At HeyGen, we take user feedback to heart, and we're excited to introduce a new option based on your requests: API plans available for all users!
🛎️ Note: For users looking for API support and API related questions, please check out our API knowledge base and discussion threads here.
These new API plans are standalone plans and serve as a separate subscription from our standard HeyGen plans and tiers. That means you can subscribe to an API plan regardless of whether you're on the Free, Creator, Team, or Enterprise tier – giving you flexibility to choose the best options for your unique needs.
Our latest API plans provide access to both API for Videos, Avatar creation and API for Interactive Avatars, designed to suit a variety of user needs. Here’s an overview of the key details for these new plans.
First things first - What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a tool that lets different apps or software talk to each other seamlessly. It allows you to connect HeyGen's features directly with your own systems or applications, making it easy to create and automate even more!
This means that you can create Videos, Translations, or Avatars using your own software without ever using HeyGen's platform. You can also use API and API credits to connect our interactive avatars to stream on your own websites or Zoom calls. By connecting HeyGen's features directly with your own systems or applications, you can automate tasks and streamline workflows – saving you time and reducing manual effort!
The New API Subscription Plans
HeyGen’s API plans offer flexible, stand-alone subscriptions, independent of regular HeyGen video plans. This means any user, including free users, can access powerful avatar and video features through an API subscription – ideal for those who need capabilities beyond the HeyGen platform. The new plans include Free, Pro, Scale, and Enterprise, with full a breakdown for each below.
⚠️ Important: API Credits expire every 30 days after they are issued, so make sure to utilize them monthly.
Pricing Breakdown by Tier
API Free Plan: All HeyGen users by default are entitled to the free API plan of 10 monthly API credits. These credits are equivalent to 50 minutes of interactive avatar streaming outside HeyGen (you can now enjoy unlimited streaming inside HeyGen platform). Treat this as a Sandbox environment for testing API integrations.
🛎️ Note: We recommend testing with short clips (under 30 seconds) so you don’t burn through your 10 credits too quickly.
Features Included:
Create avatars with photos
Create videos from scratch or templates
Fetch avatar, voice, and template lists
Stream with Interactive Avatar
Watermark is included on all content
API Pro Plan Pricing: 100 credits for $99/month (equivalent to 500 minutes of avatar streaming outside HeyGen; unlimited inside HeyGen)
What’s Included: Everything in the Free plan, plus no watermarks (except during zoom calls due to Zoom's security requirement).
Credit Usage:
1 API credit = 5-minute video with Photo Avatars
1 API credit = 2-minute video with Instant Avatars
1 API credit = 5-minute Interactive Avatar Streaming outside of HeyGen
Credit Calculations for Videos Created with Instant Avatars in AI Studio:
Measured in 30 seconds increments.
00:01 to 00:29 instant avatar video = .25 API credits
00:30 to 00:59 instant avatar video = .50 API credits
01:00 to 01:29 instant avatar video = .75 API credits
01:30 to 01:59 instant avatar video = 2 API credits
...and on!
Example: An Instant Avatar AI Studio video lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds = 2 API credits
Credit Calculations for Videos Created with Photo Avatars in AI Studio:
Measured in 30 seconds increments.
00:01 to 00:29 photo avatar video = .15 API credits
00:30 to 00:59 photo avatar video = .2 API credits
01:00 to 01:29 photo avatar video = .25 credits
04:30 to 04:59 photo avatar video = 1 API credit
...and on!
Example: A photo avatar AI Studio video lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds = 0.3 API credits
Credit Calculations for Streaming Interactive Avatar:
Minimum of 30 seconds, then measured per second.
A streaming session lasting 30 seconds = 0.1 API credits
A streaming session lasting 1 minute = 0.2 API credits
A streaming session lasting 5 minutes = 1 API credit
...and on!
Example: An Interactive Avatar streaming session lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds = 0.346 API credits
API Scale Plan Pricing: 660 credits for $330/month (equivalent to 3,300 minutes of avatar streaming outside HeyGen; unlimited inside HeyGen).
What’s Included: Everything in Pro, plus access to the Video Translation API.
Credit Usage:
1 API credit = 20-second Video Translation
Same usage as Pro for other features
Credit Calculations for Video Translation:
Measured in 30 second increments.
00:01 to 00:29 video translation = 1.5 API credits
00:30 to 00:59 video translation = 3 API credits
01:00 to 01:29 video translation = 4.5 API credits
01:30 to 01:59 video translation = 6 API credits
...and on!
Example: A Video Translation lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds = 6 API credits
API Enterprise Plan Pricing: Custom
What’s Included: Everything in Scale, plus customized scalability and access to dedicated developer support. Please contact our team at Sales@HeyGen.com to discuss this plan further.
Legacy Streaming Credits Subscriptions
In line with HeyGen’s approach to updates, any existing API subscriptions, such as Interactive Avatar ($49 monthly for a custom Interactive Avatar) or Streaming Credits subscriptions ($100 for monthly 1K streaming API credits) will remain active for current users until they choose to cancel or miss a payment.
To clarify, once users leave these legacy plans, even in cases like accidental credit card issues, they won’t be able to re-enroll in them. Going forward, only the new API plans will be available, providing more value at the same price point as the previous plans.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do API credits expire?
Yes, API credits expire 30 days after they’re issued, so be sure to use them within that time.
How do you measure streaming credit usage?
When streaming an interactive avatar, 1 API credit equals 5 minutes of streaming. Credits are measured in 1 second increments with a minimum of 30 seconds per session. For example:
A session lasting 30 seconds = 0.1 API credit used.
A session lasting 1 minute = 0.2 API credit used.
Example: A session lasting 1 minute and 43 seconds = 0.346 API credits used.
It's essential to set an appropriate TIMEOUT limit for your users when embedding the avatar into your site. The default TIMEOUT logic is 2 minutes, meaning if a session starts and isn't manually closed, it will default to 2 minutes, using 0.4 API credit.
Can I subscribe to an API plan without a standard HeyGen paid plan?
Yes! HeyGen API plans are standalone subscriptions. You can subscribe to an API plan even if you’re on a free HeyGen plan. This use case is mostly if you're only looking to use public interactive avatars for your website and need streaming credits.
How many free API credits do I get each month?
Free users receive 10 API credits per month, which provides up to 50 minutes of avatar streaming outside HeyGen (unlimited inside HeyGen).
What happens if I have old API credits?
Legacy streaming credits can still be used but only with the original streaming endpoint they were intended for. They can’t be used with new API features like video avatar creation or translations. If you need full access to new API features, consider upgrading to a current API plan.
Do Interactive Avatar Zoom sessions use up my API credits?
Nope! All users, even those on the Free plan, get unlimited Zoom Interactive Avatar sessions with no credit or time limits – enjoy as many as you like, completely separate from your API credits!
*Last updated on January 23, 2025.