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Cloud · head to head

Northflank vs Runway

Northflank logo

Northflank

Cloud

The runtime platform for AI-native companies

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: Northflank pricing complexity with multiple rate dimensions; 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: Northflank covers Application deployments, Runway covers Gen-2 video generation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Northflank and Runway actually diverge.

Attributes where Northflank and Runway differ
AttributeNorthflankRunway
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsAWS, GCP, Azure, On-premisesWeb
CategoryCloudSocial Media
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Northflank

  • Application deployments
  • GPU support
  • Preview environments
  • Database management
  • Multi-cloud support
  • GitOps integration

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.

Northflank

  • Deploying AI inference models with GPU accelerationnot Runway
  • Running training workloads on distributed GPUsnot Runway
  • Building microservices with multi-cloud reliabilitynot Runway

Runway

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

Where each one falls short

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

Northflank

  • Pricing complexity with multiple rate dimensions
  • GPU costs can be expensive for large-scale deployments
  • Learning curve for Kubernetes concepts

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

Northflank

Free
  • Sandbox (Free)Free
    • Always-on compute with no sleeping
    • 2 free services
    • 1 free database
  • Pay-as-you-go$undefined/usage
    • CPU: $0.01667 per vCPU per hour
    • Memory: $0.00833 per GB per hour
    • Network egress: $0.06 per GB
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing with volume discounts
    • Invoice-based billing
    • Annual commitments

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 Northflank if

  • You need application deployments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, GCP, Azure, On-premises.
  • You also want gpu support.
Northflank 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 Northflank or Runway better?
Neither clearly leads. Northflank 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, Northflank or Runway?
Northflank starts at Free and Runway at Free.
Does Northflank or Runway run on more platforms?
Northflank runs on AWS, GCP, Azure, On-premises. Runway runs on Web.
Can I use Northflank for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Northflank best used for?
Northflank is most often used for deploying ai inference models with gpu acceleration, running training workloads on distributed gpus, building microservices with multi-cloud reliability. Of those, deploying ai inference models with gpu acceleration and running training workloads on distributed gpus are not what Runway is typically brought in for.
What can Northflank do that Runway cannot?
Northflank covers Application deployments, GPU support, Preview environments, Database management. Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Northflank: What is included in the free Sandbox tier?

The Sandbox includes always-on compute, 2 free services, 1 free database, 2 free cron jobs, and is perfect for testing applications.

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
Northflank: How much does CPU cost on Northflank?

CPU costs $0.01667 per vCPU per hour on pay-as-you-go pricing.

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
Northflank: What GPUs are available?

GPU options include NVIDIA L4 at $0.80/hr through H100 at $2.74/hr.

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
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
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