Runway vs Pika
- Pika starts cheaper: $10 a month against $15 for Runway.
- Both have a free plan; the limits differ (below).
| Detail |  Runway |  Pika |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Creative suite that generates and edits video with its Gen 4.5 model plus Kling, Veo and Seedance. | Playful effects first video app (Pikaffects, Pikaswaps, Pikaframes) for quick social clips. |
| Best for | Filmmakers, agencies and pro creators | Social creators making stylized effect videos |
| Free | 125 one time credits (~25s of video), 5GB storage | All models, but 0 monthly credits (buy packs) |
| Cheapest paid | $15 a month, $12 billed yearly | $10 a month, $8 billed yearly |
| Billing | Credits | Credits |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Not stated | Not stated |
| Refunds | Not stated on their site | Payments are non refundable, and no refunds are provided for the remainder of a billing period upon cancellation. Source |
| Cancel online | Not stated on their site | Yes Source |
| Credits roll over | Partial Source | Partial Source |
| Free plan watermark | Not stated on their site | No Source |
| Commercial use | Not stated on their site | All plans including free Source |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Visit | Visit Runway Runway (opens the tool's site) | Visit Pika Pika (opens the tool's site) |
Runway plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Per | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Not listed | 125 one time credits | one time credits, 5GB storage, selected models |
| Standard | $15 | $12 | 625 credits/month | 3 projects, 5 parallel generations, 20GB, no watermark, 4K upscaling |
| Pro | $35 | $28 | 2,250 credits/month | 5 projects, 15 parallel gens, 100GB, 1 brand kit, 1 voice clone |
| Max | $95 | $76 | 9,500 credits/month | 10 projects, 20 parallel gens, 500GB, 3 brand kits, credits roll over 1 month |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Not listed | custom | contact sales |
From Runway's pricing page, checked . Full Runway listing
Pika plans
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Per | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | $0 | per account | No monthly credits (top up packs only); 2 parallel video gens; no commercial license |
| Starter | $10 | $8 | per account, 900 credits/mo | 2 parallel video / 8 parallel image audio gens; no commercial license |
| Creator | $35 | $28 | per account, 3,150 credits/mo | 8 parallel video gens; commercial license |
| Fancy | $95 | $76 | per account, 8,550+ credits/mo (scales to $880/mo, $704/mo annual) | Unlimited parallel gens; commercial license; priority queue; early access from $440/mo tier |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Not listed | custom | contact sales |
From Pika's pricing page, checked . Full Pika listing
We don't declare a winner: the right one depends on what you'll use it for and how much. Every fact above is from each tool's own pages; we earn a commission from neither of them.