Vidu 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.
Change tools
AI video generator for text, image and reference-to-video, with its own Q4 and Q3 models and an API
From a prompt to footage you can cut.
- Free access
- Vidu: Free access
- Runway: Free access
- Paid from
- Vidu: USD 99 billed yearly
- Runway: USD 12 per month
- Plans listed
- Vidu: 4
- Runway: 4
- Public API
- Vidu: Not confirmed
- Runway: Yes
Where Vidu and Runway differ
- Pricing checkPrices confirmed for Vidu; pricing review due for Runway.
Head to head
Each value from the tool’s profile and the vendor’s own pages
| Vidu | Fact | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Access and price | ||
| Free access availableFree · USD 0 per month | Free accessSame | Free access availableFree · USD 0 |
| USD 99 billed yearlyStandard · $8.25 per month, list $10 | Lowest listed paid plan | USD 12 per monthStandard · billed yearly · USD 15 billed monthly |
| Free plan; paid from $8.25 a month billed yearly ($99) | Pricing model | Free + paid |
| 4 | Plans listedSame | 4 |
| Not confirmed | Public API | Yes |
| Not confirmed | Card to start | Not required |
| Not confirmed | Open source | No |
| What it is for | ||
| Creators and marketers who want text, image and reference-based AI video, including anime-style clips, from one web app | Built for | Generated video and footage editing |
| Video & editing | CategorySame | Video & editing |
| Platforms |
|
| Works with |
|
| How current | ||
| Profile sources checked | ||
| Prices confirmed · Oct 31, 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
Vidu
Prices confirmed · Oct 31, 2026- FreeUSD 0 per month
- StandardUSD 99 billed yearlyUSD 8.25 per month, list $10
- PremiumUSD 425 billed yearlyUSD 35.42 per month, list $43
- UltimateUSD 2,300 billed yearlyUSD 191.67 per month, list $230
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
Vidu
Strengths
- Free plan exists: The pricing page lists a $0 Free plan with bonus credits for logged-in users.
- Several input modes: The menu lists text, image and reference to video plus image generation.
- Developer access: A separate API platform sells pay-as-you-go credit packs.
Limits to plan around
- Free limits are not numbers: The credit amount and watermark terms for the Free plan are not stated on the pages we read.
- Monthly price not shown: The captured pricing text shows yearly-billed prices only.
- Broad license to your content: The Terms give Vidu a perpetual, sublicensable license to content you submit.
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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Audio & voice
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Research & sources
Video & editing
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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.