Runway vs HeyGen
Plans, free access, limits and intended use side by side, taken from each vendor’s own pages. No score and no winner: the facts show where the two differ.
Change tools
From a prompt to footage you can cut.
Create avatar-presented videos from a script and translate videos with lip-sync.
- Free access
- Runway: Free access
- HeyGen: Free access
- Paid from
- Runway: USD 12 per month
- HeyGen: USD 24 per month
- Plans listed
- Runway: 4
- HeyGen: 5
- Public API
- Runway: Yes
- HeyGen: Yes
Where Runway and HeyGen differ
- Pricing checkPricing review due for Runway; prices confirmed for HeyGen.
- PlansRunway lists 4 plans and HeyGen lists 5.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| Runway | Fact | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableFree · USD 0 | Free accessSame | Free access availableFree · USD 0 per month |
| USD 12 per monthStandard · billed yearly · USD 15 billed monthly | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 24 per monthCreator · billed yearly as USD 288 · USD 29 billed monthly |
| Free + paid | Pricing model | Free plan; paid Creator, Pro and Business |
| 4 | Plans listedDiffers | 5 |
| Yes | Public APISame | Yes |
| Not required | Card to startSame | Not required |
| No | Open sourceSame | No |
| What it is for | ||
| Generated video and footage editing | Built for | Avatar-presented videos and lip-synced video translation |
| Video & editing | CategorySame | Video & editing |
| Platforms |
|
| Works with |
|
| How current | ||
| Profile sources checked | ||
| Pricing review due · Sep 25, 2026 | Pricing checkDiffers | Prices confirmed · Oct 11, 2026 |
Official source check for both tools. No hands-on testing and no score: “Differs” marks a documented difference, not a better tool.
Plans and prices
Runway
Pricing review due · Sep 25, 2026- FreeUSD 0
- StandardUSD 12 per monthbilled yearly · USD 15 billed monthly
- ProUSD 28 per monthbilled yearly · USD 35 billed monthly
- MaxUSD 76 per monthbilled yearly · USD 95 billed monthly
HeyGen
Prices confirmed · Oct 11, 2026- FreeUSD 0 per monthno credit card required
- CreatorUSD 24 per monthbilled yearly as USD 288 · USD 29 billed monthly
- ProFrom USD 41 per monthbilled yearly as USD 488 · USD 49 billed monthly
- BusinessUSD 119 per monthbilled yearly as USD 1,428 · USD 149 billed monthly; extra seats USD 20 each per month
- EnterpriseContact provider
Strengths and limits
Runway
Strengths
- Lasting free account: Free is not a timed trial, and its credits stay until they are used.
- No watermark on paid plans: Standard and higher remove the watermark that free-generated videos carry.
- Published per-second rate: Gen-4.5 lists a credit cost per second, so a shot can be costed before it is generated.
Limits to plan around
- Free credits never renew: The 125 free credits are granted once and free users cannot buy more, so more generation means a paid plan.
- Model availability differs by plan: The free model selection may change, and some output formats are limited to higher plans.
- Output options add credit cost: ProRes or PNG sequence output adds 5 credits per second on the plans that offer it.
HeyGen
Strengths
- Published credit rates: The help center lists the credit cost per minute or per generation for each avatar model and feature.
- Free plan without a card: The Free plan needs no credit card and gives access to the editor, stock avatars and Avatar IV.
- Several export formats: Videos download at up to 4K on higher plans, with separate audio, captions SRT and SCORM options.
Limits to plan around
- Watermark on Free: Every Free video carries the HeyGen watermark, and Free sharing links are 720p.
- Limited top-ups below Business: Creator and Pro cannot buy one-time credit packs on web, so extra usage means a plan upgrade.
- Credits lost on exit: Unused credits do not carry over after cancellation, and pausing a plan expires the balance.
See both products
Start from your task, not from a winner.
Run both tools on the same real task, then compare the result, how much editing it needs and how fast it uses your plan’s allowance.
How we reviewChange this pair
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Comparing tools from different categories is fine, and often useful — a writing assistant and a research tool solve different halves of the same job. The table will show you exactly where they diverge.
Questions about comparing tools
How does the comparison work?
Add two tools to the comparison tray from any tool card, then open this page. The table pulls each tool's verified plan details, platforms, strengths and limits from its profile, so both columns carry the same kind of evidence, with a separate source-check date for each tool.
Do you declare a winner?
No. The table sets two tools against each other on documented facts, not on a score. Which one wins depends on your task, your budget and your usage volume — three things we cannot see from here.
Why are some cells empty or marked unverified?
Because we could not confirm that detail on the vendor's own pages. Rather than filling the gap with a figure from elsewhere, we mark it and say why on the tool's profile.
Can I compare more than two tools?
Not at once. Two columns keep the differences readable and force a real decision. Remove either selected tool to replace it, or clear both to start a new pair.
Every figure in the table above comes from the linked profile, where the source and the verification date are listed. Browse all tools or read the editorial policy.