Kinoslide vs Synthesia for course creators

October 23, 2026 · 4 min read

Synthesia and Kinoslide both turn written material into narrated video. They make very different videos. Synthesia puts an AI avatar on screen to present the script. Kinoslide has no presenter. It draws or animates the lesson in time with the narration.

This page compares the two for one job: turning course material, like a textbook chapter or a slide deck, into video lessons. Facts about Synthesia come from its own website as of October 2026.

At a glance

What it makes. Synthesia: an AI avatar presenting to camera, with slides and media around it. Kinoslide: a lesson drawn on a whiteboard or blackboard, or animated slides, with a narrator's voice and no presenter.
Starting point. Synthesia: write a script, or let its AI Video Assistant draft one from a prompt, link, or file. Kinoslide: upload a PDF and pick the pages for one lesson.
PowerPoint. Synthesia imports PowerPoint files. Kinoslide needs the deck exported as a PDF.
Languages. Synthesia: 140+. Kinoslide: 11, on every plan.
Paid plans. Synthesia: Starter $29 a month for about 12 minutes, Pro $89 for about 60 minutes. Kinoslide: Basic $30 for 50 minutes, Pro $100 for 100 minutes, Scale $600 for 500 minutes.
Export. Synthesia: MP4, with SCORM on Enterprise. Kinoslide: MP4.
Built for. Synthesia: enterprise L&D, HR, sales, and marketing teams. Kinoslide: course creators and course providers.

What the video looks like

A Synthesia video is a person on screen. You choose from its stock avatars or create your own, and the avatar reads the script. Slides, images, and text sit beside or behind it. This suits videos where a face matters, like a welcome message, a policy announcement, or sales training.

A Kinoslide video is the lesson itself. In Dry Erase, diagrams, handwriting, and equations are drawn in marker as the narration reaches them, and then they move. In Presentation, the content becomes animated slides. The viewer watches the idea being built, step by step. This suits material that has to be explained, like a finance calculation, a process, or a concept from a textbook.

Starting from course material

Synthesia's AI Video Assistant can draft a video from a document, link, or prompt, and Synthesia imports PowerPoint decks. You then edit the scenes, pick an avatar, and render.

Kinoslide starts from the document. You upload a PDF, pick the page range for one lesson, and choose the format, length, and language. Kinoslide writes the narration from those pages, builds the visuals, and generates the voiceover. On Pro and Scale, the video stops at a storyboard first, so a reviewer can edit any line or visual before it renders.

For a course with many chapters, Kinoslide projects keep the voice, look, language, and style rules the same across every video.

Pricing

Synthesia prices by credits. On monthly billing, Starter is $29 for 1,250 credits, which Synthesia says is about 12 minutes. Pro is $89 for 6,000 credits, about 60 minutes. Annual billing lowers those to $18 and $64 a month. A free plan includes 10 minutes with a watermark. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Kinoslide prices by minutes. One credit is one minute of requested video. Basic is $30 a month for 50 credits, Pro is $100 for 100, and Scale is $600 for 500. Annual billing is 20% less. The free plan includes 5 credits, with videos up to 2 minutes.

At list prices on monthly billing, Synthesia Pro works out to about $1.48 per minute, and Kinoslide Pro to $1.00 per minute.

Languages

Synthesia lists more than 140 languages. Kinoslide supports 11: English, French for France and Canada, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Turkish, Indonesian, Russian, Hindi, and Arabic. In Kinoslide, every language is on every plan, and the script, on-screen text, and narration are all generated in the language you choose.

LMS and export

Both export MP4 files you can upload to any LMS or course platform. Synthesia lists SCORM export on its Enterprise plan and can embed videos in an LMS. Kinoslide exports MP4 only. Presentation videos in Kinoslide can also be exported as a PowerPoint or PDF deck for a handout.

Which one to choose

Choose Synthesia if your learners need a presenter on screen, if you need SCORM, or if you need a language outside Kinoslide's 11.

Choose Kinoslide if your course is built on a textbook or slides and the lesson needs to be explained visually, with the diagram or the math drawn as it is described. Learnedly, a Canadian continuing education provider, makes its course videos this way. You can read how Learnedly makes its course videos.

The first Kinoslide video is free. Upload one chapter of a course you already teach and compare the result.

Common questions

Is Kinoslide a Synthesia alternative?

For course lessons, yes. Both turn material into narrated video. Synthesia puts an AI avatar on screen. Kinoslide has no presenter and draws or animates the content as it is explained. Pick by which kind of video your learners need.

Which one is cheaper per minute of video?

Kinoslide Basic is $30 a month for 50 minutes of video, and Pro is $100 for 100 minutes. Synthesia Starter is $29 a month for about 12 minutes, and Pro is $89 for about 60 minutes, on monthly billing. Both vendors offer lower annual prices.

Does Kinoslide export SCORM?

No. Kinoslide exports MP4 files, which you upload to your LMS or course platform. Synthesia lists SCORM export on its Enterprise plan.

Can I upload PowerPoint to either one?

Synthesia imports PowerPoint files. Kinoslide takes PDFs, so export the deck as a PDF first.