If you record yourself talking, Descript's free plan covers real short-form work and Hobbyist at $24 a month ($16 billed yearly) is the upgrade. If you need a presenter without a camera, Synthesia Starter at €19 (€12 billed yearly) is the cheapest entry. For quick screen recordings to clients, Loom's free plan is enough until five-minute videos are not. HeyGen's free plan is the one that produces finished avatar video, watermarked.
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Four tools we track make video for small businesses, in three different ways: Descript edits what you recorded, Synthesia and HeyGen generate a presenter, Loom records your screen and face. All four have a free plan, and each one stops at a different point.
On monthly billing, the first paid plan is $18 a user on Loom, €19 on Synthesia, $24 a person on Descript and $29 on HeyGen.
The picks that stand out
Descript
Edit by editing the transcript, with filler words removed in one pass. The free plan covers real short-form work; Hobbyist is $24 a month on monthly billing, $16 billed yearly. Per-seat pricing climbs quickly for a team.
Synthesia
Starter is €19 a month on monthly billing, €12 billed yearly. The free tier is capped at roughly 10 minutes of video a month, and the base plan limits avatars. The page opens on the yearly figure.
HeyGen
The free plan produces three videos a month of up to one minute, watermarked. Creator is $29 a month on monthly billing with 600 credits; everything is metered in credits, so the cost per video depends on its length.
Loom
Starter is free with recordings capped at five minutes and 25 videos. Business is $18 a user a month on monthly billing. It is a recorder, not an editor.
At a glance
| Criterion | Descript | Synthesia | HeyGen | Loom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used mainly for | Editing video by editing the transcript, removing filler words | AI avatar video, training content | Avatar presenter videos, video translation and dubbing | Async client updates, screen-recorded walkthroughs |
| Entry price | $24.00/mo · Hobbyist | €19.00/mo · Starter | $29.00/mo · Creator | $18.00/mo · Business |
| Free plan | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free trial | ✕No | ✕No | ✕No | ✓Yes |
| Works on | Web, macOS, Windows | Web | Web, API | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Documented integrations | YouTube, Zoom, Slack, SquadCast | API, LMS, Sales tools | Zapier, Make, n8n, HubSpot, API | Slack, Notion, Jira, Google Workspace |
| Setup | Easy: 30 min | Easy: 30 min | Easy: 30 min | Easy: minutes |
| Main limitation | Per-seat pricing climbs quickly for a team | Free tier capped at roughly 10 minutes of video a month | Free videos cap at one minute and three per month, watermarked | Free plan caps recordings at 5 minutes and 25 videos |
| Our evidence level | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented |
| Try it | Try Descript ↗Partner link | Try Synthesia ↗ | Try HeyGen ↗ | Try Loom ↗ |
Every cell comes from the tool's record, built from its official documentation and pricing page. The integrations listed are the ones the vendor documents, not tested by us.
Three kinds of video tool
Recorded and edited (Descript), generated presenter (Synthesia, HeyGen), quick screen and camera recordings (Loom). Pick the kind first: the cheapest avatar tool is no use if you want to appear yourself, and the best editor does not record a client walkthrough in one click.
What each free plan stops at
Descript: real short-form work. Synthesia: roughly 10 minutes of video a month. HeyGen: three one-minute videos a month, watermarked. Loom: five-minute recordings, 25 videos. A watermark or a time cap is fine for trying; for client work, plan for the paid step.
The first paid step
Monthly billing: Loom Business $18 a user, Descript Hobbyist $24 a person, HeyGen Creator $29; Synthesia Starter €19. Billed yearly: Descript $16, Synthesia €12. HeyGen and Loom publish no yearly figure on our records.
Credits and seats change the bill
HeyGen meters everything in credits, so a longer video costs more of the month. Descript and Loom bill per person, so a team multiplies the price. Estimate minutes of video per month and the number of editors before comparing plans.
Pricing side by side
| Tool | Verified price | Billing condition | Free | Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descript | $24.00/mo · Hobbyist | $24 a month billed monthly for one person ($16 billed annually); teams use Creator at $35 per person a month, up to 3 | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗Partner link |
| Synthesia | €19.00/mo · Starter | €19/mo billed monthly; €12/mo billed yearly | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| HeyGen | $29.00/mo · Creator | 29 USD/month billed monthly, metered in credits | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Loom | $18.00/mo · Business | $18 per user/month billed monthly; $180 per user/year for one user billed annually | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest AI video tool?
For a generated presenter, Synthesia Starter at €19 a month (€12 billed yearly). For screen recordings, Loom Business at $18 a user. Descript, HeyGen, Synthesia and Loom all have free plans.
Can I make AI avatar videos for free?
Yes, with limits: HeyGen's free plan makes three one-minute videos a month, watermarked; Synthesia's free tier gives roughly 10 minutes a month.
Is Descript free?
It has a free plan that covers real short-form work. Hobbyist is $24 a month on monthly billing, $16 billed yearly.
Loom or Descript for client videos?
Loom for quick recordings sent as a link; Descript when the video needs editing. See our Loom vs Descript comparison for the free-plan limits side by side.
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A search bar now covers your whole drive, Enterprise drives can send asynchronous recording requests with an optional script, and lines typed in your AI voice keep your accent. Source ↗
Read on each vendor's official changelog, not tested by us.