# Hoctav vs Synthesia

Synthesia is one of the best-known AI avatar platforms. But generating a video is not training. Let's compare on what matters for training.

## What Synthesia is

Synthesia is a general-purpose AI avatar platform, widely used for corporate and marketing videos: a broad choice of avatars, many languages, template-based creation. It is an excellent video _generator_ — its purpose is not instructional design.

## Angle 1 — Sovereignty & GDPR

Synthesia is published in the United Kingdom (outside the European Union since Brexit). Hoctav offers [European hosting](/en/hebergement-europe/) and works your scripts **from the corpus you provide**, without exposing your knowledge. For sensitive or regulated internal content, this is decisive.

## Angle 2 — Fit for training

Synthesia stages an avatar reading a script. Hoctav structures the teaching: [targeting the learner](/en/methode/ciblage-apprenant-avatar/), the [M.E.R.E. structure](/en/methode/structure-mere/) and [F.A.B.](/en/methode/methode-fab/) visuals synchronised with the narration. The video is not just good-looking: it makes people understand and remember.

![Stylised diagram of a structured instructional video process](/assets/img/illustrations/comparatif-hoctav-vs-synthesia/section-adequation-formation.webp)

## Angle 3 — Effort ↔ output relevance

With a generic generator, the effort is moderate but the output stays a "talking avatar": not very instructional without genuine scripting work upstream. Hoctav automates the scripting itself — low effort, high instructional relevance.

![Diagram comparing effort and relevance between two video solutions](/assets/img/illustrations/comparatif-hoctav-vs-synthesia/schema-effort-pertinence.webp)

| Criterion | Synthesia | Hoctav |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primary purpose | Video avatar generator (corporate, marketing) | Knowledge-transfer studio (training) |
| Designed for training | Not specifically | Yes, natively |
| Instructional structure (M.E.R.E.) | No | Yes, automatic |
| Instructional visuals (F.A.B.) | No (generic templates) | Yes, generated and synchronised |
| Speaker | Library avatars | Your own expert, digitised |
| From your corpus | Limited | Yes, without exposing your data |
| Hosting / GDPR | Publisher in the United Kingdom (outside the EU) | European hosting, GDPR |
| Effort ↔ output relevance | Moderate effort, generic output | Low effort, instructional output |

Comparison for guidance only, based on the primary purpose of each tool. Publishers' features evolve regularly.

## Who is it for?

**Synthesia** suits corporate and marketing communication at scale. **Hoctav** is built for training, HR and operational teams who want to pass on knowledge in a structured, measurable and compliant way — in Europe. It is the **French, instruction-focused alternative** to Synthesia.

![Illustration of the target audiences for each platform](/assets/img/illustrations/comparatif-hoctav-vs-synthesia/section-pour-qui.webp)

## Go further

[comparatif/hoctav-vs-heygen Learn more](/en/comparatif/hoctav-vs-heygen/) [methode Learn more](/en/methode/) [rgpd Learn more](/en/rgpd/)