Synthesia vs Runway for Nonprofits
Choosing between AI avatar presentations and generative video creation? Synthesia turns text scripts into structured videos with professional AI presenters in 140+ languages, making it ideal for training and donor communications. Runway generates cinematic footage from text prompts, offering unlimited creative possibilities for fundraising campaigns and awareness content. Your decision hinges on whether your nonprofit needs structured storytelling with a presenter or open-ended visual creativity.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's video goals:
Choose Synthesia if:
- •You need staff training or volunteer onboarding videos without filming anyone
- •Your programs serve multilingual communities needing content in 140+ languages
- •Non-technical staff need to create professional videos quickly with minimal learning
- •You want to scale donor communications or program explainers with consistent AI presenters
- •LMS integration for distributing training content is a priority
Choose Runway if:
- •You need cinematic-quality fundraising content or campaign visuals without a film crew
- •Your team has creative capacity and wants unlimited visual storytelling possibilities
- •You're creating novel footage, environments, or visual sequences rather than presenter-led content
- •Budget is the primary constraint and you need the lowest entry price ($12/month vs $18/month)
- •You want advanced AI video editing including video-to-video transformation and style transfer
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Synthesia | Runway | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price (Annual) | $18/month (Starter) | $12/month (Standard) | 💰 Runway for entry price |
| Free Plan | Yes (3-10 min/month, watermarked) | Yes (limited credits, watermarked) | 🤝 Tie (both limited) |
| Nonprofit Discount | None available | None publicly listed | 🤝 Neither offers discounts |
| Video Approach | AI avatar presenters (structured) | Generative video from prompts (creative) | 🎯 Depends on use case |
| Language Support | 140+ languages and accents | Primarily English generation | 🌐 Synthesia for multilingual |
| Ease of Use | Very easy (type, pick avatar, generate) | Moderate (requires AI prompting skills) | ✅ Synthesia for non-technical staff |
| Video Templates | 300+ templates | Style presets, not structured templates | 📋 Synthesia for guided creation |
| LMS Integration | 50+ integrations (TalentLMS, Moodle, etc.) | API-focused, limited native LMS | 📚 Synthesia for training programs |
| Creative Flexibility | Avatar-based, structured formats | Unlimited visual styles and content types | 🎨 Runway for creative campaigns |
| AI Model Quality | Express-2 (full-body gestures, 1080p) | Gen-4 (cinematic, photorealistic) | 🤝 Tie (different strengths) |
| G2 Rating | 4.7/5 (1,977+ reviews) | 4.4/5 | ⭐ Synthesia rated higher |
| Best For Nonprofits | Training, multilingual outreach, donor updates | Fundraising campaigns, awareness content | 🎯 Mission-dependent choice |
Last updated: February 22, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify with vendors before purchase.
Two Fundamentally Different Approaches to AI Video
The AI video landscape has matured into two distinct categories, and Synthesia and Runway represent each approach at its best. Understanding the difference is essential before committing your nonprofit's budget to either platform. Synthesia belongs to the "structured AI video" category, where you provide a script and the platform renders an AI avatar reading it professionally. Runway belongs to the "generative AI video" category, where you describe a visual scene and the platform creates footage that has never existed before.
For nonprofits, this distinction matters enormously. If your communications director needs to produce a monthly donor update, a volunteer orientation video, or a multilingual program explainer, Synthesia's avatar-based approach delivers professional results in under an hour without any video production skills. If your marketing team needs stunning visual content for a Year-End fundraising campaign, a gala promotion, or an awareness video that conveys the emotional weight of your mission, Runway's generative capabilities can produce footage that would otherwise require a camera crew and editing suite.
Neither platform is universally superior, and the most well-resourced nonprofits may ultimately use both for different purposes. But for organizations choosing between them with limited budgets, this comparison will help you identify which tool addresses your most pressing video production needs. We examine pricing, features, learning curve, integrations, and real-world nonprofit applications to give you the clarity to decide with confidence.
What Is Synthesia?
Synthesia is an AI video generation platform founded in 2017 and now serving over 55,000 organizations globally. The platform's core innovation is realistic AI avatar presenters: digital humans that read scripts with natural facial expressions, lip sync, body language, and gestures, without requiring any filming. Synthesia's Express-2 model, launched in September 2025, produces full-body avatars in 1080p at 30fps with natural hand movements and emotional expressiveness that dramatically reduces the "uncanny valley" effect of earlier avatar technology.
Avatar Library
Diverse presenter options for every audience
- 180+ stock AI avatars on Creator plan (240+ on Enterprise)
- Create a personal avatar of yourself in under 5 minutes (3 on Starter, 5 on Creator)
- Generate entirely new avatars from a text prompt
- Studio Avatars (premium photorealistic) available as add-on at $1,000/year
- Diverse representation across age, gender, ethnicity, and professional styles
Multilingual Power
Reach any community in their language
- 140+ languages and regional accents supported
- Express-Voice cloning preserves your voice identity across 79 languages
- AI Dubbing automatically dubs existing videos into other languages
- Lip sync matches each language's natural speaking patterns
- Single script can be translated and rendered in multiple languages simultaneously
Synthesia 3.0, launched in 2025, represents a complete platform overhaul. The update introduced Video Agents (AI assistants that help plan and draft video scripts), a Courses feature for organizing training content into structured programs, AI Copilot for in-editor assistance, and deeper LMS integrations. For nonprofits running staff development or volunteer training programs, the Courses feature transforms Synthesia from a video creation tool into a lightweight learning management system capable of hosting entire curricula.
The platform's 300+ templates span corporate communications, training modules, product demos, and onboarding sequences. Most importantly for nonprofits, the workflow requires no video production knowledge: type a script, select an avatar, customize the background and branding, and generate. The entire process from blank page to published video typically takes 30-90 minutes for a 3-5 minute video, compared to days or weeks for traditional video production.
What Is Runway?
Runway is an AI research company and creative platform that pioneered text-to-video generation for professional use. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, Runway develops proprietary AI video models used by filmmakers, content creators, and marketing teams at major organizations. Their Gen-4 model represents the current state of the art in AI video generation, producing footage with unprecedented photorealism, consistent subjects across scenes, and cinematic camera movements that were previously only achievable with physical cameras and professional crews.
Generative Capabilities
Create footage that doesn't exist yet
- Text-to-video: describe a scene, generate photorealistic footage
- Image-to-video: bring still images to life with natural motion
- Video-to-video: transform existing footage with new styles or environments
- Aleph in-video editor: modify specific elements within generated clips
- Veo 3 B-roll integration: generate contextual action footage
Creative Control
Director-level control without a crew
- Camera movement controls (pan, zoom, tilt, orbit)
- Subject consistency across multiple scenes (maintain same character)
- Style reference from existing images or videos
- Multi-scene video assembly in Act-One
- Advanced video editing suite with AI-assisted tools
Runway's platform includes more than just video generation. The full suite encompasses background removal, motion tracking, text-to-image generation, audio generation, and a video editor with traditional timeline-based editing tools augmented by AI. This makes Runway a comprehensive creative workstation rather than a single-function tool. For nonprofits with a dedicated communications staff member who understands visual storytelling, Runway can replace several separate tools: stock footage subscriptions, basic video editing software, and background removal tools.
The tradeoff is that Runway rewards creative expertise. Generating compelling, purposeful footage requires understanding how to write effective prompts, how to iterate on results, and how to assemble multiple clips into a coherent narrative. Nonprofits with a volunteer or staff member who has design or creative background will find Runway immediately valuable. Organizations without that creative capacity may find the learning curve steeper than expected, particularly when trying to achieve specific visual outcomes for a fundraising campaign.
Head-to-Head Feature Comparison
Video Creation Workflow
How each platform approaches the act of making a video
Synthesia
Synthesia follows a document-like creation flow: write your script in scenes, pick an avatar for each scene, customize background colors or upload images, and click generate. The interface resembles a presentation tool more than a video editor. The AI handles all rendering decisions. Most nonprofits can produce their first finished video within 2 hours of signing up, without tutorials.
Verdict: Best for structured, repeatable video creation
Runway
Runway's workflow starts with a prompt: you describe the visual scene you want, select your generation model, set parameters, and generate multiple variations to choose from. You then assemble clips on a timeline, add audio, and apply edits. The process is more iterative and creative, closer to directing than presenting. Expect a 1-2 week ramp-up before producing consistently high-quality results.
Verdict: Best for creative, one-of-a-kind visual content
Multilingual and Accessibility Support
Reaching diverse communities and ensuring inclusion
Synthesia
Synthesia's language support is unmatched in the avatar video category. With 140+ languages and accents and the ability to clone your voice across 79 languages, nonprofits serving immigrant, refugee, or international communities can create content once and automatically render it in any language. The AI Dubbing feature can take an existing English video and produce Spanish, French, Mandarin, or Arabic versions without re-recording. Automatic subtitle generation is available across all supported languages.
Clear winner for multilingual nonprofit content
Runway
Runway's generative video is primarily English-language in its prompt interface, and the generated footage is visual rather than speech-dependent. You can add narration or music as separate audio tracks, but Runway doesn't offer the same structured multilingual dubbing system as Synthesia. For purely visual content with separate audio, language is less of a constraint. For presenter-led multilingual communications, Synthesia is significantly more capable.
Limited multilingual support compared to Synthesia
Training and LMS Integration
Building and distributing learning content
Synthesia
Synthesia is built for organizational learning. The platform integrates with over 15 major LMS systems including Moodle, TalentLMS, 360Learning, Docebo, Articulate, and Coassemble. The Courses feature (introduced in Synthesia 3.0) allows organizations to group videos into structured learning paths with quizzes and progress tracking. SCORM export is available on Enterprise for compatibility with any SCORM-compliant LMS. This makes Synthesia the clear choice for nonprofits with staff training, volunteer orientation, or compliance education needs.
Purpose-built for training and organizational learning
Runway
Runway is not designed for training delivery. There are no LMS integrations, no course structures, and no quiz or progress tracking features. Runway generates video files that you can then upload to YouTube, Vimeo, or your LMS manually. For organizations primarily using video for training purposes, Runway's generative capabilities aren't a good match. Its strength is in creative production, not structured learning delivery.
Not designed for training delivery or LMS integration
Fundraising and Campaign Content
Creating emotionally compelling content for donors
Synthesia
Synthesia excels at donor communications where a consistent, professional presenter conveys your message clearly. Year-end appeal videos, program outcome updates, and executive director messages to major donors can all be produced efficiently with Synthesia avatars. The platform maintains a professional, polished appearance that works well for institutional communications. For emotional storytelling that relies on raw footage and human moments, the avatar format has inherent limits.
Good for structured donor communications, less so for emotional impact
Runway
Runway's generative capabilities shine for high-impact fundraising content. You can generate cinematic sequences showing your mission's impact, create visual metaphors for abstract concepts (clean water, community resilience, educational access), and produce footage that evokes the emotional weight of your work without needing to travel to your program sites. For Year-End campaigns, GivingTuesday content, or gala promotions, Runway can create scroll-stopping visuals that differentiate your organization.
Stronger for emotionally compelling campaign and fundraising visuals
Security, Privacy, and Compliance
Protecting your organization and beneficiary data
Synthesia
Synthesia maintains SOC 2 Type II certification and GDPR compliance. The platform uses AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS encryption in transit. For personal avatar creation, the platform requires explicit consent from the person being recorded and has an ethics policy about avatar misuse. Personal avatars and voice clones are protected and cannot be used by others on your account without permission. Enterprise plans offer custom data retention policies.
Runway
Runway is SOC 2 Type II certified and GDPR compliant. The platform's terms of service are clear about content ownership: you retain rights to videos you generate. Runway does not use your generated content to train future models without explicit consent. For nonprofits concerned about the ethics of AI-generated video content (deepfakes, authenticity), both platforms have usage policies prohibiting impersonation and malicious use.
Note for nonprofits: If your communications include beneficiary stories or personal information, neither platform should be used to generate video content that could misrepresent real people's experiences. Both platforms prohibit creating deceptive content in their terms of service.
Pricing Breakdown and Total Cost of Ownership
Synthesia Pricing (Annual)
3-10 min/month, 9 stock avatars, 3 personal avatar slots, watermarked exports. Good for testing only.
10 min/month (1,200 credits), 125+ stock avatars, 3 personal avatars, 300+ templates, no watermark. Good for occasional video production.
30 min/month (3,600 credits), 180+ stock avatars, 5 personal avatars, custom avatars, collaboration features, priority rendering.
Unlimited video, 240+ avatars, SCORM export, SSO, custom brand kit, dedicated support, advanced LMS integration.
No nonprofit discount available.
Nonprofits pay standard commercial rates. Factor full pricing into budget planning.
Runway Pricing (Annual)
125 one-time credits, basic generation models, watermarked outputs, limited video length. Good for testing only.
625 credits/month, access to Gen-4, upscaling, no watermark, 500GB storage. Good for moderate content creation.
2,250 credits/month, all Gen-4 features, 4K upscaling, video-to-video, in-video editing (Aleph), extended video lengths.
Unlimited video generation with relaxed queuing, all Pro features, priority access to new models.
No public nonprofit discount.
Credit-based pricing can escalate with heavy Gen-4 use (10-12 credits per second of video at higher quality settings).
Annual Cost for Nonprofits by Scenario
| Scenario | Synthesia | Runway | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occasional use (1-2 videos/month) | $216/year (Starter) | $144/year (Standard) | Runway cheaper; Synthesia for structured avatar content |
| Regular use (5-10 videos/month) | $768/year (Creator) | $336/year (Pro) | Runway significantly cheaper at volume |
| Heavy use + training program | Enterprise (custom, est. $3,000-6,000+/year) | $912/year (Unlimited) | Synthesia Enterprise adds SCORM, LMS, courses; Runway Unlimited for high-volume campaigns |
Hidden Cost Considerations
- •Synthesia: SCORM export requires Enterprise; custom branding kit and multi-user collaboration require higher tiers; Studio Avatar add-on ($1,000/year/avatar)
- •Runway: Gen-4 is credit-intensive (longer clips cost more credits); buying additional credits adds to monthly cost; audio and music require separate licensing
Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.
Nonprofit Discounts and Special Pricing
Synthesia Nonprofit Pricing
No nonprofit discount available
Synthesia does not offer reduced pricing, TechSoup listing, or a charity program as of 2026. All organizations pay standard commercial rates.
Nonprofits can still access the free plan (limited but functional for testing) and the standard commercial pricing. If budget is a concern, consider starting with the Starter plan at $216/year and evaluating ROI before upgrading. Some nonprofits also qualify for grants through foundations that specifically fund technology adoption.
Runway Nonprofit Pricing
No public nonprofit discount
Runway has an education program for schools but no publicly listed nonprofit pricing. Contact their sales team directly to inquire about potential discounts for charitable organizations.
Runway's Standard plan at $144/year is an accessible entry point that allows nonprofits to test generative video creation without a large commitment. If Runway proves valuable for campaigns, the Pro plan at $336/year offers significantly more creative power.
Recommendation for Budget-Constrained Nonprofits
Since neither platform offers meaningful nonprofit discounts, approach both tools as standard technology investments. Start with free trials to validate the use case for your organization before committing to annual plans. Consider whether your video needs are primarily structured (favoring Synthesia) or creative and campaign-focused (favoring Runway), and invest in the tool that addresses your most frequent, highest-impact video production needs. Some organizations find that combining Synthesia for internal communications and Runway for external campaigns is the optimal approach.
Ease of Use and Learning Curve
Synthesia Learning Timeline
Day 1: First video in 2 hours
Write a script, pick an avatar, generate. The editor is intuitive, resembling a presentation tool most staff already know.
Week 1: Templates and branding
Explore templates, customize brand colors and fonts, create your first personal avatar or find stock avatars that fit your organization's voice.
Month 1: Full proficiency
Multilingual video production, multi-scene compositions, custom backgrounds, LMS integration, and efficient script-to-video workflows.
G2 Rating: 4.7/5 for ease of use
Users consistently report the platform is accessible to non-technical staff after minimal onboarding.
Runway Learning Timeline
Day 1: First generation (with variable results)
Anyone can type a prompt and generate video, but achieving the specific result you want requires prompting knowledge that takes time to develop.
Week 2: Understanding model capabilities
Learning what Gen-4 can and cannot do, effective prompting patterns, camera movement controls, and how to iterate efficiently.
Month 2-3: Consistent quality output
Multi-scene assembly, video-to-video techniques, style consistency across clips, and efficient campaign production workflows.
G2 Rating: 4.4/5 overall
Users with creative backgrounds adapt faster. Organizations without creative staff should plan for a longer learning investment.
Who Can Use Each Platform Without Dedicated Creative Staff?
Synthesia: Yes, anyone can use it
Program coordinators, development officers, executive directors, and administrative staff can all produce professional Synthesia videos without design or video production backgrounds. The structured workflow removes creative decision-making bottlenecks. If you can write an email, you can create a Synthesia video.
Runway: Benefits from creative experience
Runway's creative potential is unlocked by people who understand visual storytelling, composition, and how to describe what they want to see. A communications coordinator with design sensibility or a volunteer with video production experience will produce significantly better results than staff without creative backgrounds.
Integration and Compatibility
Synthesia Integrations (50+)
LMS Platforms (Training Distribution):
360Learning, Articulate 360, Coassemble, Docebo, eloomi, Easygenerator, Eduflow, Kaltura, Moodle, SAP Litmos, TalentLMS, Thinkific, Udemy, Wisetail
Content Distribution:
YouTube, Vimeo, WordPress
Productivity and CRM:
HubSpot, PowerPoint, Notion, Intercom
Workflow Automation:
Make (Integromat), Workato (note: Zapier not natively listed)
Runway Integrations
API Access:
Runway's API allows developers to integrate video generation into custom workflows, internal tools, and automated content pipelines. Strong for technical teams.
Export Destinations:
Downloaded video files can be uploaded to any platform: YouTube, Vimeo, Canva, social media, website CMSs, or email campaigns.
Note on Integrations:
Runway focuses on being a production studio, not a connected workflow tool. Integrations are limited compared to Synthesia. If workflow automation with LMS or CRM is important, Synthesia is the better choice.
Pros and Cons for Nonprofits
Synthesia
Advantages
- Lowest barrier to entry for non-technical staff, any employee can produce professional videos
- 140+ language support is unmatched for multilingual community outreach and international programs
- 15+ LMS integrations make it ideal for distributing training and educational content
- Consistent, professional appearance builds organizational credibility with donors and stakeholders
- 300+ templates accelerate production and provide guidance for various video types
- G2 4.7/5 rating with strong ease-of-use scores from real users
Limitations
- ✗No nonprofit discount, standard commercial pricing for all organizations
- ✗Minute limits (10 min/month Starter) can be restrictive for organizations with regular content needs
- ✗SCORM export requires Enterprise plan, which may be cost-prohibitive for smaller nonprofits
- ✗Avatar format can feel impersonal for highly emotional fundraising content or sensitive programs
- ✗Limited creative flexibility: you cannot generate footage of environments, events, or abstract concepts
Runway
Advantages
- Gen-4 model produces cinematic-quality footage for high-impact fundraising and awareness campaigns
- Lower entry price at $12/month (Standard annual) vs Synthesia's $18/month
- Unlimited creative possibilities: generate any visual scene, environment, or concept
- Video-to-video transformation allows style transfer on existing footage your organization already has
- Comprehensive creative suite includes image generation, background removal, and video editing
- Strong API for technical teams wanting to automate or integrate video generation into workflows
Limitations
- ✗Steeper learning curve; non-creative staff will struggle to achieve specific visual outcomes
- ✗No nonprofit discount and credit-based pricing can escalate unpredictably with heavy Gen-4 use
- ✗No LMS integrations; not suitable for structured training delivery programs
- ✗Limited multilingual support: primarily English-language prompting and no structured dubbing system
- ✗Generative outputs can be inconsistent: the same prompt may produce different results each time
Real-World Use Cases for Nonprofits
Synthesia: Staff and Volunteer Training
A social services nonprofit with 45 staff members and 200+ annual volunteers uses Synthesia to replace in-person orientation sessions that previously required 4 hours of staff time per cohort. They created a 12-video onboarding series covering mission, safety protocols, case management procedures, data privacy, and mandated reporting requirements. Each video features an AI avatar of the HR director reading professionally scripted content. The series is hosted in TalentLMS and automatically assigned to new volunteers upon registration. By producing the series in English and Spanish, they serve their bilingual volunteer community without additional resources. The initial production took 3 weeks; quarterly updates now take 2-3 hours.
Other nonprofit teams use Synthesia for board member orientation videos, grant reporting narrations, community education content for beneficiaries, and "state of the organization" updates from leadership. The avatar format removes the time burden of filming actual staff members while maintaining a professional appearance that reflects well on the organization.
Runway: Fundraising Campaign Visuals
An environmental conservation nonprofit uses Runway to produce GivingTuesday campaign content. Their communications coordinator, who has a graphic design background, generates cinematic footage showing the landscapes their land protection program preserves, animals thriving in protected habitats, and visual representations of the climate impact their work prevents. None of this footage was filmed; it was generated from text prompts and assembled into a 90-second campaign video that ran as a pre-roll ad on YouTube and Facebook. The video achieved 3x the engagement rate of their previous year's campaign, which used stock footage.
Runway is particularly valuable for nonprofits whose programs operate in locations that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to film (international programs, abstract causes, future impact scenarios), or for organizations that want to create campaign content without exposing beneficiaries to cameras or publicity concerns.
Synthesia: Multilingual Community Outreach
A healthcare nonprofit serving refugee and immigrant communities uses Synthesia to produce public health education videos in 12 languages. Their community health educators work with Synthesia's translation feature to create preventive health content covering vaccine schedules, maternal health, and chronic disease management. Videos are distributed through community centers, social media, and their website. The organization previously budgeted $15,000 per year for video translation and localization through a vendor. With Synthesia Creator at $768/year, they now produce the same content in-house for a fraction of the cost while maintaining professional quality.
The multilingual capability is a differentiating factor that Runway simply cannot match. For nonprofits with diverse language needs, Synthesia's built-in translation and dubbing system removes the cost and coordination burden of multilingual video production.
Which Tool Should Your Nonprofit Choose?
The choice between Synthesia and Runway comes down to three core questions: What type of video do you produce most often? Who on your team will create videos? And do you need to reach audiences in multiple languages? Your answers will point clearly to one platform or the other.
Five Questions to Guide Your Decision
What is your primary video use case?
If training, education, donor updates, or program explainers with a presenter talking to camera, choose Synthesia. If awareness campaigns, fundraising visuals, or creative content for social media, choose Runway.
Do you serve multilingual communities?
If you need video content in more than 2-3 languages, Synthesia is the clear choice. Its 140+ language support and AI dubbing system make multilingual video accessible without a translation budget.
Does your video creator have creative or design experience?
If no one on your team has visual storytelling experience, choose Synthesia for its guided, structured workflow. If you have a designer, communications professional, or creative-minded volunteer, Runway offers more powerful outputs.
Do you have staff training or volunteer orientation needs?
If yes, Synthesia is purpose-built for this. The LMS integrations, Courses feature, and structured video format make it the better fit for learning content distribution.
Is budget the primary constraint?
Runway's Standard plan at $12/month is the lowest-cost entry point between the two platforms. However, if Synthesia's features better match your use case, the $6/month price difference is unlikely to be the deciding factor.
Final Recommendations by Nonprofit Type
Choose Synthesia if you are:
- • Social services, legal aid, or healthcare nonprofits serving diverse language communities
- • Organizations with ongoing staff or volunteer training programs
- • Nonprofits where non-technical staff will be creating video content
- • Organizations needing to scale donor communications or program updates efficiently
- • International nonprofits or those with multilingual beneficiary populations
Choose Runway if you are:
- • Environmental, arts, or cause-oriented nonprofits needing powerful visual storytelling
- • Organizations with a communications or design professional on staff
- • Nonprofits investing in high-production fundraising campaigns (year-end, GivingTuesday)
- • Organizations whose programs are visually striking but hard to film directly
- • Teams that want to replace stock footage subscriptions with custom AI-generated visuals
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for nonprofits: Synthesia or Runway?
It depends on your video goals. Synthesia is better for structured communications like staff training, donor updates, and multilingual program explainers using AI avatar presenters. Runway is better for creative generative video content, high-impact fundraising visuals, and organizations with creative capacity who want cinematic-quality footage. Neither offers a formal nonprofit discount, so budget similarly for both.
Does Synthesia offer a nonprofit discount?
No. As of 2026, Synthesia does not offer a nonprofit discount, TechSoup listing, or reduced pricing for charitable organizations. Nonprofits pay standard commercial rates: $18/month for Starter (annual) or $64/month for Creator (annual). Factor full pricing into your budget planning.
Can non-technical nonprofit staff use Synthesia or Runway?
Synthesia is much easier for non-technical users. You type a script, select an AI avatar presenter, and click generate. Most users produce their first professional video within 1-2 hours. Runway requires understanding AI prompting, model selection, and creative direction, which takes longer to learn. For organizations without dedicated creative staff, Synthesia is the better starting point.
How does Synthesia's multilingual capability help nonprofits?
Synthesia supports 140+ languages and accents. Nonprofits serving immigrant communities, international programs, or diverse domestic populations can create or dub content in dozens of languages without needing multilingual staff on camera. The AI matches lip movements and voice to each language, maintaining a professional appearance across all versions. This is particularly valuable for health organizations, legal aid, social services, and international development nonprofits.
What is the video minute limit on Synthesia Starter vs Creator?
Synthesia Starter ($18/month annual) includes 10 minutes of video per month (1,200 credits). Creator ($64/month annual) includes 30 minutes per month (3,600 credits). Enterprise offers unlimited video with custom pricing. Credits are consumed only when a video is generated, not during drafting. For nonprofits needing high-volume content, the Creator plan or Enterprise may be necessary.
Is Synthesia good for nonprofit training programs?
Yes, Synthesia is well-suited for nonprofit training. You can create onboarding videos, compliance training, volunteer orientation, and procedure walkthroughs using AI avatars without filming anyone. The platform integrates with major LMS platforms (Moodle, TalentLMS, Docebo, 360Learning) for distributing training content. Note that SCORM export for LMS compatibility requires the Enterprise plan. The 300+ video templates include many training-focused formats.
What types of video can Runway create that Synthesia cannot?
Runway can generate cinematic footage from text prompts (no camera needed), transform existing videos into different styles, create dramatic visual sequences for fundraising campaigns, produce B-roll footage of environments and situations, and apply artistic styles to existing footage. Synthesia is focused on avatar-based presentations and structured communications. For creative visual storytelling without a camera crew, Runway offers capabilities Synthesia does not.
How does pricing compare between Synthesia and Runway for a small nonprofit?
For a small nonprofit, Runway is cheaper at entry level: $12/month (Standard annual) vs Synthesia's $18/month (Starter annual). Both offer free plans with limited capabilities. Runway Standard provides 625 credits/month. Synthesia Starter provides 10 minutes of video per month. The right choice depends on your use case, not just price, since these tools serve different video creation purposes.
Still Deciding Between Synthesia and Runway?
Book a free consultation and we'll help you evaluate which AI video platform best fits your nonprofit's communications needs, staff capacity, and budget.