Runway vs Vidu
A spec-by-spec comparison of Runway and Vidu: pricing, free tier, clip length, resolution, watermark, commercial use and API access.
Key differences
- Vidu is cheaper to start: $10/month vs $15/month for Runway.
- Free tier: Runway — 125 one-time credits, limited model selection; Vidu — Free plan with login bonus credits; Q4 at 540p.
- Max length: Runway — 10s per generation (Gen-4.5); Vidu — 16s per generation (Q3).
- Max resolution: Runway — 4K (upscale); Vidu — 4K (higher tiers).
- Commercial use: Runway — All plans; Vidu — Paid plans.
| Runway | Vidu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan · from $15/mo | Free plan · from $10/mo |
| Free tier | 125 one-time credits, limited model selection | Free plan with login bonus credits; Q4 at 540p |
| Max clip length | 10s per generation (Gen-4.5) | 16s per generation (Q3) |
| Max resolution | 4K (upscale) | 4K (higher tiers) |
| Watermark on free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use | All plans | Paid plans |
| Developer API | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
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
Vidu is a video generation platform from ShengShu Technology, offering its Q-series models (Q3, Q4) for text-to-video, image-to-video and reference-to-video. It emphasizes keeping characters consistent across multiple reference images and handles 2D animation well. It suits creators making character-driven shorts, with an API platform for developers.
- Supports 3 to 16 second clips on paid plans
- Strong multi-reference character consistency
- Off-peak quotas on Premium and Ultimate add cheap extra videos
- Watermark-free downloads and commercial use are paid-only
- Free plan limited to 540p and 10 references per month
- Subscription credits expire after 30 days
Specs last verified 2026-10-23 (Runway) and 2026-10-23 (Vidu). See each tool page for sources.