100,000 at $4,300 per HeyGen’s pricing FAQ). Enterprise is contact sales. Free users do not get a credit balance.
Minutes per plan (single try vs usable)
| Model · Look | Credits / min | Creator 600 (1 try) | Creator usable (3 tries) | Pro 1,000 usable | Business 1,500 usable | $/min (Creator annual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar III · Video Look | 4 | 150 min | 50 min | 83.3 min | 125 min | $0.16 |
| Avatar III · Photo Look | 7 | 85.7 min | 28.6 min | 47.6 min | 71.4 min | $0.28 |
| Avatar IV · Photo Look | 16 | 37.5 min | 12.5 min | 20.8 min | 31.2 min | $0.64 |
| Avatar IV · Video Look | 31 | 19.4 min | 6.5 min | 10.8 min | 16.1 min | $1.24 |
| Avatar V · Photo/Video Look | 48 | 12.5 min | 4.2 min | 6.9 min | 10.4 min | $1.92 |
Creator is plenty for Avatar III and tight for Avatar IV / V if you retry. Custom Expressive Motion (Avatar IV only, +40 credits/min) cuts plan minutes further.
$ per minute by credit source
| Credit source | III Video (4) | III Photo (7) | IV Photo (16) | IV Video (31) | Avatar V (48) | III Video usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator annual ($0.04/cr) | $0.16 | $0.28 | $0.64 | $1.24 | $1.92 | $0.48 |
| Creator monthly (~$0.0483/cr) | $0.19 | $0.34 | $0.77 | $1.50 | $2.32 | $0.58 |
| Pro entry (~$0.049/cr at 1,000) | $0.20 | $0.34 | $0.78 | $1.52 | $2.35 | $0.59 |
| Business pack ($0.05/cr) | $0.20 | $0.35 | $0.80 | $1.55 | $2.40 | $0.60 |
Custom Expressive Motion add-on (Avatar IV only)
| Combo | Credits / min | 1 min try | Usable 1 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar IV Photo + Expressive Motion | 16+40=56 | $2.24 | $6.72 |
| Avatar IV Video + Expressive Motion | 31+40=71 | $2.84 | $8.52 |
Help article example: adding Custom Expressive Motion to a 30-second Avatar IV scene costs 20 extra credits on top of the Avatar IV generation.
Vs scene generators (talking-head context)
| Option | Rate | 1 min try | Usable 1 min | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HeyGen Avatar III Video Look (this page) | 4 credits/min | $0.16 | $0.48 | Talking avatar + lip-sync |
| Kling 2.6 Standard (app) | ~$0.03/sec silent | ~$1.80 | ~$5.40 | Scene gen, no avatar lip-sync |
| Veo 3.1 Lite 720p + audio | $0.05/sec | $3.00 | $9.00 | Scene gen with native audio |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite 480p | $0.02/sec | $1.20 | $3.60 | Cheapest scene-gen rate we rank |
More: cheapest AI avatar video generator, how much 1 minute of AI video costs, cheapest AI video generator, pricing comparison.
Traps
- Model choice multiplies cost up to 12×. Avatar V (48 credits/min) is 12× Avatar III Video Look (4). Test scripts on Avatar III, finish on Avatar IV/V when needed.
- Expressive motion is extra. Custom Expressive Motion adds 40 credits/min on Avatar IV — more than Avatar IV Video Look itself.
- Creator & Pro cannot buy credit packs. When you run out, upgrade tiers. Only Business buys $5/100 top-ups ($0.05/credit).
- Rollover rules. Monthly: unused credits roll over one extra cycle. Annual: credits accumulate until renewal. Cancel and move to Free: unused credits do not carry over.
- API credits are separate. Plan credits cannot pay API requests (HubSpot, Zapier, Make, n8n, Clay integrations need API credits).
- Free is watermarked and capped. 3 videos/month, up to 1 minute each, no credit balance. Watermark removal starts at Creator.
- Video Agent is dearer. Standard 80 credits/min, Seedance mode 240 credits/min — not ranked on this avatar page; confirm in-product.
Which to pick (on cost)
- Cheapest talking avatar: Avatar III Video Look ($0.16/min, $0.48 usable) on Creator annual.
- Photo-to-avatar: Avatar III Photo Look ($0.28) before jumping to Avatar IV Photo ($0.64).
- Need Avatar IV/V quality: budget usable minutes — Creator covers about 6.5 usable min of IV Video Look or about 4.2 of Avatar V.
- High volume / 4K / team: Pro tiers (raise credits) or Business (packs + seats).
Related: calculator · HeyGen pricing · Cheapest AI avatar video generator · Compare tools · AI video pricing comparison · How many credits do I need · How much does 1 minute of AI video cost · FAQ.
Sources (checked Nov 5, 2026, about 9:10am Central)
- heygen.com/pricing — Free / Creator ($29 or $24/mo annual, 600 credits) / Pro (from $49, 1,000+ credits) / Business ($149 + $20/seat, 1,500 credits) / Enterprise; watermark removal from Creator; rollover FAQ; Pro tiers to 100,000 credits at $4,300.
- How to Use Credits on HeyGen — Avatar III Photo 7 / Video Look 4; Avatar IV Photo 16 / Video Look 31; Avatar V Photo/Video Look 48 credits/min; Custom Expressive Motion +40/min on Avatar IV; Business packs $5/100; Creator/Pro no packs; Video Agent 80 / Seedance 240 credits/min; API credits separate.
- HeyGen Avatar & Voice FAQ — Avatar V availability notes for photo-based looks; re-renders use credits; test on Avatar III.
- HeyGen Avatar IV guide — Photo 16 / Video 31 credits/min; billed on generated avatar seconds; API notes separate from Studio plan credits.
- Rates in ClipCost verified data (tool id
heygen) match the help-centre credit table; no data.js change this run.
FAQ
How much does HeyGen cost per minute?
HeyGen bills plan credits per minute of generated avatar video (checked Nov 5, 2026 on heygen.com/pricing and the How to Use Credits help article): Avatar III Video Look 4 credits/min, Photo Look 7; Avatar IV Photo Look 16, Video Look 31; Avatar V 48 credits/min for Photo or Video Look. On Creator annual credits ($24/mo for 600 = $0.04 each) that is $0.16, $0.28, $0.64, $1.24 and $1.92 per finished minute for one render. With 2 retries a usable minute is $0.48, $0.84, $1.92, $3.72 and $5.76.
How much does a usable minute of HeyGen Avatar III cost?
Avatar III Video Look is the cheapest verified HeyGen rate: 4 credits per minute = $0.16 per finished minute on Creator annual, or $0.48 with 2 retries (3 attempts). Photo Look is 7 credits = $0.28 / $0.84. Creator's 600 credits cover 150 single-try minutes of Video Look, or 50 usable minutes if every minute needs 3 renders.
How many minutes does HeyGen Creator include?
Creator includes 600 credits per month ($29 monthly or $24/mo annual). That is 150 minutes of Avatar III Video Look, about 85.7 of Avatar III Photo Look, 37.5 of Avatar IV Photo Look, about 19.4 of Avatar IV Video Look, or 12.5 of Avatar V — single try. With 2 retries those drop to 50, about 28.6, 12.5, about 6.5 and about 4.2 usable minutes.
Can I buy more HeyGen credits without upgrading?
Only on Business. Creator and Pro cannot buy one-time credit packs — you upgrade to a higher plan or Pro tier. Business can buy 100-credit packs for $5 ($0.05 per credit) and turn on auto-reload. API credits are a separate wallet and cannot spend plan credits (and vice versa).
What traps raise HeyGen cost?
Model choice multiplies spend up to 12×: Avatar V at 48 credits/min is 12× Avatar III Video Look at 4. Custom Expressive Motion adds 40 credits/min on Avatar IV only (a 30s scene is +20 credits on top of the Avatar IV generation). Monthly unused credits roll over one cycle; annual credits accumulate until renewal; cancelled plans lose unused credits. Free has no credits — 3 watermarked videos/month up to 1 minute.
Is HeyGen cheaper than a scene generator for talking-head video?
Usually yes for a person talking to camera. Avatar III Video Look is $0.16 per finished minute on Creator annual ($0.48 usable) with lip-sync to your script. A minute of Veo 3.1 Lite with audio is about $3.00 per try ($9.00 usable), and even the cheapest scene-gen rate we rank (Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite 480p) is $1.20 per try / $3.60 usable for a silent-or-audio scene clip without avatar lip-sync. Use HeyGen for presenters; use scene generators for B-roll and hooks. See the cheapest AI avatar video generator hub for the full avatar picture.