Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Google Flow vs HeyGen 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
Google Flow
3.8Pick it if: Creators and marketers who want realistic AI video with sound and want to build it into longer pieces.
HeyGen
4.1Pick it if: Founders, marketers and trainers who need lots of on-camera video but hate filming.
Runway
3.8Pick it if: Creators, marketers and agencies who need custom footage without a shoot.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's AI studio for short films, built from Veo clips that come with sound. | Type a script and a lifelike presenter reads it on camera, in your voice or any language. | Make short AI video clips from text or images, then edit footage by describing changes. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | AUD $7.99/mo | $29/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.1Winner | 3.8 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | Yes | 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 | No | Yes |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | – |
| Capabilities score | 6/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying a few clips a day. | Free Free Testing an avatar and the translation feature. | Free Free Seeing what it can do before you pay. |
Google AI Plus AUD $7.99/mo Light users who also want more Gemini. | CreatorOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly Solo founders and marketers publishing regularly. | Standard $15/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Occasional clips and short social videos. | |
Google AI ProOur pick AUD $32.99/mo Anyone making video most weeks. | Pro From $49/mo Heavier users who want 4K and flexible usage. | ProOur pick $35/mo, or $28/mo billed yearly Anyone making video most weeks. | |
Google AI Ultra From AUD $149.99/mo Studios and agencies living in Flow daily. | Business $149/mo Teams with several presenters. | Max $95/mo, or $76/mo billed yearly Agencies and heavy daily users. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies producing video across departments. | Team and Enterprise See website Companies that need shared workspaces and security controls. | ||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Creator covers most solo founders and marketers: no watermark, your own avatar and 30-minute videos. Move to Business only when you need SSO, more than one custom avatar or a team sharing the account. | 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 | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | Runway |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Flow | HeyGen | 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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