HeyGen Video 1.0: general-purpose T2V with synced audio via API

HeyGen Help (Last Updated September 30, 2026) introduces HeyGen Video—the company’s first general-purpose video model for cinematic clips from a prompt, without requiring an avatar (Help).

This is a gen-video product story (text / image / reference → clip), not an avatar-conversation or deepfake-research lane.

Modes: T2V, I2V, Ref2V

Per Help:

• Text to Video (T2V): describe a scene; get a clip with synchronized dialogue, ambience, and sound effects generated in the same call.
• Image to Video (I2V): drop in a reference image; the model animates it into a clip.
• Reference to Video (Ref2V): provide a reference video to guide motion, composition, or style. Billing covers input video seconds + output video seconds; image and audio references are free.

Availability and channels

HeyGen says the model is available via API right now; web platform access is coming soon—do not call web GA (Help).

Named access paths: HeyGen API, OpenRouter (primary launch partner), Runware, and ComfyUI.

Runware’s companion card lists model ID heygen:[email protected], status live, release September 30, 2026, and outputs of 5 to 15 second clips at 480p or 768p (Runware).

Pricing (HeyGen Help)

Help bills per second of output video and runs a 50% launch promotion through the end of October (standard rates from November). Promo rates from Help:

Mode	480p (promo)	768p (promo)	Nov+ 480p	Nov+ 768p
T2V / I2V	$0.01 / sec	$0.015 / sec	$0.02 / sec	$0.03 / sec
Ref2V	$0.02 / sec	$0.03 / sec	$0.04 / sec	$0.06 / sec

Attribute dollars to HeyGen Help. Runware publishes a separate reseller matrix—cite that URL if you quote those figures; do not merge the two tables.

Vendor comparison claims (not ours)

Help cites blind side-by-sides on the Artificial Analysis Arena query set and a competitor list-price table, and says HeyGen Video ranked #1 in those vendor-framed evals. Those ranks and “fraction of competitor prices” lines are HeyGen’s claims—not independent newsroom scores, and this desk invents no Elo numbers (Help).

Who should care

Builders who want API-first cinematic clips with synced audio—not avatar-only workflows—should start at HeyGen Help and, for duration/resolution, the Runware heygen:[email protected] card. Keep API now / web soon, use Help promo rates for dollars, and treat arena ranks as vendor marketing.