Design Tools · head to head
Balsamiq Wireframes vs Runway
Balsamiq Wireframes
Design Tools
Low-fidelity wireframing that keeps focus on structure and content
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Runway
Social Media & Content
AI-powered creative tools for video and images
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Runway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Balsamiq Wireframes starter plan is capped at 10 projects and costs $16 per editor per month ($192/year); Runway the free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Balsamiq Wireframes and Runway actually diverge.
| Attribute | Balsamiq Wireframes | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Category | Design Tools | Social Media & Content |
| Founded | Unknown | 2018 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Balsamiq Wireframes
Nothing recorded that Runway does not also cover.
Only in Runway
- Gen-2 video generation
- Green screen
- Inpainting
- Super resolution
- Motion tracking
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut Pro
- API access
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Balsamiq Wireframes
No use cases recorded yet. See the Balsamiq Wireframes review.
Runway
- Generating video clips from text or image promptsnot Balsamiq Wireframes
- Extending or editing existing footage with generative modelsnot Balsamiq Wireframes
- Removing objects and backgrounds from videonot Balsamiq Wireframes
- Storyboarding and previsualisation for productionnot Balsamiq Wireframes
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Balsamiq Wireframes
- Starter plan is capped at 10 projects and costs $16 per editor per month ($192/year)
- Teams plan raises the cap to only 100 projects at $24 per editor per month; even Enterprise tops out at 400 projects
- AI credits are metered per editor per month (500 on Starter, 1,000 on Teams, 2,500 on Enterprise), so AI features have a hard usage ceiling beyond the base seat price
Runway
- The free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill
- Outputs carry a watermark until the Standard plan at $12 a month
- Everything is metered in credits, and Gen-4.5 video costs 60 credits per 5 seconds, so a Standard plan covers roughly 125 short videos a year
- Only the Max plan at $76 a month rolls unused credits over, and only for one month
- The free tier gives a selection of models rather than the full set
Pricing, plan by plan
Balsamiq Wireframes
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Balsamiq Wireframes review.
Runway
Free- FreeFree
- 125 credits
- Basic tools
- 720p exports
- Standard$12/month
- 625 credits/month
- Gen-2 access
- 4K exports
- Pro$28/month
- 2250 credits/month
- All tools
- Priority processing
- Unlimited$76/month
- Unlimited generations
- Custom models
- API access
Which should you pick?
Choose Balsamiq Wireframes if
Nothing in the data separates Balsamiq Wireframes from Runway on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Runway if
- You need gen-2 video generation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want green screen.
Questions people ask
- Is Balsamiq Wireframes or Runway better?
- Neither clearly leads. Balsamiq Wireframes starts at On request and Runway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Balsamiq Wireframes or Runway?
- Runway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Balsamiq Wireframes and Free for Runway.
- Does Balsamiq Wireframes or Runway run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Runway for free?
- Yes. Runway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Balsamiq Wireframes starts at On request.
- What can Balsamiq Wireframes do that Runway cannot?
- Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution.
Related pages
More on Balsamiq Wireframes
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- Runway vs Adobe Illustrator
- Runway vs Affinity Designer
- Runway vs Gravit Designer
- Runway vs Linearity Curve
- Runway vs ProtoPie
- Runway vs Playground AI
- Runway vs Corel Painter
- Runway vs Rive
- Runway vs Spline
- Runway vs Abstract
- Runway vs Krea
- Runway vs Magnific
- Runway vs Marvel
- Runway vs PaintTool SAI
- Runway vs Subframe
- Runway vs Vectr
- Runway vs Zeplin
- Runway vs Midjourney
- Runway vs DALL-E
- Runway vs Brandwatch
- Runway vs Mention
- Runway vs Planoly
- Runway vs Metricool
- Runway vs Sked Social
- Runway vs Opus Clip
- Runway vs Sprinklr
- Runway vs Tailwind
- Runway vs Talkwalker