Free
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
Runway vs Synthesia: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
The short answer
Choose Runway if…
- you need parallel generations and a one-time free credit deposit to test models
- you want to pay $12/month for 625 credits and up to 3 projects
Choose Synthesia if…
Our pick for most people
- you need to remove the logo and access AI dubbing for business videos
- you want a generous free plan with 10 minutes of video and 10 minutes of dubbing every month
Bottom line: Synthesia is the better paid choice for professional avatar videos with dubbing.
Key differences
- Runway offers a free plan with 125 one-time credits and 5GB storage. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (runwayml.com), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Synthesia offers a free plan with 10 minutes of video per month and 10 minutes of AI Dubbing. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (synthesia.io), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Runway Standard costs $12/month for 625 credits and up to 3 projects. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (runwayml.com), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Synthesia Starter costs $29/month for 10 minutes of video and 48 minutes of AI Dubbing. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (synthesia.io), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Runway Pro costs $28/month for 2250 credits and up to 5 projects. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (runwayml.com), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Synthesia Creator costs $89/month for 30 minutes of video and 140 minutes of AI Dubbing. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (synthesia.io), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | Runway | Synthesia |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free $0Credits 125 one-time credits, Asset storage 5GB | Basic $0Video minutes 10 minutes of video / month, AI Dubbing 10 mins of AI-Dubbing, AI-generated… |
| Paid plans | Standard $12/moCredits 625 credits/mo, Projects Up to 3 projects, Storage 20GB storagePro $28/moCredits 2250 credits/mo, Projects Up to 5 projects, Brand Kit 1 Brand Kit, Custom voice c…Max $76/moCredits 9500 credits/mo, Projects Up to 10 projects, Brand Kits Up to 3 Brand Kits, Custo… | Starter $29/moVideo minutes 10 minutes of video / month, AI Dubbing 48 mins of AI Dubbing, AI-generated…Creator $89/moVideo minutes 30 minutes of video / month, AI Dubbing 140 mins of AI Dubbing, AI-generate… |
| Business plans | — | Enterprise CustomVideo minutes Unlimited minutes of video, AI Dubbing Unlimited minutes of dubbing, AI Ava… |
From each vendor's own pricing page · Runway checked Sep 27, 2026 · Synthesia checked Sep 27, 2026.
Our tests
We have not run our task suite on Runway or Synthesia yet, so this comparison has no test scores.
Questions people ask
Which tool is better for beginners?
Synthesia has a more generous free plan with 10 minutes of video per month, whereas Runway gives only 125 one-time credits.
Can I remove the watermark on the free plan?
No, Runway's free plan does not mention watermark removal, but Synthesia requires the Starter plan to remove the logo.
Which plan includes AI dubbing?
Synthesia includes AI Dubbing on paid plans starting at $29/month. Runway does not list AI Dubbing in its plans.
Do credits roll over?
Runway's Max plan allows credits to roll over for one month, but Standard and Pro credits reset. Synthesia does not mention credit rollover.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
Runway
- Pricing page · checked Sep 24, 2026runwayml.com/pricing ↩ text
Synthesia
- Pricing page · checked Sep 24, 2026synthesia.io/pricing ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
Runway
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
Pay if you need monthly credits and parallel generations; stick to free if you only need to try the tools once.
Based on pricing & docs — not yet tested by us
- Cheapest paid
- $12/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- —
Standard
$12/mo
Pro
$28/mo
Max
$76/mo
Synthesia
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
The free plan is generous for learning, but paying is essential for removing the logo and accessing dubbing.
Based on pricing & docs — not yet tested by us
- Cheapest paid
- $29/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- —
Basic
$0
Starter
$29/mo
Creator
$89/mo
Enterprise
Custom
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure