HeyGen Video Model (heygen-video-1): Pricing, API, Specs and How to Use It

HeyGen's own video model explained: modes, 5–30s clips, 2K output, app plans, October API launch rates, and where to confirm current API prices.

HeyGen Video Model (heygen-video-1) Guide: Pricing, API, Specs and How to Use It (Oct 2026)

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Short answer: HeyGen Video (heygen-video-1) is HeyGen's own text-, image- and reference-to-video model, released September 30, 2026. It is built on MiniMax H3 and post-trained by HeyGen, and it is a cinematic clip model, not an avatar tool. It makes clips of 5–30 seconds at up to 2K with native audio. Any HeyGen account can try it for free, at 2 clips per day (5s, 768p). Through the API it launched at $0.01–$0.09 per second, depending on mode and resolution. HeyGen labeled that a launch price "through October" 2026. Current API prices are shown to signed-in users at platform.heygen.com/pricing; re-check there before you budget around the launch rates.

Feature and app-plan details below come from HeyGen's developer docs, pricing and help pages and from OpenRouter, checked October 25, 2026. App-plan prices were re-checked on HeyGen's official pricing page on November 9, 2026 and were unchanged. We have not independently re-verified the October API launch rates or OpenRouter figures in November, because current API prices require a signed-in dashboard. We haven't run our own benchmarks. The benchmark figures quoted are OpenRouter's and are labeled as such.

Key facts

Sources: HeyGen developer docs – HeyGen Video, HeyGen pricing, OpenRouter model page.

What HeyGen Video is and isn't

Most people know HeyGen for AI avatars. HeyGen Video is a different product: a general video generation model that competes with Seedance, Kling, Veo and Runway, not with Synthesia. You describe a shot, or give it images, videos or audio as references, and it returns a short clip with sound.

HeyGen's docs are frank about the weak spots. The model struggles with long on-screen text, soft organic motion and close-up hand work, and it does best on short, contained shots.

HeyGen Video vs other video models

Benchmark reference (OpenRouter's numbers, not ours): HeyGen Video passed 46 of 58 checks, ranking 5th of 27 models overall and cheapest and fastest of the 27, with a P50 latency of 23.34s.

Who it's for, and who should skip it

Good fit:

• HeyGen users who want B-roll and cinematic inserts without paying for a second video tool
• Developers who need cheap, fast API clips (for example, programmatic social ads)
• People who need to reuse a look or a sound, since it accepts up to 12 reference files and supports seeds

Skip it if:

• You need clips longer than 30 seconds in a single generation
• Your shots depend on readable on-screen text, close-up hands, or slow organic motion like fabric or hair
• You need 4K output. Its top resolution is 2K

How to use HeyGen Video

In the HeyGen app (free or paid)

1. Sign in to HeyGen. Free accounts can make 2 clips a day at 5s and 768p, in 4 styles.
2. Open the video model and pick a mode: text, image or reference.
3. Write the prompt. HeyGen's own tips: name the camera move ("slow dolly-in"), and add "no logos" and "no music" when you want a clean result.
4. Generate, review, and regenerate with a fixed seed if you want the same result again.

Via the API

1. Buy pay-as-you-go API credits. These are separate from app plans, there have been no free API credits since Feb 2026, and credits expire after 12 months.
2. Call POST /v3/models/videos with mode (text_to_video, image_to_video or reference_to_video), prompt, resolution, aspect_ratio, duration (or auto), and optional seed and prompt_enhancement (turbo, quality, ultraquality or disabled).
3. With duration: auto, HeyGen estimates length at 2.5 words per second plus 1 second, with an 8-second minimum.
4. Provide a callback URL. Callbacks are delivered once, so log them.
5. Concurrency: 10 jobs at a time (20 on Enterprise), per HeyGen help (updated Oct 19, 2026).

Reference file limits: images up to 16MB per URL, and videos and audio up to 32MB.

Pricing: app plans vs API

API launch pricing (per second of output, published through October 2026)

HeyGen marked these as a launch price through October 2026. As of November 9, 2026, HeyGen's developer index says current self-serve API prices are shown in the signed-in dashboard at platform.heygen.com/pricing. Use that page for current rates. The October docs said 1080p and 2K billed at 3× the 768p rate. OpenRouter, as of the October 25, 2026 check, showed the model "50% off" with a $0.036/s list price at 768p (then $0.018), and charged $0.02 per reference image after the first 2.

Worked example from the October launch table (our math, not a current quote): an 8-second text-to-video clip at 768p would have cost 8 × $0.018 = $0.14. At 1080p it would have cost 8 × $0.05 = $0.40.

HeyGen app plans (monthly vs annual)

On annual plans, credits accumulate until renewal. App-plan prices above were still listed on heygen.com/pricing on Nov 9, 2026.

See current plans on HeyGen's pricing page or our HeyGen listing. .

Limitations and gotchas

• The API launch price was listed through October 2026. Confirm current per-second rates at platform.heygen.com/pricing before you build budgets around $0.01/s.
• Reference mode is capped at 15 seconds, and so is anything generated via MCP.
• 1080p and 2K are only available in 16:9 or 9:16.
• Only the first 5 seconds of a reference video are used.
• No free API credits. The free daily clips work in the app only.
• Callbacks fire once. If your webhook endpoint is down, poll for the result instead.
• Weak areas: long text on screen, soft organic motion, and close-up hands.

Alternatives

• Seedance 2.5: higher demand and up to 50 references. It is included in HeyGen Pro.
• Hailuo (MiniMax H3): the base model, used directly.
• Kling: strong human motion and higher resolution options.
• Runway: editing tools, Workflows and an Agent. See Higgsfield vs Runway.
• Luma Dream Machine: Luma's own Ray models plus third-party models like Seedance.

FAQ

Is HeyGen Video free? Yes, in a limited way. Any HeyGen account gets 2 clips a day (5s, 768p). API use needs paid API credits.

What model is HeyGen Video based on? MiniMax H3, post-trained by HeyGen, according to HeyGen's developer docs.

How long can HeyGen Video clips be? 5–30 seconds for text- and image-to-video with turbo or quality prompt enhancement, and 5–15 seconds in reference mode, with ultraquality or disabled enhancement, or via MCP.

How much does the HeyGen Video API cost? At launch, $0.01–$0.05 per second for text/image-to-video and $0.035–$0.09 per second for reference mode, depending on resolution. That was a launch price through October 2026. Confirm current rates at platform.heygen.com/pricing.

Does HeyGen Video generate audio? Yes. Output is an MP4 with AAC stereo audio. Add "no music" to your prompt if you don't want a soundtrack.

Is HeyGen Video available on OpenRouter? Yes. As of the October 25, 2026 check, OpenRouter listed it with a $0.036/s list price at 768p, then discounted 50%. Confirm the current OpenRouter rate on its model page.

Can I use HeyGen Video with avatars? HeyGen Video is separate from HeyGen's avatar features. It generates scenes, not presenters. If you want to cut its clips into an avatar video, check the HeyGen editor for current options.

Related reading: HeyGen · HeyGen AI review · HeyGen vs Runway · Hailuo AI · Kling AI · Seedance 2.5 pricing · Best AI video agents

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