ClipCost · Pricing comparison · Last checked Oct 19, 2026 · Prices from verified data · Wan 2.6 cost (older Wan inside Runway) · Pika cost (every Pika rate, re-checked Nov 1, 2026; Kling 3.0 and Veo 3.1 Fast rows added)
Runway vs Pika: cost per video
What a 10s, 30s and 60s video really costs on Runway and Pika — one try and with the retries you will actually need — using each company’s own published credit rates and plan prices. Including the one model both sell: Wan 3.0.
Run your own numbers Runway pricing Pika pricing
Quick answer
Pika is cheaper per generated second at every setting we can verify. Pika credits cost $0.00889 each on every annual plan (Starter $8/900, Creator $28/3,150, Fancy from $76/8,550), against $0.0192 on Runway Standard annual ($12/625). Pika’s cheapest video model, Wan 3.0 at 720p (33 credits per 5s), is $1.76 per 30-second try and $5.28 per usable clip with 2 retries. Runway Gen-4.5 is $6.91 per try and $20.74 usable; Runway’s cheapest options, Gen-4 Turbo and Wan 3.0 at 480p (5 credits/sec), are $2.88 / $8.64. The cleanest comparison is the model both sell: Wan 3.0 at 720p costs $1.76 per 30s try on Pika and $5.76 inside Runway — about 3.3× more. Pika’s premium model, Seedance 2.5 at 720p, is $6.51 / $19.52, close to Runway Gen-4.5. Since October 2026 Pika Starter includes a commercial licence (re-verified Oct 23, 2026), so the $8 tier already covers monetised work; Creator has the same credit price and 3.5× the credits.
Basis: Runway plans, Gen-4.5 (60 credits/5s), Aleph and Seedance 2.0 rates, rollover rules and the 1,000-credit top-up minimum re-verified Oct 19, 2026 on runway.com/pricing and Runway help (How do credits work?; Will unused credits carry over?: top-ups from $10, $0.01 = 1 credit). Runway per-second rates for Gen-4, Gen-4 Turbo and Wan 3.0 (480p 5, 720p 10, 1080p 20 credits/sec) from the Runway Academy credits page and Runway API pricing, Oct 19, 2026. Pika plans, monthly credits, per-generation credits, credit packs, licence and watermark rows re-verified Oct 19, 2026 on pika.art/pricing. “Usable” = 1 try + 2 retries (3 attempts), the same convention as our calculator. Credit costs are an effective price at the plan’s $ per credit, assuming you use all your credits. Cost only — no quality ranking.
Credits per generated second
| Tool | Model / mode | Credits per second | Official listing | Max per generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway | Gen-4.5 | 12 | 60 / 5s | 2–10s |
| Runway | Gen-4 | 12 | 60 / 5s | 10s |
| Runway | Gen-4 Turbo | 5 | 25 / 5s | 10s |
| Runway | Wan 3.0 · 480p (in Runway) New Oct 19 | 5 | 25 / 5s | not stated |
| Runway | Wan 3.0 · 720p (in Runway) New Oct 19 | 10 | 50 / 5s | not stated |
| Runway | Wan 3.0 · 1080p (in Runway) New Oct 19 | 20 | 100 / 5s | not stated |
| Runway | Seedance 2.0 Fast (in Runway) | 29 | 116 / 4s | — |
| Runway | Seedance 2.0 Pro · 1080p (in Runway) | 40 | 160 / 4s | — |
| Runway | Veo 3.1 with audio (in Runway) | 40 | 200 / 5s | — |
| Pika | Wan 3.0 · 720p | 6.6 | 33 / 5s | only 5s price listed |
| Pika | Seedance 2.5 · 720p | 24.4 | 122 / 5s | only 5s price listed |
| Pika | Kling 3.0 · 720p New Nov 1 | 6.8 | 34 / 5s | only 5s price listed |
| Pika | Veo 3.1 Fast · 720p New Nov 1 | 10 | 80 / 8s | only 8s price listed |
Pika’s pricing page lists only two video models, both as 5-second 720p generations (Wan 3.0: 33 credits; Seedance 2.5: 122). We cost longer videos as several 5s generations at that price; other lengths, resolutions or Pika models may be priced differently in the app — check the credit cost Pika shows before generating. Runway’s Gen-4 Turbo rate is 5 credits/sec in its model docs, though its pricing-page Standard/Pro examples imply about 6/sec; we use the model docs. Runway describes Wan 3.0 as “budget-friendly video with audio”; Pika does not say whether its Wan 3.0 price includes audio.
What a credit is worth on each plan
| Plan / credit source | Price | Credits / month | $ per credit (annual) | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway Free | $0 | 125 one-time | — | Does not expire; cannot buy top-ups |
| Runway Standard | $12/mo annual ($15 monthly) | 625 | $0.0192 ($0.0240 monthly) | Resets on billing date |
| Runway Pro | $28/mo annual ($35 monthly) | 2,250 | $0.0124 ($0.0156 monthly) | Resets on billing date |
| Runway Max | $76/mo annual ($95 monthly) | 9,500 | $0.00800 ($0.0100 monthly) | Up to 1 month rollover |
| Runway purchased credits | from $10 (minimum 1,000) | — | $0.0100 | Never expire; paid plans only; spent last |
| Pika Free | $0 | 0 (packs only) | — | No commercial licence |
| Pika Starter | $8/mo annual ($10 monthly) | 900 | $0.00889 ($0.0111 monthly) | Commercial licence (added Oct 2026) |
| Pika Creator | $28/mo annual ($35 monthly) | 3,150 | $0.00889 ($0.0111 monthly) | Commercial licence |
| Pika Fancy | from $76/mo annual ($95 monthly) | 8,550 and up | $0.00889 ($0.0111 monthly) | Commercial licence; tiers up to $880/mo |
| Pika credit packs | $25 for 1,500 (60 per $1) | — | $0.0167 | Expire 365 days after purchase; any plan incl. Free |
$ per credit = plan price ÷ monthly credits. Every paid Pika tier works out to the same $0.00889 on annual billing ($0.0111 monthly), so on Pika a bigger plan buys more credits, not cheaper ones. On Runway a bigger plan does lower the price per credit — Max annual ($0.0080) is under half of Standard ($0.0192) and the only credit here about 10% cheaper than Pika’s — but Runway models burn more credits per second, so Wan 3.0 at 720p is still $2.40 per 30s try on Max vs $1.76 on Pika.
Cost per video: 10s, 30s, 60s
Entry plans on annual billing: Runway Standard ($0.0192/credit) and Pika Starter or Creator ($0.00889/credit). Usable = 3 attempts.
| Tool · model | Credits/sec | $/sec | 10s try | 10s usable | 30s try | 30s usable | 60s try | 60s usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pika · Wan 3.0 · 720p | 6.6 | $0.059 | $0.59 | $1.76 | $1.76 | $5.28 | $3.52 | $10.56 |
| Runway · Gen-4 Turbo | 5 | $0.096 | $0.96 | $2.88 | $2.88 | $8.64 | $5.76 | $17.28 |
| Runway · Wan 3.0 · 480p | 5 | $0.096 | $0.96 | $2.88 | $2.88 | $8.64 | $5.76 | $17.28 |
| Runway · Wan 3.0 · 720p | 10 | $0.192 | $1.92 | $5.76 | $5.76 | $17.28 | $11.52 | $34.56 |
| Pika · Seedance 2.5 · 720p | 24.4 | $0.217 | $2.17 | $6.51 | $6.51 | $19.52 | $13.01 | $39.04 |
| Pika · Kling 3.0 · 720p New Nov 1 | 6.8 | $0.060 | $0.60 | $1.81 | $1.81 | $5.44 | $3.63 | $10.88 |
| Pika · Veo 3.1 Fast · 720p New Nov 1 | 10 | $0.089 | $0.89 | $2.67 | $2.67 | $8.00 | $5.33 | $16.00 |
| Runway · Gen-4.5 | 12 | $0.230 | $2.30 | $6.91 | $6.91 | $20.74 | $13.82 | $41.47 |
| Runway · Wan 3.0 · 1080p | 20 | $0.384 | $3.84 | $11.52 | $11.52 | $34.56 | $23.04 | $69.12 |
| Runway · Seedance 2.0 Fast | 29 | $0.557 | $5.57 | $16.70 | $16.70 | $50.11 | $33.41 | $100.22 |
Maths: credits/sec × seconds × $ per credit. Example: Pika Wan 3.0, 30s = 6 × 33 = 198 credits × $0.00889 = $1.76; Runway Gen-4.5, 30s = 12 × 30 = 360 credits × $0.0192 = $6.91. On monthly billing every row rises 25% (Runway Standard $15 instead of $12; Pika $10 instead of $8): Gen-4.5 30s becomes $8.64 and Pika Wan 3.0 30s $2.20. Runway Gen-4.5 makes 2–10s generations, so 30s and 60s videos are stitched from several generations on both tools.
Plan limits: how much video each plan really covers
| Plan | Cheapest model: seconds / month | Usable 30s clips* | Flagship model: seconds / month | Usable 30s clips* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway Standard (625 cr) | Gen-4 Turbo / Wan 3.0 480p: 125s | 1 | Gen-4.5: 52s | 0 |
| Pika Starter (900 cr) | Wan 3.0 720p: 136s | 1 | Seedance 2.5 720p: 36s | 0 |
| Runway Pro (2,250 cr) | Gen-4 Turbo / Wan 3.0 480p: 450s | 5 | Gen-4.5: 187s | 2 |
| Pika Creator (3,150 cr) | Wan 3.0 720p: 477s | 5 | Seedance 2.5 720p: 129s | 1 |
| Runway Max (9,500 cr) | Gen-4 Turbo / Wan 3.0 480p: 1,900s | 21 | Gen-4.5: 791s | 8 |
| Pika Fancy (entry tier) (8,550 cr) | Wan 3.0 720p: 1,295s | 14 | Seedance 2.5 720p: 350s | 3 |
*Usable 30s clip = 90 generated seconds (3 attempts), rounded down. Pika’s own table says Starter makes about 27 Wan 3.0 clips or 7 Seedance 2.5 clips (5s each) a month, Creator 95 or 25, Fancy 259+ or 70+. Runway’s pricing page counts 125 / 450 / 1,900 five-second Gen-4.5 videos a year on Standard / Pro / Max. Neither entry plan covers one usable 30-second Gen-4.5 or Seedance 2.5 clip.
Same model, two prices: Wan 3.0
Alibaba’s Wan 3.0 is the one video model both tools sell, so it shows the platform markup directly. Pika charges 33 credits per 5 seconds at 720p; Runway charges 50 credits per 5 seconds (10/sec). Combine that with the cheaper Pika credit and a 5-second 720p clip is $0.29 on Pika vs $0.96 on Runway Standard; a 30-second video is $1.76 vs $5.76 per try and $5.28 vs $17.28 usable. Even at Runway Max annual credits ($0.0080) the 30s try is $2.40. Runway’s advantage is choice: Wan 3.0 also runs at 480p for 5 credits/sec ($2.88 per 30s try on Standard) and at 1080p for 20/sec, while Pika’s pricing page lists 720p only.
Seedance is not a like-for-like comparison: Pika sells Seedance 2.5 (122 credits/5s at 720p), while the Seedance rates we have verified inside Runway are for Seedance 2.0 (Fast 29/sec, Pro 1080p 40/sec). Runway’s pricing page also lists Seedance 2.5 on its Pro and Max plan cards; we have not priced it in Runway yet — check official pricing.
Credit expiry and top-ups
- Runway: Standard and Pro monthly credits reset within 24 hours of your billing date; Max rolls up to one month over; Free is a one-time 125 credits that never expire. Purchased credits start at $10 ($0.01 each, minimum 1,000), never expire, are paid-plans-only and are spent after plan and rollover credits. App credits and Runway API credits are separate.
- Pika: plan credits refresh each billing period and do not roll over. Top-ups are 60 credits per $1 on every plan, including Free — 1,500 for $25 up to 66,000 for $1,000 (+10%) — carry over and expire 365 days after purchase, and work only in Pika Create and Pika MCP (not the API, iOS app or old.pika.art).
- What that means: Pika top-ups ($0.0167/credit) cost almost twice its annual plan credit, while Runway top-ups ($0.0100) are cheaper than Runway Standard credits. If you generate in bursts, Runway’s never-expiring top-ups are the gentler buffer; Pika’s still last a year.
Commercial use and watermark
- Pika: the official plan table shows no watermark on every plan, including Free, and (re-verified Oct 23, 2026) a commercial licence on Starter, Creator and Fancy — only Free has none. Starter gained it in October 2026 (it was No on Oct 19). For a monetised channel or client work, Starter ($8/mo annual) is now enough on rights; Creator ($28) has the same credit price and 3.5× the credits.
- Runway: the pricing page we checked does not state watermark or commercial-use terms. Check Runway’s terms before client work; we do not infer rights from a credit balance.
Which should you pick on cost?
- Cheapest per second: Pika Wan 3.0 at $0.059/sec on annual credits — cheaper than any Runway model ($0.096/sec for Turbo or Wan 480p on Standard).
- Cheapest licensed start: Pika Creator at $28/mo annual, 3,150 credits — 5 usable 30s Wan 3.0 clips a month.
- Premium models: Pika Seedance 2.5 ($19.52 usable 30s) and Runway Gen-4.5 ($20.74) are only about 6% apart, so pick on output and workflow.
- More models and editing in one place: Runway also sells Aleph 2.0 editing, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0 inside the same credits — see Runway credits explained. That breadth is what you pay extra for.
- Retries decide the bill: if one tool lands your shot in 1 try and the other in 3, the “cheaper” tool can lose. Test the same shot on both and plug your real retry count into the calculator.
More context: Runway vs Kling vs Pika vs Veo at 30s and 60s, Runway vs Kling cost per video, Runway Aleph 2.0 cost per edit, the cheapest AI video generator ranking, the cheapest AI video generator for YouTube, how much 1 minute of AI video costs, every tool in the AI video generator pricing comparison, the tool pages for Runway and Pika, and the FAQ.
Sources
All checked Oct 19, 2026. Runway: runway.com/pricing (Standard $15/$12 625 credits, Pro $35/$28 2,250, Max $95/$76 9,500; Gen-4.5 60 credits/5s; Aleph 2.0 140/5s; Seedance 2.0 Pro 1080p 160/4s, Fast 116/4s; yearly generation counts; rollover and top-up FAQ), How do credits work? (monthly allotments, Free 125 one-time, rollover, spend order, app vs API credits) and Will unused credits carry over? (purchased credits from $10, $0.01 = 1 credit, never expire), the Runway Academy credits page (Gen-4.5/Gen-4 12/sec, Gen-4 Turbo 5/sec, Wan 3.0 480p 5 / 720p 10 / 1080p 20 per sec) and Runway API pricing (wan3 5/10/20 credits per second). Pika: pika.art/pricing (Starter $10/$8 900 credits, Creator $35/$28 3,150, Fancy $95–$880 / $76–$704 8,550+; Wan 3.0 720p 5s 33 credits; Seedance 2.5 720p 5s 122 credits; credit packs 60 per $1; top-ups expire 365 days; commercial licence and watermark rows). Prices change — both tools show the credit cost before you generate, so confirm in-product before you buy.
FAQ
Is Pika cheaper than Runway per video?
On verified official rates, yes at every setting we can price. Pika credits cost about $0.00889 each on every annual plan, against $0.0192 on Runway Standard annual. Pika's cheapest video model, Wan 3.0 at 720p, is 33 credits per 5 seconds: $1.76 per 30-second try and $5.28 with 2 retries. Runway's cheapest, Gen-4 Turbo or Wan 3.0 at 480p (5 credits per second), is $2.88 per try and $8.64 usable. We make no claim about which looks better.
How much does a 30-second video cost on Runway vs Pika?
At entry annual credit prices, one 30-second try costs $6.91 on Runway Gen-4.5, $5.76 on Wan 3.0 720p inside Runway and $2.88 on Runway Gen-4 Turbo, versus $1.76 on Pika Wan 3.0 720p and $6.51 on Pika Seedance 2.5 720p. With 2 retries (3 attempts) those become $20.74, $17.28, $8.64, $5.28 and $19.52.
Is Wan 3.0 cheaper on Pika or Runway?
On Pika. Pika lists Wan 3.0 at 720p for 33 credits per 5 seconds (6.6 per second); Runway lists it at 10 credits per second at 720p. With Pika's $0.00889 annual credit and Runway Standard's $0.0192, a 30-second 720p try is $1.76 on Pika versus $5.76 on Runway, about 3.3 times more. Even on Runway Max annual credits ($0.0080) it is $2.40. Runway also offers Wan 3.0 at 480p (5 per second) and 1080p (20 per second).
How much video does each entry plan cover?
Runway Standard ($12 a month annual, 625 credits) covers about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 125 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo. Pika Starter ($8 a month annual, 900 credits) covers about 136 seconds of Wan 3.0 at 720p (27 five-second clips) or about 36 seconds of Seedance 2.5 (7 clips). Pika Starter includes a commercial licence since October 2026; Creator ($28 a month annual, 3,150 credits) has 3.5 times the credits.
Do Runway and Pika credits roll over?
Runway Standard and Pro monthly credits reset on the billing date, Max rolls up to one month over, and purchased Runway credits never expire (minimum 1,000, from $10). Pika plan credits refresh each billing period and do not roll over; Pika top-up credits cost 60 per $1 (from $25 for 1,500), carry over and expire 365 days after purchase.
Which is cheaper for commercial use, Runway or Pika?
Pika Starter, on verified rates: since October 2026 it includes a commercial licence at $8 a month on annual billing for 900 credits ($0.00889 per credit, re-verified Oct 23, 2026); Creator is $28 for 3,150 credits at the same credit price. Pika Free has no commercial licence. Runway's pricing page does not state commercial-use or watermark terms, so check Runway's terms before client work; ClipCost does not infer rights from a price.