Software · head to head
Runway vs Midjourney
The short version
- Only Runway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Runway the free tier is 125 one-time credits rather than a monthly allowance, so it runs out and does not refill; 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
- They diverge on capability: Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Midjourney covers Text-to-image.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Runway and Midjourney actually diverge.
| Attribute | Runway | Midjourney |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $10/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Discord, Web |
| Founded | 2018 | 2021 |
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 Runway
- Gen-2 video generation
- Green screen
- Inpainting
- Super resolution
- Motion tracking
- Adobe Premiere
- Final Cut Pro
- API access
Only in Midjourney
- Text-to-image
- Style transfer
- Image upscaling
- Variation generation
- Discord
- Web interface
- Discord support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
Midjourney
- ai tools managementnot Runway
- Workflow automationnot Runway
- Reportingnot Runway
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
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
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Runway if
- You need gen-2 video generation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want green screen.
Choose Midjourney if
- You need text-to-image.
- You work on Discord, Web.
- You also want style transfer.
Questions people ask
- Is Runway or Midjourney better?
- Neither clearly leads. Runway starts at Free and Midjourney at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Runway or Midjourney?
- Runway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Runway and $10/month for Midjourney.
- Does Runway or Midjourney run on more platforms?
- Runway runs on Web. Midjourney runs on Discord, 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 Runway best used for?
- Runway is most often used for generating video clips from text or image prompts, extending or editing existing footage with generative models, removing objects and backgrounds from video, storyboarding and previsualisation for production. Of those, generating video clips from text or image prompts and extending or editing existing footage with generative models are not what Midjourney is typically brought in for.
- What can Runway do that Midjourney cannot?
- Runway covers Gen-2 video generation, Green screen, Inpainting, Super resolution. Midjourney covers Text-to-image, Style transfer, Image upscaling, Variation generation. Both handle Web support.