Magic Hour vs Runway
Plans, free access, limits and intended use side by side, taken from each vendor’s own pages. No score and no winner: the facts show where the two differ.
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AI video, image and audio studio with 100+ tools and an API
From a prompt to footage you can cut.
- Free access
- Magic Hour: Free access
- Runway: Free access
- Paid from
- Magic Hour: USD 10 for 4,000 credits; $30 for 12,000
- Runway: USD 12 per month
- Plans listed
- Magic Hour: 6
- Runway: 4
- Public API
- Magic Hour: Not confirmed
- Runway: Yes
Where Magic Hour and Runway differ
- Pricing checkPrices confirmed for Magic Hour; pricing review due for Runway.
- PlansMagic Hour lists 6 plans and Runway lists 4.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| Magic Hour | Fact | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableFree · USD 0 | Free accessSame | Free access availableFree · USD 0 |
| USD 10 for 4,000 credits; $30 for 12,000Credit packs · shown at $27; $80 for 32,000 · shown at $68; $160 for 64,000 · shown at $128 | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 12 per monthStandard · billed yearly · USD 15 billed monthly |
| Free (personal use); paid plans from $12 a month billed yearly, $19 monthly | Pricing model | Free + paid |
| 6 | Plans listedDiffers | 4 |
| Not confirmed | Public API | Yes |
| Not confirmed | Card to start | Not required |
| Not confirmed | Open source | No |
| What it is for | ||
| Creators and small teams who want video, image and audio generation under one credit balance | Built for | Generated video and footage editing |
| Video & editing | CategorySame | Video & editing |
| Platforms |
|
| Works with |
|
| How current | ||
| Profile sources checked | ||
| Prices confirmed · Oct 11, 2026 | Pricing checkDiffers | Pricing review due · Sep 25, 2026 |
Official source check for both tools. No hands-on testing and no score: “Differs” marks a documented difference, not a better tool.
Plans and prices
Magic Hour
Prices confirmed · Oct 11, 2026- FreeUSD 0
- CreatorUSD 19 per month billed monthly; $12 per month billed yearlyUSD 144
- ProUSD 39 per month billed monthly; $25 per month billed yearlyUSD 300
- BusinessUSD 99 per month billed monthly; $66 per month billed yearlyUSD 792
- Credit packsUSD 10 for 4,000 credits; $30 for 12,000shown at $27; $80 for 32,000 · shown at $68; $160 for 64,000 · shown at $128
Show 1 more plan
- EnterpriseCustom
Runway
Pricing review due · Sep 25, 2026- FreeUSD 0
- StandardUSD 12 per monthbilled yearly · USD 15 billed monthly
- ProUSD 28 per monthbilled yearly · USD 35 billed monthly
- MaxUSD 76 per monthbilled yearly · USD 95 billed monthly
Strengths and limits
Magic Hour
Strengths
- Free start without an account: The homepage says core tools can be tried without signing up, and the pricing FAQ says no credit card is needed for the Free plan.
- One credit balance across video, image and audio: The pricing page lists allowances for each tool, so you can see what a plan buys before paying.
- Credits do not expire: The pricing FAQ says unused credits roll over, and credit packs are described as never expiring.
Limits to plan around
- Free tier is limited and its size is not stated: Free video and audio may be watermarked, use is personal only, and the daily credit amount is not published on the pages read.
- Resolution is gated by plan: Creator stops at 1024px and 4K needs the $99-a-month Business plan, or $792 billed yearly.
- Credit cost varies widely by tool: The same plan buys 1.7 hours of most video but 7 minutes of UGC ads, so the headline hours do not apply to every tool.
Runway
Strengths
- Lasting free account: Free is not a timed trial, and its credits stay until they are used.
- No watermark on paid plans: Standard and higher remove the watermark that free-generated videos carry.
- Published per-second rate: Gen-4.5 lists a credit cost per second, so a shot can be costed before it is generated.
Limits to plan around
- Free credits never renew: The 125 free credits are granted once and free users cannot buy more, so more generation means a paid plan.
- Model availability differs by plan: The free model selection may change, and some output formats are limited to higher plans.
- Output options add credit cost: ProRes or PNG sequence output adds 5 credits per second on the plans that offer it.
See both products
Start from your task, not from a winner.
Run both tools on the same real task, then compare the result, how much editing it needs and how fast it uses your plan’s allowance.
How we reviewChange this pair
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Writing & content
Comparing tools from different categories is fine, and often useful — a writing assistant and a research tool solve different halves of the same job. The table will show you exactly where they diverge.
Questions about comparing tools
How does the comparison work?
Add two tools to the comparison tray from any tool card, then open this page. The table pulls each tool's verified plan details, platforms, strengths and limits from its profile, so both columns carry the same kind of evidence, with a separate source-check date for each tool.
Do you declare a winner?
No. The table sets two tools against each other on documented facts, not on a score. Which one wins depends on your task, your budget and your usage volume — three things we cannot see from here.
Why are some cells empty or marked unverified?
Because we could not confirm that detail on the vendor's own pages. Rather than filling the gap with a figure from elsewhere, we mark it and say why on the tool's profile.
Can I compare more than two tools?
Not at once. Two columns keep the differences readable and force a real decision. Remove either selected tool to replace it, or clear both to start a new pair.
Every figure in the table above comes from the linked profile, where the source and the verification date are listed. Browse all tools or read the editorial policy.