Runway: make and edit video clips from a prompt, an image or footage you already shot

In one line: Runway puts its own Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0 models next to video models from Google, ByteDance and others in one workspace, so you can turn text or a still image into a clip, or change real footage just by describing the edit, and the free plan gives you 125 one-time credits to explore before paid plans start at $12 a month billed yearly.

Most AI video tools do one thing: avatars, clipping, or text to video. Runway is closer to a full studio. You start from a prompt, an image or a clip you already have, and Runway recommends a model for the job. Besides its own Gen-4.5 (text and image to video) it offers third-party models like Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.5 and Kling, plus image and audio models, so you don't need a separate subscription for each. The part that's different is editing real footage: with Aleph 2.0 and Runway's one-click Apps you can remove an object from a video, swap the backdrop, change the time of day or relight a scene with a text prompt, while the rest of the shot stays as it was. Runway says you can also upload a reference image to keep the same character looking the same across shots, add dialogue, voiceover or music, and extend and upscale clips before you export. There's a Runway Agent that builds videos through conversation, node-based Workflows that chain models together, plugins for Premiere Pro and After Effects, and mobile apps for iPhone and Android. Outputs from Runway's own models carry C2PA content credentials on every plan, so they can be identified as AI-made.

Small businesses and marketers who need b-roll, product shots or quick ad variations without a shoot, YouTubers and social creators who want a cutaway or a scene they can't film, and video editors who want to fix a take (remove a stray object, change the sky) instead of reshooting. It's less useful if you need a talking presenter reading a script (HeyGen, issue #21, is built for that) or if you just want to cut long videos into shorts (OpusClip, issue #17).

Go to runway.com and sign up for free. Before you generate anything, look at the credit cost Runway shows next to the Generate button, since every model charges per image, per second or per clip. Start with something cheap: generate one image of a scene you'd actually use, like "a ceramic coffee mug on a sunlit wooden table, morning light, shallow depth of field." If you have a short clip from your phone, try upscaling it or building a scene from it and see how much of your 125 credits it uses. Then decide whether the paid models are worth it: Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits a second, so Standard's 625 monthly credits works out to about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video. Write your prompt like a shot description (subject, setting, camera move, lighting) rather than a wish.

The free plan is a sample, not a working plan. You get 125 credits once. They don't expire, but they never refill, and you can't buy more without upgrading. Free users only get "a selection" of models that changes over time, and Runway's FAQ lists images, voiceovers, live conversations with its Characters, and upscaling and scene building with existing video as what you can make. Access to all the video and image models starts at Standard, and free outputs carry a Runway watermark. On paid plans, video eats credits fast: Standard's 625 credits a month is about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5, and monthly credits on Standard and Pro don't roll over. Third-party models cost more per second (on the pricing page, Kling 4.0 at 1080p is listed at 118 credits per 5 seconds, discounted to 89 until Nov 30), and Runway notes that the listed rates aren't always the full cost of a generation. Plan on several tries per usable clip.

Free: $0, with 125 one-time credits, a selection of models and 5GB of storage. Standard: $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly, with 625 credits a month, all AI video and image models, no watermarks, 4K upscaling, up to 3 projects and 20GB of storage. Pro: $35 a month, or $28 a month billed yearly, with 2,250 credits a month, a custom voice clone, credit top-ups, Runway MCP and 100GB of storage. Max: $95 a month, or $76 a month billed yearly, with 9,500 credits a month, up to one month of unused credits rolling over, early access to new models and 500GB of storage. Extra credits on paid plans come in packs of at least 1,000 and never expire. Team plans include 6,900 credits per seat a month, shared across the workspace; Enterprise: contact sales. Prices are in USD.

Pricing checked on Runway's pricing page, help center and AI video generator page on Nov 10, 2026.