So many AI tools — and so much SCAM!?
As a creative person, former semi-professional musician, web developer, and graphic designer with a large output of ideas and a broad skillset, I’ve come to terms with AI after some initial resistance and am now working intensively with it. I use it as a lever for my output. After all, I don’t really have any other choice, since the whole world is idolizing AI. Anyone who doesn’t participate automatically falls behind. So far, so good!
I now have five paid accounts with some of the leading and highly touted AI platforms. But what I’m noticing is that many of them employ vague and dubious practices. A cynic might suspect something fishy: but in some cases, they’re outright ripping us off!
For your own research, I’d like to give you a few concrete examples:
HEYGEN — Unlimited video generation. Oh really?!
I spent hours trying to find a suitable AI tool that wouldn’t charge me for every little test generation of talking-head avatars and would essentially offer a “flat rate.” I kept coming across articles and ads for HEYGEN, the tool many people swear by.
I tested the free account and found the quality of the AI Avatars really good. Then I decided to subscribe to the “HeyGen Team Unlimited Platform” plan. For a mere $49 a month…
HEYGEN promised that with this plan I could create an unlimited number of talking-head avatars. Great!, I thought — Now I can really get going!
But after just a few experiments, I realized that you actually need extra credits for the high quality the company advertises everywhere! So, if you don’t pay extra, all you get is ridiculously animated lip-syncing — stiff and unrealistic!
So much for “Best Tool for Realistic Avatars — Unlimited Video Generations”!!
The best part is: I can’t find ANYTHING about my “HeyGen Team Unlimited Platform” plan under “Subscriptions” in my account anymore. It says I have a “Free Account.”
When I look on the HeyGen website, I can’t find the plan I signed up for just two weeks ago! It’s simply gone. And of course, there was no notification…
But at least they send you an email for every video generation: “Your avatar video is finished,” even though it’s still at 40% rendering. And by the way, you can’t turn off these emails anywhere. Super annoying.
So, you have to decide for yourself, but I absolutely cannot recommend HeyGen. In my opinion, it’s a scam!
Google AI Pro with Flow, Whisk and Gemini
I recently needed more storage space in Google Drive for a client project. After a little consideration, I got the “Google AI Pro” account with 2TB of storage and various AI tools.
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I have to say, I’m somewhat satisfied. Well, let’s say about 80% ;-)
- Google Drive is simply fantastic. There’s absolutely nothing to complain about.
- Gemini is great: The tool never seems to get tired and lets me create unlimited chats of any length. I also have the feeling that Gemini takes more time to “think” than ChatGPT, and therefore the results are better.
- What I notice compared to ChatGPT is that Gemini somehow comes across as more “professional.” It doesn’t use all those fun words and annoying emoticons like ChatGPT.
- I really like Whisk. I can create images almost without limits and very quickly. While not always in superb quality and resolution, it’s ideal for websites as source images for video generation, or for quick brainstorming.
My experience with Google Flow (with NanoBanana and VEO)
No question: Flow with VEO can create stunning videos! But I don’t always get a smooth workflow with it. Why?
1. Overly sensitive censorship: Far too often, prompts are recognized as “sexual content” or as a “guidelines violation.” Even mentioning the word “bikini” is enough. That’s annoying. What’s also happened to me quite often: My own images are flagged as “copyright infringement.” Oh well…
2. Generations often fail. Okay, that could be due to high user traffic, but it’s still sometimes frustrating. However, I have the feeling that the tool is “throttled” after many consecutive generations to prevent me from consuming too many resources. This isn’t really fair, since I’m paying for it with my fixed monthly credit allowance.
3. Flow isn’t particularly suitable for talking-head avatars, as you have very limited control over movements, speech output, and lip movements. And: Unfortunately, it can only generate 8-second clips, which is a significant hassle if you want to create, for example, a 2-minute short video.
My conclusion with Google AI Pro: For around $20 a month, despite the few drawbacks, you get decent products that are also optimized over time. All in all, I’m satisfied.
Elevenlabs: My Experience with the Creator Plan
Since I work a lot with audio and music, I eventually stumbled across Elevenlabs. After a trial period, I also subscribed to their Creator Plan.
Elevenlabs is often described as “too expensive,” and yes, it’s not cheap.
But why do I trust Elevenlabs?
- I don’t feel like I’m being ripped off.
- The toolset is constantly being expanded and improved.
- The quality is consistently high.
The audio quality and functionality are outstanding. You have very high control over intonation, can design and clone voices, and much more.
What’s a bit annoying is the fact that you have to pay for every single generation.
Elevenlabs now also allows you to generate videos. I’ve tried this a few times, but without success. Every time I load the interface to generate videos, my computer overheats or crashes. There seems to be a frontend performance issue, which is why I’ve avoided it so far.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to invest in your business or project and get the best available AI tools, absolutely take the time to do thorough research! Even forums and Reddit are full of employees (or hired freelancers) from the respective platforms who leave positive reviews. Trust your gut feeling and read between the lines!
And most importantly: Cheap isn’t better! Don’t trust ads!
