In recent years, AI tool platforms have sprung up everywhere, providing various solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. They are relatively economical and affordable. It is really recommended to take some time to study these tools carefully. Having trained many Taiwanese small and medium-sized enterprises internally and operating them painstakingly for many years, they have strong core product manufacturing capabilities, which is not easy for them to face the ever-changing international market. However, companies are often small in scale and find it relatively difficult to recruit talent. They may not have enough budget or scale to recruit professional marketing talent. In a company, whether an employee or a boss, one person often has to play multiple roles. The boss is also the salesperson, the salesperson is also the marketing person, the salesperson is also the accountant, the technician is also the HR person… and so on. This situation is very common. Not to mention having a spokesperson for the product, or having enough budget to produce relatively high-quality product advertisements. The tools introduced today are not only suitable for B2C, but also for B2B. We can use virtual spokespersons and videos to introduce how our parts, molds, and even large machines work. It is also very suitable for use in PowerPoint presentations, making our presentations more vivid. Now let’s take a look at what AI tools can help us not only create product spokespersons, but also introduce our products through animations.
Table of Contents
There are currently quite a lot of platforms for creating Avatar AI virtual spokespersons. They are very intuitive and easy to use. Most of them have free trials. It is highly recommended that you take some time to try them out and compare them. The following is a detailed introduction and analysis of several mainstream Avatar AI spokesperson platforms, providing you with a reference for making the best choice: (The following exchange rate: 1 US dollar to 32 New Taiwan dollars)
Mainstream AI Avatar platform
1. HeyGen
Platform website:
https://www.heygen.com/
Additional Features:
“Streaming Avatar”: available from the entry-level version, and the free version can be used to try 3 streaming media conversations
Key Features:
- Text-to-speech (TTS) function: read the text you enter into a human voice
- Language support: 140+ languages , covering almost all major languages. Supports Chinese, including Taiwanese accent (1 male voice, 2 female voices), Hong Kong Cantonese (1 male voice, 2 female voices), and Mainland accent (3 male voices, 10 female voices, and 1 child voice). English has common accents, including American accent, British accent, Australian accent, Canadian accent, and even Indian accent.
- AI Avatar Characters: 120+ Avatar characters, the number of characters available varies depending on the pricing plan you choose
- Video resolution: up to 4K , but only available for Team Professional Edition and above
- AI one-click translation function: The translation function requires credits, one credit per minute
- Vertical and horizontal videos: both can be produced
- Template: 400+ templates for different scenarios, targeting e-commerce applications
- Brand Kits Brand Identity Template: Team Professional Edition and above
- Media library: Less, can be used through integration with the Canva platform, or uploaded by yourself
- Customization: Clone the sound, or clone the sound and image through a video, with high realism
- Integration: Canva Entry Edition can be used, import into PowerPoint (Team Professional Edition and above)
Free Trial: Originally, 1 credit trial was provided (one credit = 1 minute of video). There has been a major update recently, providing free user-generated 3 videos/month, with the total length of the 3 videos not exceeding 3 minutes. Highly recommended to try it out.
Pricing: For the latest prices and details, please refer to the HeyGen official website
- Entry-level Creator: Single user, Full HD, 1080P resolution , 60 avatars to choose from, 3 custom avatars
- Monthly price: US$29 (NT$928), 15 credits/month (one credit = 1 minute of video), 30 credits/month or 60 credits/month as needed
- Annual fee: US$288 (NT$9,216), 180 credits (180 minutes of film)/year. This translates to US$24 (NT$768) per month. You can also choose 360 credits/year or 720 credits/year according to your needs.
- Professional Team: Multiple users, up to 4K resolution , 120 avatars to choose from, can import PowerPoint or PDF files, 5 custom avatars
- Monthly price: 149 USD (NT$4,768), 30 credits (30-minute video)/month, 60 credits/month or 90 credits/month according to your needs
- Annual fee: US$1,448 (NT$46,336), 360 credits (360 minutes of film)/year. This translates to US$120 (NT$3,840) per month. You can also choose 360 credits/year or 720 credits/year according to your needs.
- Enterprise Edition: Ask for customized pricing
2. Synthesia
Key Features:
- Text-to-speech (TTS) function: read the text you enter into a human voice
- Language support: 130+ languages , including Chinese, Taiwanese accent (male and female) and mainland accent (male and female)
- AI Avatar Characters: 160+ Avatar characters, the number of characters available varies depending on the pricing plan you choose
- Video resolution: Full HD , 1080
- AI one-click translation function
- Vertical and horizontal videos: both can be produced
- Template: 300+ templates suitable for different case scenarios, more templates for B2B and corporate internal training.
- Brand Kits Brand Identity Template: Only available for Enterprise Edition and above
- Media Library: Integrate free photo, video and music libraries, such as Getty Image and Pexels
- Customization and personalization: Clone voice, clone image through photo.
- Integration: Import into PowerPoint (available for Entry Edition and above)
Free Trial: Free trial available
Pricing: For the latest prices and details, please refer to the Synthesia official website
- Starter Edition: 1 editor + 3 guests, Full HD, 1080P resolution , 70 avatars to choose from, image and video importing
- Monthly price: US$29 (NT$928), 10 minutes of video/month
- Annual fee: US$264 (NT$8,448), 120 minutes of film/year. This translates to US$22 (NT$704) per month. Only customers with an annual contract can customize 1 virtual spokesperson
- Professional Creator: 1 editor + 5 guests, Full HD, 1080P resolution , 90 avatars to choose from, image and video importing
- Monthly price: US$89 (NT$2,848), 30 minutes of video/month
- Annual fee: US$804 (NT$25,728), 360 minutes of video/month. This translates to US$67 (NT$2,144) per month. Only customers with an annual contract can customize 1 virtual spokesperson
- Enterprise Edition: Ask for customized pricing
3. D-ID
Platform website:
https://www.d-id.com/
Additional Features:
“AI Agent”: from entry-level to advanced pricing plans, you can generate an Agent, and the free version is also available for trial
Key Features:
- Text-to-speech (TTS) function: read the text you enter into a human voice
- Language support: 119 languages, including Chinese, Taiwanese accent (male and female) and mainland accent (male and female)
- AI Avatar Characters: It does not emphasize how many characters are provided, but emphasizes that AI can generate your own characters. The entry-level version can generate 50 characters of your own
- Video Pixels: Unknown
- AI one-click translation function
- Vertical and horizontal videos: both can be produced
- Template: The template part is to make it yourself in Canva or PowerPoint
- Brand Kits Brand Identity Template: None
- Media Library: None
- Customization and personalization: Clone voice, clone image through photo.
- Integration: Canva Entry Edition, PowerPoint (Advanced Edition and above)
Free Trial: 14 days free trial, the screen is covered with D-ID watermark, the total video is 5 minutes, you can make multiple videos, adding up to 5 minutes.
Pricing: For the latest prices and details, please refer to the D-ID official website
- Entry-level Lite: D-ID watermark on corners
- Monthly price: US$5.9 (NT$189), 10 minutes of video/month, 13 minutes of video/month, or 16 minutes of video/month according to your needs
- Annual plan: US$56 (NT$1,792), equivalent to US$4.7 (NT$150) per month, or 10 minutes of video per month, or 13 minutes of video per month or 16 minutes of video per month according to needs
- Professional Edition Pro: Corner AI Watermark
- Monthly price: US$29 (NT$298), 15 minutes of video/month, 25 minutes of video/month, or 60 minutes of video/month according to your needs
- Annual plan: US$191 (NT$6,112), equivalent to US$16 (NT$512) per month, or 15 minutes of video per month, or 25 minutes of video per month or 60 minutes of video per month according to your needs
- Advanced version: Customizable watermark
- Monthly price: US$196 (NT$6,272), 100 minutes of video/month, 150 minutes/month, or 175 minutes/month as needed
- Annual plan: US$2,263 (NT$72,416), equivalent to US$189 (NT$6,048) per month, or 100 minutes of video per month, or 150 minutes per month or 175 minutes per month according to your needs
- Enterprise Edition: Ask for customized pricing
Comparison of HeyGen, Synthesia and D-ID
Basically, such platforms are based on the Text-to-speech (TTS) function, allowing the AI spokesperson (anchor) to produce speaking videos. You can choose the platform based on the functions you need most:
- Pursuing natural speech: Among the three platforms, HeyGen’s speaking mouth shapes and facial expressions and movements look the most natural. However, Synthesia and D-ID currently have a certain level and are constantly improving.
- The selectivity of AI avatar: Synthesia has the most, the number of HeyGen is not much different, and D-ID can be generated by AI. It depends on whether you like the actors they offer.
- Pursue a customized AI avatar : This means you can clone yourself, or clone someone else (with respect for the portrait rights), to serve as your virtual spokesperson. HeyGen can clone your image using video , which is relatively natural, and the entry-level price allows you to create 3 clones. Synthesia and D-ID mainly use pictures to clone images, which is less natural. The free entry version of D-ID can use pictures to clone images, but Synthesia requires an annual subscription.
- Pursuing diversified and professional templates : HeyGen templates are more oriented towards e-commerce advertising, while Synthesia’s current templates are more oriented towards To B and corporate internal training applications.
- Pursuing the convenience of media library integration: Synthesia provides more convenient media library integration
- Pursuing the convenience of integration with Canva: HeyGen and D-ID can be found and registered for trial directly in the Canva App, and the entry-level version has integration. Synthesia does not see relevant integration
- Pursuing ease of integration with PowerPoint: Synthesia (included in the lowest price) is better than >> HeyGen (included in the mid-range price) is better than >> D-ID (included in the advanced price)
- Need AI agent service: Currently, HeyGen and D-ID both provide AI agent services that are connected via API, but they are charged at an additional price and are not included in the original AI avatar fee.
- Pursuing the lowest price: The lowest entry price of D-ID is only NT$189/month, which is the cheapest among the three platforms, but there will be a watermark, which can be covered using a method
Overall, HeyGen has comprehensive functions. Synthesia provides a wide variety of business templates that are highly integrated with PowerPoint and are suitable for corporate use. D-ID has a low entry price and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises that use free resources such as Canva but need more independent creative capabilities.
HeyGen has more comprehensive functions.
“HeyaDigi”
Synthesia has more diverse business templates and higher PowerPoint integration.
D-ID has a lower entry price, but requires more creative skills.
AI Avatar use cases
1. B2B (Business to Business)
- Create audio-visual descriptions of product, machine or process features that include virtual characters
- Release the latest product or application introduction videos for dealers around the world
- Conduct Lead Qualification and filter the potential customer list: When an Inquiry comes in, we will generate Leads, which is the “potential customer list”. We can use AI virtual video customer service to initially contact customers for Lead Qualification, which is “potential customer list filtering”, and divide Leads into: SQL (Sales Qualified Leads business valid list), MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads marketing valid list), or UQ (Unqualified Leads invalid list). And combined with Marketing Automation, SQL is distributed to business colleagues, MQL is kept in the CRM list, and marketing colleagues can carry out subsequent marketing operations and Leads Nurturing (lead list management), so that MQL can be converted into SQL and have a real chance to become our customers.
Case: After consulting with a mechanical equipment manufacturer, the other party mentioned the difficulty of small and medium-sized enterprises in finding people. They could not find someone who was fluent in foreign languages and had many years of industry experience like him, who could contact the customer as soon as the inquiry came in and clarify whether the local power supply, water supply specifications and stability were suitable for the introduction of these equipment. Therefore, he was advised to document his own industry experience and use it to train AI. The resulting AI virtual audio and video customer service could assist him in presale operations and solve his years of pain. - External briefings: When business colleagues brief potential customers, they can use AI virtual spokespersons to more accurately and effectively explain the company’s product or service features. If the business personnel are more interested, they can also use their own images for A training, and let their virtual avatars explain it, which is more accurate and eye-catching.
- Digital advertising: Of course, if B2B purchases digital advertising, it can also use AI virtual spokespersons to become brand spokespersons to explain the product.
2. B2C (Business to Customer)
- Digital advertising: Using AI avatar to provide product video introductions
- New product launch/product usage introduction: Introduce new product launch/product usage to your new and old customers through product video introduction by AI avatar. Or your product really has a spokesperson. For example, we once consulted the well-known makeup artist Kevin’s own brand, and at that time we recommended training Kevin’s image and voice. Marketers can use Kevin’s image and voice to quickly produce videos, and even speak different languages, such as Cantonese, to explain to customers how to use the product, or the features of new products…etc. It can save the trouble of shooting a video by yourself every time, making the production of videos more efficient.
- AI customer service: Through AI training and learning, AI agent service can help answer and solve basic customer questions. Learn more about AI Agent Implementation Service from HeyaDigi.
3. Internal Use
- Internal training: company introduction for new employees, workplace public safety tips, workplace gender equality, company ESG policy, company information security policy, company procurement process, finance department payment process, etc.
- Various briefings: annual briefing, financial briefing of shareholders’ meeting, proposal briefing, etc. You can use any important briefing you want
- Internal professional courses: business skills, digital marketing operations, intellectual property rights, etc., all kinds of courses you can think of can be recorded into videos for new employees to learn and use
In fact, the AI tools on various platforms are iterating very quickly, and may change every 1-2 months to provide new and different features. Now there are many platforms, and they seem similar but are different. The competition is very fierce, but it also gives us the opportunity to use them at a more affordable price. Eventually, perhaps these platforms will go through a wave of integration, eliminating the weak and retaining the strong, and then we may not have so many choices.
＊The above analysis is based on personal research results. If there are any errors, please contact HeyaDigi for correction. Thank you.
