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Runway vs HeyGen

A detailed head-to-head comparison to help you choose the right AI video tool.

8.8

Runway

Creative Professionals

VS
9.2

HeyGen

Marketing Teams

HeyGen wins with an overall score of 9.2/10. But the best choice depends on your specific needs — read on for the full breakdown.

Score Comparison

Ease of Use
8
9.5
Video Quality
9.5
9
Avatar Quality
7.5
9.4
Voice Quality
7
9
Value for Money
8.5
8.5
Features
9.2
9.3

Feature Comparison

FeatureRunwayHeyGen
AI Avatar Generation
Text-to-Video
Text-to-Speech
Video Templates
Brand Kit
API Access
Custom Avatar Creation
Team Collaboration
Auto Subtitles

Pros & Cons

Runway

Pros

  • Best-in-class text-to-video generation (Gen-3 Alpha)
  • Powerful video editing suite included
  • Image-to-video capability
  • Motion brush for precise control
  • Active research community

Cons

  • Not focused on talking head / avatar videos
  • Steeper learning curve than competitors
  • Credits consumed quickly for video generation
  • Generated videos limited to ~10 seconds

HeyGen

Pros

  • Extremely realistic AI avatars with natural lip-sync
  • 175+ languages with 300+ voice options
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop video editor
  • Fast rendering times (under 5 minutes)
  • API available for automation

Cons

  • Free plan is very limited (1 credit only)
  • Custom avatar creation requires Business plan
  • Some avatar gestures can look repetitive
  • Video length limited per credit
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