Runway
Synthesia
| Feature | Runway | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | Free / from $22/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | filmmakers, content-creators, advertisers, video-editors | corporate-training, marketing-teams, hr-departments, educators |
| Founded | 2018 | 2017 |
| Text To Video | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image To Video | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Green Screen | ✓ | ✗ |
| Motion Brush | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inpainting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Upscaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Avatars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Language | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Avatars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Runway Pros
- Industry-leading video generation quality
- Comprehensive AI creative tools
- Text-to-video and image-to-video
- Professional-grade motion control
✗ Runway Cons
- Credits deplete quickly with video generation
- Expensive for heavy use
- Generated videos limited to a few seconds
✓ Synthesia Pros
- No camera needed
- Many AI avatars
- Multi-language support
- Fast production
✗ Synthesia Cons
- AI avatars not perfect
- Limited customization
- Expensive for volume
The Verdict
Runway is built for filmmakers and content creators, with a focus on text-to-video and image-to-video. Synthesia targets corporate training and marketing teams and leads with ai-avatars and text-to-video.
On pricing, Runway is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $12/mo compared to $22/mo for Synthesia. That $10/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Runway offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Synthesia takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.