AI Video · Runway AI
✓ Verified Jul 2026
Last audited: 2026-07-06
Runway:
What the pricing page doesn't tell you
Based on public docs, community reports, and third-party benchmarks — not legal advice or official statements.
Hidden Behaviors
documented & verified
Transparency
34%
of key policies disclosed upfront
Last Verified
Jul 2026
$12/mo · Standard (annual)
Hidden Behaviors
5 documented
Behaviors confirmed through user reports, help docs, and independent testing — none disclosed on the pricing page.
Credits expire monthly with zero rollover — on every plan
▾
Official
Not disclosed on pricing pageRunway's pricing page shows credit counts per plan but does not state credits expire at cycle end with no rollover.
Observed (community)
Credits vanish every monthUnused credits on Standard, Pro, and Max plans are forfeited at billing cycle end. No carry-forward, no pause.
Estimated (not verified)
~15% average wasteAnalysts recommend budgeting for 10–15% credit loss from failed generations and unused remainder each month.
"Unlimited" Explore Mode is throttled — 5–20 min queue times at peak
▾
Official
Acknowledged in help docsRunway's official docs state Explore Mode operates with "slower generation speeds and lower priority queues" with "variable delays and concurrency limits."
Observed (community)
10–20 min waits reportedPremium subscribers report platform messages telling them to "come back later." Zero documented infrastructure improvements across late 2024 – mid-2026.
Estimated (not verified)
Unlimited ≠ fastAt $95/mo Unlimited plan, Explore Mode still throttles heavily during peak hours. Real unlimited speed requires switching to Credits Mode, depleting your monthly allocation.
625 credits = ~25 seconds of Gen-4.5 video — not disclosed upfront
▾
Official
Runway confirms in help docsOfficial help center states 625 monthly credits = "around 25 seconds" of Gen-4.5 generation — but this is buried in docs, not shown on the pricing page.
Observed (community)
2–5 polished clips per monthAI video requires 3–5 iterations per final clip. 625 credits realistically yields 2–5 finished scenes on Standard, not the 25+ videos users expect.
Estimated (not verified)
Standard is a testing tierFor any sustained production workflow, Standard's $12/month is effectively a sampling plan — not a production subscription.
Veo 3 and Veo 3.1 excluded from Explore Mode — credits required
▾
Official
Disclosed in Unlimited plan FAQRunway's help center explicitly states Veo 3 and Veo 3.1 are not available in Explore Mode — Credits Mode required.
Observed (community)
Not shown on pricing pageThe main pricing page markets Veo access as a benefit of paid plans without clarifying the Explore Mode exclusion.
Estimated (not verified)
Effective Veo access = credit drainUsing Veo 3.1 on an Unlimited plan requires Credits Mode, depleting your 2,250 monthly credits faster than Runway's own Gen-4 models.
Max plan is silently replacing Unlimited — auto-switch Sept 1, 2026
▾
Official
Disclosed in help center noticeRunway announced Max replaces Unlimited for new subscribers from May 29, 2026. Existing Unlimited users auto-switch to Max on September 1, 2026.
Observed (community)
Not proactively notified in-appUsers report no prominent in-app banner or email warning about the forced plan transition and any potential pricing changes.
Estimated (not verified)
Review your plan before Sep 1If you're on Unlimited, verify Max plan terms match your workflow expectations before the automatic switch date.
Real Limits
Credits
625/month · no rollover, expire at cycle end
Gen-4.5 Output
~25 seconds of video per month (official estimate) — ~2–5 polished clips with iteration
Max Clip Length
16 seconds — shortest among major competitors (Sora: 20s, Veo 3.1: 60s, Kling: 2 min)
Native Audio
None — videos export silent; separate audio tool required. Sora and Veo 3.1 include integrated audio.
Explore Mode
Unlimited plan only · throttled 5–20 min queues at peak · Veo 3/3.1 excluded
Resolution
Free: 720p + watermark · Standard+: 1080p watermark-free · 4K: available on paid plans
⚠ The iteration trap
AI video rarely works on the first attempt. Budget 3–5 renders per final clip — making your Standard plan's 625 credits yield roughly 2–5 usable scenes per month, not 60+ as the raw credit count implies.
Policy History
Confirmed changes at the same price — documented with source type and dates.
May 2026
Standard plan dropped from $15 to $12/month (annual); Kling 3.0 Pro, Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.0 bundled into all paid plans
OFFICIALrunwayml.com pricing page
May 29, 2026
Max plan replaces Unlimited for all new subscribers — Explore Mode throttling and Veo exclusion carry over
OFFICIALhelp.runwayml.com
Sep 1, 2026
All existing Unlimited subscribers auto-switched to Max — verify plan terms before this date
OFFICIALhelp.runwayml.com — upcoming
Transparency Score
Credit Expiry Disclosure
Credits expire monthly with no rollover — disclosed only in help center, not on the pricing page where users make purchase decisions.
source: help.runwayml.com
Explore Mode Throttling
Throttle behavior acknowledged officially but not surfaced on the Unlimited/Max plan marketing page.
source: official help center
Clip Duration Limits
16-second cap shown in feature table but the competitive disadvantage vs Kling (2 min) and Veo 3.1 (60s) is not highlighted.
source: runwayml.com pricing
No Native Audio
Runway produces silent video by default — requiring external audio tools. Not mentioned on the main pricing or feature page.
source: community + product testing
Plan Transition Notice
Unlimited → Max auto-switch on Sep 1 disclosed in help docs. No prominent in-app notification reported.
source: help.runwayml.com
Overall Transparency Score
Credit expiry and audio limitations are the biggest gaps vs competitors.
34%
Other Services
Frequently Asked
Do Runway credits roll over each month?
No. All monthly credits expire at the end of every billing cycle with zero rollover — on Standard, Pro, and Max plans alike. Budget for 10–15% credit waste from failed generations and unused remainder.
Is Runway's Unlimited plan actually unlimited?
Not for speed. Explore Mode (the "unlimited" tier) is throttled with 5–20 minute queue times during peak usage. Veo 3 and Veo 3.1 are explicitly excluded from Explore Mode and require paid credits. If you need fast generation, you must use Credits Mode, depleting your 2,250 monthly allocation.
How many videos can I make on the Standard plan?
Runway officially estimates 625 credits = ~25 seconds of Gen-4.5 video. In practice, with 3–5 iteration attempts per final clip, you'll produce roughly 2–5 polished scenes per month — not the dozens the credit count implies.
Does Runway include audio in generated videos?
No. Runway exports silent video by default across all plans. You need a separate audio tool (e.g. ElevenLabs, Adobe Audition) for voiceover or music. This is a notable gap versus Sora and Veo 3.1, which include integrated audio generation.
Get alerted when policies change
We track silent limit cuts before most users notice them.