AI video
HeyGen vs Pictory compared on 16 fields
- HeyGen score
- 76/100 (7 of 8 criteria)
- Pictory score
- 62/100 (7 of 8 criteria)
- Fields won by HeyGen
- 2 of 12
- Fields won by Pictory
- 1 of 12
HeyGen
Pictory
Data checked Oct 14, 2026 against the vendors' own pages. How we verify
HeyGen and Pictory are both AI video generators. We compared them on 16 fields read from each vendor's own pages.
On the AI video generators scorecard HeyGen scores 76/100 (7 of 8 criteria) and Pictory 62/100 (7 of 8 criteria) (ranks 33 and 75 in the category).
Of the 12 fields with a clear rule (lower price, higher count, yes over no), HeyGen wins 2, Pictory wins 1 and 9 are ties.
HeyGen scores clearly higher on languages, free plan or trial and pricing transparency.
Side by side
| Field | HeyGen | Pictory | Winner and basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan (billed monthly) | $29/month | $29/month | Tie |
| Same plan, per month billed annually | – | $25/month | No winner: needs a value on both sides |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes | No | HeyGen |
| Free trial | No | ✓ Yes | Pictory |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Data export | SCORM export for videos on the Business plan | SCORM export for LMS use on the Enterprise plan | No winner: no rule for this field |
| Text to video | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| AI avatars | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Stock avatars available | 500 | – | No winner: needs a value on both sides |
| Languages supported | ✓ 175 | 29 | HeyGen |
| Voice cloning | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Automatic captions | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| AI dubbing / translation | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| 4K export | Yes | – | No winner: needs a value on both sides |
| No watermark on paid plans | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Brand kit | Yes | Yes | Tie |
– = not published by the vendor, or not verified yet.
Sources: HeyGen pricing page, checked Oct 14, 2026; Pictory pricing page, checked Oct 14, 2026. Each feature value links its own source on the tool's page.
Scorecard, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Weight | HeyGen | Pictory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | 25% | 20$29/month billed monthly on Creator (scored on the monthly price) | 20$29/month billed monthly on Starter; $25/month billed annually on Starter (scored on the monthly price) |
| Free plan or trial | 15% | 100Free plan (Free) | 60Free trial, no free plan |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 844 of 5 plans have a public price (1 "contact sales") | 672 of 3 plans have a public price (1 "contact sales") |
| Verified features | 15% | 1008 of 8 tracked features verified: text to video, ai avatars, voice cloning, automatic captions, ai dubbing / translation, 4k export, no watermark on paid plans, brand kit | 1007 of 8 tracked features verified: text to video, ai avatars, voice cloning, automatic captions, ai dubbing / translation, no watermark on paid plans, brand kit |
| API, integrations and export | 10% | 100public API, documented data export | 100public API, documented data export |
| Cost per video minute | 10% | – | 100$0.10 per video minute on Professional (600 per month, billed monthly) |
| Languages | 10% | 100175 languages | 2929 languages |
| Avatar library | 5% | 100500 stock avatars | – |
| Total score | 100% | 76/100 (7 of 8 criteria) | 62/100 (7 of 8 criteria) |
HeyGen plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Charged per | Published limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | per workspace | None stated |
| Creator | $29 | Not stated | per workspace | None stated |
| Pro | $49 | Not stated | per workspace | None stated |
| Business | $149 | Not stated | per workspace | None stated |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales | Not stated | None stated |
Prices in USD per month, before tax. Read from the vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not publish it.
Pictory plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Charged per | Published limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 | $25 | per workspace |
|
| Professional | $59 | $35 | per workspace |
|
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales | per workspace | None stated |
Prices in USD per month, before tax. Read from the vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not publish it.
How we picked
Every one of these AI video generators is scored by the same 8 criteria (scorecard v2). Each criterion gives 0 to 100 from the vendor's published data; the total is the weighted average. A criterion without verified data is left out and the other weights are re-normalised. A tool with under 60% of the weight covered is listed as not ranked, and so is a tool with no verified price and fewer than 2 verified features (“needs a verified price”); each score shows how many criteria it is based on. The core criteria are the same in every category; the category criteria are specific to AI video generators. Nobody gets custom weights, including our own products.
| Criterion | Weight | Type | What we measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | 25% | Core | Price per month of the cheapest paid plan, against the prices of other AI video generators on the same billing basis (monthly-billed prices against monthly, annual-billed against annual).Log scale. Billed monthly: $9/month or less = 100, $39 or more = 0. Only billed annually: $4.50/month or less = 100, $25 or more = 0. Only free plans = 100. Usage-priced and one-time plans are not scored. |
| Free plan or trial | 15% | Core | Whether you can use the tool before paying: a free plan, or failing that a free trial, as shown on the vendor's pricing page.Free plan = 100. No free plan but a free trial = 60. The pricing page lists plans but shows neither = 0. No plans read = not scored. |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | Core | How much of the pricing is public: the share of plans with a published price ("contact sales" counts against), and whether there are at least 3 published tiers.80 x (plans with a public price / plans listed) + 20 x (public plans, up to 3) / 3. No plans read = not scored. |
| Verified features | 15% | Core | How many of the 8 features we track for this category the vendor's own pages verifiably show (text to video, ai avatars, voice cloning, automatic captions, ai dubbing / translation, 4k export, no watermark on paid plans, brand kit). This counts verified features only: a tool that documents less scores lower here, and only here.Linear: verified features / 4 (half the tracked list) x 100, capped at 100. No tracked feature verified = not scored. |
| API, integrations and export | 10% | Core | Whether a public API exists, how many integrations the vendor states, and whether the vendor documents a way to export your data.Average of the parts with data: public API yes = 100, no = 0; integrations on a log scale (50 or more = 100); a documented data export = 100. None verified = not scored. |
| Cost per video minute | 10% | Category | Price per video minute on the cheapest paid plan that states a monthly minutes limit (monthly price / allowance).Log scale: $0.50 per video minute or less = 100, $10 or more = 0. Unlimited or unstated allowances = not scored. |
| Languages | 10% | Category | Number of languages the vendor says it offers.Linear scale: 100 or more = 100. No stated count = not scored. |
| Avatar library | 5% | Category | Number of stock avatars the vendor says it offers.Linear scale: 200 or more = 100. No stated count = not scored. |
Sources are vendor pricing pages, docs and changelogs, each with the date we checked it. We did not test these tools hands-on unless a listing says so. Full formulas: methodology.
Questions, answered from the data
Is HeyGen cheaper than Pictory?
Their cheapest paid plans cost the same, $29 a month.
Do HeyGen and Pictory have free plans?
HeyGen has a free plan; Pictory does not.
Which is better, HeyGen or Pictory?
On our scorecard HeyGen scores higher (76/100 (7 of 8 criteria) vs 62/100 (7 of 8 criteria)). The score weighs every criterion the same way for every tool; check the rows above for the ones that matter to you.