What does Runway do?
Runway is an AI creative suite for generating and editing video, images and audio in one app. Paid plans start at $12/mo billed yearly ($15 monthly) for about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video a month. It suits creators and agencies who want many models and an editor in one place; skip it if you only need cheap short clips.
- Gen-4.5 video model. Runway's own video generation model, which Runway describes as state of the art for motion quality, prompt adherence and visual fidelity. It costs 12 credits per second of video.
- Other video models in one plan. Paid plans include all AI video models in the app, such as Gen-4 Turbo, Aleph 2.0 and third-party models like Seedance 2.0, each with its own credit cost.
- Image models. Gen-4 Image and Gen-4 Image Turbo, plus third-party image models such as Nano Banana Pro, from the same credit balance.
- Audio generation. Standard and up add music (Lyria 3), voice, text to speech and sound-effect generation; Pro adds a custom voice clone and Max up to three.
- Agentic creative collaborator. Paid plans list an AI collaborator inside the app; Pro and Max also list Runway MCP and Brand Kits.
- 4K upscaling and pro formats. Upscale video to 4K on paid plans (unlimited on Pro and Max); Max adds HDR, ProRes and image-sequence output.
- Mobile apps and API. iPhone and Android apps alongside the web app, and Runway's API gives developers access to the same models.
Who is Runway for?
Runway is a good fit if you're a video creator or a business owner, and you need help making videos and images.
How much does Runway cost?
Runway starts at $12/mo. It also has a free plan. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026 on the official pricing page.
- Starts at
- $12/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Not offered on the pricing page
Standard plan billed yearly ($15/mo billed monthly) with 625 credits a month, about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video, and no watermarks. Credits don't roll over on Standard or Pro. Free plan: 125 one-time credits.
Runway plans compared
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 125 one-time credits that don't renew, a limited set of tools, Runway watermark on videos, 5GB storage |
| Standard | $15/mo | $12/mo | 625 credits a month (about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video), all video and image models, 5 parallel generations, up to 3 projects, no watermarks, 4K upscaling, 20GB storage |
| Pro | $35/mo | $28/mo | 2,250 credits a month (about 187 seconds of Gen-4.5), 15 parallel generations, up to 5 projects, 1 custom voice clone, top-up credits anytime, unlimited 4K video upscaling, 100GB storage |
| Max | $95/mo | $76/mo | 9,500 credits a month (about 791 seconds of Gen-4.5) that roll over for one month, 20 parallel generations, early access to new models, HDR and ProRes output, 500GB storage |
| Team & Enterprise | Not listed | Custom | Contact sales |
Checked on Oct 24, 2026. Annual prices are per month, billed yearly (Standard saves $36 a year, Pro $84, Max $228). Credits are spent per generation: Gen-4.5 video uses 12 credits per second (60 credits per 5-second clip), Aleph 2.0 uses 140 credits per 5 seconds, a 1080p Gen-4 image uses 8 credits and a Gen-4 Image Turbo image uses 2. Standard and Pro credits reset each billing cycle; Max rolls over up to one month. Extra credits are sold from 1,000 credits, never expire, and the page doesn't list their price. Upgrades are prorated.
What Runway's monthly credits buy
- Standard$15/mo · 625 credits52 seconds≈ $0.29 per second
- Pro$35/mo · 2,250 credits3 min 7 s≈ $0.19 per second
- Max$95/mo · 9,500 credits13 min 11 s≈ $0.12 per second
What the picture says: Max costs 6.3× Standard but buys 15.2× the seconds of Gen-4.5 video, so each second drops from about $0.29 to $0.12.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 on Runway's pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
Runway pros and cons
What stands out
- Free plan with 125 credits that don't expire, so you can test before paying
- Pricing page converts credits into seconds of video and number of images per model
- No watermarks from Standard ($12/mo yearly) up
- Runway's help center says you own your outputs and can use them commercially
- One credit balance covers video, image and audio models
- Max credits roll over for a month, and purchased top-up credits never expire
Watch out for
- Standard's 625 credits are about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video a month
- Standard and Pro credits reset every billing cycle
- Free plan videos carry a Runway watermark and the 125 credits don't renew
- Third-party models cost more credits: Aleph 2.0 is 140 credits per 5 seconds vs 60 for Gen-4.5
- Top-up credit prices and Team pricing aren't published
Based on Runway's own pages, not hands-on testing.
What are the alternatives to Runway?
We list 3 other AI Video & Image tools: Higgsfield, Luma AI, Pika. Each one below shows its starting price and when you might pick it instead.
Higgsfield · Price not checkedChoose Higgsfield if you'd like a second option to compare for making videos and images.
Luma AI · From $25/moChoose Luma AI if you'd like a second option to compare for making videos and images.
Compared in
Runway FAQ
How much does Runway cost per month?
As of Oct 24, 2026: Standard $15/mo ($12/mo billed yearly), Pro $35/mo ($28/mo yearly) and Max $95/mo ($76/mo yearly). There's also a Free plan with 125 one-time credits, and Team & Enterprise pricing is by quote.
How many videos can you make with Runway credits?
Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second, so a 5-second clip costs 60 credits. That's about 52 seconds a month on Standard (625 credits), 187 seconds on Pro (2,250) and 791 seconds on Max (9,500). Runway's table puts it at about 125, 450 and 1,900 five-second Gen-4.5 clips a year. Other models cost more or less per second.
Is Runway free?
There's a free plan, not a trial. It gives you 125 credits once; they don't expire but don't renew either. It covers a limited set of tools, and videos made on it carry a Runway watermark. At Gen-4.5's rate, 125 credits would be about 10 seconds of video.
Does Runway add a watermark?
Only on the Free plan. Runway's help center says all videos generated on a Free plan have a Runway watermark, and Standard or higher removes it. The pricing page lists 'No watermarks' on paid plans.
Can you use Runway videos commercially?
Runway's help center says the content you create is yours to use without non-commercial restrictions from Runway, and you keep ownership of your generations. It doesn't single out the Free plan, but free videos carry a watermark, so most commercial work needs a paid plan. Check the terms of use for your case.
Runway vs Pika: which is cheaper?
Pika's entry plan is cheaper: Starter is $8/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly) vs Runway Standard at $12/mo ($15 monthly). Both entry plans include commercial use (Pika added it to Starter by Oct 24, 2026), but credits aren't comparable between the two, so compare what each plan's credits buy. Pika prices checked Oct 24, 2026.
Do Runway credits roll over?
Not on Standard or Pro: monthly credits reset within 24 hours of your billing date. Max rolls over up to one month of unused credits. Extra credits you buy (minimum 1,000) never expire.
Is Runway worth it?
It depends on how much video you need. Runway packs many video, image and audio models into one credit balance, which suits creators and agencies. If you need lots of footage, Standard's 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 a month runs out fast, so price out Pro or Max. We haven't tested Runway hands-on; this is based on its pricing and help pages.
Sources and how we checked
- Official pricing page, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Official website
- Runway help: Free plan details (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026
- Runway help: Can I use the content I made in Runway for commercial purposes? (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026
- Runway help: Managing your subscription (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026
- Runway homepage, checked Oct 24, 2026