Synthesia is cheaper, but covers only 4 of 11 compared capabilities
$0/mo (Basic) vs Runway Standard at $15/mo — covering 36% of the 11 compared capabilities.
Cheaper. Not the same job.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Standard plan at $15/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Basic: 0 USD/monthly.
Runway costs $15/mo on the Standard plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 11 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Synthesia covers 36% of the 11 capabilities compared against Runway. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Synthesia | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-video | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple generation models | ✗ | ✓ |
| API access | ↑ Creator | ✓ |
| Upscaling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Watermark removal | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
| Audio generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image-to-video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video-to-video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Lip sync | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice cloning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team collaboration | ↑ Starter | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Runway has that Synthesia lacks.
- Multiple generation models — Choose between multiple underlying video generation models.Missing from Synthesia.
- API access — Generate video programmatically via an API.Missing from Synthesia.
- Upscaling — Increase the resolution of generated or uploaded video.Missing from Synthesia.
- Watermark removal — Export video without the provider's watermark.Missing from Synthesia.
- Image-to-video — Turn a still image into a moving video clip.Missing from Synthesia.
- Video-to-video — Transform an existing video into a new style or version.Missing from Synthesia.
- Team collaboration — Share projects and collaborate with teammates.Missing from Synthesia.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Basic | Free |
| Starter | $29/mo |
| Creator | $89/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
| Free | Free |
| Standard | $15/mo |
| Pro | $35/mo |
| Max | $95/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Synthesia than Runway?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Basic vs $15/mo on Standard. That is $180 a year. But it covers only 4 of 11 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does Synthesia lack compared with Runway?
Multiple generation models, API access, Upscaling, Watermark removal, Image-to-video, Video-to-video, Team collaboration — 7 of the 11 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Runway: 2026-10-26; Synthesia: 2026-10-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://runwayml.com (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://runwayml.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://runwayml.com/product (feature_page, checked 2026-10-26)
- Synthesia data last verified 2026-10-26