Which workflow fits?
Anam Starter suits a modular API evaluation with sessions of up to five minutes. Its selected monthly allowance is 50 minutes, followed by metered overage. Confirm the language model and speech path in the actual configuration.
LiveAvatar Essential separates Full and Lite modes. Its 1,100 paid shared credits allow 550 Full minutes or 1,100 Lite minutes when used exclusively in that mode. Long conversations and a mixed-mode workload need a different estimate from short trials.
At 100 monthly connected minutes in five-minute Full sessions, the selected Anam estimate is $20 versus $99 for LiveAvatar Essential. At 1,000 minutes, the same examples are $164 and $184.50. These examples exclude taxes and preparation and do not select the cheapest plan from every tier.
Compare the specifications
| Detail | Anam | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Model | CARA-4 | LiveAvatar |
| Full avatar usage rate | $9.60/hr | $11.40/hr |
| Full billing basis | Starter overage | Essential Full overage |
| Video-only usage rate | Not published | $5.70/hr |
| Video billing basis | Separate video rate not verified | Essential Lite overage |
| Full response timing | <1 s · Median full conversation, vendor claim | Not verified · Full conversation timing not established |
| Video timing | 180 ms · Median server-side latency | <300 ms · First frames, vendor claim |
| Output resolution | 1152 × 768 · Landscape or rotated portrait | 1080p on request · Needs appropriate source footage; HD increases latency |
| FPS | 25 FPS · CARA-4 output | Not published · No verified specification in the cited sources |
| Custom motions | Not verified · Custom signature animation control not established | Recorded gestures · Source footage controls movement; no dynamic gesture control |
| Moderation control | Not verified · An unmoderated or configurable mode has not been verified | Not verified · An unmoderated or configurable mode has not been verified |
| Deployment | Hosted API | Hosted API |
Latency definitions
CARA-4's conversation claim and LiveAvatar's first-frame claim use different clocks. Anam's 1152×768 output and LiveAvatar's conditional 1080p access also need their exact model, avatar, and plan context.
Measure the same event at both providers before selecting a fastest option. Include network and speech-stack behavior in complete conversation tests.
Compare your monthly workload
Illustrative totals for the selected monthly plans, using five-minute connected sessions. Each row uses one mode for the entire allowance. Video Only excludes an external voice stack. Taxes, avatar preparation, and unlisted add-ons are excluded.
| Provider and mode | 100 min/month | 1,000 min/month | 10,000 min/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anam Full AvatarStarter monthly | $20.00 | $164.00 | $1,604.00 |
| Anam Video OnlyStarter monthly | Not estimatedA matching video-only tariff is not verified. | Not estimatedA matching video-only tariff is not verified. | Not estimatedA matching video-only tariff is not verified. |
| HeyGen LiveAvatar Full AvatarEssential monthly | $99.00 | $184.50 | $1,894.50 |
| HeyGen LiveAvatar Video OnlyEssential monthly | $99.00 | $99.00 | $944.50 |
Anam: Billed session time includes silence. Starter sessions last at most five minutes. Watermark retained. Billing source ↗
HeyGen LiveAvatar: 1,100 shared paid credits. Each estimate uses one mode only; allowances are alternatives. Proportional-minute estimate; partial-minute rounding is unspecified. Free credits excluded. Billing source ↗
Questions for a production trial
- Confirm the exact model, mode, and plan in both sessions.
- Use the same audio and documented output conditions.
- Test short turns, interruptions, idle time, and session failures.
- Record delivered FPS, resolution, and total billed cost.