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Social Media · head to head

Runway vs Synthesio

Runway logo

Runway

Social Media

AI-powered creative tools for video and images

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Synthesio logo

Synthesio

Social Media

Enterprise social intelligence platform owned by Ipsos, with market research methodology behind it

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Runway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Runway the free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill; Synthesio there is no published pricing, no free trial and no self-serve signup, so evaluating Synthesio requires a sales process before you can see whether the data quality suits your category.
  • They diverge on capability: Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Synthesio covers Global social listening.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Runway and Synthesio actually diverge.

Attributes where Runway and Synthesio differ
AttributeRunwaySynthesio
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API
Founded2018Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Social Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Runway

  • Gen-2 video generation
  • Green screen
  • Inpainting
  • Super resolution
  • Motion tracking
  • Adobe Premiere
  • Final Cut Pro
  • API access

Only in Synthesio

  • Global social listening
  • Signals
  • Audience analysis
  • Ecommerce listening
  • Search intelligence
  • Reputation and crisis monitoring
  • Competitive benchmarking
  • ML classification

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Runway

  • Generating video clips from text or image promptsnot Synthesio
  • Extending or editing existing footage with generative modelsnot Synthesio
  • Removing objects and backgrounds from videonot Synthesio
  • Storyboarding and previsualisation for productionnot Synthesio

Synthesio

  • A global consumer goods brand that wants social listening and commissioned survey research from the same supplier with aligned methodologynot Runway
  • An insights team tracking product review sentiment across thousands of ecommerce listings in multiple marketsnot Runway
  • A brand entering a new market that needs audience profiling of who already discusses the category therenot Runway
  • A corporate communications function that needs crisis detection across languages it has no in-house analysts fornot Runway

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Runway

  • The free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill
  • Outputs carry a watermark until the Standard plan at $12 a month
  • Everything is metered in credits, and Gen-4.5 video costs 60 credits per 5 seconds, so a Standard plan covers roughly 125 short videos a year
  • Only the Max plan at $76 a month rolls unused credits over, and only for one month
  • The free tier gives a selection of models rather than the full set

Synthesio

  • There is no published pricing, no free trial and no self-serve signup, so evaluating Synthesio requires a sales process before you can see whether the data quality suits your category.
  • Cost is repeatedly cited by reviewers as high relative to peers, and because Ipsos analyst services are priced separately from the platform licence, the quoted software figure is frequently not the figure you end up spending.
  • The interface is dated compared with newer listening tools and the learning curve is steep, which in practice means the platform gets used by one or two trained analysts rather than adopted across a marketing team.
  • Some of the newer AI-driven features have been described by users as glitchy or over-promised relative to the sales demonstration, so insist on testing Signals against your own historical data during evaluation.
  • Historical data access is limited and governed by contract scope rather than being unlimited, so retrospective analysis across several years frequently requires a separately priced data request.

Pricing, plan by plan

Runway

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 125 credits
    • Basic tools
    • 720p exports
  • Standard$12/month
    • 625 credits/month
    • Gen-2 access
    • 4K exports
  • Pro$28/month
    • 2250 credits/month
    • All tools
    • Priority processing
  • Unlimited$76/month
    • Unlimited generations
    • Custom models
    • API access

Synthesio

On request
  • Synthesio$undefined/year
    • Global social listening across 181 languages
    • Signals generative AI theme detection
    • Audience and ecommerce analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose Runway if

  • You need gen-2 video generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want green screen.
Runway review

Choose Synthesio if

  • You need global social listening.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want signals.
Synthesio review

Questions people ask

Is Runway or Synthesio better?
Neither clearly leads. Runway starts at Free and Synthesio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Runway or Synthesio?
Runway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Runway and On request for Synthesio.
Does Runway or Synthesio run on more platforms?
Runway runs on Web. Synthesio runs on Web, API.
Can I use Runway for free?
Yes. Runway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Synthesio starts at On request.
What is Runway best used for?
Runway is most often used for generating video clips from text or image prompts, extending or editing existing footage with generative models, removing objects and backgrounds from video, storyboarding and previsualisation for production. Of those, generating video clips from text or image prompts and extending or editing existing footage with generative models are not what Synthesio is typically brought in for.
What can Runway do that Synthesio cannot?
Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution. Synthesio covers Global social listening, Signals, Audience analysis, Ecommerce listening.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Runway: How much does Runway cost?

Runway publishes four tiers on annual billing: Standard at $12 per month, Pro at $28 and Max at $76, against monthly rates of $15, $35 and $95. Enterprise is quoted. Annual billing is advertised as 20% off.

Source
Synthesio: Who owns Synthesio?

Ipsos, the market research group, acquired it in October 2018 for a reported 50 million USD or more, and it is marketed as an Ipsos company.

Runway: Does Runway have a free plan?

Yes. The free plan costs nothing and includes 125 one time credits to explore the AI tools, plus 5GB of asset storage. The credits are one time rather than monthly.

Source
Synthesio: Can I try it before buying?

No. There is no free trial or self-serve signup; evaluation runs through a sales-led demonstration process.

Runway: How many credits does each Runway plan include?

Standard includes 625 credits a month, Pro includes 2,250 and Max includes 9,500. Only Max offers credit rollover, and it rolls over for one month.

Source
Synthesio: What is the practical advantage over Brandwatch?

The ability to buy platform licence and Ipsos analyst services from one supplier, with methodology consistent with survey research you may already commission from the same group.

Runway: When do I need Runway Pro rather than Standard?

Pro adds custom voices for lip sync, raises storage to 500GB and gives access to the best models, on top of Standard's AI image and video models, 4K upscaling and watermark free output.

Source
Synthesio: How many languages does it cover?

Synthesio reports coverage across 181 languages and 25 markets, which is among the broadest in the category.

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