OpenArt vs Runway
We give OpenArt a 2.4 GPA and Runway a 2.6, out of 4.0. Runway grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OpenArt
AI image and video studio with characters and multi-scene stories
Runway
AI video, image and audio studio with its own Gen-4.5 model
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAOpenArtFair | 2.6GPARunwayGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $13 a month on yearly billing ($14 monthly) for 4,000 credits, up to about 4,000 images or 50 videos. That's the middle of this category, but Starter has no commercial use rights, which start at Plus for $27. | CStandard is $12 a month on yearly billing ($15 monthly) for 625 credits, about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 78 Gen-4 images. Against its listed video rivals, Pika at $8, Firefly at $9.99 and Luma at $25, that's the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree credits when you sign up, with no card needed. It's a taste rather than a plan, as there's no free tier after that. | C125 credits once, which never refill, with a selection of models and 5GB of storage. At 12 credits a second that's about 10 seconds of Gen-4.5, then you pay. |
| Features | B100+ image, video and audio models on one balance, consistent characters, Director for multi-scene films and ads, motion control, relighting, editing and upscaling. The whole job, with stories as its strength. | BIts own Gen-4.5 next to Kling, Seedance and Nano Banana, Aleph 2.0 for editing real footage by describing the change, an agent that builds whole videos, music, effects and voice clones, plus plugins. The whole video job. |
| Ease of use | CNo app-store rating on record. With 100+ models, characters, personal models and Director, there's a lot to learn before a multi-scene video comes out right. | B4.5 from about 17,700 App Store ratings. The app itself is friendly, but working out what a month of credits buys takes some sums. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no phone app, but it reaches Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor through MCP and a CLI, and After Effects through a plugin. No public API. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plugins for Premiere Pro, After Effects and Resolve, links to ChatGPT, Claude, Figma, Dropbox and Notion, and a developer API. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | story videos with recurring characters | making and editing AI video |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: OpenArt and Runway. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenArt starts at $13 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Runway starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0.
Runway scores higher and starts $1 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 6 score higher than OpenArt for less, and 2 score higher than Runway for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- OpenArt starts at $13 per seat / month for 4,000 credits, billed annually ($14 billed monthly). Runway starts at $12 per month for 625 credits, billed annually ($15 billed monthly).
- Only Runway lists iOS and Android apps.
- Runway also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| OpenArt | Runway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $13 per seat / month for 4,000 credits, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) | $12 per month for 625 credits, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free credits on sign-up to try it, with no credit card required | Free plan with 125 one-time credits that do not refill, a selection of models and 5GB of storage |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenArt | Runway AI, Inc. |
| Price read from | openart.ai | runway.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
OpenArt
- Creators making short story videos and ads with recurring characters
- Trying many image and video models from one account
- Heavy users who want unlimited generation on a few models
Runway
- Video makers who want to edit real footage by describing the change
- Creators who want several leading video models under one subscription
- Small creative teams sharing one credit pool and brand kits
Worth knowing
OpenArt
- Starter has no commercial use rights; commercial use starts at Plus.
- Monthly credits reset each billing cycle; extra credits ($15 a month for 5,000, Plus and up) need a subscription but roll over.
- There is no mobile app and no public API; OpenArt runs in desktop and mobile browsers.
- Refunds are generally not given for completed generations or active subscription periods.
Runway
- Credits run out fast on video: Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits a second, so Standard's 625 credits make under a minute of it.
- Standard and Pro credits reset each month with no rollover; extra credits are sold in packs of at least 1,000 and never expire.
- The Team plan needs at least 2 seats and stops at 9; larger groups are sent to Enterprise sales.
- The free plan's 125 credits are a one-time grant and are not refilled.
Key features
OpenArt
- 100+ models on one balance
- Image models such as GPT Image 2.5, Nano Banana 2 and Seedream sit beside video models such as Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.5 and Sora 2; each shows its credit cost first.
- Director
- Plans and generates multi-scene videos for short films, music videos, trailers, explainers and product or UGC-style ads.
- Consistent characters
- Build a character once and reuse it across scenes; plans allow from about 13 to 353 characters and personal models.
- Video tools
- Motion control from reference videos, video relighting, background replacement and effects sit alongside text and image to video.
- Image editing and upscaling
- An editing suite with camera-angle control, upscaling, unblurring and headshot tools, plus a 3D world maker.
- MCP, CLI and plugins
- Generate images and video from AI agents such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, or inside Adobe After Effects with a plugin.
Runway
- Gen-4.5 and partner models
- Runway's own Gen-4.5 video and Gen-4 image models sit beside Kling, Seedance, Wan, FLUX and Nano Banana, each with its own credit price.
- Aleph 2.0 video editing
- Change a shot's lighting, restyle it, or add and remove elements by describing the change; edit one frame and carry it through the clip.
- Runway Agent
- An agent on every paid plan that plans and generates a whole video from a conversation, with shared agent skills on the Team plan.
- Audio and voice
- Music, sound effects and text-to-speech from models such as Lyria 3 and Eleven v4, plus custom voice clones on Pro and Max.
- Plugins and MCP
- Generate and extend footage inside Premiere Pro, After Effects and Resolve, or call Runway from ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP agents.
- Developer API
- Runway Dev sells the same models to developers at $0.01 a credit, with a model router that picks a model per request.
Plans
OpenArt
Starter$13
per seat / month for 4,000 credits, billed annually ($14 monthly)
Up to about 4,000 images or 50 videos, Director and MCP access. No commercial use rights.
Plus$27
per seat / month for 12,000 credits, billed annually ($34 monthly)
Up to about 12,000 images or 150 videos, commercial use rights and extra credit add-ons.
Pro$44
per seat / month for 24,000 credits, billed annually ($56 monthly)
Up to about 24,000 images or 300 videos, about 80 consistent characters and 32 parallel jobs.
Wonder$175
per seat / month for 106,000 credits, billed annually ($240 monthly)
Up to about 1,300 videos, priority support and unlimited generation on selected models such as FLUX 3.
Runway
Free$0
125 one-time credits that do not refill, a selection of models and 5GB of storage.
Standard$12
per month for 625 credits, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Enough for about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video or 78 Gen-4 images at 1080p; all models, no watermarks, 3 projects.
Pro$28
per month for 2,250 credits, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
About 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 281 Gen-4 images; credit top-ups, a Brand Kit, a voice clone and the Runway MCP.
Max$76
per month for 9,500 credits, billed annually ($95 billed monthly)
About 791 seconds of Gen-4.5; one month of unused credits rolls over, early model access, and HDR and ProRes output.
Team$55
per seat / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Everything in Max, with 6,900 credits per seat in a shared pool, shared projects and frame-accurate comments. For 2 to 9 seats.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited members and workspaces, SSO, roles and permissions, legal indemnification and dedicated onboarding.
Ways to pay less
OpenArt
- Annual discount
Save up to 27% with annual billing
Annual billing takes Starter from $14 to $13 a seat per month, Plus from $34 to $27, Pro from $56 to $44 and Wonder from $240 to $175.
Runway
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as 20% off: Standard falls from $15 to $12 a month, Pro from $35 to $28 and Max from $95 to $76.
- Education
25% off for students and educators
Students and educators who verify their status through SheerID get 25% off any paid plan; classes of 3 or more licenses can ask for up to 25% off.
- Other savings
Bonus credits for new Enterprise customers until Oct 31, 2026
New Enterprise customers signing by October 31, 2026 get bonus credits matching what they use in the first 60 days. A minimum spend applies.
