Comparison
Selvia AI vs HeyGen
Both offer real-time AI avatars. The biggest differences are what's included, price, per-user memory, and kiosk mode — here's an honest, side-by-side comparison.
Selvia AI is an all-inclusive, turnkey real-time AI avatar starting at $1/hour — the avatar, speech, language brain and per-user memory are all included. HeyGen's real-time avatars are API-only, around $12/hour, and you build the integration into your own app yourself. Choose Selvia AI for an affordable, all-in-one live avatar with memory and always-on kiosk mode; choose HeyGen if you mainly need large-scale pre-recorded AI presenter videos.
Price: Selvia AI vs HeyGen
And Selvia AI's $1/hour is all-inclusive — the avatar, speech, brain and per-user memory are all in the one price.
Selvia AI starts at $1 per hour, and that price is all-inclusive. HeyGen's real-time interactive avatar is API-only at around $0.20/min — about ~$12/hour — as of our testing. (HeyGen also lists a cheaper “Lite” tier, but it's the avatar visual only, with no speech, brain or memory.) And because HeyGen is delivered as an API, the headline rate understates the real gap:
What you actually get for the price
Selvia AI — turnkey, one price
- Real-time 3D avatar
- Speech-to-text + text-to-speech
- LLM brain / dialogue
- Per-user memory
- Works out of the box — no code
Everything included — works out of the box.
HeyGen — real-time avatar API
- Real-time avatar via API
- You build the app & integration
- No built-in per-user memory
- Billed in credits (expire monthly)
API-only — a developer wires it into your app.
HeyGen delivers the avatar through its real-time API — but an avatar stream on its own isn't a working assistant. A developer has to integrate it into your app, connect it to your data, and there's still no per-user memory. Everything is bundled into Selvia AI's single $1/hour price and works out of the box, so the total cost of ownership gap is far larger than the per-minute numbers suggest.
For a full decode of HeyGen's real-time tiers — Lite vs Full, credits and what each actually includes — see HeyGen interactive avatar pricing explained.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Selvia AI | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1 / hour — all-inclusive | ~$12 / hour (real-time avatar API) |
| What's included | Avatar + STT + TTS + LLM + memory | Avatar API — you build the integration |
| Access options | No-code studio + developer API/SDK | API only — no studio / no-code path |
| Per-user memory | Yes — remembers returning users | No — stateless across sessions |
| Always-on kiosk mode | Yes — runs all day | No — session/duration limits |
| Works in noisy, crowded spaces | Yes | Not designed for it |
| Facial expression / emotion | Emotion-rich — matches the conversation | Baseline loop + lip-sync |
| Face technology | Real-time 3D face | Pre-modeled 2D video avatar |
| Custom avatar | Curated, production-ready library | Yes (higher-tier plan) |
| Billing | Pay-for-use, no forfeited credits | Credits expire monthly, no rollover |
| Best for | All-inclusive live avatars with memory + kiosk | AI presenter video + custom avatars |
Where Selvia AI comes out ahead
All-inclusive & turnkey
One price covers the avatar, speech, language brain and memory — it works out of the box. HeyGen's real-time path is API-only, so a developer has to wire it into your app.
Per-user memory
Selvia AI recognizes returning customers and recalls past conversations. HeyGen treats each session as new — no memory of who came before.
Always-on kiosk mode
Selvia AI runs all day as an unattended kiosk and keeps working in noisy, crowded spaces. HeyGen's session limits make continuous kiosk use impractical.
Emotion-rich expression
Selvia AI's face responds to the conversation — it can smile, show concern, or add emphasis as it speaks. HeyGen's real-time avatar holds a steady baseline with lip-sync.
When HeyGen is the better choice
HeyGen is a strong, established platform. If your primary goal is producing pre-recorded AI presenter videos at scale — marketing clips, training content, localized spokesperson videos — HeyGen's video-generation heritage is built for exactly that. Selvia AI is purpose-built for the other job: live, two-way conversation that runs continuously, remembers people, and ships complete. For a real-time, all-inclusive conversational avatar, Selvia AI is the stronger fit.
The bottom line
HeyGen and Selvia AI are built for different jobs. HeyGen is a polished platform for generating pre-recorded AI presenter videos. Selvia AI is built for live, always-on conversation that remembers your customers — and for that job it ships the avatar, voice, brain and memory in one $1/hour price, turnkey out of the box, at a fraction of the real cost.
Selvia AI vs HeyGen — FAQ
Is Selvia AI cheaper than HeyGen?
Yes. Selvia AI is $1 per hour, all-inclusive. HeyGen's real-time interactive avatar is API-only, priced around $0.20/min — about $12/hour — and that covers the avatar API, so you still build and pay for the surrounding integration. Selvia AI bundles the avatar, speech, an LLM brain and per-user memory into the $1/hour.
Does HeyGen have a no-code studio for real-time avatars?
No. HeyGen's real-time interactive avatars are API-only — there is no studio or no-code path for them; a developer has to wire it up. Selvia AI is turnkey: the avatar, brain, voice and memory work together out of the box.
What's included in HeyGen's price vs Selvia AI's?
Selvia AI's $1/hour bundles the avatar, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, an LLM brain and per-user memory, pre-integrated. HeyGen's real-time avatar is delivered through its API — you integrate it into your own app, and per-user memory isn't included. Compare total cost of ownership, not just the headline per-minute rate.
Does HeyGen remember returning users?
No. HeyGen does not offer per-user memory — each session starts fresh. Selvia AI recognizes returning users and recalls their previous conversations, preferences and history.
Can HeyGen run as an always-on kiosk?
Not practically. HeyGen's real-time sessions have duration limits and it isn't built for noisy, crowded public spaces. Selvia AI is designed to run all day as an unattended kiosk and to keep working in loud, real-world environments.
Does HeyGen's avatar show emotion?
Only in a limited way. In our testing — and as widely observed — HeyGen's real-time avatar holds a steady, attentive baseline with lip-sync and doesn't shift its facial expression to match the conversation. Selvia AI is emotion-rich: its expression changes with the tone of the conversation in real time.
What does HeyGen do better than Selvia AI?
Large-scale pre-recorded video. HeyGen comes from video generation, so for producing AI presenter videos at scale — marketing clips, training modules, localized spokesperson videos — its heritage is a real advantage, and it offers custom avatars on its higher tiers. Selvia AI takes a different approach: a curated, production-ready avatar library, purpose-built for live, real-time conversation that's all-inclusive and remembers your customers.
Does Selvia AI have an API for developers?
Yes. Alongside the no-code studio, Selvia AI offers a real-time avatar API and SDK. On-demand it's $0.03 per minute, all-inclusive (avatar, voice, LLM brain and per-user memory), or $1/hour for always-on kiosk use, with a free tier of 60 minutes per month. A render-only mode at $0.025/min lets you stream your own audio and have Selvia AI render the avatar. HeyGen's real-time avatars are API-only too, priced around $0.20 per minute.
Do HeyGen credits roll over?
No. HeyGen's credits expire monthly with no rollover — use them or lose them. Selvia AI is simple pay-for-use at $1/hour, with no forfeited credits.
Is Selvia AI a good HeyGen alternative?
Yes — especially if you want an all-inclusive, turnkey real-time avatar with per-user memory and always-on kiosk mode at a flat, low price. HeyGen is the better fit mainly if you need large-scale pre-recorded AI presenter videos.
See the all-inclusive alternative
Try a free Selvia AI demo — real-time conversation, per-user memory, everything included, from $1/hour.
Book a Free DemoComparison based on hands-on testing and publicly available pricing as of June 2026. Product features and pricing change over time; check each vendor's site for the latest. HeyGen is a trademark of its respective owner; this is an independent comparison, not an endorsement.