HeyGen
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Tavus
Developer platform for real-time conversational AI video — digital replicas that hold live face-to-face calls
Tavus is a developer platform for real-time conversational AI video — digital "replicas" that hold live face-to-face video calls using its Phoenix, Raven, and Sparrow models with sub-second response latency. The free tier includes 25 conversational-video minutes per month; Starter is $59/month for 100 minutes and Growth is $397/month for 1,250 minutes, plus per-minute overage. It is best for developers embedding video agents into products, not for no-code users.
Verified JUN 28, 2026 FREEMIUM Live
What is Tavus?
Tavus is a developer platform for building real-time, face-to-face conversational AI video. Its Conversational Video Interface (CVI) lets you create AI video agents — called replicas, or digital twins — that see, hear, and respond like a person on a live video call. The system runs on three in-house models: Phoenix-4 renders a photorealistic face in real time with accurate expressions, Raven-1 reads the user’s facial cues and emotional context, and Sparrow-1 handles low-latency conversational turn-taking. Together they target sub-second response times so a conversation feels natural rather than scripted.
You create a custom replica by uploading a short training video, or start immediately with one of the prebuilt stock replicas. Alongside the live conversational product, Tavus offers async script-to-video generation that turns text into a video of a chosen replica. Everything is exposed through documented REST APIs and SDKs, with a LiveKit integration for real-time streaming and white-label options, making it a building block developers wire into their own apps rather than a finished consumer tool.
Who is it for?
Tavus is aimed squarely at developers and product teams that want to embed real-time video agents into software. It is not a no-code app — meaningful use requires building against the API or SDK — so the value shows up when conversational video is a core feature of a product rather than a one-off video task.
- Developers building AI agents that need a real-time face and voice for support, sales, onboarding, or interview experiences.
- Companies in healthcare, education, and recruiting adding interactive video interfaces to their platforms.
- Sales and marketing teams generating personalized videos at scale from a single recorded replica.
- Startups prototyping avatars that want to test with stock replicas before investing in custom-trained ones.
How much does Tavus cost?
Starting price: $59/mo · Free tier: yes · Model: freemium
Pricing verified JUN 28, 2026
Price history tracked from June 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 25 conversational-video minutes per month · 5 minutes of video generation per month · Access to 25 stock replicas · White-labeled APIs |
| Starter | $59/mo | 100 conversational-video minutes per month · 10 minutes of video generation per month · 3 custom replicas per month · Up to 3 concurrent sessions; pay-as-you-go overage |
| Growth | $397/mo | 1,250 conversational-video minutes per month · 100 minutes of video generation per month · 7 custom replicas per month; 100+ stock replicas · Up to 10 concurrent sessions; lower overage rates |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited custom replicas · 100% white-label · Custom concurrency · Dedicated support and SLAs |
What are Tavus's key features?
- Conversational Video Interface (CVI) for real-time, two-way video conversations
- Phoenix-4 real-time human rendering model with accurate facial expressions
- Raven-1 multimodal perception that reads expressions and context
- Sparrow-1 low-latency turn-taking for natural conversation
- Custom replicas (digital twins) trained from a roughly one-minute video
- Library of 25+ stock replicas requiring no training
- Async script-to-video generation and white-labeled APIs and SDKs
What people use Tavus for
- 01 Building AI video agents for customer support, sales, or onboarding that respond in real time
- 02 Creating a digital twin of a presenter to generate scripted videos at scale
- 03 Adding a face-to-face conversational interface to a healthcare, education, or recruiting product
- 04 Generating personalized sales or follow-up videos from a single recorded replica
- 05 Prototyping interactive avatars with stock replicas before training a custom one
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Sub-second end-to-end response times make conversations feel natural | Costs scale fast: per-minute conversational and video-generation overages add up beyond plan limits |
| Free tier and stock replicas let developers prototype before paying | Developer- and API-first — there is no turnkey no-code app for non-technical users |
| Purpose-built API and SDKs with a LiveKit integration for production | Custom replicas are not instant; training takes hours and can queue longer under load |
| Three specialized in-house models for rendering, perception, and turn-taking | Enterprise pricing is contact-only and reportedly carries a high minimum |
What are the best Tavus alternatives?
Synthesia
AI video platform that generates studio-quality videos from text using AI avatars
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D-ID
Create AI talking-avatar videos from a photo and text in 120+ languages, plus real-time conversational avatars and a streaming API for digital humans
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Captions
AI video creation app for talking-head and social content, with AI avatars (Mirage) and a chat-based editor
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How people make money with Tavus
- Agency build service — develop branded conversational-video agents for clients' websites and apps on Tavus's API, charging a project build fee plus a monthly hosting-and-usage retainer
Frequently asked questions
Is Tavus free?
Tavus has a free developer tier that includes 25 minutes of conversational video and 5 minutes of video generation per month, plus access to 25 stock replicas. Paid plans start at $59 per month for higher limits and custom replicas.
How much does Tavus cost?
Tavus Starter is $59 per month for 100 conversational-video minutes and 3 custom replicas. Growth is $397 per month for 1,250 minutes and 7 replicas. Both add per-minute usage overage beyond their limits, and Enterprise pricing is custom.
What is a Tavus replica?
A replica is a digital twin of a person that Tavus can render in real time on video. You create a custom replica by uploading roughly a one-minute training video, or you can use one of the 25-plus prebuilt stock replicas with no training required.
Does Tavus have an API?
Yes. Tavus is API-first. It offers REST APIs and SDKs for conversational video, replica creation, and async video generation, documented for developers, with a LiveKit integration for real-time streaming.
How fast does Tavus respond in a conversation?
Tavus targets sub-second, end-to-end response times so its video agents feel conversational rather than scripted. Its Sparrow model handles turn-taking, Phoenix renders the face, and Raven reads the user's expressions and context.
Who is Tavus for?
Tavus is built for developers and companies embedding real-time video agents into products — common in customer support, sales, healthcare, education, and recruiting. It is not a no-code consumer app; meaningful use requires building against its API or SDK.