Kling AI vs Runway
A spec-by-spec comparison of Kling AI and Runway: pricing, free tier, clip length, resolution, watermark, commercial use and API access.
| Kling AI | Runway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan · from $8.8/mo | Free plan · from $15/mo |
| Free tier | Free Basic plan with no monthly credits; exports watermarked | 125 one-time credits, limited model selection |
| Max clip length | 15s per generation (Kling 3.0) | 10s per generation (Gen-4.5) |
| Max resolution | 4K (native) | 4K (upscale) |
| Watermark on free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use | Paid plans | All plans |
| Developer API | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
Kling AI is Kuaishou's video and image generation platform, known for realistic motion and its Kling 3.0 and 4.0 model families. It supports text-to-video, image-to-video, multi-shot scenes, native audio and native 4K output. It suits creators and production teams who want long single clips and strong physics, and a separate developer API is available.
- Native 4K video generation on Kling 3.0 series
- Single generations of 3 to 15 seconds
- Developer API priced per second (e.g. Kling 3.0 Turbo 1080p at $0.14/s)
- Free Basic plan includes no monthly credits and adds a watermark
- Standard plan includes only 660 credits per month
- Advertised first-month prices differ from the recurring renewal price
Runway is a browser and mobile creative suite centered on its in-house Gen-4.5 video model, with partner models such as Seedance, Kling and Nano Banana available on the same credit balance. It covers text-to-video, image-to-video, video editing (Aleph), audio and upscaling in one workspace. It suits filmmakers, agencies and creators who want several frontier models plus a developer API under one account.
- Hosts Gen-4.5 plus partner models (Seedance, Kling, Nano Banana) on one credit pool
- Pro and Max plans include an Unlimited mode for supported models
- Separate developer API with per-second pricing ($0.12/s for Gen-4.5)
- Free credits are one-time only and do not renew
- Standard's 625 credits equal only about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 per month
- Monthly credits on Standard and Pro do not roll over
Specs last verified 2026-10-23 (Kling AI) and 2026-10-23 (Runway). See each tool page for sources.