📌 Stock Avatars are included on all Synthesia plans — no creation or additional cost required.
💡 New to avatars? Start here: Which avatar type is right for me?
Stock avatars are provided by Synthesia and available immediately from the Avatar page. No setup, filming, or creation is required. There are four types of stock Avatars, each built on different technology and suited to different use cases.
Express-1 Stock Avatars
Express-1 stock Avatars are built from professionally filmed footage of real actors. They deliver the most realistic and consistent output of any stock Avatar type, making them well suited to long-form content, high-stakes communications, and automated video pipelines.
Each Express-1 Avatar adjusts its facial expressions and tone of voice based on the context of your script — no manual configuration required.
✍️ Express-1 Avatars are API compatible. To find the list of all stock Avatar IDs for use with Synthesia APIs, refer to the Stock Avatars documentation.
💡 Best for: compliance training, leadership communications, long-form content, and API-driven video workflows.
Express-2 Stock Avatars
Express-2 stock Avatars are pre-built generative Avatars based on real people. They combine natural hand gestures and flexible framing with body language that responds to your script, making them well suited to dynamic or conversational content.
💡 Best for: training videos, product walkthroughs, and conversational content where gesture and energy matter.
Synthetic Stock Avatars
Synthetic stock Avatars are fully AI-generated and not based on any real person. They combine a generated identity with Express-2 body movement, and support customizable outfits, backgrounds, and b-roll — making them the most flexible stock option for branded or scaled content.
If you want to customize a Synthetic Avatar’s look and scene, you can create b-roll clips, generate outfits, and use custom spaces/backgrounds.
💡 Best for: scaled content production, branded presenters, and use cases where a consistent AI-generated identity is preferred over a real person.
Legacy Stock Avatars
Legacy stock Avatars are older filmed avatars that pre-date the Express-1 and Express-2 generations. They remain available in the Avatar page but are being phased out and are not recommended for new content.
✍️ Avatars labelled "Expressive" in the Avatar browser are Legacy Avatars. "Expressive" was a previous label for a generation of stock avatars with enhanced facial expressions and sentiment prediction. These avatars are still available but are no longer a current avatar type and are not recommended for new content. If you are using an Expressive-labelled Avatar, consider switching to an Express-1 or Express-2 stock Avatar for improved quality and long-term support.
💡 Best for: existing workflows only. For new content, use Express-1 or Express-2 stock Avatars instead.
Troubleshooting
Lip sync issues
Lip sync problems — where the Avatar's mouth movement does not match the audio — can occur across all Avatar types but are most common with Legacy and Expressive-labelled Avatars.
If you experience lip sync issues:
Check your script for unusual punctuation, symbols, or long unbroken sentences. These can disrupt the avatar's speech timing.
Regenerating the script for that portion of the video. Occasional rendering inconsistencies can resolve on regeneration.
If the issue persists on a Legacy or Expressive-labelled Avatar, consider switching to an Express-1 or Express-2 stock Avatar.
Gaze drift
Some Express-2 and Express-1 stock Avatars may occasionally appear to look slightly away from the camera.
If you experience gaze drift:
For Synthetic avatars, select Regenerate to generate a new version of the Avatar. Output can vary between renders.
Try a different stock Avatar from the same type to see if the issue is specific to one avatar.
Legacy Avatar degradation
Legacy Avatars — including those labelled "Expressive" — may show degraded lip sync, reduced expressiveness, or inconsistent output over time. This is expected behavior as the Legacy generation is being phased out.
The recommended action is to migrate to an Express-1 or Express-2 stock Avatar. If you need help choosing a replacement, see Which avatar is right for me?
📚 For details on upcoming avatar and voice retirements, see Avatar and Voice retirement FAQs.
What's Next?
📚 Not sure which avatar type to use? See Which avatar is right for me?
📚 To add a stock avatar to your video, see How do I use an avatar in Synthesia?
📚 To check which avatars are available on your plan, see How do I check which avatars are available on my plan?