Runway
Updated May 2026
Runway
The filmmaker's AI toolkit
Runway started as a tools company for video editors — before there were generative video models, they offered green-screen removal, inpainting, and masking powered by ML. Their Gen-series of video models came out of that filmmaking DNA, and every release is built for actual production use: clip extension, motion brushes, camera controls, and lip sync. Gen-4 in 2025 was the first model to nail consistent characters across cuts.
Variants
4
Best at
built for filmmakers, not tech demos
Max context
—
Pricing
Standard
$12
per month, ~62 ten-second clips
Pro
$28
per month
Unlimited
$76
per month
Variants
Sort the table by context window or cost to find the right variant. Click any version below for a battle card with ranks, pricing notes, and official links.
| Modalities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Runway Gen-4 gen-4 | — | varies / varies | 2025 | video |
Runway Gen-4 Turbo gen-4-turbo | — | varies / varies | 2025 | video |
Runway Gen-3 Alpha gen-3-alpha | — | varies / varies | 2024 | video |
Runway Act-One act-one | — | varies / varies | 2024 | video |
Battle card
Context rank
N/A
within Runway
Capability rank
#1
modalities + reasoning
Weights
Closed
API/app access
Best fights to pick
- narrative short films
- character-driven content
- commercial shoots
Rankings are Tendril directory ranks, computed from the model data shown here. Public benchmark leaderboards change often, so official docs and current benchmark pages should be checked before buying or deploying.
Learn
Lessons about this model
Structured lessons that cover Runway directly or put it in context alongside its rivals.
Check yourself
Quizzes
Short, mixed-difficulty quiz sets on Runway and its model family.
Other Players: MiniMax, Cohere, Amazon, 01.AI, and More
5 questions
The broader landscape of model providers.
Start quiz →Hands-on
Try these prompts
Ready-made prompts that show Runway at its best. Use them in your own AI workspace, then compare the output with what you learned in Tendril.
Runway Gen-4 cinematic shot
CreatorsRunway's strength is stylized, cinematic motion — try a specific camera move.
Slow dolly-in on a lone astronaut standing on a rust-red Martian plateau at sunset. Wind kicks up dust. 5 seconds, cinematic, anamorphic.
Image-to-video with a character keyframe
BuildersUpload a still (from Midjourney or a photo) and let Runway animate it.
[Uploaded still: woman turning her head toward camera] animate: subtle head turn from profile to camera, eyes meet lens on the last frame, 3 seconds, 24fps.
Act-One style lip-sync
CreatorsDrive a character's performance from your own webcam footage.
[Character still + webcam driving video] transfer my facial performance onto the character, preserving my expression and timing, 10 seconds.
Print & keep
Printable reference
One-page summaries and flowcharts — great for desks, classrooms, or study sessions.
Go deeper
Official resources
Straight from the lab — docs, API references, and the chat surfaces you can try today.
Strengths
- built for filmmakers, not tech demos
- consistent characters across cuts
- real motion/camera controls
Limits
- credits run out fast at Standard tier
- no open weights
- output caps at ~10s per clip