Apostle

Runway Gen-4 vs Synthesia

● Last verified: April 1, 2026
Runway
8/10
vs
Synthesia
7.3/10

We have tested both Runway Gen-4 and Synthesia extensively in production. Runway scores higher overall (8.0/10 vs 7.3/10), but Synthesia may be the better choice depending on your specific needs. Runway is more affordable starting at $12/month. For quality-critical work, we reach for the higher-rate...

Best for quality: Runway Best for ease of use: Synthesia

Feature comparison

Feature Runway Synthesia
Max Resolution 4K 1080p
Max Video Length 16s N/A
Text to Video ✓ ✓
Image to Video ✓ ✗
Video to Video ✓ ✗
Native Audio ✓ ✓
Lip Sync ✓ ✓
Character Consistency ✓ ✓
Camera Control ✓ ✗
API Available ✓ ✓
Open Source ✗ ✗
Batch Processing ✓ ✓
Commercial License ✓ ✓
Quality 9.2 7.5
Speed 7.5 9
Value 6 6
Ease of Use 8.5 9.5
Overall Rating 8 7.3

Pricing comparison

Pricing Runway Synthesia
Free Tier 125 credits, watermarked 1 free demo video
Starting Price $12/mo $22/mo
Pro Tier $35/mo $67/mo
Enterprise $95/mo N/A
API Cost/Second $0.12 N/A
Pricing Model credits subscription

Which should you choose?

We have tested both Runway Gen-4 and Synthesia extensively in production. Runway scores higher overall (8.0/10 vs 7.3/10), but Synthesia may be the better choice depending on your specific needs. Runway is more affordable starting at $12/month. For quality-critical work, we reach for the higher-rated option. For volume production where cost matters, both offer comparable value.

Key differences

  • • Runway outputs at 4K while Synthesia maxes out at 1080p

More on Runway

Runway Review Runway Pricing Runway Alternatives

More on Synthesia

Synthesia Review Synthesia Pricing Synthesia Alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Is Runway or Synthesia better for beginners?▾
Synthesia has a more intuitive interface. Runway scores 8.5/10 for ease of use, while Synthesia scores 9.5/10.
Which is cheaper, Runway or Synthesia?▾
Runway starts at free, while Synthesia starts at free. Credits do not roll over. ~25 credits per second of Gen-4 video. Enterprise tier includes priority processing.
Can I use Runway and Synthesia together?▾
Yes. Many production teams, including ours at Apostle, use multiple AI tools for different stages of a project. You might use one tool for exploration and another for final delivery.

Related comparisons

Runway Gen-4 vs Kling 2.6→Runway Gen-4 vs Veo 3.1→Runway Gen-4 vs Pika 2.2→Runway Gen-4 vs Hailuo (MiniMax)→Runway Gen-4 vs Luma Dream Machine→Runway Gen-4 vs LTX Video (Lightricks)→Runway Gen-4 vs Higgsfield→Runway Gen-4 vs Sora→

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