A HeyGen alternative for short ads, without a subscription
HeyGen is an avatar platform for presenter videos, training and translation, sold as monthly plans. Viralance is built for short social videos and ads: AI actor clips billed per second, 20+ video models and 98 one-photo templates, on one-time credit packs that never expire. Here is a factual side-by-side, as of October 2026.
Disclosure: this page is published by Viralance, one of the two products compared. HeyGen facts come from its public pages, checked October 28, 2026; treat our side as a vendor description, not an independent review.
- No subscription
- Credits never expire
- Failed generations refunded automatically
| Topic | HeyGen (as of October 2026) | Viralance |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Free plan; Creator $29/month ($24 billed yearly) with 600 credits; Pro from $49/month with 1,000 credits and more; Business $149/month plus $20 per seat. | One-time credit packs from $9 to $299. No subscription on the web, no renewal. |
| Do credits expire? | Unused credits roll over one month on monthly plans and until renewal on yearly plans; they are lost if you cancel. | No. Credits stay on your account until you use them, and there is no plan to cancel. |
| Free start | 3 videos a month, watermarked, up to 1 minute each, with one custom avatar; no card needed. | 4 free credits after email verification, no card. Free videos carry a small watermark until your first purchase. |
| Avatars | Avatar V builds a digital twin from a 15-second video; Creator videos run up to 30 minutes. | 12 curated AI actors plus your own character from a photo, up to 60 seconds per ad, billed per second. |
| Languages | 175+ languages, with translation and script editing for translations. | You write the script and pick one of 21 ElevenLabs voices. No translation or dubbing suite. |
| Video models | Paid plans add VEO 3.1, Seedance 2.5 and Nano Banana; 4K on Pro. | 20+ video models, including VEO 3.1, Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, Hailuo 2.3 and Wan 3.0, each priced per clip. |
| Teams | Business adds a brand kit, asset library, SSO, SCORM/LMS and integrations. | Brand Kit and Teams with a shared credit balance. |
How you pay
- Viralance
- One-time credit packs from $9 to $299. No subscription on the web, no renewal.
- HeyGen
- Free plan; Creator $29/month ($24 billed yearly) with 600 credits; Pro from $49/month with 1,000 credits and more; Business $149/month plus $20 per seat.
Do credits expire?
- Viralance
- No. Credits stay on your account until you use them, and there is no plan to cancel.
- HeyGen
- Unused credits roll over one month on monthly plans and until renewal on yearly plans; they are lost if you cancel.
Free start
- Viralance
- 4 free credits after email verification, no card. Free videos carry a small watermark until your first purchase.
- HeyGen
- 3 videos a month, watermarked, up to 1 minute each, with one custom avatar; no card needed.
Avatars
- Viralance
- 12 curated AI actors plus your own character from a photo, up to 60 seconds per ad, billed per second.
- HeyGen
- Avatar V builds a digital twin from a 15-second video; Creator videos run up to 30 minutes.
Languages
- Viralance
- You write the script and pick one of 21 ElevenLabs voices. No translation or dubbing suite.
- HeyGen
- 175+ languages, with translation and script editing for translations.
Video models
- Viralance
- 20+ video models, including VEO 3.1, Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, Hailuo 2.3 and Wan 3.0, each priced per clip.
- HeyGen
- Paid plans add VEO 3.1, Seedance 2.5 and Nano Banana; 4K on Pro.
Teams
- Viralance
- Brand Kit and Teams with a shared credit balance.
- HeyGen
- Business adds a brand kit, asset library, SSO, SCORM/LMS and integrations.
HeyGen sources, checked October 28, 2026: HeyGen pricing · HeyGen blog: $200M ARR. Plans change; check HeyGen's site for current terms.
What a short actor ad costs on Viralance
AI actors are billed by the second of script: 2 credits per second on the standard tier and 2.5 on the premium tier. A 15-second ad is about 30 credits of avatar time, about $9.00 on the $9 Mini pack and $5.44 on Business, before voice and optional subtitles. The total is shown before you generate.
Where HeyGen is ahead
For long presenter videos, training, sales enablement and localization, HeyGen is the stronger tool: a digital twin of yourself from a short recording, videos up to 30 minutes, 175+ languages, and enterprise features such as SSO and LMS export. Viralance does not offer translation or long-form presenter videos.
Which one fits you
When HeyGen is the better choice
- You need long presenter videos, training modules or explainers.
- You want a digital twin of yourself or translation into many languages.
- Your company needs SSO, LMS export or enterprise support.
When Viralance fits better
- You make short social ads and do not want a monthly plan.
- You want AI actor ads, product clips and B-roll from many models on one balance.
- You create in bursts and want credits that never expire.
Viralance packs at a glance
- Mini$930 credits$0.30 per credit
- Plus$1970 credits$0.27 per credit
- Starter$29110 credits$0.26 per credit
- Creator$79330 credits$0.24 per credit
- Pro$149770 credits$0.19 per credit
- Business$2991,650 credits$0.18 per credit
Frequently asked questions
Is Viralance a HeyGen alternative without a subscription?
For short ads, yes. Viralance sells one-time credit packs from $9 for 30 credits that never expire, and bills AI actor clips per second. For long presenter videos and translation, HeyGen is the better fit.
Do HeyGen credits roll over?
According to heygen.com/pricing (checked October 28, 2026), unused credits roll over one month on monthly plans and until renewal on yearly plans, and are lost when you cancel.
Can Viralance translate videos like HeyGen?
No. Viralance does not have a translation or dubbing suite. You write each script yourself and pick one of 21 ElevenLabs voices.
How long can a Viralance AI actor video be?
Up to 60 seconds of script per ad. Longer scripts are split into segments and stitched automatically, and the total credit cost is shown before you generate.