HeyGen Review (2026) and a Faceless Alternative: VidPuff vs HeyGen
Short answer: HeyGen makes videos of an AI avatar, often a clone of your own face and voice, reading a script you write. VidPuff makes faceless videos: it writes a story from your title and illustrates each scene, with no presenter on screen. If you want a talking head without filming one, HeyGen is the better tool. If you're building a faceless YouTube channel, it's the wrong category, and that's where VidPuff fits.
HeyGen review in brief
What it does well. The avatars are some of the most convincing available, and lip-sync holds up even in longer clips. Cloning yourself takes a short recording, after which you can produce videos of "you" from text alone. Its video translation, which re-voices and re-syncs an existing video into another language, is useful for anyone selling to more than one market.
Where it falls short. Pricing is credit-based and not always intuitive: the premium avatar model uses about 20 credits per minute, so the Creator plan's 600 monthly credits covers roughly 30 minutes of top-tier avatar video. The free plan is limited to three one-minute videos a month, all watermarked. And every video is built around a person speaking, so it isn't designed for narrative or faceless content.
Pricing (October 2026). Free (3 videos/month, watermarked), Creator $29/month, Pro $49/month, Business $149/month plus $20 per extra seat, Enterprise on request.
Quick comparison
| VidPuff | HeyGen | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A finished faceless story video from a title | An avatar reading your script on camera |
| Presenter on screen | None | Yes, stock avatar or your clone |
| Writes the script | Yes, from a one-line title | No, you supply it |
| Visuals | AI illustrations matched to each scene | Avatar over a background or template |
| Languages | English narration, several voices | 175+ languages and dialects |
| Best for | Faceless story and explainer channels | UGC-style ads, courses, multilingual talking-head video |
| Starts at | $25/month | $29/month (Creator) |
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
When HeyGen is the better choice
If the video needs a face, HeyGen is hard to beat. UGC-style ad creative, course lessons with a consistent presenter, sales videos in several languages without reshooting: those are its strengths.
When VidPuff is the better HeyGen alternative
If you came looking for a HeyGen alternative because you don't want anyone on camera, that's a different kind of video. A bedtime story channel, a horror narration channel, or a history explainer channel doesn't need a presenter, and an avatar would get in the way. VidPuff writes the story, narrates it, and generates illustrations for each scene, so the visuals follow the narrative instead of a person talking.
Choose HeyGen if…
- You want an avatar, yours or a stock one, delivering a script on camera.
- You make ads, course content, or videos in multiple languages.
- Having a presenter is the point of the video.
Choose VidPuff if…
- You run, or want to start, a faceless channel: stories, explainers, history, kids' content.
- You don't want anyone's face on screen.
- You'd rather start from a title than write the script yourself.
FAQ
Can HeyGen make faceless videos?
Not really. Its output centers on an avatar speaking, and you write the script. For illustrated narration with no presenter, a story-focused tool like VidPuff is a better fit.
Is VidPuff cheaper than HeyGen?
Slightly, at entry: $25/month versus $29/month for HeyGen Creator. They're priced for different jobs, though. HeyGen's tiers buy avatar minutes and languages; VidPuff's credits go toward full story videos.
Can I try VidPuff?
There's no waitlist at vidpuff.com. Pick a plan and you can start your first video right away. There's no free trial, but the examples on the homepage were made with the tool.
See how it works →