# Runway Alternatives 2027: 16 Paid, Free & Open-Source

Source: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/runway/
Prices checked: 2026-11-11 (Zekai Price Ledger)

The best Runway alternatives in 2027 are Luma AI (best overall, $30/mo), LTX Studio (best free plan: 800 one-time credits) and ComfyUI (best open source, GPL-3.0). Runway itself starts at $15/mo. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 11 Nov 2026; 13 more are compared below, including 2 with a free plan and 7 open source.

| Tool | Type | Starting price | Free plan limit | Licence | Best for | Price checked | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runway (the tool being replaced) | — | $15/mo | 125 one-time credits | — | — | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://runway.com/pricing) |
| Luma AI | Paid | $30/mo | No free plan | — | Dream Machine video with large credit pools | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://lumalabs.ai) [pricing](https://lumalabs.ai/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/luma-ai/) |
| Pika | Free plan + paid | $10/mo | No monthly credits; 2 parallel video generations | — | Cheap entry plan for short clips | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://pika.art) [pricing](https://pika.art/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/pika/) |
| LTX Studio | Free plan + paid | $15/mo | 800 credits one time, personal use only | — | Storyboard-to-video with a free start | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://ltx.studio) [pricing](https://ltx.io/studio/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/ltx-studio/) |
| Kling.ai | Free | Free plan; paid price not published |  | — | Cinematic clips from text or images |  | [site](https://kling.ai) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/kling-ai/) |
| Vidu | Paid | Not checked | No free plan | — | Reference-based video clips |  | [site](https://www.vidu.com) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/vidu/) |
| Minimax Hailuo | Paid | Not checked | No free plan | — | Fast image-to-video from Minimax |  | [site](https://www.hailuoai.video) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/minimax-hailuo/) |
| Moonvalley | Paid | $14.99/mo | No free plan | — | Studio-oriented video clips | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://www.moonvalley.com) [pricing](https://www.moonvalley.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/moonvalley/) |
| Google Veo 3.1 | Paid | Not checked | No free plan | — | Veo video inside Google AI plans |  | [site](https://deepmind.google/models/veo/) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/google-veo-3-1/) |
| ComfyUI | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 | Node-based local video workflows |  | [site](https://www.comfy.org/) [code](https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/comfyui/) |
| Open-Generative-AI | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | MIT | MIT-licensed studio for many models |  | [site](https://github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI) [code](https://github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/open-generative-ai/) |
| HunyuanVideo | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Tencent (not OSI-approved) | Open weights from Tencent, big GPU needed |  | [site](https://github.com/Tencent-Hunyuan/HunyuanVideo) [code](https://github.com/Tencent-Hunyuan/HunyuanVideo) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/hunyuanvideo/) |
| Wan 2.2 | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Open Apache-2.0 weights for 720P video |  | [site](https://github.com/Wan-Video/Wan2.2) [code](https://github.com/Wan-Video/Wan2.2) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/wan-2-2/) |
| LTX-Video | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 (code) | Light open video model for local GPUs |  | [site](https://github.com/Lightricks/LTX-Video) [code](https://github.com/Lightricks/LTX-Video) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/ltx-video/) |
| CogVideoX | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Older open model with small-GPU options |  | [site](https://github.com/zai-org/CogVideo) [code](https://github.com/zai-org/CogVideo) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/cogvideox/) |
| FramePack | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Long clips from one image on 6GB |  | [site](https://github.com/lllyasviel/FramePack) [code](https://github.com/lllyasviel/FramePack) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/framepack/) |
| LongCat-Video | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | MIT | MIT-licensed model for long video clips |  | [site](https://github.com/meituan-longcat/LongCat-Video) [code](https://github.com/meituan-longcat/LongCat-Video) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/longcat-video/) |

## How each alternative compares with Runway

- **Luma AI** (Paid, $30/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Luma's Plus plan lists 10,000 credits a month with a commercial licence line, and its pricing page shows no free tier, while Runway offers a free plan with one-time credits. Switch if you want a larger monthly credit pool at the entry paid tier and do not need a free trial. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools, Brand Kits and custom voice clones on the same plan as generation.
- **Pika** (Free plan + paid, $10/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Pika's Starter plan lists 600 credits a month with no watermark and a commercial licence, and its free plan has no monthly credits, only credit packs. Switch if you want the lowest monthly entry price with a commercial licence and no watermark. Stay with Runway if you need Runway's 4K upscaling, larger storage and models across image and video in one subscription.
- **LTX Studio** (Free plan + paid, $15/mo, checked 2026-11-11): LTX Studio's free plan gives 800 one-time credits but restricts use to personal projects; commercial use starts at its Standard plan, while Runway's free credits are also one-time. Switch if you plan storyboard-style projects and want free credits to test before paying. Stay with Runway if you need commercial use without stepping up to a higher plan and want Runway's wider model access.
- **Kling.ai** (Free, Free plan; paid price not published): Kling AI is a video-generation service from Kuaishou with a separate developer platform and API; its consumer plan table did not load, so credits and limits here are unverified. Switch if you want Kling's own video models and its developer API instead of Runway's model lineup. Stay with Runway if you want a plan table you can verify and Runway's editing suite alongside generation.
- **Vidu** (Paid, Not checked): Vidu sells subscription credits valid for 30 days, with separate purchased credits valid for 2 years, per its FAQ; plan prices did not load. Switch if you prefer buying purchased credits that last two years rather than monthly credits only. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's rollover of unused credits on Max and its editing tools in one place.
- **Minimax Hailuo** (Paid, Not checked): Hailuo runs on MiniMax's own video models, and its subscribe page blocks automated reading, so no plan data could be checked. Switch if you specifically want MiniMax's Hailuo models, which Runway does not host. Stay with Runway if you want published plan limits and Runway's 4K upscaling and storage in one subscription.
- **Moonvalley** (Paid, $14.99/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Moonvalley's Standard plan lists 100 monthly credits for up to 10 videos at a monthly price, with no free tier shown on its pricing page. Switch if you want a plan counted in videos per month rather than credit pools. Stay with Runway if you want a free tier to test with and Runway's larger credit allowance per month.
- **Google Veo 3.1** (Paid, Not checked): Veo is reached through Google's AI plans and the Flow tool rather than a standalone video subscription; the plan page names a different video model, so no Veo price is stated here. Switch if you already pay for a Google AI plan and want Google's video model bundled with it. Stay with Runway if you want a dedicated video studio with editing tools and credit-based plans that are video-specific.
- **ComfyUI** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): ComfyUI is a node-graph interface that runs open video models locally under GPL-3.0, so there is no per-generation credit charge, but you supply the GPU and workflows. Switch if you have a capable GPU and want node-graph control over open video models with no credits. Stay with Runway if you want hosted generation, no GPU setup and Runway's ready-made editing tools.
- **Open-Generative-AI** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Open-Generative-AI is an MIT-licensed desktop studio that bundles local image models and can route video to Wan2GP or the Muapi.ai API, rather than a single proprietary model. Switch if you want an MIT-licensed desktop studio that mixes local models with an optional API key. Stay with Runway if you want one hosted subscription and do not want to install Python or manage GPU models.
- **HunyuanVideo** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): HunyuanVideo publishes open weights from Tencent, with a stated minimum of 60GB GPU memory for 720x1280 clips, so it targets server GPUs rather than laptops. Switch if you have an 80GB-class GPU and want open weights you can run and fine-tune yourself. Stay with Runway if you need video generation from a browser without any datacentre-class hardware.
- **Wan 2.2** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Wan 2.2 ships Apache-2.0 weights for 480P and 720P video, with a 5B model that fits one 24GB GPU; Runway sells hosted generation with editing tools and no GPU to run. Switch if you have a 24GB or 80GB GPU and want Apache-2.0 weights with no credit limit. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools and upscaling without managing 80GB GPU jobs yourself.
- **LTX-Video** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): LTX-Video is Apache-2.0 code with 2B and 13B model variants, and its README names LTX-2 as the primary successor; Runway sells hosted generation with editing tools and no GPU to run. Switch if you want a smaller open model family and can manage CUDA and Python yourself. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools and upscaling without managing CUDA and Python setups yourself.
- **CogVideoX** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): CogVideoX has Apache-2.0 code and 2B weights, and its README lists about 4GB of VRAM for the 2B model with optimisations on; Runway sells hosted generation with editing tools and no GPU to run. Switch if you want an older open model with a 2B option that fits small GPUs. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools and upscaling without managing weight downloads and Python scripts yourself.
- **FramePack** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): FramePack builds video from an image and prompt in sections, and its README says a 6GB GPU handles a one-minute clip; Runway sells hosted generation with editing tools and no GPU to run. Switch if you have an RTX card with 6GB or more and want long clips from a single image. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools and upscaling without managing a 30GB model download yourself.
- **LongCat-Video** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): LongCat-Video has MIT-licensed weights for text-to-video, image-to-video and video continuation, aimed at long clips; Runway sells hosted generation with editing tools and no GPU to run. Switch if you want MIT-licensed weights for long clips and video continuation and can build FlashAttention yourself. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools and upscaling without managing FlashAttention builds and weight downloads yourself.

## Open-source options in detail

- **ComfyUI** (https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI): Licence: GPL-3.0; Commercial use: Yes; GPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you distribute a modified version.; Runs on: Desktop app or manual install; NVIDIA, AMD, Intel or Apple Silicon GPUs.; Setup: moderate: Desktop app installs easily; workflows and model weights need setup.; Last commit: 2026-11-13; Last release: 2026-11-10; GitHub stars: 146,700 (2026-11-13)
- **Open-Generative-AI** (https://github.com/Anil-matcha/Open-Generative-AI): Licence: MIT; Commercial use: Yes (MIT).; Runs on: Desktop app; local video needs a separate Wan2GP install and NVIDIA or AMD GPU.; Setup: moderate: Desktop installers, then a Muapi.ai key or a separate local video install.; Last commit: 2026-11-12; Last release: 2026-05-23; GitHub stars: 34,500 (2026-11-13)
- **HunyuanVideo** (https://github.com/Tencent-Hunyuan/HunyuanVideo): Licence: Tencent (not OSI-approved); Commercial use: Conditional: excludes EU, UK and South Korea; licence needed above 100M monthly users.; Runs on: Linux with a CUDA NVIDIA GPU; 60GB minimum for 720x1280, 80GB recommended.; Setup: hard: Linux, CUDA and 60GB-class GPU memory, plus large weight downloads.; Last commit: 2026-10-08; GitHub stars: 12,800 (2026-11-13)
- **Wan 2.2** (https://github.com/Wan-Video/Wan2.2): Licence: Apache-2.0; Commercial use: Yes (Apache-2.0); the authors claim no rights over your generated content.; Runs on: 5B model needs one 24GB GPU; the A14B models need at least 80GB VRAM.; Setup: hard: Python install, PyTorch 2.4 or later and large weight downloads.; Last commit: 2026-09-21; GitHub stars: 18,600 (2026-11-13)
- **LTX-Video** (https://github.com/Lightricks/LTX-Video): Licence: Apache-2.0 (code); Commercial use: Yes for the code; check the separate model licence for weights.; Runs on: CUDA GPU, Python 3.10, PyTorch 2.1.2 or later; 2B models need less VRAM.; Setup: hard: Python and CUDA setup plus model downloads from Hugging Face.; Last commit: 2026-11-02; GitHub stars: 11,400 (2026-11-13)
- **CogVideoX** (https://github.com/zai-org/CogVideo): Licence: Apache-2.0; Commercial use: Yes for the code and 2B weights; check the separate CogVideoX licence for 5B.; Runs on: GPU with 4GB VRAM minimum for the 2B model with optimisations; 5B needs more.; Setup: hard: Python scripts with diffusers or SAT, and weights from Hugging Face.; Last commit: 2025-11-04; Last release: 2024-11-08; GitHub stars: 13,200 (2026-11-13)
- **FramePack** (https://github.com/lllyasviel/FramePack): Licence: Apache-2.0; Commercial use: Yes (Apache-2.0).; Runs on: NVIDIA RTX 30, 40 or 50 series GPU, 6GB minimum; Windows or Linux.; Setup: moderate: Windows one-click package, but over 30GB of models download.; Last commit: 2025-10-16; Last release: 2025-04-18; GitHub stars: 17,400 (2026-11-13)
- **LongCat-Video** (https://github.com/meituan-longcat/LongCat-Video): Licence: MIT; Commercial use: Yes (MIT); the README says the model weights are MIT too.; Runs on: CUDA GPU with PyTorch (CUDA 12.4 builds) and FlashAttention-2; no VRAM figure stated.; Setup: hard: Python environment, FlashAttention-2 and large weight downloads.; Last commit: 2026-05-27; GitHub stars: 9,400 (2026-11-13)

## Questions

### What is the best alternative to Runway in 2027?
Luma AI is the best overall Runway alternative on this page ($30/mo). For no cost, LTX Studio has a free plan (800 credits one time, personal use only). To self-host, ComfyUI is open source (GPL-3.0).

### Is there a free version of Runway?
Yes. Runway has a free plan: 125 one-time credits. Paid plans start at $15/mo, checked on 11 Nov 2026.

### Is there a 100% free alternative to Runway?
Yes. ComfyUI, Open-Generative-AI, HunyuanVideo, Wan 2.2, LTX-Video, CogVideoX, FramePack, LongCat-Video are open source and free to self-host. Pika, LTX Studio, Kling.ai have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

### What is cheaper than Runway?
Pika starts at $10/mo, against $15/mo for Runway, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 11 Nov 2026.

### How much do Runway alternatives cost for a team of 5?
If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 11 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Pika $50/mo, Moonvalley $74.95/mo, LTX Studio $75/mo, against Runway $75/mo for Runway. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

### Which is better, Luma AI or Runway?
Luma's Plus plan lists 10,000 credits a month with a commercial licence line, and its pricing page shows no free tier, while Runway offers a free plan with one-time credits. Choose Luma AI if you want a larger monthly credit pool at the entry paid tier and do not need a free trial. Stay with Runway if you want Runway's editing tools, Brand Kits and custom voice clones on the same plan as generation.

### Why are people leaving Runway?
The documented reasons are: Runway introduced a Max plan on 2026-06-01 that replaces the Unlimited plan, which is no longer offered; Max has 9,500 monthly credits and no Explore Mode, which Unlimited included (1 Jun 2026); Runway's free plan is a one-time grant of 125 credits rather than a monthly allowance, so continued use needs a paid plan (11 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

### What is better than Runway?
It depends on the job. Luma AI and Pika are the closest hosted rivals for clip generation, while ComfyUI suits people who want to run open models on their own GPU.

## Related on Zekai

- [Luma AI alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/luma-ai/)
- [Pika alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/pika/)
- [Kling.ai alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/kling-ai/)
- [Hailuo AI alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/hailuo-ai/)
- [Higgsfield AI alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/higgsfield-ai/)
- [InVideo AI alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/invideo-ai/)
- [AI for Video Editing & Production](https://zekaiwork.com/professions/ai-video-editing-production-tools/)

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Live table, team cost finder and price alerts: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/runway/