Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
CapCut vs Google Flow vs Runway
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
CapCut
4.0Pick it if: Anyone making short social videos who wants a capable editor without a steep learning curve.
Google Flow
3.8Pick it if: Creators and marketers who want realistic AI video with sound and want to build it into longer pieces.
Runway
3.8Pick it if: Creators, marketers and agencies who need custom footage without a shoot.
Overview
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free phone and desktop editor for TikToks and Reels, with auto captions and templates. | Google's AI studio for short films, built from Veo clips that come with sound. | Make short AI video clips from text or images, then edit footage by describing changes. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | AUD $37.99/mo | AUD $7.99/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0Winner | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | No | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | – | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | – | – |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | – |
| Capabilities score | 11/ 17 | 6/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Most everyday social editing. | Free Free Trying a few clips a day. | Free Free Seeing what it can do before you pay. |
ProOur pick AUD $37.99/mo, or AUD $299.99/yr Anyone posting several times a week. | Google AI Plus AUD $7.99/mo Light users who also want more Gemini. | Standard $15/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Occasional clips and short social videos. | |
Ultra AUD $111.99/mo, or AUD $1,299.99/yr Heavy users of CapCut's AI video and image generation. | Google AI ProOur pick AUD $32.99/mo Anyone making video most weeks. | ProOur pick $35/mo, or $28/mo billed yearly Anyone making video most weeks. | |
Teams From AUD $18/seat/mo Small teams sharing templates and a brand kit. | Google AI Ultra From AUD $149.99/mo Studios and agencies living in Flow daily. | Max $95/mo, or $76/mo billed yearly Agencies and heavy daily users. | |
Team and Enterprise See website Companies that need shared workspaces and security controls. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Stay on Free until a template or effect you need turns out to be Pro-only. When that happens, take Pro on the yearly plan. Ultra's extra AI credits only matter if you generate a lot of AI video or images inside CapCut. | Google AI Pro is the sensible pick. The 1,000 Flow credits a month cover regular use of the fast model, and you get Gemini, 5TB of storage and YouTube Premium Lite for the same price. Ultra is for studios living in Flow every day. | Use the free credits to learn what prompts work, then go straight to Pro. Standard sounds cheap, but 625 credits is only a few minutes of good video a month and you'll spend more topping up than you saved. |
Key features
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | CapCut | Google Flow | Runway |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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