Curata AI

Runway vs HeyGen

A side-by-side look at Runway and HeyGen — pricing, features and where each one wins. Both are reviewed independently on Curata AI.

RunwayHeyGen
SummaryAI video generation, editing and visual effects for creators.AI avatars and video translation from a script.
PricingFreemiumFreemium
CategoryVideoVideo
PlatformsWebWeb
Key features
  • Text-to-Video
  • Image-to-Video
  • Motion Brush
  • Green Screen
  • Frame Interpolation
  • AI Avatars
  • Video Translation
  • Voice Cloning
  • Templates
Pros
  • Cutting-edge models
  • Pro-grade editor
  • End-to-end workflow
  • Regular model upgrades
  • Realistic avatars
  • Great translation feature
  • Fast turnaround
Cons
  • Credits burn quickly
  • Best features require Standard+ plan
  • Best avatars require higher plans
  • Uncanny in edge cases

Read the full Runway review

Runway is the most complete AI video platform in 2026. It ships state-of-the-art video generation, image-to-video, motion brush, inpainting, green screen and a real editor around it — so you can go from prompt to finished clip in one place. Credits burn quickly on the newest models, but if you take AI video seriously and want a professional workflow rather than a novelty app, Runway is the pick.

Runway review →Runway alternatives →

Read the full HeyGen review

HeyGen makes it easy to create talking-head videos from a script using AI avatars, or to translate an existing video into another language with lip-sync. It is the standard tool for L&D teams, marketers and creators who need scalable video without a studio. Quality of the top-tier avatars is convincingly close to real recordings.

HeyGen review →HeyGen alternatives →