HeyGen API plans are standalone plans and serve as a separate subscription from our standard HeyGen plans and tiers. That means you can subscribe to an API plan regardless of whether you're on the Free, Creator, Pro, Business, or Enterprise tier – giving you flexibility to choose the best options for your unique needs.
Our API plans are aimed for producing videos ( Studio videos or Translations) via API.
If you're looking to stream your LiveAvatar and want to learn about plans and pricing which are separate from API pricing-click here.
🛎️ Note: For users looking for API support and API related questions, please check out our API knowledge base and discussion threads here.
First things first - What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a tool that lets different apps or software talk to each other seamlessly. It allows you to connect HeyGen's features directly with your own systems or applications, making it easy to create and automate even more!
This means that you can create Videos or Translations using your own platform without ever using HeyGen's platform. By connecting HeyGen's features directly with your own systems or applications, you can automate tasks and streamline workflows – saving you time and reducing manual effort! You can also use these credits to stream LiveAvatars on your site.
How to view or regenerate your API key
You can get your API key by going into Settings > API> API token in your HeyGen account.
You cannot view your API key without re-generating it, so make sure that when you do generate it- you save it somewhere outside of HeyGen so you won't need to regenerate a different one again.
Can also click on here for a direct link
HeyGen API plan - Pay-as-you-go
HeyGen’s API plans are now simplified- Pay-as-you-go model!
This means any user—including free users—can unlock powerful avatar and video features by purchasing any amount of API credits (in USD). It’s ideal for teams that need scalable, automated workflows beyond the HeyGen platform.
🛎️Note: If you’re on our legacy API plans (like API Pro or API Scale), you can stay on it—we won’t force you to migrate. Just make sure your subscription stays active and payments don’t lapse, since these plans are deprecated and we can’t restore them once canceled.
How many API credits does each feature costs?
API usage is measured in credits, and credits are deducted based on the type and length of what you generate. As a general rule, 1 credit = 1 minute of generated avatar video (standard generation). Some advanced features cost more- for example, Avatar IV uses 1 credit per 10 seconds of generated output (so ~6 credits per minute). For video translation, credits are deducted by the length of the source video- each minute translated consumes 3 credits. Video Agent costs around 2 Credits per 1 minute.
All videos produced via API cannot exceed duration of 30 minutes, unless under the API enterprise plan. API videos are 1080p quality and do not allow for 4K quality unless on the enterprise plan.
For a much more detailed breakdown of credit/dollar cost per API videos produced, please review our API costs page here.
🛎️ The ability to create a custom Digital Twin (Video Avatar), or use Proofreading via API is only available for Enterprise API users.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For more FAQ specifically for LiveAvatar, click here.
How can I learn about updates to your API library ?
You can actually review our docs library here and sign up for these RSS feed below-
Do API credits expire?
Yes, our old plans API credits ( Pro / Scale) expire after 30 days from purchase where as the pay-as-you-go credits expire after 12 months.
I ran out of API credits this month! What do I do?
If you run out of API credits, you can just purchase more credits as our API model is pay-as-you-go.
If you're on the API Pro plan, API Scale plan or LiveAvatar Essential, you also have the option to enable auto-renew your credits. With auto-renew, once you use 90% or more of your monthly credits, HeyGen will automatically renew your plan, cancel the old one, and refill your credits to 100%. You can access this in your HeyGen API Subscription tab or LiveAvatar platform.
You can also reach out to [email protected] for assistance with payment issues with your plan.
Can I subscribe to an API plan without a standard HeyGen paid plan?
Yes! HeyGen API plans are standalone purchases and separate from HeyGen subscription.
How many free API credits do I get each month?
HeyGen does not offer free API credits starting Feb 2026. We've added an option to purchase API credits outside our main plans using a pay-as-you-go model.
*Last updated on Feb 22, 2026.