Runway vs HeyGen
Generated video versus an avatar presenter
Both put a person on screen without a film crew, but they answer different briefs. Runway generates the shot; HeyGen makes a specific person say a specific script. Creators often end up wanting one of each.
Side by side
| Dimension | Runway | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Generate and edit AI video, images and audio on one credit balance | Script-to-video with a talking avatar and lip-synced translation |
| Starting price | Free $0; Standard $15/mo or $12/mo billed annually (US logged-out) | Free $0 with no credits; Creator $29/mo ($24/mo annual) |
| Cost driver | Credits per second of output — Gen-4.5 is 60 credits/5s, Aleph 2.0 is 140 credits/5s | Credits per minute of output, varying by avatar generation version |
| What you get on free | 125 one-time credits that never refill, watermark on every video | 1-minute videos, 1 custom avatar and 1 voice clone, personal use only per the Terms |
| Rights | You keep ownership from Standard up, no non-commercial restriction — but Runway takes a perpetual licence to train on your inputs and outputs | Terms restrict free-tier output to personal non-commercial evaluation |
Which to buy first
Pick Runway when you need footage you could not have filmed — establishing shots, stylised sequences, b-roll that does not exist yet.
Pick HeyGen when the point is you (or a consistent presenter) delivering words to camera, and you want that without a shoot day.
Where each one stands alone
Full entries: Runway andHeyGen. Each carries its own sourced facts, its own list of unverified items, and its own last-checked date.