If you want to make videos with AI, you’ve got a lot of tools to choose from. There’s Runway, for example, as well as Pika, which is known for its funny special effects videos, and Pollo AI, widely regarded as one of the most versatile and comprehensive AI video creators.
All of these tools do similar things, but they work in different ways and bring various benefits and a couple of downsides to the table, too. So you might want to know which is the best out of Runway vs. Pika vs. Pollo AI, and this guide will tell you exactly that.
An Overview of Runway
First, a look at Runway. This is one of the most advanced and widely-used of all AI video generators. It offers multiple models, including Gen-2, as well as the more recent and advanced Gen-3 Alpha and Gen-3 Alpha Turbo.
You can make AI videos from either text prompts or images with Runway, and it tends to be quite good at making videos with characters. It does a good job with facial expressions, speech, and movement – you can even use its Lip Sync feature to match mouth movements with audio.
Positives:
- Good quality video output
- Several models to choose from
- Regularly updated with new features
- Ideal for advanced or intermediate users
- Useful for character-focused videos
Negatives:
- Can be quite pricey
- Struggles with certain complex prompts
- Not the most beginner-friendly AI video generator
An Overview of Pika
Next up, we have Pika. This AI video generator has developed a reputation for being able to create brief, funny, and entertaining clips that you might like to share on social media, especially ones with special effects – like explosions – in them.
As well as those short clips, Pika can make more serious and realistic videos as well in various styles and genres. It has three models – 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 – but doesn’t offer too many advanced features compared to other generators, like Pollo AI.
Positives:
- Quite a simple and easy-to-use tool
- Good for making special effect videos
- Useful for social or viral content
- Works with text prompts or reference images
Negatives:
- Lacks features
- The output quality isn’t always the best
- Struggles with physics, motion, and narrative videos
An Overview of Pollo AI
The third entry in our comparison is Pollo AI. It's an all-in-one AI video generator that integrates several AI video models like Runway AI, Pika AI, Kling AI, Hailuo AI, Vidu AI, Luma AI, and more.
This leading AI video generator can do text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video generation. It lets you make AI videos your way and gives you all the tools and tech you need to do so.
Pollo AI is both beginner-friendly and suitable for advanced users. It provides many AI tools, like the AI video upscaler to improve video quality, plus AI effects and templates to make specific kinds of videos, like the AI kissing video generator. It’s very useful, easy to work with, and effective.
Here are two tutorial videos talking about how to convert text into videos and create AI kissing videos with Pollo AI:
Positives:
- Ideal for all types of users
- An all-in-one platform with various video models
- Great quality videos with lots of detail
- Strong prompt adherence
- Tons of effects, templates, tools, and features
- Speedy processing times
Negatives:
- Free version is a bit limited
How Much Do They Cost and Which Is Cheapest?
Price-wise, these tools have some notable differences.
- Runway has a Basic plan, which is free to use. It also has three premium plans – Standard, Pro, and Unlimited – with prices starting as low as $12 a month, but rising considerably for the high-end plans.
- Pika also has a free Basic plan, plus three premium plans called Standard, Pro, and Fancy. Prices begin at $8 a month if you pay annually, but rise up to $95 for the highest tier.
- Lastly, Pollo AI also has a free plan, as well as two premium plans to keep things simple: Lite and Pro. Fees start at only $10 a month and you can flexibly adjust your plan to give you the resources you need at a price that’s right for you.
They’re all free to try, but Pollo AI is the best value offering as it gives you the most features and options at the lowest monthly or yearly rates.
What Can They Do? Feature Comparison
To truly see which is best out of Runway vs. Pika vs. Pollo AI, we have to take a close look at all three tools and see what kinds of features they offer and how well they work.
Video Quality, Detail, and Realism
If you want the best quality videos that are realistic and detailed, you should choose either Pollo AI or Runway. Pollo AI is particularly impressive here. It does an amazing job of understanding prompts to produce truly high-end, cinema-style video output that’s got lots of detail and truly lifelike physics. No matter what type of video you want to make, Pollo AI can do it.
Runway can also produce high-quality outputs. Lots of users turn to this tool when they want to make videos featuring realistic human characters, as it does such a good job with faces and facial movements. It’s good at other video styles, too, like product demos or fantasy narrative videos, but sometimes has difficulty conveying movement or action in scenes.
In terms of realism and quality, Pika is the last of the three. It’s still able to make very good quality videos, but they’re just not at the same level as those that come out of Pollo AI and Runway. It sometimes produces quite obscure visuals that don’t look realistic at all, with blurriness, artifacts, or other obscurities
Level of Flexibility and Control
The best AI video generators put you in total control of the content you make, and that’s something that Pollo AI does really well. It gives you so many options to make your videos using either text prompts, images, videos, or a combination. It also lets you set the desired length, aspect ratio, creativity of the AI, and adjust the camera controls to suit your liking.
Runway also does pretty well in terms of control and customization. It lets users control the duration of their AI videos, as well as adjusting the camera movement and angles, choosing from different quality levels, and using its helpful Motion Brush to actually draw movement pathways for specific elements in the video scene.
Again, Pika comes in last place of the three in this category. It doesn't give you a ton of options when it comes to customizing your content. You can type in a prompt or upload a reference image, and you can choose different aspect ratios, too, but the options are generally more limited compared to those seen in Runway and Pollo AI.
Bonus Functions and Helpful Tools
Pollo AI is the No. 1 AI video generator when it comes to extra features and functions. There’s just so much this tool can do, starting with its templates. It has dozens of AI effects that let you make specific sorts of videos, like AI Curly Hair, AI Muscle Generator, AI Venom Transformation and more. It also has special AI tools for enhancing your videos, and converting videos to anime.
Pika also has some cool extra effects and functions. Its “Pikaffects” mode, for example, is a great tool for making social or viral content with special effect AI videos. You can upload a picture into Pikaffects and then make videos that show the subject getting squashed, blown up, or even made into cake.
As for Runway, it also has a bunch of bonus features that users can experiment with. There’s the Act One feature, for example, which is good for taking images of people or characters and turning them into realistic videos. The Lip Sync feature lets you perfectly sync speech audio with facial movements, and you can use Runway’s over 30 video tools to edit your video with AI.
Ease of Use
Pollo AI is well-known for being a very straightforward AI video generator that is easy to work with for everyone, from beginners through to more intermediate and experienced users. It’s got a clear and simple navigation system that lets you find the tools you need quickly, and the aforementioned templates can save users tons of time in making their videos.
Pika also has a pretty simplistic user interface that shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge for beginner users. There's simply a box at the bottom of the screen to type in your prompt and little buttons dotted around if you want to upload a picture, switch to a different model, use a Pikaffect, or access the advanced controls.
Of the three, Runway is probably the least intuitive and can feel a bit complicated for new users. When you first arrive on the Runway desktop, you’ll see a lot of different buttons and menus and terms, and it has a bit of a steep learning curve. However, most features are explained well enough and easy to figure out with a bit of time and patience.
Try Pollo AI Today – The Ultimate AI Video Generator
All three of these AI video generators bring something special to the table, but of the three, Pollo AI is the clear winner in all major categories.
- It's an all-in-one AI video generator
- It’s the easiest to use
- It’s the best value for money
- It makes the best quality videos
- And it gives you the most features
Because of all that, we can recommend Pollo AI ahead of Pika and Runway as the best AI video generator to work with, no matter what type of video you want to make. Give it a try today for free and see how good it is firsthand.
Our Final Take
In this guide, we’ve taken an in-depth look at Runway vs. Pika vs. Pollo AI. We’ve tested all three tools and explored their features and benefits, as well as their drawbacks. So, what conclusions can we draw?
Well, we can safely say that Pollo AI is the best of the trio. Runway is a useful tool with plenty of options for advanced users, but a bit pricey and complex. Pika, meanwhile, is at the other end of the spectrum and may be too simple for some users.
Pollo AI is the perfect all-rounder, not too tricky and not too basic. It gives you lots of features and options all at a fair price, and it produces some of the most impressive AI video output we’ve seen to date.
FAQs
Which AI video generator to use out of Runway, Pollo AI, and Pika?
After testing all three of these AI video generators, we recommend Pollo AI as the best one. It’s got the most powerful technology and is by far the most flexible with its many templates, tools, and alternative models you can use.
Which one is free to try?
All three of these tools are actually free to try, with dedicated free plans for users who don’t want to spend any money. However, you’ll have to pay for them if you want to get full access and make as many videos as you like.
Which one has the best features?
We believe Pollo AI has the best features compared to Pika and Runway. It lets you choose from different AI models and provides different capabilities to generate videos, it has multiple AI filters and tools to enhance and edit your videos, and it gives you lots of effects and templates to create various fun videos.
Which one makes the best videos?
Pollo AI usually makes the best quality videos with the most detail and realism. It also does the best job of understanding and adhering to the user prompt. Runway is also quite good at this but sometimes struggles with complicated prompts.