Is Runway AI free?
Partly: Runway's Free plan costs $0 and gives 125 one-time credits that do not renew, and you cannot buy more credits on it[1]. At Gen-4.5's 12 credits per second that would be about 10 seconds of video[2], if Gen-4.5 is among the limited set of models the Free plan includes[1], and every free video carries a Runway watermark[3].
What the free plan includes
- 125 credits, once. They do not expire, but they also do not renew[1].
- A limited set of models and 5GB of storage[1].
- No top-ups. Free users cannot buy credits; to get more you upgrade[1].
- A watermark on all videos generated on the Free plan; Standard and above remove it[3].
Credits are spent per second. Runway's Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits a second, so a 5-second clip costs 60 credits and a 10-second clip 120[2]. If Gen-4.5 is available to you on Free, the 125 credits buy two 5-second clips with a few credits left over, or one 10-second clip. Treat the free plan as a test drive, not a way to make videos regularly.
What the paid plans buy, in seconds
| Plan | Price | Credits a month | Gen-4.5 seconds | About per second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free[1] | $0 | 125, once | about 10 | free, watermarked |
| Standard[1] | $15/month ($12 billed annually) | 625 | 52 | $0.29 |
| Pro[1] | $35/month ($28 billed annually) | 2,250 | 187 | $0.19 |
| Max[1] | $95/month ($76 billed annually) | 9,500 | not stated | one month of credit rollover |
Runway's paid plans also include third-party models such as Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro next to its own Gen-4.5[1]. Runway did not state per-second credit rates for its older Gen-4 and Gen-4 Turbo models on the pages we read[2], so we only convert Gen-4.5.
Is Runway worth paying for?
Pick Runway if you want one subscription that holds several strong models and you will use most of the monthly credits. Skip it if you only need a few clips: at about $0.29 a second on Standard[1], a single 10-second clip is roughly $2.90 of plan value. Paying a model's API directly can be cheaper per second; Google lists Veo 3.1 Fast at $0.10 a second at 720p on the Gemini API[4]. Our cost-per-second table compares the options, and how AI video credits work explains how to convert any app's credits into dollars.
Where Cast fits
- Short vertical videos of one recurring character from a one-line idea, made on a phone.
- Trying without an account: the first 5-second video is free with no sign-up, and Cast does not add a visible watermark.
- Paying per video: a 5-second Standard video costs 52 credits, about $0.58 at the Starter pack rate.
Where it does not:
- Editing or transforming your own footage: Cast only generates new clips.
- Picking between many models: Cast uses Seedance 2.0 Fast and Seedance 2.5 only.
- Horizontal or long videos: Cast clips are 9:16 and 5, 10 and 15 seconds.
People also ask
- How many free credits does Runway give?
- 125 credits, one time, on the Free plan; they do not expire or renew[1].
- How many seconds of video do Runway credits buy?
- Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits per second[2], so Standard's 625 monthly credits buy 52 seconds and Pro's 2,250 buy 187 seconds[1].
- How much is Runway Standard?
- $15 a month, or $12 a month billed annually, with 625 credits a month and no watermarks[1].
- Can I buy extra credits on Runway's free plan?
- No. Runway says free users cannot buy credits[1].
Sources
Claims about other companies come from their own pages, read on the date shown. Products and prices change; check the link for the current version.
- Runway: pricing (read )
- Runway Help: how do credits work (read )
- Runway Help: Free plan details (read )
- Google: Gemini API pricing (read )
Related answers
- How do AI video credits work?
- How much does AI video cost per second in 2026?
- How many free credits do AI video generators give?
- What is the best AI video generator in 2026?
- What is the cheapest AI video generator?
Part of the Cast answers library (Other tools and models).
Updated