All tools · Last checked Oct 16, 2026 · Runway re-verified Oct 17, 2026
Runway cost per video: what a usable video actually costs
Runway quotes a monthly plan plus credits — not the cost of one finished video. This page converts verified plan and credit rates into cost per video: single attempt first, then a usable video after retries.
Official site Official pricing
Quick answer
On Runway Standard annual billing ($12/month, 625 credits), credits are worth $0.0192 each ($12 ÷ 625). Gen-4.5 charges 12 credits/second, so a 30-second video costs $6.91 for one attempt (360 credits). With 2 retries (3 attempts total), a usable 30-second video costs $20.74 in credit value (1,080 credits) — and does not fit inside Standard’s 625-credit month. The tables below show 5, 10, 30 and 60 seconds on every plan.
Unless stated otherwise, dollars value credits at the Standard annual rate ($0.0192/credit). On monthly billing ($15/month; $0.024/credit) Standard figures rise 25% — e.g. 30s is $8.64 single-try, $25.92 with 2 retries. Re-verified Oct 17, 2026; see Sources.
How we calculate Runway cost per video
Same formula as the ClipCost calculator: credits = credits/sec × seconds × attempts; cost = credits × (plan price ÷ plan credits). Attempts = 1 + retries (2 retries = 3 generations, one kept) — retries are the difference between a video and the video you publish.
Gen-4.5 generations are 2–10s each, so longer finished videos are stitched. Credits still scale by the second; retries may apply per segment.
Runway cost per video: Gen-4.5
| Finished length | Credits per attempt | Single try (Standard annual) | With 2 retries — 3 attempts (Standard annual) | Credits needed with 2 retries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5s video | 60 credits | $1.15 | $3.46 | 180 credits |
| 10s video | 120 credits | $2.30 | $6.91 | 360 credits |
| 30s video | 360 credits | $6.91 | $20.74 | 1,080 credits |
| 60s video | 720 credits | $13.82 | $41.47 | 2,160 credits |
$6.91 and $20.74 are both correct — they answer different questions. The first is one attempt; the second pays for two failed attempts before a keeper. Quoting only single-try costs understates monthly spend by roughly your retry rate. On monthly billing this table becomes $1.44 / $4.32 (5s), $2.88 / $8.64 (10s), $8.64 / $25.92 (30s) and $17.28 / $51.84 (60s). Run your own retry count in the calculator and compare tools on the comparison page.
Runway credits explained
Credits are spent per second of generation — every retry is a new, paid generation. Verified rates:
| Model / mode | Rate | 5s generation | 10s generation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen-4.5 | 12 credits/sec | 60 credits | 120 credits | Verified rate |
| Gen-4 | 12 credits/sec | 60 credits | 120 credits | Verified rate |
| Gen-4 Turbo | 5 credits/sec | 25 credits | 50 credits | Verified rate |
| Veo 3.1 with audio (via Runway) | 40 credits/sec | — | 400 credits | Estimate — see note |
Turbo verified Oct 17, 2026 in Runway’s Gen-4 help doc. Pricing-page examples imply ~6/sec for Turbo on Standard/Pro — direct model doc used, conflict flagged. Veo 3.1 is an estimate from a help example (10s with audio = 400 credits), not used in the main tables.
Three kinds of credits behave differently. Plan credits: Standard and Pro reset on the billing date — no rollover; Max rolls up to one month over. Free credits: one-time 125, do not expire. Purchased credits (paid plans only): minimum $10 for 1,000 ($0.01/credit), never expire, spent after plan credits. Top-ups are cheaper per credit than Standard ($0.01 vs $0.0192 annual), but the $10 minimum means even a small shortfall costs $10 cash that month.
Plan-limit reality: Standard’s 625 credits = about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 — one 30-second attempt (360 credits, 265 left), zero usable 30-second videos with retries. The $20.74 headline values 1,080 credits at the annual Standard rate; it is an effective cost, not cash Standard alone can pay in a month. With top-ups, the blended long-run cost is $12 (full Standard month) + 455 × $0.01 = $16.55, with $10 cash due and 545 purchased credits left over.
Runway plans compared
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual equiv. | Credits/mo | Value per credit (annual / monthly) | Gen-4.5 footage per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 125 (one-time) | — | ~10s total | One-time 125 credits, does not expire |
| Standard | $15/mo | $12/mo | 625 | $0.0192 / $0.0240 | ~52s | Credits reset monthly, no rollover |
| Pro | $35/mo | $28/mo | 2,250 | $0.0124 / $0.0156 | ~187s (3m 07s) | Credits reset monthly, no rollover |
| Max | $95/mo | $76/mo | 9,500 | $0.0080 / $0.0100 | ~791s (13m 11s) | Up to 1 month rollover |
Bigger plans make each credit cheaper — Max annual is $0.0080/credit vs Standard’s $0.0192 — but only if you use the allotment before reset. Annual billing matters too: Standard falls from $0.0240 to $0.0192/credit (30s single-try: $8.64 → $6.91). Judge plans by cost per credit and finished videos covered (next), not headline price.
Monthly reality: how many videos does each plan actually cover?
Complete finished Gen-4.5 videos fitting inside one month’s allotment, before top-ups. “Usable” = 2 retries per video (3 attempts). Fractional videos do not round up.
| Plan (credits/mo) | 5s single-try / usable | 10s single-try / usable | 30s single-try / usable | 60s single-try / usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (625) | 10 / 3 | 5 / 1 | 1 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Pro (2,250) | 37 / 12 | 18 / 6 | 6 / 2 | 3 / 1 |
| Max (9,500) | 158 / 52 | 79 / 26 | 26 / 8 | 13 / 4 |
Example: one usable 30-second piece a week (4/month) — Standard covers none, Pro 2, Max all 4 on plan credits. Standard does cover 3 usable 5-second or 1 usable 10-second Gen-4.5 video a month, and more on Turbo.
Gen-4.5 vs Gen-4 Turbo: the cost difference
| Finished length | Gen-4.5 credits / single-try | Gen-4 Turbo credits / single-try | Turbo with 2 retries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5s | 60 credits · $1.15 | 25 credits · $0.48 | 75 credits · $1.44 |
| 10s | 120 credits · $2.30 | 50 credits · $0.96 | 150 credits · $2.88 |
| 30s | 360 credits · $6.91 | 150 credits · $2.88 | 450 credits · $8.64 |
| 60s | 720 credits · $13.82 | 300 credits · $5.76 | 900 credits · $17.28 |
Dollar figures at Standard annual rate ($0.0192/credit). Gen-4.5 single-try column repeated from the main table for direct comparison.
Turbo uses about 42% of Gen-4.5’s credits for the same duration (5 vs 12 credits/sec). Standard’s 625 credits buy ~125 seconds of Turbo vs 52 seconds of Gen-4.5: 4 single-try 30-second videos, or 1 usable 30-second video with 2 retries (450 credits), instead of 1 and 0. This page makes no quality claim between the models — that was not verified for this update. Price test and final generations separately in the calculator if your workflow mixes models.
Is Runway worth it?
Runway is worth it when your finished monthly videos fit the plan at your real retry count — poor value when they do not, since unused Standard/Pro credits reset. Decide in finished videos:
- Occasional short clips (5–10s): Standard can work — 10 single-try 5-second Gen-4.5 videos a month, 3 usable. Free’s one-time 125 credits (~10s of Gen-4.5, two 5-second generations) are a trial, not a workflow.
- Regular 30-second pieces with retries: Standard fits zero usable; Pro fits 2 a month, Max 8. Between tiers, model Standard-plus-top-ups with the $10 minimum, not just the $0.01/credit rate.
- High volume: Max’s $0.0080 annual credit is cheapest per generation and rolls one month over — but only pays if volume is there most months.
If your count exceeds a plan’s row, your real price is subscription plus recurring top-ups.
Watermark & commercial use
Watermark: Free/paid watermark details not stated on the pricing page fetched — check official pricing before publishing commercially.
Commercial: Not stated on the pricing page fetched — check official pricing / terms. Do not assume commercial rights from this page.
Plan traps to know
- Standard & Pro: monthly credits do NOT roll over — they reset on your billing date.
- Max: up to one month of unused credits rolls over.
- Purchased credits never expire; minimum purchase 1,000 credits for $10 ($0.01/credit, paid plans only), spent after plan credits.
- Plan limit: Standard’s 625 credits cover ~52s of Gen-4.5/month — about 1× 30s try (360 credits), NOT a 30s usable clip with 2 retries (1,080 credits).
- Gen-4.5 makes 2–10s generations only — a 30s finished video is multiple generations stitched together.
- Headline cost tables (including ours, if read carelessly) quote single attempts. Your invoice reflects attempts — budget with retries included.
Best for
General AI video generation and editing (Gen-4.5, third-party models in one place).
Runway pricing FAQ
How much does Runway cost per video?
On Standard annual billing ($12/month, 625 credits), Gen-4.5 costs $1.15 (5s), $2.30 (10s), $6.91 (30s) and $13.82 (60s) for one attempt. With 2 retries, a usable 30-second video costs $20.74. Gen-4.5 is 12 credits/sec; Standard annual credits are $0.0192 each.
Runway credits explained: how do Runway credits work?
Credits are spent per second, per generation — retries cost again. Gen-4.5: 12 credits/sec (60/5s, 120/10s); Gen-4 Turbo: 5/sec (25/5s, 50/10s). Generations are 2–10s, so longer videos are stitched. Standard/Pro plan credits reset monthly; Max rolls up to one month. Purchased credits cost $10 for 1,000, never expire, and are spent after plan credits.
How many Runway credits do I need for a 30-second video?
A 30-second Gen-4.5 video needs 360 credits for one attempt (12/sec × 30s), or 1,080 credits with 2 retries. Gen-4 Turbo needs 150 credits per attempt, or 450 with 2 retries.
How many videos can I make on Runway Standard?
Standard gives 625 credits/month (~52s of Gen-4.5): 10 single-try 5s videos, 5 at 10s, or 1 at 30s — but zero 60s videos and zero usable 30s videos with 2 retries (1,080 credits). With retries: 3 usable 5s videos or 1 usable 10s video.
Is Runway worth it?
If your monthly finished videos fit the plan at your real retry count. Standard ($12/month annual) fits short or occasional work, not repeated usable 30s videos (1,080 credits vs a 625-credit allotment). Pro (2,250 credits) covers 2 such videos/month; Max (9,500) covers 8, before top-ups.
Do Runway credits roll over?
Standard and Pro plan credits do not roll over — they reset on the billing date. Max rolls up to one month over. Free credits (one-time 125) and purchased credits never expire.
What is the difference between Gen-4.5 and Gen-4 Turbo cost?
Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits/sec, Gen-4 Turbo 5 credits/sec — Turbo uses about 42% of the credits for the same duration. On Standard annual, a single-try 30s video costs $6.91 (Gen-4.5) vs $2.88 (Turbo); with 2 retries, $20.74 vs $8.64.
Source
Verified from runway.com/pricing, How do credits work?, credit rollover / purchased credits, Creating with Gen-4.5 and Creating with Gen-4 Video — re-verified Oct 17, 2026. All dollar figures are arithmetic from those verified prices/rates; no new rate was introduced. Figures marked “check official pricing” could not be verified that day and were not guessed.