📖 The AI Tool Bible

Deep Live Cam vs Runway

A side-by-side look at pricing, capabilities, pros, cons, and our editorial scores.

 
Deep Live Cam
Video
Runway
Video
TaglineOpen-source real-time face-swap and one-click video deepfake from a single source image.Pro-grade AI video editor and Gen-4 generation.
CategoryVideoVideo
PricingFreemium· Free open-source build on GitHub; paid pre-built Windows package on deeplivecam.netPaid· $15/mo Standard; $35/mo Pro; $95/mo Unlimited
Modelinswapper_128 + GFPGANv1.4Gen-4
Editorial score—9.0 / 10
Use cases
face-swaplive-deepfakevtubingstreamingcontent-creation
short filmVFXimage-to-video
Pros
  • True real-time webcam face swap from a single image, no training step
  • Open source under AGPL-3.0 with 94k+ GitHub stars and active maintenance
  • Broad hardware support: CUDA, DirectML, OpenVINO, Apple CoreML
  • Mouth-mask mode preserves the driver's actual lip-sync
  • Runs fully local, no cloud upload of your face or webcam feed
  • Pro editing timeline
  • Best-in-class control (motion brush, etc.)
  • Used in real productions
  • Generation + editing in one tool
Cons
  • Self-install path needs Python 3.11, CUDA, and weight downloads
  • No hosted API or cloud rendering option
  • Obvious misuse risk; only the bluntest content filters are built in
  • Quality still tops out at inswapper_128 resolution, not photoreal in 4K
  • Expensive for hobby use
  • Render times can be long
Websitedeeplivecam.netrunwayml.com
Pick Deep Live Cam if
  • ✅ True real-time webcam face swap from a single image, no training step
  • ✅ Open source under AGPL-3.0 with 94k+ GitHub stars and active maintenance
  • ✅ Broad hardware support: CUDA, DirectML, OpenVINO, Apple CoreML
  • ✅ Mouth-mask mode preserves the driver's actual lip-sync
Pick Runway if
  • ✅ Pro editing timeline
  • ✅ Best-in-class control (motion brush, etc.)
  • ✅ Used in real productions
  • ✅ Generation + editing in one tool
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