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HeyGen vs Runway

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Verdict

HeyGen is listed under Video AI and Runway under Image & Visual AI. Both have a free plan or trial. Only HeyGen is available on CLI.

Best overall

Runway

  • Filmmakers
  • Video creators
  • Marketers and ad teams
  • Designers

Choose HeyGen if

  • You want a tool built for Avatar-presented training and explainer videos.
  • Free plan with no time limit, though capped at 3 videos a month.
  • Video Translation with voice preservation and lip-sync in 175+ languages.

Choose Runway if

  • You want a tool built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation.
  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace.
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0.
Best for beginners
HeyGen
Best for business
HeyGen

Features

18 features compared.

  • AI Studio
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Avatars
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Video Translation
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Video Agent
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Multiple input types
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Voice cloning
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Interactive video and SCORM export
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Developer API
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Identity verification and moderation
    HeyGen
    Available
    Runway
    Not available
  • Gen-4.5 video model
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Creative Agent
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Multiple models
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Characters
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Aleph and Act-Two
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Audio tools
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Workflows and Recipes
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Runway Dev API
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available
  • Runway MCP
    HeyGen
    Not available
    Runway
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    HeyGen
    Freemium
    Runway
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    HeyGen
    Yes
    Runway
    Yes
  • Starting price
    HeyGen
    $0
    Runway
    $0
  • Plans
    HeyGen
    5 plans
    Runway
    4 plans

HeyGen plans

  • Free

    $0

    3 videos per month, up to 1 minute each

    • 1 custom avatar
    • 500+ stock avatars
    • 30+ languages
    • Up to 3 Photo Avatars
    • 1 voice clone
    • Standard processing

  • Creator

    Most popular

    $29/month

    600 credits per month, videos up to 30 minutes

    • Watermark removal
    • Unlimited Photo Avatars
    • Voice cloning
    • 175+ languages and dialects
    • Credit rollover
    • 700+ stock avatars
    • Fast processing

  • Pro

    $49/month

    From 1,000 credits per month, videos up to 30 minutes

    • Everything in Creator
    • 4K export
    • Faster processing
    • Customizable monthly usage
    • All advanced AI models
    • Editing of translated scripts

  • Business

    $149/month

    1,500 credits per month plus $20 per extra seat, videos up to 60 minutes

    • Team seats
    • Workspace collaboration
    • SAML/SSO
    • Centralized billing
    • 5+ custom avatars
    • Interactive video
    • SCORM export
    • LMS integrations
    • Credit packs or auto-reload

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Contact sales

    • No maximum video length
    • SCIM provisioning
    • MFA
    • Invoice billing
    • Priority support
    • Dedicated customer success manager
    • Custom onboarding

Runway plans

  • Free

    $0

    125 one-time credits that do not expire

    • A selection of generative models
    • 5GB storage

  • Standard

    $15/month

    625 credits per month; $12 per month billed annually

    • All video and image models
    • Creative Agent
    • 5 parallel generations
    • Music and voice and sound effects
    • Up to 3 projects
    • No watermarks
    • 4K upscaling
    • 20GB storage

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $35/month

    2,250 credits per month; $28 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Standard
    • 15 parallel generations
    • Up to 5 projects
    • 1 Brand Kit
    • 1 custom voice clone
    • Top-up credits
    • Runway MCP
    • Unlimited 4K video upscaling
    • 100GB storage

  • Max

    $95/month

    9,500 credits per month; $76 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Pro
    • Early access to new models
    • 20 parallel generations
    • Up to 10 projects
    • Up to 3 Brand Kits
    • Up to 3 custom voice clones
    • HDR and ProRes and image sequence outputs
    • 500GB storage

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

HeyGen
8.3overall
Runway
8.4overall

  • Avatar Realism & Lip Sync

    HeyGen
    9.0
    Runway
    Not rated

  • Video Translation

    HeyGen
    9.0
    Runway
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    HeyGen
    8.5
    Runway
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    HeyGen
    7.0
    Runway
    Not rated

  • Developer & Team Features

    HeyGen
    8.0
    Runway
    Not rated

  • Video Quality

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Runway
    9.0

  • Camera & Motion Control

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Runway
    8.8

  • Model Variety

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Runway
    8.5

  • Editing Tools

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Runway
    8.6

  • Pricing Clarity

    HeyGen
    Not rated
    Runway
    7.2

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

HeyGen

Pros

  • Free plan with no time limit, though capped at 3 videos a month
  • Video Translation with voice preservation and lip-sync in 175+ languages
  • Text-based editor with Brand Kit, captions and multi-user editing
  • Custom avatars and voice cloning on every plan, including Free
  • Public API with CLI and MCP server, and iOS and Android apps
  • Business plan adds SAML/SSO, SCORM export and LMS integrations

Cons

  • Free plan limits videos to 1 minute and 3 per month
  • 4K export and advanced AI models need Pro at $49 per month or higher
  • Credit-based pricing makes the cost of a video depend on model, length and complexity
  • Business starts at $149 per month plus $20 for each extra seat
  • Android app is stated as available in the U.S. only

Runway

Pros

  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0
  • Creative Agent builds videos from a conversation
  • Runway Dev API with Node and Python SDKs
  • Free plan with 125 credits that do not expire
  • Native iOS and Android apps

Cons

  • Credit-based pricing: a 5-second Gen-4.5 clip costs 60 credits, so the 625 credits on Standard cover about 10 such clips
  • Standard and Pro credits do not roll over at the end of the month
  • Some App Store reviewers complain about the cost of failed or unusable generations
  • 4K upscaling is unlimited only on Pro and Max

Platforms

  • Web
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Runway
    Supported
  • Windows
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Runway
    Not supported
  • macOS
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Runway
    Not supported
  • iOS
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Runway
    Supported
  • Android
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Runway
    Supported
  • API
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Runway
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    HeyGen
    Not supported
    Runway
    Not supported
  • CLI
    HeyGen
    Supported
    Runway
    Not supported

Integrations

HeyGen

5 integrations
  • ChatGPT
  • Zapier
  • Make
  • n8n
  • HubSpot

Runway

5 integrations
  • Runway MCP
  • ChatGPT plugin
  • Meta Ads
  • Google Ads
  • TikTok Ads

Company

  • Company
    HeyGen
    HeyGen
    Runway
    Runway AI, Inc.
  • Founded
    HeyGen
    2020
    Runway
    2018
  • Headquarters
    HeyGen
    Los Angeles, CA
    Runway
    New York, NY
  • Monthly users
    HeyGen
    30M+
    Runway
    Not listed
  • Listing
    HeyGen
    Claimed
    Runway
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is HeyGen better than Runway?

It depends on your workflow. HeyGen is built for Avatar-presented training and explainer videos. Runway is built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation.

What are the key feature differences between HeyGen and Runway?

HeyGen: Create avatar videos from text and translate them into 175+ languages. Runway: AI video, image and audio creation suite with Gen-4.5, agents and an API. HeyGen is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does HeyGen or Runway have a free plan?

Yes, both do. HeyGen is freemium and Runway is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, HeyGen or Runway?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.