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Video Production · head to head

Luma AI vs Runway

Luma AI logo

Luma AI

Video Production

AI platform for generating video, image, and audio content with brand consistency

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Runway logo

Runway

Social Media

AI-powered creative tools for video and images

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Luma AI pricing is credit-based, making exact per-video cost hard to predict without testing generation costs.; Runway the free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill
  • They diverge on capability: Luma AI covers Ray video generation, Runway covers Gen-2 video generation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Luma AI and Runway actually diverge.

Attributes where Luma AI and Runway differ
AttributeLuma AIRunway
Platformsweb, apiWeb
CategoryVideo ProductionSocial Media
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), 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 Luma AI

  • Ray video generation
  • Uni-1 brand intelligence
  • Multimodal generation
  • Agent-based workflows
  • Team collaboration

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.

Luma AI

  • Generating branded product and advertising video variationsnot Runway
  • Storyboarding and character design for agenciesnot Runway
  • Automating multi-format content generation with agentsnot Runway
  • Maintaining consistent brand visuals across campaignsnot Runway

Runway

  • Generating video clips from text or image promptsnot Luma AI
  • Extending or editing existing footage with generative modelsnot Luma AI
  • Removing objects and backgrounds from videonot Luma AI
  • Storyboarding and previsualisation for productionnot Luma AI

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Luma AI

  • Pricing is credit-based, making exact per-video cost hard to predict without testing generation costs.
  • Team and Enterprise pricing is not published and requires contacting sales.
  • Video length and resolution limits per plan are not detailed on the public pricing page.

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

Luma AI

Free
  • Plus$25/month
    • 10,000 credits/month
    • Luma and third-party models
    • Guest collaboration
  • Pro$75/month
    • 40,000 credits/month
    • 4x Luma Agents usage
  • Ultra$250/month
    • 150,000 credits/month
    • 15x Luma Agents usage
  • Team$undefined/mo
    • Team management
    • Shared credits
    • SSO

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 Luma AI if

  • You need ray video generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want uni-1 brand intelligence.
Luma AI review

Choose Runway if

  • You need gen-2 video generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want green screen.
Runway review

Questions people ask

Is Luma AI or Runway better?
Neither clearly leads. Luma AI starts at Free and Runway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Luma AI or Runway?
Luma AI starts at Free and Runway at Free.
Does Luma AI or Runway run on more platforms?
Luma AI runs on web, api. Runway runs on Web.
Can I use Luma AI for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Luma AI best used for?
Luma AI is most often used for generating branded product and advertising video variations, storyboarding and character design for agencies, automating multi-format content generation with agents, maintaining consistent brand visuals across campaigns. Of those, generating branded product and advertising video variations and storyboarding and character design for agencies are not what Runway is typically brought in for.
What can Luma AI do that Runway cannot?
Luma AI covers Ray video generation, Uni-1 brand intelligence, Multimodal generation, Agent-based workflows. Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Luma AI: What does Luma AI cost?

Plans start at Plus for $25-30/month (10,000 credits), Pro at $75-90/month (40,000 credits), and Ultra at $250-300/month (150,000 credits), with lower rates on annual billing.

Source
Runway: How much does Runway cost?

Runway publishes four tiers on annual billing: Standard at $12 per month, Pro at $28 and Max at $76, against monthly rates of $15, $35 and $95. Enterprise is quoted. Annual billing is advertised as 20% off.

Source
Luma AI: How is usage metered?

Generation consumes credits: video costs 4-959 credits per second depending on model and resolution, images cost 1-255 credits each, and audio costs 21-98 credits per minute.

Source
Runway: Does Runway have a free plan?

Yes. The free plan costs nothing and includes 125 one time credits to explore the AI tools, plus 5GB of asset storage. The credits are one time rather than monthly.

Source
Luma AI: Can I save money with annual billing?

Yes, subscribing yearly instead of monthly saves up to 20% across all individual Plus, Pro, and Ultra tiers.

Source
Runway: How many credits does each Runway plan include?

Standard includes 625 credits a month, Pro includes 2,250 and Max includes 9,500. Only Max offers credit rollover, and it rolls over for one month.

Source
Luma AI: What do Team and Enterprise plans add?

Team adds shared credits, team management, and SSO, while Enterprise adds custom commitments, dedicated training, and fine-tuning; both require contacting sales for pricing.

Source
Runway: When do I need Runway Pro rather than Standard?

Pro adds custom voices for lip sync, raises storage to 500GB and gives access to the best models, on top of Standard's AI image and video models, 4K upscaling and watermark free output.

Source
Luma AI: Does a paid plan allow commercial use?

Yes, the Plus plan and above include commercial usage rights along with guest collaboration access for generated content.

Source
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