SAASINSPECTOR
Head-to-head · AI video generators · facts checked 19 Sept 2026

Runway vs Vidu AI

Vidu AI scores 8.9 to Runway's 8.1 among the AI video generators we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.

R
Runway
#5 of 7 AI video generators
8.1
/ 10
Working month
$95
Free plan
Yes
Vidu AI
#1 of 7 AI video generators
8.9
/ 10
Working month
$35
Free plan
Yes
The verdict

Vidu AI wins, 8.9 to 8.1

Vidu AI's own R1 model reaches 4K, and a working month of 20 ten-second clips on its Q3 model costs $35 on the Premium plan. Runway's own Gen-4.5 outputs 720p and reaches 4K through Seedance 2.0 and Kling O3, and its working month costs $95 on the Max plan. Runway holds SOC 2 and GDPR and offers single sign-on on Enterprise, which Vidu AI does not list.

R

Pick Runway if you need SOC 2, GDPR or single sign-on.

Pick Vidu AI if you want 4K from the tool's own model at well under half the cost.

Best for

Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.

Filmmakers and VFX work
Too close to call
Runway 9.6 · Vidu AI 9.5 on what it can generate and resolution and watermarks
  • Longest single clip: 30 seconds against 16 seconds
Social and high-volume creators
Vidu AI
Runway 5.0 · Vidu AI 8.8 on pricing
  • Cost of a working month: $35 against $95
Ads, explainers and voice-led video
Vidu AI
Runway 8.5 · Vidu AI 8.8 on voice, captions and teams
  • Automatic captions: Vidu AI yes, Runway does not say
  • Lip sync: Vidu AI yes, Runway does not say
Teams with compliance requirements
R
Runway
Runway 5.0 · Vidu AI 3.2 on privacy and platforms
  • SOC 2: Runway yes, Vidu AI does not say
  • GDPR: Runway yes, Vidu AI does not say
  • Single sign-on: Runway yes, Vidu AI does not say
  • But Vidu AI leads on ways to reach support: Email, community against Email
Section 01

How they score

Both are scored the same way, against the other AI video generators we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. They split the criteria 2 each, with the rest level.

What it can generate35% of the score
Runway10.0
Vidu AI9.8
Pricing25% of the score
Runway5.0
Vidu AI8.8
Resolution and watermarks20% of the score
Runway9.0
Vidu AI9.0
Voice, captions and teams15% of the score
Runway8.5
Vidu AI8.8
Privacy and platforms5% of the score
Runway5.0
Vidu AI3.2
How the score works →
Section 02

Where they differ

Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.

Longest single clip
Runway
Runway
30 seconds
source ↗
Vidu AI
16 seconds
source ↗
Cost of a working month (20 ten-second clips)
Vidu AI
Runway
$95
source ↗
Vidu AI
$35
source ↗
Ways to reach support
Vidu AI
Runway
Email
source ↗
Vidu AI
Email, community
source ↗

Published by only one of them

Automatic captions
Runway
Not published
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Lip sync
Runway
Not published
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Translates a finished video
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Not published
Brand kit
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Not published
SOC 2
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Not published
GDPR
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Not published
Single sign-on
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Not published
Where they match (16)
Generates sound and speech with the video
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Animates a still image you upload
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Keeps a character or style the same across shots
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
You set the first and last frame
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Named camera moves
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Continues a clip past its end
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Free plan
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Resolution the model generates
Runway
4K
source ↗
Vidu AI
4K
source ↗
Highest export resolution
Runway
4K
source ↗
Vidu AI
4K
source ↗
The cheapest paid plan exports without a watermark
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
The free plan adds a watermark
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
AI voiceover
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Clone your own voice
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Shared workspace
Runway
Yes
source ↗
Vidu AI
Yes
source ↗
Does not train AI on your videos
Runway
No
source ↗
Vidu AI
No
source ↗
Where it runs
Runway
Web, iOS, Android
source ↗
Vidu AI
Web, iOS, Android
source ↗
Section 03

Pricing, plan by plan

A working month here is 20 ten-second clips on each tool's main model: the cheapest plan, billed monthly, whose credits cover them. Clips per plan are the plan's credits divided by one clip's cost.

Runway · working month
$95
One ten-second clip costs 120 credits (Gen-4.5, 720p), so 20 need 2,400. Max is the cheapest plan with that many credits.
source ↗
Vidu AI · working month
$35
One ten-second clip costs 80 credits (Vidu Q3 Cinematic, 1080p), so 20 need 1,600. Premium is the cheapest plan with that many credits.
source ↗

RRunway

Free
Free
125 one-time credits; limited to 3 video editor projects, 5GB storage, Gen-4 Turbo and basic tools
Standard5 clips
$15/mo · $144/yr
625 credits/month; all AI image and video models, 4K upscaling, no watermarks
Pro18 clips
$35/mo · $336/yr
2,250 credits/month; custom voices for lip sync and TTS, 500GB asset storage, access to best models
Max79 clips
$95/mo · $912/yr
9,500 credits/month; credit rollover 1 month, first access to newest models, highest generation volume
Enterprise
Custom
Custom credits, SSO, workspace analytics, configurable teamspaces, enterprise onboarding, priority support
Pay as you go
Custom
Custom credits

Vidu AI

Free
$0/mo · $0/yr
10 references/month; watermark; no commercial use
Standard10 clips
$10/mo · $96/yr ($8/mo)
800 credits/month; commercial use; 4 videos at once; 50 references/month
Premium50 clips
$35/mo · $336/yr ($28/mo)
4,000 credits/month; high-speed channel; 100 references/month; early feature access
Ultimate100 clips
$99/mo · $948/yr ($79/mo)
8,000 credits/month; Off-Peak Mode up to 200 free videos a day; unlimited Q2 1080p images; 300 references/month
Section 04

The models behind them

Which models each one runs: its own, the newest of those, and any other companies' models offered in the same account.

RRunway

Latest own models
Gen-4.5 (video generation)Aleph 2.0 (video editing)Ruby (SDR to HDR)
All own models
Gen-4.5Gen-4 VideoGen-4 Video TurboAleph 2.0Gen-4 AlephAct-TwoRubyCharactersGen-4 ImageGen-4 Image Turbo
Other companies' video models
Kling 3.0 ProKling 3.0 StdKling O3Kling 3.0 TurboKling 3.0 Motion ControlKling 2.6 ProKling 2.5 TurboGoogle Veo 3.1Gemini Omni FlashSeedance 2.5Seedance 2.0Seedance 2.0 FastSeedance 2.0 MiniWan 3.0WAN2.6WAN2.6 FlashHappyHorse 1.0MiniMax H3LTX 2.5 ProLTX 2.5 FastFLUX 3Grok ImagineGrok Imagine 1.5
Other companies' image models
Nano Banana Pro 2Nano Banana ProNano BananaGPT Image 2GPT Image 2.5GPT Image 1.5FLUX.2 MaxFLUX.2 KleinSeedream 5.0 ProSeedream 5.0-liteIdeogram 4Grok Imagine Image 2.0
Other companies' audio models
ElevenLabs (text to speech, sound effects, dubbing)Seed Audio 1.0Lyria 3 ProLyria 3 ClipFish Audio

Vidu AI

Latest own models
Vidu R1 (video, up to 4K, released 2026-08-20)Vidu Q3 (video with native audio, up to 16 s)Vidu S2 (real-time interactive video and avatars)
All own models
Vidu R1Vidu Q3 (Cinematic / Pro)Vidu Q3 (Flash / Turbo)Vidu Q3 Mix (reference to video)Vidu Q2 ProVidu Q2 TurboVidu Q1Vidu 2.0Vidu S2Vidu S2-AvatarVidu S2-EditingVidu Q2 image
Other companies' image models
GPT Image 2Nano Banana 2
Section 05

Pros and cons

From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.

RRunway

Pros
  • Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.5 and other outside video models sit in the same account as Runway's own Gen-4.5, all paid from one credit balance.
  • First and last frame control through Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0, keyframes through Kling O3, and clip extension through Grok Imagine.
  • Aleph 2.0 edits and restyles uploaded footage up to 30 seconds at 1080p.
  • Workflows turn a chain of models into a repeatable pipeline that can be published as an app or an API endpoint.
  • Every paid plan removes the watermark and can upscale video to 4K.
Cons
  • Standard's 625 monthly credits make about five ten-second Gen-4.5 clips.
  • Gen-4.5, Runway's own latest video model, outputs 720p; 4K generation needs Seedance 2.0 or Kling O3.
  • Models with audio cost several times more credits per second, so dialogue scenes use up a plan quickly.
  • Credits on Standard and Pro reset every billing cycle instead of rolling over.
  • The free plan's 125 credits are a one-time allowance and carry a watermark.
Full Runway review →

Vidu AI

Pros
  • Vidu Q3 generates dialogue, voiceover, sound effects and music together with the picture, in clips of up to 16 seconds.
  • Reference to video keeps characters, products and settings consistent from up to seven reference images.
  • Vidu R1, the newest model, generates video in up to 4K.
  • First and last frame control, clip extension, lip sync and voice cloning all sit in the same app.
  • Flash mode makes a ten-second 1080p Q3 clip for under a third of the Cinematic credit cost.
  • Ultimate's Off-Peak mode runs up to 200 video tasks a day without spending credits.
Cons
  • Standard's 800 monthly credits make about ten ten-second Q3 Cinematic clips.
  • Vidu's terms let it use what you upload and create for AI training, with no opt-out described.
  • Only Vidu's own video models are available; no other companies' video models sit in the same account.
  • Subscription credits expire at the end of each cycle instead of rolling over.
  • The free plan carries a watermark and does not allow commercial use.
Full Vidu AI review →
Section 06

Runway vs Vidu AI: common questions

Which is better, Runway or Vidu AI?

Vidu AI scores 8.9 and Runway 8.1 out of 10 among the AI video generators we rate. Vidu AI is ahead on pricing and voice, captions and teams. Runway is ahead on what it can generate and privacy and platforms.

Is Runway or Vidu AI cheaper?

For a working month of 20 ten-second clips on each one's main model, Vidu AI costs $35 on Premium and Runway $95 on Max, both billed monthly. The cheapest paid plans start at $15/mo for Runway and $10/mo - Standard for Vidu AI.

Do Runway and Vidu AI have a free plan?

Yes, both do.

What are the latest models on Runway and Vidu AI?

Runway: Gen-4.5 (video generation), Aleph 2.0 (video editing) and Ruby (SDR to HDR). Vidu AI: Vidu R1 (video, up to 4K, released 2026-08-20), Vidu Q3 (video with native audio, up to 16 s) and Vidu S2 (real-time interactive video and avatars).

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