Runway vs Canva: Streamlining Video Production AI in 2025?

by | Last updated Jul 23, 2025

Winner
runway best section
4.8
  • Incredibly innovative.
  • Great for creative exploration.
  • Most Customizable.
  • Powerful AI magic tools.
  • Generate expressive characters
  • Free plan includes 33 credits.
  • Paid plans start from $12
Runner Up
Canva BS
3.0
  • AI Presentations
  • Grab & Expand
  • Templates Library
  • Design Tools
  • Magic Resize
  • Free Plan Available
  • Paid Plan from $5/month
Runway vs Canva

The world of video production is changing rapidly, and staying ahead of the curve that can feel like a race against time.

But what if you could harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to not only keep up but actually simplify your video creation process?

That’s the promise of cutting-edge AI video tools like Runway and Canva.

In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into Runway vs Canva platforms, comparing their features.

Exploring how they can revolutionize your video production workflow and beyond.

Overview

To give you the most accurate comparison, we’ve spent weeks extensively testing both Runway and Canva.

We’ve explored their features, experimented with their AI tools, and pushed their capabilities to the limit.

This hands-on experience allows us to provide you with real-world insights & help you make an informed decision.

Runway
4.8out of 5

Ready to give Runway a try? Sign up today and start creating stunning AI videos with their user-friendly interface and powerful features!

Pricing: It has a free plan. The premium plan starts at $12/month.

Key Features:

  • Text-to-video,
  • Image-to-video,
  • Style Transfer
Canva
3out of 5

What is Runway?

Ever wished you could create a video from just a text description? That’s Runway!

It’s an AI-powered video editing platform. It’s like magic for video.

Runway lets you generate videos, edit them, and add cool effects. All with the help of AI. Pretty neat?

Also, explore our favorite Runway alternatives

Runway Introduction

Our Take

Runway

Runway AI is the tool behind countless viral videos and award-winning films. Experience the power of the future today and elevate your video creations to new heights.

Key Benefits

  • Over 30+ AI Magic Tools: These tools let you do incredible things like erase objects from videos, change the style of your footage, and even generate realistic images.
  • Real-time video editing: See your changes instantly– no more waiting around!
  • Collaborative tools: Seamlessly work on projects with your team.

Pricing

All the plans will be billed annually.

  • Basic: $0/month.
  • Standard: $12/month.
  • Pro: $28/month.
  • Unlimited: $76/month.
  • Enterprise: Contract their site for custom pricing.
Runway Pricing

Pros

  • It’s incredibly innovative.
  • Great for creative exploration.
  • There are tons of AI tools.
  • Powerful AI magic tools.
  • Constant updates

Cons

  • Occasional glitches
  • Some features are still in beta.
  • Rendering can take some time.
  • Learning curve for advanced AI tools.

What is Canva?

How sometimes do you need to make a quick graphic or edit a video?

Canva is your go-to tool. It’s super user-friendly. Think of it as a one-stop shop for all your design needs.

You can whip up social media posts, presentations, and even videos.

Canva makes the design accessible to everyone, not just pros.

Also, explore our favorite Canva alternatives

Canva

Our Take

Canva

Elevate your brand with Canva. Design stunning visuals, from social media content to presentations. Create impactful visuals that impress.

Key Benefits

  • Drag-and-drop interface: It’s incredibly easy to use. Even your grandma could make a cool graphic!
  • Tons of templates: Don’t start from scratch. Canva has pre-made templates for everything.
  • Huge media library: Find photos, videos, and graphics to use in your projects.
  • Collaboration tools: Work on designs with friends or colleagues in real-time.

Pricing

  • Canva Free: $0/month
  • Canva Pro: $6.50/person/month
  • Canva Teams: $5/person/month (Minimum three persons)
canva pricing

Pros

  • Incredibly easy to use
  • Tons of free templates
  • Huge media library
  • Great collaboration tools
  • Affordable pricing options

Cons

  • Limited free plan features
  • Can get pricey for teams
  • Some design limitations
  • Occasional glitches

Feature Comparison

Let’s dive into how Runway and Canva stack up when it comes to their features.

This side-by-side look will help you see which one fits your video needs best.

1. AI Video Generation

  • Runway: This platform truly shines in AI video generation. It uses advanced deep learning techniques applied to create videos from text or images. Their Magic Media tools allow for innovative video generation possibilities.
  • Canva: While Canva has entered the world of AI video generation, its capabilities are more basic. It’s great for quick clips, but not as detailed or advanced as Runway’s offerings.

2. AI-Powered Editing Tools

  • Runway: Runway’s Magic Studio features are incredibly powerful. For example, Magic Switch lets you change video styles instantly. Magic Morph helps you blend scenes smoothly. These AI features can forever change art in video.
  • Canva: Canva offers simple AI editing, like background removal. However, it doesn’t have the same depth of specialized AI features as Runway’s Magic Studio features.

3. Object and Scene Manipulation

  • Runway: This is where Runway excels with tools like Magic Grab. Magic Grab enables you to easily remove objects from your videos. Magic Expand can also intelligently widen your video frame.
  • Canva: Canva offers some basic image editing for object removal, but it’s not as advanced or automated for video as Runway’s dedicated tools.
Runway Using

4. Ease of Use

  • Runway: Runway has a steeper learning curve because it’s packed with advanced AI features. It takes a bit more time to learn all its powerful tricks.
  • Canva: Canva is known for being super easy to use. Its drag-and-drop interface makes design and basic video editing simple for everyone, including many Canva users who are new to video.

5. Templates and Stock Media

  • Runway: Runway focuses more on creating brand-new content with AI. It has fewer pre-made templates or a vast stock media library compared to Canva.
  • Canva: Canva boasts a huge collection of templates, stock photos, and videos. This makes it a go-to for quick designs and projects.

6. Collaboration Features

  • Runway: You can collaborate with others in real-time on Runway projects. This is great for teams working together on complex videos.
  • Canva: Canva also offers strong collaboration features, allowing multiple Canva users to work on designs and videos simultaneously.

7. Mobile App Availability

  • Runway: Runway has a mobile app that allows you to create and edit videos on your phone or tablet.
  • Canva: Canva also offers a highly functional mobile app, making it easy to design and edit on the go.
Canva Background Remover

8. Creative Control and Innovation

  • Runway: Runway prioritizes giving you deep creative control through its innovative AI features, like the advanced magic design capabilities that reshape how content is created. We learned a lot about this during our exclusive video call interview.
  • Canva: Canva offers creative freedom through its vast template library and customizable elements. However, it’s more about streamlining existing design processes than inventing new ones through AI.

9. Specific AI Strengths

  • Runway: Its strength lies in truly generative AI. Features like Magic Switch, Magic Morph, and Magic Expand highlight its cutting-edge capabilities, which are built on sophisticated deep learning techniques applied to media.
  • Canva: While Canva integrates AI, its strengths are more in enhancing user workflows. For instance, its magic design feature helps auto-generate layouts based on content, a different approach than Runway’s raw video generation power.

What to Look For When Choosing the Right Video Production?

  • Consider your budget and needs. Both Runway and Canva offer free plans, but their premium features vary in price and functionality.
  • Think about your technical skills. Canva is more beginner-friendly, while Runway requires a bit more technical know-how.
  • Factor in your video editing style. If you prioritize AI-powered generation and advanced editing, Runway is the better choice. If you prefer a simpler approach with templates and design tools, Canva might be a better fit.
  • Remember collaboration. Both platforms offer collaboration features, but Runway’s real-time collaboration tools are slightly more robust.
  • Check out the mobile apps. Both Runway and Canva have mobile apps, allowing for on-the-go creativity. Choose the app that best suits your mobile workflow.
  • Stay updated on new features. Both platforms are constantly evolving, so keep an eye out for new updates and features that might benefit your video production process.
  • Experiment and have fun! The best way to find the right platform is to try them both and see which one you enjoy using more.

Final Verdict

Runway is the best tool for most people. It has really cool AI tricks.

These make videos look amazing. Canva is easy to use.

But Runway lets you do more creative things. Runway has special AI tools.

These are called “Magic Studio.” One tool is called “Magic Grab.”

It lets you erase things from videos. It’s like magic!

Runway also uses special technology to make videos from your words. This is called “Magic Write.”

Canva is good for simple videos. But Runway is better for making awesome videos.

It’s the future of video editing. We talked to the Runway team, and they are really excited about making videos even better.

If you want to make amazing videos, you should try Runway!

More of Runway

Here is a comparison of Runway with various alternatives, briefly expanding on their differences:

  • Runway vs Pika: Runway offers a more comprehensive suite of AI magic tools for diverse video creation, while Pika Labs excels in rapid video generation from text and images, often with a focus on ease of use.
  • Runway vs Sora: Runway provides an interactive experience with dynamic editing features and a broader range of models. In contrast, Sora, from OpenAI, focuses on generating highly realistic, detailed video content from text prompts with remarkable fidelity.
  • Runway vs Luma: Runway emphasizes a broad array of generative AI video tools and effects. Luma AI stands out for its ability to transform still images into dynamic, lifelike visuals, including sophisticated camera movements.
  • Runway vs Kling: Runway offers extensive AI video tools for various creative tasks, while Kling specializes in producing cinematic, high-quality video with advanced motion control and enhanced prompt adherence.
  • Runway vs Assistive: Runway is a powerful visual AI platform for generating and editing images, videos, and 3D models. Assistive AI, conversely, is primarily focused on text-based AI, aiding in writing, content generation, and language support.
  • Runway vs BasedLabs: Runway provides a direct platform with its own generative AI models. BasedLabs, in contrast, functions as an AI studio that aggregates leading AI image-to-video models like Kling, Pika, and Runway, offering a centralized access point for diverse generation options.
  • Runway vs Pixverse: Runway offers a wide array of AI tools and capabilities for advanced video creation. Pixverse, on the other hand, emphasizes user experience and streamlined workflows for converting text, images, and videos into engaging content.
  • Runway vs InVideo: Runway focuses on cutting-edge AI video generation and advanced editing capabilities, perfect for creative professionals. InVideo is a user-friendly online editor that emphasizes templates and quick video creation, often for marketing purposes.
  • Runway vs Veed: Runway provides advanced AI video generation, particularly its text-to-video features, for pushing creative boundaries. Veed offers a more streamlined, accessible platform for everyday video editing, including some AI-powered assistance for tasks like subtitling.
  • Runway vs Canva: Runway is a dedicated AI video and creative platform with sophisticated generative capabilities. Canva is a versatile graphic design tool that includes easy-to-use video editing features, appealing to a broader audience for various visual content.
  • Runway vs Fliki: Runway provides greater creative flexibility and advanced video editing tools. Fliki specializes in efficiently transforming text into videos with natural-sounding AI voices, making it ideal for repurposing written content.
  • Runway vs Vizard: Runway offers a comprehensive AI toolkit for diverse and complex video projects. Vizard focuses on simplifying video production by leveraging AI for scriptwriting and extracting engaging clips from longer videos, primarily for content optimization.

More of Canva

Here is a comparison of Canva with various alternatives, briefly expanding on their differences:

  • Canva vs Runway: Canva excels in user-friendly graphic design; Runway specializes in advanced AI-powered video generation.
  • Canva vs Pika: Canva is a versatile design tool with video editing capabilities; Pika specializes in quick, high-quality video generation from text prompts.
  • Canva vs Sora: Canva provides broad design capabilities, including basic video creation; Sora, from OpenAI, focuses on highly realistic AI-driven video generation from text.
  • Canva vs Luma: Canva offers general design and video editing, while Luma focuses on AI-powered cinematic video and 3D scene creation.
  • Canva vs Kling: Canva is for broader graphic and video design; Kling is an AI studio that emphasizes high-resolution video generation and editing.
  • Canva vs Assistive: Canva is a general design platform; Assistive focuses on AI-assisted video creation, especially with accessibility features.
  • Canva vs BasedLabs: Canva provides general design and video editing; BasedLabs is an AI studio that creates professional video content from text.
  • Canva vs Pixverse: Canva offers user-friendly design with video tools, while Pixverse specializes in generative AI for transforming multimodal inputs into video.
  • Canva vs InVideo: Canva is a design-centric platform with video editing; InVideo is a dedicated online video editor with AI generation for scripts and media.
  • Canva vs Veed: Canva is a versatile design tool with video features; Veed is a comprehensive online video editor specializing in AI-powered editing and transcription.
  • Canva vs Fliki: Canva is a design tool with video capabilities; Fliki is an AI-powered tool that converts text into videos with realistic AI voices.
  • Canva vs Vizard: Canva offers general design and basic video editing; Vizard streamlines video production by extracting engaging clips from longer content using AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which platform has the best AI-powered tools?

Runway wins! It has the best AI-powered tools for video. Its company’s proprietary AI models power amazing features. These include Magic Write and Magic Grab. You can do so much more with Runway.

What is Magic Design in Canva?

Magic Design in Canva helps you create designs quickly. You pick some images. Then, Canva makes design ideas for you. It’s great for social media posts and presentations.

What exactly does Magic Grab do?

Magic Grab enables you to remove things from videos. It’s like magic! Imagine erasing a person from a video. You can do that with Runway.

Is Canva good for video editing?

Yes, Canva is good for simple videos. It’s easy to use. But Runway is better for more advanced video editing. It has more powerful tools.

What makes Runway’s AI so special?

Runway uses deep learning techniques that are applied to video. This makes its AI very smart. It can create and edit videos in amazing ways.