Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
CapCut vs Hailuo AI vs HeyGen
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone making short social videos who wants a capable editor without a steep learning curve.
Pick it if: Creators and social teams who need a lot of short AI clips for little money.
Pick it if: Founders, marketers and trainers who need lots of on-camera video but hate filming.
Overview
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free phone and desktop editor for TikToks and Reels, with auto captions and templates. | MiniMax's low-cost AI video maker: 2K clips with sound from a prompt or photo. | Type a script and a lifelike presenter reads it on camera, in your voice or any language. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | AUD $37.99/mo | $10.50/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.1Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | – | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | – | – | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | – | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | No |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 11/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 12/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Most everyday social editing. | Free Free Seeing what it can do. | Free Free Testing an avatar and the translation feature. |
ProOur pick AUD $37.99/mo, or AUD $299.99/yr Anyone posting several times a week. | Standard $10.50/mo, or $8.40/mo billed yearly Occasional clips. | CreatorOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly Solo founders and marketers publishing regularly. | |
Ultra AUD $111.99/mo, or AUD $1,299.99/yr Heavy users of CapCut's AI video and image generation. | ProOur pick $38/mo, or $30.40/mo billed yearly Regular social content. | Pro From $49/mo Heavier users who want 4K and flexible usage. | |
Teams From AUD $18/seat/mo Small teams sharing templates and a brand kit. | Master $89/mo, or $71.20/mo billed yearly Daily creators and small agencies. | Business $149/mo Teams with several presenters. | |
Max $216/mo, or $184/mo billed yearly High-volume production. | Enterprise Custom Large companies producing video across departments. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Stay on Free until a template or effect you need turns out to be Pro-only. When that happens, take Pro on the yearly plan. Ultra's extra AI credits only matter if you generate a lot of AI video or images inside CapCut. | Pro is the sweet spot because it drops the per-second price by about a fifth compared with Standard. Prices on the site are promotional and change often, so check the checkout figure before you commit to a year. | Creator covers most solo founders and marketers: no watermark, your own avatar and 30-minute videos. Move to Business only when you need SSO, more than one custom avatar or a team sharing the account. |
Key features
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | CapCut | Hailuo AI | HeyGen |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, CapCut, Hailuo AI or HeyGen?
HeyGen scores highest overall in our ratings (CapCut 4.0/5, Hailuo AI 3.7/5 and HeyGen 4.1/5). CapCut is best for TikToks, Reels and Shorts and automatic captions. Hailuo AI is best for high volumes of short social clips and animating photos cheaply. HeyGen is best for explainer and product videos and translating your videos.
Which is cheaper, CapCut, Hailuo AI or HeyGen?
CapCut: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at AUD $37.99/mo. Hailuo AI: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10.50/mo. HeyGen: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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