Runway vs HeyGen: What AI Video Credits Really Buy

Runway and HeyGen both sell AI video by the credit, and that is where the similarity ends. Runway meters generation by the second of output and publishes the rate on the pricing page itself. HeyGen meters by the minute of avatar video, with rates that vary twelve-fold between avatar models and live in a help article rather than on the price card. This comparison reads both vendors' published pages as checked on October 11, 2026, converts each allowance into finished video, and flags the rows neither vendor fills in.

The short answer

• Runway is the clearer buy when you want generative clips, images and audio from text or stills and you want the credit rate printed before you subscribe.
• HeyGen is the clearer buy when the deliverable is a talking-avatar video with a script, translation or lip-sync, and length matters more than cinematic control.
• Neither is a documentation win on transparency alone: Runway publishes credits per second, HeyGen publishes credits per minute per model, and both omit a plain annual total.

This is a documentation comparison. Scores and claims here come from vendor pricing pages and help centres on the date shown, not from trials of either product.

Entry prices look close until you read the billing basis

Runway's Standard tier shows $15 struck through and $12 a month on annual billing, with a stated saving of $36 a year, per the Runway pricing page. Pro runs $35 reduced to $28, and Max $95 reduced to $76.

HeyGen's page lists Creator at $29 per month and Pro at $49 per month, with 600 and 1,000 credits respectively, per the HeyGen pricing page.

A monthly and annual toggle exists on that page, but the annual figure did not render in the copy served to our location on October 11, 2026, so we do not quote it.

That means the honest comparison is monthly against monthly: Runway Standard at $15, HeyGen Creator at $29. On annual billing Runway falls to $12 and HeyGen's equivalent rate could not be read, so we do not quote one.

The free tiers are not comparable at all. Runway grants "125 one-time credits" that do not expire. HeyGen's free plan allows 3 videos a month capped at 1 minute each, which its help centre describes as 1 to 3 free videos depending on region.

Runway prices by the second, HeyGen by the minute and the model

Runway states the rate outright in its pricing FAQ: "Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second of generated video." The model table on the same page lists Gen-4.5 at 60 credits per 5 seconds and Aleph 2.0 at 140 credits per 5 seconds.

Still images and audio have their own rates: Gen-4 Image at 1080p costs 8 credits, Gen-4 Image Turbo costs 2, Seed Audio 1.0 costs 15 credits a minute and text to speech costs 1 credit per 50 characters.

HeyGen's rates sit in a help article on credit usage, not on the pricing page. Avatar III Video Look costs 4 credits a minute, Avatar III Photo Look 7, Avatar IV Photo Look 16, Avatar IV Video Look 31, and Avatar V 48.

Other HeyGen features are priced separately again: video translation at 6 credits a minute in speed mode and 10 in precision mode, training one AI model at 60 credits, and Veo3 video at 90 credits regardless of length.

So the unit question has two answers. On Runway the unit is a second of a named model. On HeyGen it is a minute of a named avatar generation.

Comparing the raw credit totals treats those as equal, which they are not. It is the first trap set out in our guide to reading an AI credit pricing page.

Convert the allowances into output you can picture

Runway does the conversion on the page. It states 625 credits equals 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 78 Gen-4 Images at 1080p, 2,250 credits equals 187 seconds, and 9,500 credits equals 791 seconds.

HeyGen does not convert, so the arithmetic below is ours, using HeyGen's own published per-minute rates and plan allowances as read on October 11, 2026.

• Runway Standard, 625 credits a month: 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video, per Runway's page.
• Runway Pro, 2,250 credits a month: 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 video, per Runway's page.
• HeyGen Creator, 600 credits a month: about 150 minutes of Avatar III Video Look, or about 12 minutes of Avatar V (our arithmetic).
• HeyGen Business, 1,500 credits a month: about 375 minutes of Avatar III Video Look, or about 31 minutes of Avatar V (our arithmetic).
• HeyGen translation only, 600 credits: about 100 minutes in speed mode at 6 credits a minute (our arithmetic).

The headline looks lopsided because the products are. Fifty-two seconds of generative cinema and 150 minutes of a presenter reading a script are different deliverables at a similar price.

Rollover favours HeyGen on monthly billing

Runway's FAQ states that Standard and Pro credits do not roll over and reset within 24 hours of the billing date each cycle. Only the Max plan carries up to one month of unused credits forward. Separately purchased credits never expire.

HeyGen's help centre states that for monthly subscribers unused credits roll over for one additional billing cycle, and that annual subscribers accumulate credits until the renewal date. Credits are consumed in order of expiry.

One warning applies to both: HeyGen states that cancelling to the free plan forfeits unused credits. Nothing on either page suggests a refund for unspent allowance.

Rollover is the line that decides whether an uneven month fits the plan, and it is the line most often missing from third-party comparisons. The credit mechanics behind AI writing tools work the same way.

Seat fees and overage split the two vendors

Runway's individual plans are priced per account, and its pricing page lists a separate Team and Enterprise tab rather than a seat add-on inside Standard, Pro or Max.

HeyGen's Business plan is listed at $149 a month for the first seat with additional seats at $20 per seat per month, carrying 1,500 credits and videos up to 60 minutes long.

Overage differs too. HeyGen sells extra credits to Business customers at $0.05 per credit in blocks of 100 for $5, with auto-reload on Business only; Creator and Pro are told to upgrade. Runway allows top-ups with a minimum purchase of 1,000 credits.

For a team that spikes, the ability to buy a small block matters more than the headline rate. That is the same trade-off that decides between tiers on an assistant subscription such as Claude Free, Pro and Max.

Choose Runway if, choose HeyGen if

• Choose Runway if the output is generative video, image or audio and you want the credit rate per second published before you pay.
• Choose Runway if you need image and audio generation inside the same allowance, since Gen-4 Image Turbo costs 2 credits and text to speech 1 credit per 50 characters.
• Choose HeyGen if the deliverable is a scripted presenter video, a translated version of one, or a long-form training clip up to 60 minutes.
• Choose HeyGen if monthly rollover matters, since one extra billing cycle of carry-over is published for monthly subscribers.
• Choose neither on credits alone if the work is long-form narrative video, where both allowances run out quickly at the newest models' rates.

What neither page tells you

Neither vendor publishes an annual all-in total for a team of a stated size. Neither publishes a refund rule for unused credits. HeyGen's pricing page does not carry the credit rate at all, and Runway's model table changes as models are added.

Both also price in credits that the dashboard converts at generation time. HeyGen's help centre says the credit cost shown before generating is the cost charged, which is useful but only visible after you have paid.

That is a common pattern in AI subscriptions: the meter is honest but private. The same gap appears in assistant tiers, which is why the Claude plan ladder is easier to judge on published caps than on usage promises.

Bottom line

On published figures, Runway is the more transparent purchase and HeyGen the more generous one in minutes, provided you stay on its cheaper avatar models.

Price both by output, not credits: seconds of Gen-4.5 for Runway, minutes of a named avatar model for HeyGen. Then check the rollover line, which is where a month's allowance quietly disappears.

All figures reflect vendor pages read on October 11, 2026. For a method you can apply to any similar page, see how to read an AI credit pricing page, and for text tools the same arithmetic appears in how AI writing credits work.

Frequently asked questions

Is Runway or HeyGen cheaper for AI video?

On monthly billing Runway Standard is $15 against HeyGen Creator at $29, as of October 11, 2026. Per minute of finished avatar video HeyGen is far cheaper, because Runway's 625 credits buy only 52 seconds of Gen-4.5.

How many credits does one minute of HeyGen video cost?

It depends on the avatar model. HeyGen's help centre lists 4 credits a minute for Avatar III Video Look, 16 for Avatar IV Photo Look, 31 for Avatar IV Video Look and 48 for Avatar V, checked October 11, 2026.

Do Runway credits roll over?

Not on Standard or Pro. Runway's pricing FAQ states those credits reset within 24 hours of the billing date. The Max plan carries up to one month forward, and separately purchased credits never expire.

Can I buy extra credits instead of upgrading?

On HeyGen only Business customers can, at $0.05 per credit in blocks of 100 for $5. Runway allows top-ups with a minimum purchase of 1,000 credits, per its pricing FAQ on October 11, 2026.

Does either free plan produce usable video?

Briefly. Runway gives 125 one-time credits, about 10 seconds of Gen-4.5 on our arithmetic. HeyGen's free plan allows 3 videos a month capped at 1 minute each, which its help centre notes varies by region.