Conversational product teams
Developers adding a visual, speaking interface to an existing AI agent.
Independent tool overview
LiveAvatar by HeyGen at a glance
LiveAvatar is the production successor to HeyGen Labs' Interactive Avatar beta: a separate developer platform for embedding real-time, two-way AI avatar conversations in websites, apps, kiosks and agent experiences.
Visit the official LiveAvatar by HeyGen site ↗
- Current name
- LiveAvatar by HeyGen
- Former name
- HeyGen Labs Interactive Avatar
- Output
- Real-time, ephemeral WebRTC video and audio
- Integration
- API, JavaScript SDK or iframe embed
- Modes
- Full Mode or Avatar Only / LITE Mode
- Billing
- Separate from HeyGen video and API credits
Overview
What LiveAvatar by HeyGen is
HeyGen rebranded and moved its former Interactive Avatar beta to LiveAvatar, a separate platform with its own app, documentation, plans and credits. The product remains active, but new buyers should evaluate LiveAvatar rather than the old HeyGen Labs workflow.
LiveAvatar streams a speaking avatar in real time while a user talks or types. Full Mode packages speech recognition, an LLM, text-to-speech and avatar streaming; Avatar Only, also documented as LITE Mode, lets developers bring their own conversational stack and use LiveAvatar for the visual layer.
This is a developer product for customer support, tutoring, sales, recruiting, training and digital-assistant experiences—not HeyGen's separate tool for rendering downloadable marketing videos. The hardest work is usually the agent around the avatar: knowledge, safeguards, latency, escalation, consent and reliable handling of real user conversations.
Use cases
Who LiveAvatar by HeyGen is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Training and education
Interactive tutors, coaches and role-play scenarios that benefit from face-to-face delivery.
Customer-facing assistants
Sales, support, recruiting, reception and kiosk experiences with clear escalation and disclosure.
Capabilities
Core LiveAvatar by HeyGen features
Real-time avatar streaming
Streams a 1080p preset avatar or eligible custom avatar during a live two-way conversation rather than generating a saved video.
Full Mode
LiveAvatar manages speech recognition, language-model orchestration, text-to-speech and the avatar session for the quickest setup.
Avatar Only / LITE Mode
Use your own LLM, speech and voice components while LiveAvatar supplies the real-time visual avatar layer.
Preset and custom avatars
Start with more than 100 presets or create a consented custom likeness from an image or recorded footage, subject to plan and approval requirements.
Developer interfaces
The product offers an API, web SDK and embeddable experience, with session tokens generated securely by a server.
Conversation controls
Documentation covers conversational and push-to-talk modes, interruption handling, reconnect behavior and session transcripts in supported setups.
Production scaling
Current paid plans advertise unlimited concurrency, while session duration, resolution, credits and custom-avatar allowances vary by tier.
Process
How the LiveAvatar by HeyGen workflow works
Step 1
Choose the product and mode
Use LiveAvatar for a real-time conversation; use HeyGen for prerecorded videos. Pick Full Mode for a managed voice stack or Avatar Only for more control.
Step 2
Prototype with a preset avatar
Build the interaction, disclosure, knowledge and escalation flow before investing in a custom likeness.
Step 3
Secure the integration
Keep the API key on the server, issue short-lived session tokens and restrict what the agent can access or disclose.
Step 4
Test real conversations
Measure first-frame and response latency, interruption behavior, background noise, failure recovery, factuality and human handoff.
Step 5
Model production usage
Estimate credits from session length and chosen mode, add overage and third-party AI costs, then monitor abandonment and useful task completion.
Cost
LiveAvatar by HeyGen pricing and free plan
LiveAvatar subscriptions and credits are separate from HeyGen's video plans and HeyGen API wallet. Full Mode uses 2 credits per minute; Avatar Only / LITE Mode uses 1 credit per minute. The current public site advertises unlimited concurrency on paid plans, but maximum session duration and avatar resolution still vary.
Free
$0
A small integration test with preset avatars.
- 10 credits per month
- Full API and 1080p preset-avatar access
- Watermark included
- 1 concurrent session
- 2-minute maximum session
Starter
$19 per month
A developer proof-of-concept plan.
- 200 credits per month on the current public pricing page
- Unlimited voice agents and developer sandbox
- Unlimited concurrency advertised
- 5-minute maximum session
- Pay-as-you-go overage available
Essential
$99 per month
The first self-serve tier with a branded custom avatar.
- 1,100 credits per month
- 1 custom 720p avatar
- Watermark removed
- Unlimited concurrency advertised
- 20-minute maximum session
Business
$475 per month
Higher-volume production use with a 1080p custom avatar.
- 6,000 credits per month
- 1 custom 1080p avatar
- Watermark removed
- Unlimited concurrency advertised
- 60-minute maximum session
Enterprise
Custom
Dedicated capacity and negotiated terms for large deployments.
- Custom capacity and support
- Volume rates advertised down to $0.01 per minute
- Contact sales for exact allowances and requirements
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
LiveAvatar by HeyGen strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Provides a production path for the former Interactive Avatar beta rather than abandoning the concept.
- Offers both an end-to-end conversational stack and a lower-cost bring-your-own-stack mode.
- Preset avatars and a free allowance make it possible to test the integration before commissioning a custom likeness.
- API, SDK and embed options support different levels of product customization.
- Current self-serve plans publish concrete prices, credits and session-length limits.
What to consider
- LiveAvatar and HeyGen are separate products with separate workspaces, billing and non-transferable credits.
- Avatars created in the old HeyGen Interactive Avatar system are not automatically compatible; existing users may need migration assistance.
- Full Mode consumes twice as many LiveAvatar credits per minute as Avatar Only / LITE Mode.
- A convincing avatar does not solve hallucinations, unsafe advice or failed task completion; the underlying agent still needs evaluation and human escalation.
- Real-world latency includes speech recognition, model inference, voice generation, networking and rendering, so test from the actual user locations and devices.
- Custom likenesses require explicit authorization, careful disclosure and defenses against impersonation or deceptive use.
- Overage, third-party model, voice and infrastructure costs can make the effective per-conversation price higher than the plan fee.
Compare
LiveAvatar by HeyGen alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Content Creator
tavus
Choose Tavus when conversational video interfaces and digital-replica APIs are the main comparison.
Explore tavus →Marketing
D-ID
Choose D-ID for talking-avatar and visual-agent workflows with a different creation and integration stack.
Explore D-ID →Marketing
Synthesia
Choose Synthesia when the goal is polished prerecorded training or business video rather than a live two-way avatar.
Explore Synthesia →Questions
LiveAvatar by HeyGen FAQs
Is HeyGen Interactive Avatar still active?
Yes, under a new product. LiveAvatar is the official production successor to the HeyGen Labs Interactive Avatar beta and now runs on a separate LiveAvatar platform.
What is the difference between HeyGen and LiveAvatar?
HeyGen creates prerecorded, downloadable AI videos. LiveAvatar streams a real-time two-way avatar conversation through an API, SDK or embed. Their plans, workspaces and credits are separate.
What is the difference between Full Mode and Avatar Only?
Full Mode includes speech recognition, LLM, voice and avatar streaming and uses 2 credits per minute. Avatar Only, also called LITE Mode in the documentation, lets you provide the conversational stack and uses 1 credit per minute.
Can I migrate an old Interactive Avatar?
HeyGen says existing Interactive Avatar users can receive migration support. The old and new avatar systems are not directly cross-compatible, so contact LiveAvatar support for the specific asset.
Does LiveAvatar save a finished video?
Its primary output is a live, ephemeral WebRTC stream, not a permanent MP4. If the use case needs a reusable rendered video, the separate HeyGen product is a better fit.
How much usage do the credits provide?
Divide credits by two for approximate Full Mode minutes, or use one credit per minute in Avatar Only / LITE Mode. Actual billing follows session time and any enabled overage.
Bottom line
Our LiveAvatar by HeyGen verdict
LiveAvatar is the right continuation of HeyGen's Interactive Avatar for teams building a real-time visual agent. It is most compelling when the face materially improves an already useful conversational workflow. Prototype with a preset, validate task completion and latency first, then choose Full or Avatar Only based on control, cost and the strength of your existing voice stack.
Visit LiveAvatar by HeyGen website ↗Similar Marketing Tools
View all Marketing AI tools →
AI training for the future of work.
Get access to all our AI courses, hundreds of real-world AI use cases, live expert-led workshops, an exclusive network of AI early adopters, and more.
AI Courses
Get unlimited access to all of our current & upcoming industry-specific AI courses for the duration of your subscription.
Daily Guides
To keep up with the rapid pace of AI, our team publishes AI implementation guides daily. Our library contains 300+ practical use cases to automate real-world work.
Workshops
Join weekly, live, interactive sessions with industry leaders who are at the forefront of AI for hands-on implementation guidance and exclusive insights.
Community
Network with an exclusive community of AI-first professionals who are working smarter with AI. Learn how early adopters are using AI in their work and businesses.