How do Runway credits work?
Runway credits are the currency you spend to generate content. As of July 2026, plans include a monthly allowance (Free 125 one-time, Standard 625, Pro 2,250, Max 9,500). Video burns credits by the second—Gen-4 Turbo is 5 credits/second, full Gen-4 is 12/second—so a 10-second Turbo clip costs 50 credits.
Why — the first-principles explanation
Credits exist because different AI jobs cost Runway wildly different amounts of computing power. A line of text-to-speech is cheap; ten seconds of high-motion video is expensive. Rather than charge you separately for each, Runway converts everything into one unit of compute—the credit—so a single balance can pay for video, images, and audio alike.
The key rule is that video is billed by duration and model quality. Gen-4 Turbo (the faster, lighter model) costs 5 credits per second. The higher-fidelity Gen-4 and Gen-4.5 cost 12 credits per second. So the same 10-second clip is 50 credits on Turbo but 120 credits on the premium model. Images and speech have their own rates—about 8 credits for a 1080p Gen-4 image, and 1 credit per 50 characters of text-to-speech.
Your subscription hands you a fresh batch of credits each billing cycle: 625 on Standard, 2,250 on Pro, 9,500 on Max. On most plans these reset—they don't stack up month to month—so unspent credits are lost within about 24 hours of your billing date. The top Max tier is the exception, letting up to one month of unused credits roll over. If you run dry mid-month, you can buy add-on credits, and those purchased credits behave differently: they stick around until you spend them.
The practical takeaway is that credits reward planning your generations. Because each attempt costs the same whether it's a hit or a miss, experienced users write tight prompts, start with cheaper Turbo drafts, and save the pricey full-Gen-4 renders for the shot they've already dialed in.
An example that makes it click
Think of credits like arcade tokens. When you buy a monthly pass, the arcade drops a bucket of tokens into your account—625 tokens on the middle tier. The video game charges 5 tokens for every second you play the 'Turbo' machine and 12 tokens per second on the 'Ultra HD' machine, so a 10-second Ultra round costs 120 tokens. Here's the important part: on most passes, whatever tokens you don't use vanish when next month's bucket arrives—they don't pile up. Only the biggest pass lets you carry leftovers for one extra month. So smart players test their moves on the cheap Turbo machine first, then spend the big tokens on the Ultra machine only when they're ready.
Key facts
- 1 credit = one unit of Runway compute, spendable across video, image, and audio tools (as of 2026-07).
- Monthly credit allowances: Free 125 (one-time), Standard 625, Pro 2,250, Max 9,500.
- Gen-4 Turbo video costs 5 credits/second; full Gen-4 and Gen-4.5 cost 12 credits/second.
- Gen-4 images cost about 8 credits per 1080p image; text-to-speech is about 1 credit per 50 characters.
- Subscription credits reset within ~24 hours of the billing date on Standard, Pro, and Unlimited; only Max rolls over up to one month.
- Purchased add-on credits remain on the account until spent.
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Here's how Runway credits work. A credit is just a unit of computing power—one shared currency you spend on video, images, or audio. As of July 2026, your plan gives you a monthly bucket: 625 credits on Standard, 2,250 on Pro, 9,500 on Max, and a one-time 125 on Free. Video is the big spender, and it's billed by the second. The fast Gen-4 Turbo model costs 5 credits per second, so a 10-second clip is 50 credits. The premium Gen-4 model costs 12 per second—that same clip jumps to 120. Images run about 8 credits each; speech is roughly 1 credit per 50 characters. The rule that trips people up: on most plans, unused credits reset each billing cycle—they don't pile up. Only the top Max plan lets leftovers roll over for one month. So the pro move is to draft on cheap Turbo first, then spend the big credits on your final render.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
How many credits does a 5-second video cost?
About 25 credits on Gen-4 Turbo (5/second) or 60 credits on full Gen-4 or Gen-4.5 (12/second).
Do unused credits carry over?
No on Standard and Pro—they reset each cycle. Only the Max plan carries over up to one month.
What happens if I run out of credits?
You can buy add-on credits, which stay on your account until spent, or wait for your next monthly refill.
Are credits refundable?
Purchased credits can be refunded within 30 days if they haven't been used.