D-ID Alternative Without a Subscription: Talking Photos Paid Per Second, With HeyGen Avatar IV (November 2026)
Live figures last changed · 5 min read · The GenMagic team
D-ID turns a photo into a talking video, but sells it as minutes a month: its Studio plans run from $56 a year for 10 watermarked minutes a month to $1,293 a year for 100, and unused minutes lapse at the end of each month. To pay only for the clips you make, HeyGen's Avatar IV runs per second of speech on GenMagic, from one photo, your script and a voice you pick, with no plan and no visible watermark.
This guide covers what D-ID costs, the alternatives side by side, which to pick, making a talking photo per second, and questions.
A note on who wrote this: GenMagic runs HeyGen's Avatar IV, so it is one of the options compared. D-ID's prices were read on its Studio and API pricing pages, HeyGen's on its pricing page and Hedra's on its Play pricing page, all on November 10, 2026. GenMagic's prices come from its live catalog. Where another tool is cheaper, this guide says so.
Table of contents
- What D-ID costs
- The alternatives side by side
- Which to pick
- Making a talking photo per second
- Questions
What D-ID costs
D-ID's Studio plans, as its pricing page showed them billed annually on November 10, 2026:
| Plan | Billed annually | Minutes a month | Watermark | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial | $0 for 14 days | 3 minutes in total | Full-screen | Personal use |
| Lite | $56 a year (shown as $4.70 a month) | 10 | D-ID watermark | Not stated as commercial |
| Pro | $191 a year (shown as $16 a month) | 15 | AI watermark | Commercial use |
| Advanced | $1,293 a year (shown as $108 a month) | 100 | Custom logo | Commercial use |
D-ID's own rules on the same page: "Minutes do not accumulate, they are renewed every month and unused minutes become void", and each video is rounded up to the nearest 15 seconds, so a 1-minute-10-second video uses 1 minute 15 seconds. Its API plans draw on the same balance and start at $14.40 a month billed annually for up to 16 minutes (Build), with a commercial licence from Launch, $35 a month for up to 45 minutes.
The alternatives side by side
| Tool | How it is paid | Lowest commercial entry | Unused time |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-ID | Minutes a month on a plan | Pro, $191 a year for 15 minutes a month | Lapses monthly |
| HeyGen | Credits on a plan, or a dollar API wallet | Creator, $29 a month ($24 billed annually), 600 credits; API $2.31 a minute for a photo avatar | Plan credits roll over one month; API credit lasts 12 months |
| Hedra | Credits on a monthly plan | Basic, $20 a month for 2,000 credits | Not stated |
| GenMagic (HeyGen Avatar IV) | Per second of speech from a balance | A top-up from $5, $4.50 a minute | Top-up credit never expires |
Hedra's page does not say how many seconds of video its credits make, and HeyGen's pricing page does not say how many credits a minute of Avatar IV takes, so neither has a per-minute figure here. More on HeyGen's free plan and API: is HeyGen free?
Which to pick
- Many minutes every month: a plan. D-ID's Pro works out at about $1.06 a minute if all 15 minutes are used each month, and HeyGen's own API charges $2.31 a minute for a photo avatar. Both cost less per minute than paying per second on GenMagic.
- A few clips, or an uneven month: per second. On GenMagic you pay $0.075 for each second of speech and nothing for the months you make none, with no visible watermark and no minutes that lapse.
- One voice across a series: Avatar IV on GenMagic speaks in the voice you pick by name, the same in every clip; D-ID and HeyGen also offer voice cloning on their paid plans.
- Your own cloned voice or a custom avatar: D-ID from Pro or HeyGen's plans; GenMagic offers twelve ready voices, not cloning.
Making a talking photo per second
- Open the studio on Avatar IV ( make a photo talk) and attach a sharp, front-facing portrait.
- Write the words. The prompt is the script, said word for word; the clip lasts as long as it takes to say.
- Pick a voice: Kore and Orus speak any language; Cassidy and Andrew English, Leonie and Otto German, Amelia and Antonio Spanish, Chloe and Thomas French, Kyoko and Satoshi Japanese.
- Generate. The price for your script shows first; a failed clip is never charged.
In our first two clips on November 10, 2026, 16 English words made a 4.6-second clip and 30 German words an 11.3-second one, ready in 59 and 90 seconds. Use photos of yourself or of people who agreed to it, and never script an AI presenter as a customer who used a product. A presenter for training or product videos: AI avatar videos from one photo.
Questions
What is the best D-ID alternative without a subscription? HeyGen's Avatar IV paid per second of speech, on GenMagic from a balance with no plan, or on HeyGen's own API from a dollar wallet. D-ID itself sells minutes on monthly or annual plans.
Is D-ID free? D-ID has a 14-day trial with 3 minutes of video, a full-screen watermark and a personal-use licence. Commercial use starts on its Pro plan.
Is D-ID cheaper than HeyGen? On plans it depends on how many minutes you use: D-ID's Pro is $191 a year for 15 minutes a month, and HeyGen's Creator is $29 a month for 600 credits. Per minute without a plan, HeyGen's API charges $2.31 for a photo avatar.
Do I get a watermark without a plan? D-ID's trial and Lite plan add a watermark. GenMagic adds no visible watermark to any clip.
Can I try a talking photo for free? D-ID's trial gives 3 minutes, and HeyGen's free plan 3 short videos a month. On GenMagic, a new account gets $0.50 of credit once its email is verified, about 6 seconds of Avatar IV speech.