Elai.io Review: Pros, Cons & Features in 2023
This Elai.io review will discuss this cloud-based software's pros, cons, and features.
We tested Elai to give you a detailed review, tips, user opinions, and our verdict on this platform. Read on to learn more.
What is Elai?
Elai is an Ukranian startup company founded in 2021. They use AI technology to create videos directly in a web browser without cameras or other equipment.
The strong point of Elai is a vast library of human-like avatars you can use to make a video. These avatars speak your script with fantastic voice quality and lip-synching. The platform includes a video editor to edit the video without needing any external tool.
Check how you can use Elai in this video

What makes Elai an exciting option for creating videos?
Ultra-low-cost video making: You can create a video from scratch using only a web browser and an internet connection. Costs start as low as $23/month.
No need for hiring actors: Pick an avatar to act as a presenter in your video. There are 35+ diverse avatars to choose from.
You can make videos without showing your face: Create a YouTube channel with no need to show yourself on the screen.
Create multilingual videos in no time and at no additional costs: If you are into different markets, forget about localization processes. Elai features auto-translation and closed captions.
Easy learning curve: You don't need previous experience since the platform is intuitive and straightforward.
Getting started with Elai
First of all, you must sign-up for an account. All you need to create a video with Elai is a web browser and an internet connection. The software offers pre-made templates, various diverse avatars, and many editing features to help you create a video in just minutes.
Using Elai, you can create any type of video:
- Social media videos.
- Learning and courses videos
- Video presentations.
- YouTube videos.
- Product demos and reviews
- Training videos.
- How-to guides
- Onboarding videos.
- Marketing videos.
- Tutorial videos.
- Headline-grabbing news videos.
Elai main features
- 65+ languages in 450+ voices.
- 35+ diverse human avatars.
- 50+ pre-made customizable video templates.
- Free-royalty music, graphics, and video assets with Lottie animations.
- Auto captions, subtitles, and automatic translations.
- URL to video automatic conversion.
- Full video editor, including transitions and animations.
- Voiceover uploads: Record and upload your own voice to create a custom avatar.
- Custom music and custom fonts upload.
- Multi-scene videos.
- ChatGPT integration for easy script creation.
- Custom avatars, selfie avatars, and cartoon avatars.
- Branding kit.
- PPT to video: Convert PPT files to video with voiceovers and many languages.
- Proprietary API.
- Integrations: Thinkific, Descript, Pexels, and more via Zapier.
- Up to two users account on advanced plan.
- 1080p and 4K ultra HD videos depending on plan.
- Commercial rights: You own the copyright of videos for monetizing or commercial purposes.
How to create a video with Elai
1-Choose start with a template, AI storyboard, from URL, e-commerce, or from a PPT presentation.
2-Select template: You can preview it and change the avatar. Maybe you don't find the ideal template; in this case, it is still possible to build your video from scratch with the option "Create a blank video."
Set your preferred format 16:9 9:16 or 1:1
3-Choose your avatar from a library of 35+ avatars with many ethnicities, genders, and outfits. You can play a preview of avatar looking and voice.
There are three options for avatar presentation: Transparent (integrated within template background), circle (avatar into a circle), or without avatar. You can change the avatar size and position by dragging and dropping it.
You can even choose an avatar outfit, casual, or business look.
Creating a video without avatars greatly expands the platform's possibilities to make any video you need.
4-Customization options: There are many customization options by adding text, images, videos, stickers, GIFs, and Lottie animations (a unique Elai feature). You can also record your screen and add it to your video, which is a valuable resource because you don't have to go out and use an external application or software.
The editor includes a basic set of animations, which only can be applied to the whole slide.
Regarding audio assets, you can use many free-royalty music files covering corporate, holiday, pop, rock, classical, and house and electronic genres. But don't worry if you can't find the perfect one; uploading your music tracks to play with your video is still possible. The platform currently supports most common audio file formats.
Voices work similarly. You can choose between upbeat, promo, narration, conversational, fast-paced, calm, slow-paced, and child. You can record your voice using a standard PC microphone or upload your pre-recorded voiceover.
We only know English and Spanish, so we can't say how good other languages and voices sound. In our testing, these two sounded quite good. Elai has an extensive help article about improving voice quality to get the best possible outcome.
Regarding voiceovers, an amazing feature of Elai allows you to upload your own voiceover recording in any language and then narrate it in English, Spanish, Hindi, Polish, Portuguese, German, French and Italian.
5-Script: You can paste your script on the text box or add an audio script. The audio script can be uploaded from a file or recorded from your PC microphone.
Furthermore, AI Video Storyboard takes advantage of Chat-GPT integration to create or rewrite existing content. Elai's Chat-GPT integration allows you to paste and improve a script, a feature not present in similar platforms.
Check how the video storyboard works in this video:

6-Preview your video
Once you have your video ready, you can preview it before submitting it. In this stage, the avatar is fixed with no animation. Click submit, and you get the video in your email some minutes later.
What sets Elai apart from its competitors
Elai pricing is the best in its class. For $29/month billed monthly or $23/month billed annually, you get 15 minutes of video per month, an unbeatable price you won't find in any similar app.
Within their advanced plan of $304/month, you can get up to 200 minutes of video per month. Let's compare this with HeyGen; they will charge $450/month for 180 minutes. HeyGen offers more features like talking photos and face swap, but if you don't need any of these, Elai is a clear winner.
Automatic translations
You can translate any video with a single click; this includes all the slide text. We tested this unique feature translating a video from English to Spanish and it worked OK with no errors.
Integrations
Elai offers a proprietary API and a complete set of native integrations. These include Thinkific and Udemy for easy course creation, Descript for video editing, PowerPoint to create videos from PP files, Pexels for graphic assets, and Medium to include videos in your posts. If you need another software not included here, the Zapier integration will help.
Four options for creating custom avatars
Studio avatar to get a professional-looking presenter.
Selfie avatar to create an animated avatar of yourself in no time using a smartphone or a webcam.
Photo avatar to create a cartoon talking head from a single photo.
Animated mascot to get a fully customizable animated talking character.
Note that Studio avatar and selfie avatar can also include voice cloning. This nifty feature adds a lot of value to the custom avatar option.
Continuous product updates
Elai improves its product regularly by adding new features and avatars.
Elai pricing
Elai pricing ranges from 15 minutes/month to 200 minutes/month. If you need more minutes, ask them for a custom plan. You can try the platform for free with a 1-minute video, and the next paid plan is $23/month (billed annually) for 15 minutes of video creation.
As we stated before, Elai pricing is the best in this type of platform, and the overall quality of the videos and avatar appearance is excellent.
For a custom avatar, you will pay $500/year with professional quality or $259/year if you use your cell phone or camera to take a selfie. If you need voice cloning, then add $500/year.
What we would like Elai to improve
Onboarding and tutorials
Elai provides a knowledge base where you will find articles about getting started, pricing, and more. But there are no tutorials or even video tutorials. This is a common issue in this type of software and sets Synthesia ahead, with lots of tutorials and videos that help to get the most out of the platform.
Avatar gestures
There are no avatar gestures, an exciting feature Synthesia has recently added. Furthermore, Colossyan Creator is the only platform that lets you adjust AI avatars' ages, emotions, and expressions.
Stock avatars
Although Elai currently offers 35 avatars, we would like more options here. Synthesia features 100+ avatars, and HeyGen excels with 120+ stock avatars.
Rendering time
In our experience, a 1-minute video took 7 minutes, quite a long time for the industry standards.
Elai reviews and support
Support is handled via chat, and in case you don´t get the proper answer you can open a support ticket.
G2 shows 34+ ratings and reviews with a 4.8/5 score, an excellent ratio that shows how the platform works from the user's side. Trustpilot shows 63+ reviews with a 4.4/5 score. Considering both review websites, we can conclude that Elai meets customers' expectations with a good record.
Elai review: Our verdict
While testing Elai, the overall process was straightforward and intuitive. You don't need to be an expert to use it or to create a video. We got stuck with a pair of glitches, and it was necessary to reload the page to make things work again.
Regarding avatars, quality and lip-synching (two critical factors in this type of software) are good and among the best in their class.
There are many customization options and integrations, but we would like a wider choice of stock avatars. Since Elai improves its product regularly, new avatars will surely come shortly.
After trying Elai, we can affirm it has one of the best cost-relation benefit in the market. If you are looking for a text to video platform with human avatars for personal use, Elai is one of the best options you can try.