Software · head to head
Midjourney vs Runway
The short version
- Only Runway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Midjourney subscription tiers as captured 29 December 2023 ranged from $10/month (3.3 Fast GPU hours) to $120/month (60 Fast GPU hours), with extra GPU time at $4/hour, and companies earning over $1,000,000/year in gross revenue were required to use the Pro plan; 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: Midjourney covers Text-to-image, Runway covers Gen-2 video generation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Midjourney and Runway actually diverge.
| Attribute | Midjourney | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Discord, Web | Web |
| Founded | 2021 | 2018 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Midjourney
- Text-to-image
- Style transfer
- Image upscaling
- Variation generation
- Discord
- Web interface
- Discord support
Only in Runway
- Gen-2 video generation
- Green screen
- Inpainting
- Super resolution
- Motion tracking
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut Pro
- API access
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Midjourney
- ai tools managementnot Runway
- Workflow automationnot Runway
- Reportingnot Runway
Runway
- Generating video clips from text or image promptsnot Midjourney
- Extending or editing existing footage with generative modelsnot Midjourney
- Removing objects and backgrounds from videonot Midjourney
- Storyboarding and previsualisation for productionnot Midjourney
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Midjourney
- Subscription tiers as captured 29 December 2023 ranged from $10/month (3.3 Fast GPU hours) to $120/month (60 Fast GPU hours), with extra GPU time at $4/hour, and companies earning over $1,000,000/year in gross revenue were required to use the Pro plan
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
Midjourney
$10/month- Basic$10/month
- 200 generations/month
- General commercial terms
- Standard$30/month
- 15 GPU hours
- Unlimited relaxed
- Pro$60/month
- 30 GPU hours
- Stealth mode
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 Midjourney if
- You need text-to-image.
- You work on Discord, Web.
- You also want style transfer.
Choose Runway if
- You need gen-2 video generation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want green screen.
Questions people ask
- Is Midjourney or Runway better?
- Neither clearly leads. Midjourney starts at $10/month and Runway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Midjourney or Runway?
- Runway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month for Midjourney and Free for Runway.
- Does Midjourney or Runway run on more platforms?
- Midjourney runs on Discord, Web. Runway runs on Web.
- Can I use Runway for free?
- Yes. Runway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Midjourney starts at $10/month.
- What is Midjourney best used for?
- Midjourney is most often used for ai tools management, workflow automation, reporting. Of those, ai tools management and workflow automation are not what Runway is typically brought in for.
- What can Midjourney do that Runway cannot?
- Midjourney covers Text-to-image, Style transfer, Image upscaling, Variation generation. Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution. Both handle Web support.