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Runway vs Vidu

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Vidu logo

Vidu

Generate consistent AI videos from text, images and reference characters in one workspace

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Runway is listed under Image & Visual AI and Vidu under Video AI. Runway scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.4 vs 7.8 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Vidu is available on CLI.

Best overall

Runway

  • Filmmakers
  • Video creators
  • Marketers and ad teams
  • Designers

Choose Runway if

  • You want a tool built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation.
  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace.
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0.

Choose Vidu if

  • You want a tool built for short clips that need a consistent character or product across shots, and animating still images.
  • Reference to Video with a saved My References library helps keep characters and props consistent.
  • Supports text, image and reference inputs, plus first and last frame control.
Best for beginners
Runway
Best for business
Vidu

Features

18 features compared.

  • Gen-4.5 video model
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Creative Agent
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Multiple models
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Characters
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Aleph and Act-Two
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Audio tools
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Workflows and Recipes
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Runway Dev API
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Runway MCP
    Runway
    Available
    Vidu
    Not available
  • Reference to Video
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • My References
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Image to Video
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Text to Video
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Text and Reference to Image
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Vidu S real-time model
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Vidu Agent and AI Templates
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • Off-Peak Mode
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available
  • API Platform
    Runway
    Not available
    Vidu
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Runway
    Freemium
    Vidu
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Runway
    Yes
    Vidu
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Runway
    $0
    Vidu
    $0
  • Plans
    Runway
    4 plans
    Vidu
    5 plans

Runway plans

  • Free

    $0

    125 one-time credits that do not expire

    • A selection of generative models
    • 5GB storage

  • Standard

    $15/month

    625 credits per month; $12 per month billed annually

    • All video and image models
    • Creative Agent
    • 5 parallel generations
    • Music and voice and sound effects
    • Up to 3 projects
    • No watermarks
    • 4K upscaling
    • 20GB storage

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $35/month

    2,250 credits per month; $28 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Standard
    • 15 parallel generations
    • Up to 5 projects
    • 1 Brand Kit
    • 1 custom voice clone
    • Top-up credits
    • Runway MCP
    • Unlimited 4K video upscaling
    • 100GB storage

  • Max

    $95/month

    9,500 credits per month; $76 per month billed annually

    • Everything in Pro
    • Early access to new models
    • 20 parallel generations
    • Up to 10 projects
    • Up to 3 Brand Kits
    • Up to 3 custom voice clones
    • HDR and ProRes and image sequence outputs
    • 500GB storage

Vidu plans

  • Free

    $0

    Free credits for trying the generator

    • Free credits
    • watermarked output
    • 10 references/month

  • Standard

    Most popular

    $9.99/month

    Entry paid tier for regular creators

    • Watermark-free downloads
    • larger credit allowance

  • Premium

    $19.99/month

    Higher volume and quality for frequent creators

    • More credits
    • higher resolution
    • faster queue

  • Ultimate

    $59.99/month

    Largest credit pool for heavy users

    • Highest credit allowance
    • 300 references/month
    • priority queue

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Teams and organisations

    • Team and enterprise plans
    • API platform access

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Runway
8.4overall
Vidu
7.8overall

  • Video Quality

    Runway
    9.0
    Vidu
    Not rated

  • Camera & Motion Control

    Runway
    8.8
    Vidu
    Not rated

  • Model Variety

    Runway
    8.5
    Vidu
    Not rated

  • Editing Tools

    Runway
    8.6
    Vidu
    Not rated

  • Pricing Clarity

    Runway
    7.2
    Vidu
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Runway
    Not rated
    Vidu
    8.2

  • Feature Depth

    Runway
    Not rated
    Vidu
    8.0

  • Value for Money

    Runway
    Not rated
    Vidu
    7.3

  • Performance & Speed

    Runway
    Not rated
    Vidu
    8.0

  • Documentation & Support

    Runway
    Not rated
    Vidu
    7.4

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Runway

Pros

  • Combines video, image and audio generation and editing in one workspace
  • Offers Runway's own Gen-4.5 plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.0
  • Creative Agent builds videos from a conversation
  • Runway Dev API with Node and Python SDKs
  • Free plan with 125 credits that do not expire
  • Native iOS and Android apps

Cons

  • Credit-based pricing: a 5-second Gen-4.5 clip costs 60 credits, so the 625 credits on Standard cover about 10 such clips
  • Standard and Pro credits do not roll over at the end of the month
  • Some App Store reviewers complain about the cost of failed or unusable generations
  • 4K upscaling is unlimited only on Pro and Max

Vidu

Pros

  • Reference to Video with a saved My References library helps keep characters and props consistent.
  • Supports text, image and reference inputs, plus first and last frame control.
  • Free credits let users test the product before paying.
  • Public API with published per-second pricing for each model and resolution.
  • Available on web, iOS, Android and a CLI.

Cons

  • Plan prices are not visible without loading the pricing page, and third-party sources disagree on them.
  • Credit costs vary by model and resolution, so per-video cost is hard to predict; 4K Q4 preview output costs 78 credits per second in the API.
  • CostBench reports user complaints about credits being spent on failed renders in the consumer product, and a 2.2/5 Trustpilot score from 17 reviews.
  • Clip generation only; scripting, sequencing and final mixing need other tools.

Platforms

  • Web
    Runway
    Supported
    Vidu
    Supported
  • Windows
    Runway
    Not supported
    Vidu
    Not supported
  • macOS
    Runway
    Not supported
    Vidu
    Not supported
  • iOS
    Runway
    Supported
    Vidu
    Supported
  • Android
    Runway
    Supported
    Vidu
    Supported
  • API
    Runway
    Supported
    Vidu
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Runway
    Not supported
    Vidu
    Not supported
  • CLI
    Runway
    Not supported
    Vidu
    Supported

Integrations

Runway

5 integrations
  • Runway MCP
  • ChatGPT plugin
  • Meta Ads
  • Google Ads
  • TikTok Ads

Vidu

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Runway
    Runway AI, Inc.
    Vidu
    ShengShu Technology
  • Founded
    Runway
    2018
    Vidu
    2023
  • Headquarters
    Runway
    New York, NY
    Vidu
    Beijing, China
  • Listing
    Runway
    Claimed
    Vidu
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Runway better than Vidu?

It depends on your workflow. Runway is built for Text-to-video and image-to-video generation. Vidu is built for short clips that need a consistent character or product across shots, and animating still images.

What are the key feature differences between Runway and Vidu?

Runway: AI video, image and audio creation suite with Gen-4.5, agents and an API. Vidu: Generate consistent AI videos from text, images and reference characters in one workspace.

Does Runway or Vidu have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Runway is freemium and Vidu is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Runway or Vidu?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.