Midjourney vs Runway
Midjourney and Runway are both AI image & video generation tools aimed at creators and agencies. Midjourney costs less, from $10/mo versus $15/mo for Runway. Only Runway has a free plan.
Midjourney
The reference for AI image generation
Runway
AI video generation and editing suite
| Pricing | Paid · $10 | Freemium · $15 |
| Starting price | $10/mo | $15/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Creators, Agencies | Creators, Agencies |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2022 | US · 2018 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Midjourney if
Designers, marketers and creators who prioritize visual quality and style control.
- Best-looking output for art and concept work
- Consistent style and character controls
- Active community and inspiration feed
Look elsewhere if: Developers needing an API or users who need reliable text in images.
Choose Runway if
Creative professionals and agencies producing AI-assisted video.
- Professional-grade generation quality
- Broad editing toolset
- Consistency controls for storytelling
Look elsewhere if: Simple talking-head videos (HeyGen, Synthesia).
Midjourney vs Runway pricing
Midjourney
- Basic$10/mo$96/yr; ~3.3 fast GPU hours, no Relax mode
- Standard$30/mo$288/yr; 15 fast hours, unlimited Relax
- Pro$60/mo$576/yr; 30 fast hours, Stealth mode
- Mega$120/mo$1,152/yr; 60 fast hours, Stealth mode
Runway
- Free$0125 one-time credits, 5 GB storage
- Standard$15/user/mo$12 billed annually; 625 credits/mo, no watermark
- Pro$35/user/mo$28 billed annually; 2,250 credits/mo, voice clone
- Max$95/user/mo$76 billed annually; 9,500 credits/mo
Midjourney · Key features
- Text-to-image with distinctive aesthetic quality
- Style references, character references and personalization
- Editor: inpainting, outpainting, retexture
- Image-to-video generation
- Fast and relaxed GPU modes
- Stealth mode for private generations (Pro+)
Cons
- No free tier or API
- Text rendering weaker than Ideogram
- Public by default below Pro
Runway · Key features
- Text and image to video with Gen-4
- Character and scene consistency with References
- Act-One performance capture
- Video editing with prompts (Aleph)
- Green screen, inpainting, motion tracking
- Upscaling and audio tools
Cons
- Credits deplete quickly
- Generation length limits
- Learning curve for best results
Midjourney vs Runway: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Midjourney or Runway?
Midjourney starts at $10/mo and Runway at $15/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Midjourney and Runway have a free plan?
Midjourney has no free plan. Runway has a free plan.