Runway AI in 2026: Pricing, Free Plan, Features and Limits

Runway is an online AI video studio: it generates shots from text or an image (the Gen-4.5 model) and edits existing footage (Aleph 2.0). It’s built for editors, agencies and creators who want to generate and change their shots in one place. Plans start at $15/month, or $12/month billed annually, and the free plan is limited to 125 credits given once (Runway pricing, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

What changed in 2026: the website moved from runwayml.com to runway.com, Gen-3 gave way to Gen-4.5, the Unlimited plan is being replaced by Max, and Runway now offers competitors’ models (Kling, Seedance, Wan, Gemini Omni Flash) next to its own. Since September 2026, it also runs inside Premiere Pro, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve. This overview is based on Runway’s official pages as of Sept. 25, 2026.

Runway at a Glance

Runway ranks 6th in our top 10 AI video tools because it can generate and edit in one place.

What Can You Do With Runway?

Runway brings together six kinds of tools: generation, third-party models, editing, audio and finishing, automation, and integrations.

Generating Video With Gen-4.5

Gen-4.5 is Runway’s current video model. It was announced on December 1, 2025 and opened to all paid plans on December 11 (Runway announcement, changelog). It replaces Gen-3 Alpha, which the previous version of this page covered.

According to the Gen-4.5 help article (read Sept. 25, 2026):

• Inputs: text alone, or text plus a starting image (image-to-video since January 2026).
• Length: 2 to 10 seconds per clip, at 24 or 25 fps.
• Resolution: 720p, with six aspect ratios (16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 21:9) in image-to-video; 4K upscaling is available afterward.
• Cost: 12 credits per second, so 60 credits for a 5-second clip.
• Access: Standard plan and above only.

Gen-4.5 doesn’t generate sound. It lacks the “Sound” tag in Runway’s model catalog, unlike Seedance, Wan or Veo. You add audio afterward with Runway’s audio tools, or use a third-party model that generates sound along with the picture.

On quality, Runway billed Gen-4.5 as No. 1 on the Artificial Analysis leaderboard at launch. As of Sept. 25, 2026, it has slipped to 19th in text-to-video without audio, and it doesn’t appear on the with-audio leaderboard (Artificial Analysis).

Using Kling, Seedance, Wan and Gemini Inside Runway

This is the biggest change in 2026: paid plans give you models from other companies, in the same interface and paid with the same credits (changelog, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

• Kling 3.0 (Kuaishou), added in February 2026 along with other third-party models.
• Seedance 2.0 and 2.5 (ByteDance): video with sound, up to 30 seconds with Seedance 2.5 (in 1080p since August 2026). The pricing page lists Seedance 2.5 from the Pro plan up.
• Gemini Omni Flash (Google), since June 30, 2026, to generate and edit video.
• Wan 3.0 (Alibaba), since August 24, 2026: video with sound in 480p, 720p or 1080p.

Wan 3.0 and Gemini Omni Flash hold the top two spots on the Artificial Analysis text-to-video leaderboard without audio as of Sept. 25, 2026. So a Runway subscriber isn’t stuck with Gen-4.5.

These models cost more credits than Gen-4.5: 160 credits for 4 seconds of Seedance 2.0 Pro, and 116 for Seedance 2.0 Fast (Runway pricing, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

Editing Existing Footage With Aleph 2.0

Aleph 2.0 launched on May 21, 2026 along with the Edit Studio workspace. It changes a video you already have, whether you shot it or generated it. You edit one frame, or describe the change in plain language, and the model carries it through the rest of the clip while keeping everything you didn’t ask to change.

Runway’s own examples: change a product’s color, add graffiti to a wall, remove objects in the background, turn a scene into winter, get a tighter shot on a product, or apply an anime style. According to the official page, Aleph 2.0:

• handles up to 30 seconds of video in 1080p;
• applies an edit across several shots of the same cut;
• previews the edit as an image before you generate.

It costs 140 credits per 5 seconds (Runway pricing, checked Sept. 25, 2026), a bit more than twice the cost of Gen-4.5. It’s the feature that sets Runway apart most from the other tools in our comparison of AI video generators, which are built mainly to generate.

Audio, HDR and Finishing

• Audio: music, voice and sound effects from the Standard plan; text-to-speech costs 1 credit per 50 characters. Seed Audio 1.0 generates up to 120 seconds of speech, sound design and music. Voice cloning: 1 voice on Pro, 3 on Max.
• HDR with Ruby: converts SDR video (up to 30 seconds and 4K) to HDR10, HLG, ProRes or EXR sequences without re-rendering the picture. Gen-4.5 can also generate in HDR directly. Ruby is included from the Max plan up (Ruby page, checked Sept. 25, 2026).
• 4K upscaling: included from Standard, unlimited from Pro, with Topaz AI Upscale on Pro and Max.
• Frame rate: converts video to 25, 30, 48, 60 or 120 fps, up to 4K and 5 minutes long, from the Max plan up (September 2026).

Agent, Workflows and Editing

• Runway Agent (May 2026, version 2.0 in June): you describe the video you need, and the agent picks the models, generates the shots and can assemble the cut on a timeline. It also reads PDFs (a brief, a script) and builds reusable “skills.” It’s available on all plans.
• Workflows (October 2025): node-based pipelines that chain several models, for example generate, upscale, then convert to HDR.
• Studio (June 2026): trim, stitch, reorder and export shots.
• Act-Two: motion capture from a simple video of yourself, transferred to a character (head, face, body and hands).

Plugins, Apps and API

• Adobe: a Runway panel inside Premiere Pro and After Effects since September 8, 2026. It’s a free download (macOS and Windows) that works with a paid plan. You can generate shots and restyle your timeline with Aleph 2.
• DaVinci Resolve: plugin available since September 23, 2026, on paid plans. See the Runway Resolve plugin’s requirements and limitations.
• Mobile: iPhone and Android apps.
• Developers: the Runway Dev API, plus an MCP server to drive Runway from an assistant (ChatGPT, Cursor…), which the pricing page lists on the Pro and Max plans.

How Much Does Runway Cost in 2026?

Prices in U.S. dollars from the Runway pricing page, checked Sept. 25, 2026.

How Many Videos Do You Get per Month?

Calculated from the costs on the pricing page (checked Sept. 25, 2026): Gen-4.5 costs 60 credits per 5 seconds, Aleph 2.0 costs 140 credits per 5 seconds. Rounded down.

How Do Runway Credits Work?

What to know (pricing page FAQ, checked Sept. 25, 2026):

• On Standard and Pro, monthly credits don’t roll over. On Max, up to one month of unused credits carries over.
• Extra credits come in packs of at least 1,000 and never expire; their price isn’t shown on the public page. You can’t buy credits on the Free plan.
• Projects are capped: 3 on Standard, 5 on Pro, 10 on Max.

What Happened to the Unlimited Plan?

The Unlimited plan offered unlimited generations in a slower “Explore” mode. Runway is replacing it with Max and keeps it for existing subscribers only through November 30, 2026 (Runway help, checked Sept. 25, 2026).

Is Runway Free?

The Free plan gives you 125 credits once. They don’t expire, but they don’t renew either (Runway help, checked Sept. 25, 2026). It only unlocks a changing selection of models, and Gen-4.5 isn’t one of them. Every video carries a Runway watermark, and you can’t buy credits without moving to Standard.

So it’s a trial: enough to get to know the interface, not to produce anything. To try Gen-4.5 or Aleph 2.0, you need at least one month of Standard, with no commitment if you pay monthly.

How to Write a Good Runway Prompt

Runway’s Gen-4.5 guide separates two cases:

• Text-to-video: describe both what you see (subject, setting, lighting) and the motion (subject and camera).
• Image-to-video: the image already sets the scene, so the prompt should focus on motion.

Runway’s models accept prompts in languages other than English, but the company warns that not all of them work equally well (Runway help). Standard camera terms such as “high angle,” “close up,” “tracking shot” or “diffused lighting” are the safest bet. Runway says Gen-4.5 follows detailed instructions well (camera moves, sequenced actions). A longer duration helps when your prompt describes several actions in a row.

A sample text-to-video prompt you can adapt:

High angle tracking shot: the camera follows a sleek, futuristic drone as it flies through a neon-lit city at night. Towering skyscrapers are covered in holographic advertisements. The lighting mixes diffused neon with sharp, contrasting shadows, creating a cyberpunk atmosphere. The camera smoothly pans and tilts to follow the drone through the busy streets.

What Are Runway’s Limitations?

• Credits go fast. Standard’s 625 monthly credits buy 52 seconds of Gen-4.5, or about four 5-second clips with Aleph 2.0. Credits are spent on every generation, whether or not you keep the result.
• Gen-4.5 has no audio, outputs 720p and tops out at 10 seconds per clip. For native sound or longer shots, you need Seedance, Wan or Gemini Omni Flash, which cost more credits.
• The high end is expensive. HDR, frame-rate conversion and credit rollover require Max ($95/month, Runway pricing, checked Sept. 25, 2026) or a team plan.
• English only. The interface isn’t localized; Runway suggests Chrome’s built-in translation for other languages (Runway help).

Runway or Another Tool?

• You mainly want high-quality shots for the lowest price: compare Google Flow, Hailuo, Wan or Kling in our top 10 AI video tools, which covers their free plans and prices.
• You edit existing footage, work in Premiere, After Effects or Resolve, or deliver in HDR: Runway brings these features together in one subscription.
• You want an avatar presenting to camera from a script: dedicated tools such as Synthesia or HeyGen are more direct. Runway’s real-time avatars (Runway Characters) are offered through the API.
• You need a voice-over or advanced multilingual dubbing: a dedicated voice tool such as ElevenLabs complements Runway; see our guide to creating realistic AI voices.

FAQ

Can I Use Runway Videos Commercially?

Yes. Runway says you keep ownership of your creations on every plan and can use them without commercial restrictions from Runway, with no obligation to credit it (Runway help). You still have to follow the terms of use and usage policy, and Free plan videos carry a watermark.

What Languages Does Runway Support?

The interface is in American English only. Prompts in other languages are accepted, but English remains more reliable.

Is There a Runway Mobile App?

Yes, on iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later) and Android. According to its App Store listing, the app is in English and syncs your work with the desktop version.

How Long Can Runway Videos Be?

Gen-4.5 generates 2 to 10 seconds per clip. Seedance 2.5, which the pricing page lists from the Pro plan up, goes up to 30 seconds, and Aleph 2.0 edits clips of up to 30 seconds. For anything longer, you string shots together in Studio or in your editing software.

Are runwayml.com and runway.com the Same Site?

Yes. runwayml.com redirects to runway.com. The web app (app.runwayml.com) and the help center (help.runwayml.com) still use the old domain.

Is Gen-3 Alpha Still Relevant?

Runway now highlights Gen-4.5 and Gen-4 Turbo, which is faster and cheaper. The prices and credit examples in the previous version of this page (Gen-3 Alpha and Turbo) no longer apply.

Useful Links

• Runway official site
• Pricing page
• Changelog
• Help center
• Runway Academy: official courses and tutorials
• Our comparison of 10 AI video tools