One contrasting feature is parametrized services: several similar processes (like agetty) can be controlled by one service directory; I find it neat.
Another difference is the ability to initiate reboot or shutdown as an action of the same binary (nitroctl).
Also, it's a single binary; runit has several.
Then I left Linux for about 5 years and, by the time I got back, Systemd had taken over. I heard a few bad things about it, but eventually learned to recognise that so many of those arguments were in such bad faith that I don't even know what the real ones are any more. Currently I run a couple of services on Pi Zeros streaming camera and temperature data from the vivarium of our bearded dragon, and it was so very easy to set them up using systemd. And I could use it to run emacsd on my main OpenSuse desktop. And a google-drive Fuse solution on my work laptop. "having something standard is good, actually", I guess.