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Runway

AI video platform for generative video (text-to-video, image-to-video), editing (Gen-4 Aleph), motion capture (Act-Two), upscaling, and TTS. Credit-based across 5 plans including an Unlimited tier with Explore Mode.

Free tier · video · image · Hybrid

Visit Runway
Plans
3
Models
48

Updated May 2026

Subscription tiers

Save up to 20% with annual billing

Standard

$15.00/mo

or $12.00/mo billed annually

  • ·625 credits/month

Web UI access

Pro

$35.00/mo

or $28.00/mo billed annually

  • ·2,250 credits/month

Web UI access

Unlimited

Unlimited

$95.00/mo

or $76.00/mo billed annually

  • ·2,250 credits/month
  • ·Unlimited generations

Web UI access

Model pricing

Using Standard monthly at $0.024/cr; rows show credit cost with USD equivalent below.

Nano Banana Pro✓Available

Image · 1K

Nano Banana Pro✓Available

Image · 2K

Nano Banana Pro✓Available

Image · 4K

Nano Banana 2✓Available

Image · 1K

Nano Banana 2✓Available

Image · 2K

Nano Banana 2✓Available

Image · 4K

Veo 3.1✓Available

Video · 1080p

GPT Image 2✓Available

Image · 4K

Beyond this tool

Use Runway with the Scopeful CLI agent

Drop a skill into your editor, run a multi-step workflow, open the CLI agent, or ask the advisor for a starter prompt. Four real entry points — none of them fake UI.

$ npm install @scopeful/runway-gen4-api

01

Drop a Runway skill

Install in Claude Code, OpenCode, or Codex. The agent picks up the tool, picks the cheapest plan, and runs it for you.

Runway → upscale → export

runway
→
agent
→
R2

02

Run a multi-step workflow

Chain the tool with other tools in a DAG. The agent executes, retries on failure, and returns a URL.

scopeful@app ~ $
agent run runway \
--model "cheapest" \
--prompt "use Runwayto..."
✓ plan proposed · 3 nodes · $0.12
✓ running → app.scopeful.org/run/abc123

03

Ask the CLI agent

Open the agent in a new tab with this tool pre-loaded. Pass a prompt, a cost cap, or a model — the agent runs it.

/pro/advisorstreaming
Write a prompt for Runway that picks the cheapest model

For Runway, start with:

"Generate a [subject] at [resolution], [style]. Compare against Flux 1.1 Pro and SDXL, pick the cheapest."

Cost ceiling: $0.10. Run via the Scopeful CLI agent.

04

Ask the advisor for a prompt

The advisor writes a starter prompt for this tool, recommends the cheapest plan, and answers pricing questions. Pro sign-in.

Strengths and weaknesses

Pros

  • Unlimited plan includes unmetered Explore Mode (relaxed speed)
  • 20% annual discount across paid tiers
  • Purchased credits never expire
  • Creative Partners Program (invite-only) grants Unlimited + 1M credits
  • Commercial use permitted on all plans including Free

Cons

  • Monthly credits expire at billing date (no rollover)
  • Minimum 1000-credit top-up ($10) required
  • Explore Mode does not support Veo 3/3.1
  • Gen-4 video not available on Free/Standard

How to buy smart

How to buy Runway smart

Gen-3 Unlimited is only worth it past 5 clips per week. Below that, Standard plus credit top-ups is cheaper. Runway has been the most stable large video platform in 2026. The trap is the Unlimited tier, which is priced for a working studio but marketed to freelancers. Below about 20 clips per week, Standard with credit top-ups beats Unlimited. Above 20, Unlimited wins cleanly.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Runway

Value comparison: credits per dollar
Does Runway actually cost money?↓
Yes. Runway charges for ongoing use. The cheapest paid plan is Standard at $15.00 per month on monthly billing. Higher tiers unlock more generations, higher resolutions, or API access. A free tier is offered, but it caps output count, resolution, or commercial use, so ongoing production work generally requires a paid plan. All plan prices on this page were verified by hand against Runway’s pricing page, most recently in May 2026. For the per-generation cost of a specific model at a specific resolution and volume, use the Scopeful calculator below. Last verified May 2026.
How much does Runway cost per month?↓
Runway’s cheapest paid plan is Standard at $15.00 per month. Larger plans in the table above unlock more credits, more generations, higher resolution tiers, or API access depending on the tier. Most Runway plans also offer an annual billing option that lowers the effective monthly cost; the full plan table shows the monthly and annual price side by side. The plan price is the subscription cost, not the cost per generation. The per-generation cost depends on which model and resolution you choose and how many generations you run, and the Scopeful calculator on this page gives you the exact figure for any combination. Last verified May 2026.
Does Runway have a free tier?↓
Yes. Runway offers a free tier, typically with caps on output count, resolution, generation length, or commercial use rights. The exact caps vary by model and are listed in the plan table on this page. The free tier is best for evaluation, short trials, and low-volume use. If you are running a production workload past the cap, the cheapest paid plan starts at the price shown in the plan table. For a side-by-side breakdown of what the free tier includes versus the cheapest paid plan, use the Scopeful calculator on this page. Last verified May 2026.
What is Runway’s official pricing in 2026?↓
Runway’s official pricing is published at https://runwayml.com/pricing. Scopeful mirrors the official plan prices on this page and adds the per-generation cost in real US dollars, which the official page does not show. The official page lists subscription tiers and credit allotments; this page lists the same tiers, the same credit allotments, and the per-generation USD figure for every model. The numbers on this page were verified by hand, most recently in May 2026. For the official feature comparison and any promotional credits or annual discounts, follow the link to https://runwayml.com/pricing. For the per-generation cost, use the Scopeful calculator on this page. Last verified May 2026.
How do Runway’s credits work?↓
Runway uses a credit allotment on most paid plans. The Unlimited plan, for example, includes 2,250 credits per month. Each generation consumes a fixed number of credits that depends on the model and resolution, so a simple text-to-image at 1K may cost a small number of credits, while a high-resolution video generation can consume hundreds. Unused credits may roll over on some tiers and expire on others, so check the plan details before relying on credit carryover. The Scopeful calculator on this page converts credits to a real US dollar figure for any model + resolution + volume combination, so you can see the per-generation cost in advance. Representative figures from the calculator: $0.0240 per Gemini Flash 2.5 1K image, $0.0240 per Stitch Video 1080p edit. Last verified May 2026.
Does Runway offer an annual discount?↓
Yes. The Unlimited plan drops from $95.00/month on monthly billing to an annual-equivalent of $76.00/month, about 20% off. The discount is offered in exchange for paying the full year up front, so it only makes sense if you are confident you will use the plan for the full term. Other tiers on Runway may offer a different annual discount, so check the full plan table on this page for the per-tier annual and monthly prices side by side. If you want to estimate your annual cost for a specific workload, the Scopeful calculator lets you enter the model, resolution, and volume and returns a real dollar figure for any plan. Last verified May 2026.
Does Runway offer API access?↓
No. Runway is UI-only (web). API access is the most cost-efficient way to run Runway at volume, since per-call pricing is usually lower than the equivalent credit cost on a subscription. Most Runway plans still gate API access to specific tiers, so check the plan table on this page to see which tier unlocks it. For an apples-to-apples cost comparison between the API and the subscription, use the Scopeful calculator on this page, which prices both the subscription plan and the per-call API for the same model and volume. Last verified May 2026.
What is the cheapest way to run Runway at 100 seconds per month?↓
The cheapest verified per-second figure on Runway, calculated by Scopeful from the reference plan rate and the model's credit cost, is $0.0240 for Gemini Flash 2.5 1K image. That is the floor for that specific model and resolution. The plan that unlocks it, and the volume at which it stays the cheapest option, depends on the workload: the cheapest plan is not always the cheapest per-second once you account for monthly credit allotments and overage rates. For a 100-seconds-per-month workload, the Scopeful calculator on this page returns the exact per-second cost across every plan that covers it, plus the total monthly bill. Pricing was verified by hand, most recently in May 2026; re-verify before you commit. Last verified May 2026.
How does Runway's pricing compare to MiniMax on the Gemini Flash 2.5 1K image workload?↓
For comparable subscription access, Runway starts at $15.00 per month, while MiniMax starts at $5.00 per month. The plan-floor numbers are the entry point, not the per-generation cost: the cheaper entry plan is not always the cheaper tool once you account for credit allotments, included generations, and per-call API rates. The fairest comparison is per-output, not per-subscription, and that is what the Scopeful calculator on this page returns. For the Gemini Flash 2.5 1K image workload, Runway and MiniMax both produce a per-image or per-second figure calculated by Scopeful from the same reference plan rate, so the comparison is apples-to-apples. Pricing was verified by hand, most recently in May 2026; re-verify before you commit. Last verified May 2026.
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