Video · alternatives
Runway meters everything in credits, and the details are why people shop around. Free is a one-time 125-credit deposit, not a recurring allowance. On Standard ($15/mo, 625 credits) and Pro ($35/mo, 2,250 credits) credits reset monthly with no rollover. Flagship models are expensive: Gen-4.5 costs 60 credits per 5 seconds, so Standard yields roughly 52 seconds a month. Self-serve terms also allow Runway to use inputs and outputs for training, and fees are non-refundable.
Kling AI starts at Standard, $10/mo, with no free tier confirmed. Veo 3.1 is Google DeepMind's video model with native audio, reached through Google AI Plus at $4.99/mo. Hailuo AI is MiniMax's web platform for video, image and audio; it has a free option but no starting price in our data. Midjourney Basic is $10/mo and has no free plan. Adobe Firefly has a free option and Creative Cloud integration, though its price is not stated.
"Better suited" below is based on documented features and pricing from our verified profiles, not on a head-to-head test. Prices are USD as published by each vendor.
Taken from the documented limitations in our Runway profile.
| Tool | Starting price | Free tier | Platforms | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway (this page) | $15/mo (Standard) | Yes | Web, Mobile, API | Everything is metered in credits that reset monthly on Standard and Pro without rollover, and the Free plan is a one-time 125-credit deposit rather than a recurring allowance. |
| Kling AI | $10/mo (Standard) | No | Web, API | Prices are shown only inside the app; generation is metered by monthly credits. |
| Veo 3.1 | $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) | No | API | Gemini API video generation is paid-only and billed per second of output; the API free tier does not include it. |
| Hailuo AI | Not published | Yes | Web | Subscription plans, prices and limits could not be read because the subscribe page rendered no plan data, so costs are unconfirmed. |
| Midjourney | $10/mo (Basic) | No | Web | No free trial on web or Discord, no official API, and every generation draws on a GPU-time budget, so heavy use needs the Standard plan or higher for unlimited Relax images. |
| Adobe Firefly | Not published | Yes | Web, Desktop, Mobile, API | Video, audio, translation and partner-model outputs all draw from a monthly generative-credit pool that does not roll over, and USD prices were not visible from our region. |
| Alternative | Pick it when | Starting price | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kling AI better suited to using Kling models directly from their vendor |
You only want Kling generations and their native pricing | $10/mo (Standard) | Single-vendor model lineup |
| Veo 3.1 better suited to Veo-only generation inside Google's ecosystem |
You already pay for Google AI plans | $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus) | No multi-vendor model switching |
| Hailuo AI better suited to low-cost Hailuo/MiniMax clips |
Budget per clip matters more than format options | Not published | Fewer professional export formats |
| Midjourney better suited to still-image-first workflows |
Images are the main output and video is secondary | $10/mo (Basic) | Not an editor-integrated video suite |
| Adobe Firefly better suited to teams standardized on Creative Cloud |
You want generation bundled with Adobe apps rather than a plugin | Not published | Model catalog differs |
AI video and image generator (Kling 4.0, Kling Image 3.0) with audio-visual output and native 4K images.
Watch out: Prices are shown only inside the app; generation is metered by monthly credits.
From ≈$8.80–$10/mo US · checked Oct 11
Google DeepMind's video model generating video with native audio from text or images, offered via Gemini apps and the Gemini API.
Watch out: Gemini API video generation is paid-only and billed per second of output; the API free tier does not include …
Verified deepmind.google (opens Veo 3.1 website in a new tab)
Paid US price unconfirmed
MiniMax's web platform for AI video, image and audio creation, currently featuring the MiniMax H3 model.
Free stops at: 150 credits shown in the sign-up banner
Verified hailuoai.video (opens Hailuo AI website in a new tab)
Pricing US price unconfirmed
Subscription-based AI image and video generator known for stylized, artistic results.
Watch out: No free trial on web or Discord, no official API, and every generation draws on a GPU-time budget, so heavy u…
Verified midjourney.com (opens Midjourney website in a new tab)
From $10/mo US · checked Sep 30
Adobe's generative AI app for creating and editing images, video and audio, also built into Creative Cloud apps.
Free stops at: Free daily generations across image, video and audio; limits refresh every day (vendor wording)
Verified adobe.com (opens Adobe Firefly website in a new tab)
Free · paid from $9.99/mo US · checked Sep 28
On-device screen recorder and AI video editor for Mac and iPhone with one-tap auto-editing, captions and voice cleanup.
Free stops at: 2-minute export limit, 1080p maximum export resolution
Free · paid from $89 one-time US · checked Sep 29
Agentic AI video editor from Wistia that turns raw footage into recaps, highlight reels and social clips through chat.
Free stops at: 25 GB storage, 1 user
Verified wistia.com (opens Wistia Remix website in a new tab)
Free · paid from $79/mo US · checked Sep 29
AI assistant editor for Mac that analyzes footage and builds Premiere Pro projects, with video generation included.
Watch out: It requires an Apple Silicon Mac and Premiere Pro, and a card is needed to start the trial.
Verified try.wideframe.com (opens Wideframe website in a new tab)
From $100/mo US · checked Sep 29
AI platform that finds, analyzes and promotes shopper-generated video reviews for e-commerce brands.
Watch out: Starter manages only up to 40 videos and omits brand insights, competitor insights and review campaigns.
From $199/mo US · checked Oct 2
AI video localization platform that translates and dubs videos into 99 languages while preserving the speaker's voice.
Watch out: Credits are metered by video length (60 credits per dubbing minute), so Starter covers only about 15 dubbing …
From $11.5/mo US · checked Sep 29
AI video platform that animates characters from photos with motion templates, character swaps and an API.
Free stops at: 5 free videos per day, 1 video generation at a time
Free plan available US price unconfirmed
Hailuo AI and Adobe Firefly are listed with a free option. Runway's own Free plan is a one-time 125 credits with no recurring monthly allowance.
Credits do not roll over on Standard and Pro, Free is a one-time deposit, flagship models use many credits, and self-serve terms allow training on inputs and outputs.
Veo 3.1 via Google AI Plus at $4.99/mo. Kling AI Standard and Midjourney Basic are $10/mo, against Runway Standard at $15/mo.
Veo 3.1 is described as generating video with native audio from text or images. Kling AI is listed with audio-visual output.
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