Hedra alternativeElyum, pay only for keeps

Hedra is a multi-model studio best known for Character-3, its talking-avatar model that turns a portrait plus audio into a lip-synced clip. Independent reviewers in 2026 rated that lip-sync and those micro-expressions (blinks, eye shifts, head tilts) among the best they tested. The same account now reaches roughly 46 video, 35 image, and 12 audio models, plus API v3 and an MCP server. Illustrated and stylized faces are an area reviewers say Hedra handles better than most.

Hedra's pricing page lists Basic at $15/mo for 1,500 credits, Creator at $30/mo for 5,400, and Professional at $75/mo for 14,400. Those monthly credits do not roll over. Trustpilot is about 2.1/5, from billing and support complaints, not from weak output. A Trustpilot reviewer wrote that credits were charged even when the video had visible artifacts, and that refund requests went unanswered for a long time. A 2026 fluxnote.io review said every small revision costs multiple regenerations and several minutes, with no way to directly steer the result.

Elyum is one studio and one credit balance across 50+ models. 1 credit equals $0.01. Plans: Free (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card), Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo on pricing. Every render comes back as a free preview (a take). KEEP is the only charge. KILL refunds the rest automatically. A failed generation is never charged. Paid plans kill freely. Free meters kills at one a month. Kept takes download clean, no watermark, commercial use included. We do not have a timeline editor, stock footage, our own talking-head avatars, a mobile app, team seats, or a community feed.

This page is not for a talking-portrait specialist. Hedra's Character-3 is the reason to stay. Elyum has no avatar model, no stock faces, and no lip-sync product. Teams that need seats, SSO, or a dedicated Slack channel belong on Hedra Professional, Teams, or Enterprise. We do not offer those.

What it actually costs

Hedra's pricing page lists Basic at $15/mo (1,500 credits, slower generations, commercial use), Creator at $30/mo (5,400 credits, faster), and Professional at $75/mo (14,400 credits, fastest, Teams Plan access). Teams is also $75/mo for 14,400 credits with team access. Enterprise is custom. Monthly subscription credits expire at cycle end. Add-on packs are available on paid plans and, per a third-party review, persist month to month (not independently confirmed on hedra.com). Hedra does not publish cents per credit for the subscription plans. Character-3 at 720p is listed at 6 credits per second.

Elyum plans are Free (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card), Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, and Ultra $69/mo. 1 credit equals $0.01. Credits can be topped up. Pro and Ultra include fair-use unlimited image generation on selected image models, including Nano Banana 2 on Ultra. List prices already sit about 20% under comparable platforms. You preview for free, then KEEP or KILL.

Worked example: Hedra's API lists Seedance 2.5 from 14.85 cents per second. A kept 5-second 480p Seedance 2.5 take on Elyum is 40 credits ($0.40). A 15-second 720p take is 285 credits ($2.85). If you generate two previews and KEEP one, you pay for one take. Hedra subscription credits are spent when the job completes, including the revision you throw away. Side-by-side numbers are on Hedra vs Elyum for Seedance 2.5.