Does Runway have a free plan?
Yes. Runway has a free plan that costs $0 and includes a one-time deposit of 125 credits (as of July 2026). It's enough for roughly 20–25 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo video. Free outputs carry a Runway watermark, cap at 720p, and the 125 credits do not refill once spent.
Why — the first-principles explanation
A free plan is a sampling counter, not charity. Generating video on Runway costs real GPU time, so the company can't give it away without limit. Instead it hands new users a fixed, one-time allotment—125 credits—so you can taste the product. Once those credits are gone, they don't renew; the only way to keep going is to upgrade.
The free tier is also deliberately shaped to advertise the paid tiers. Free outputs are stamped with a Runway watermark and limited to 720p resolution. That watermark isn't an accident—it turns every clip a free user shares into a little billboard, and it nudges anyone doing real work toward the $12/month Standard plan, which removes the mark and unlocks 4K upscaling.
Because 125 credits is a lifetime grant rather than a monthly refill, the math matters. Gen-4 Turbo video costs 5 credits per second, so 125 credits buys about 25 seconds of Turbo footage total—maybe two or three attempts at a 10-second clip. That's enough to judge quality, not enough to produce a project. The design tells you exactly what it wants: test freely, then subscribe.
An example that makes it click
Imagine a fancy ice-cream shop that gives every first-time visitor a punch card worth 125 sprinkles. Each second of a video sundae uses 5 sprinkles, so your card covers about 25 seconds of dessert—two small cones. When the sprinkles run out, the card is empty for good; it doesn't magically refill next week. And every free cone comes with the shop's logo flag stuck in it. If you love the ice cream, you buy the $12 monthly membership, which gives you a fresh scoop of 625 sprinkles every month and pulls out the logo flag.
Key facts
- Runway's Free plan costs $0 and includes a one-time deposit of 125 credits (as of 2026-07).
- Free credits do not expire but do not renew or refresh once spent.
- All videos on the Free plan include a Runway watermark and are limited to 720p.
- The Free plan includes 3 video editor projects and 5GB of asset storage.
- 125 credits equals roughly 25 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo video (5 credits per second).
- Upgrading to Standard ($12/month billed annually) adds 625 monthly credits and removes the watermark.
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Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Does Runway have a free plan? Yes—it costs zero dollars and gives you a one-time deposit of 125 credits, as of July 2026. Here's the catch you need to understand: those 125 credits are a lifetime grant, not a monthly refill. Once you spend them, they're gone. Since Gen-4 Turbo video costs 5 credits per second, 125 credits buys you about 25 seconds of footage total—perfect for testing the quality, not enough to finish a real project. Free videos also come with a Runway watermark and top out at 720p resolution. The free plan is really a free trial in disguise: it lets you see what the tool can do, then points you toward the Standard plan at 12 dollars a month, which refills 625 credits every month and removes the watermark. Bottom line—yes, try it free, but expect to upgrade if you like it.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Do the free 125 credits refill every month?
No. They are a one-time deposit that does not renew once spent.
Can I remove the watermark on the free plan?
Not on free. You must upgrade to Standard or higher to generate watermark-free videos.
How much video can 125 free credits make?
About 25 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo video, since Turbo costs 5 credits per second.
Is a credit card required for the free plan?
No card is needed to create a free account and use the initial 125 credits.