🎬 Head to head · prices checked Oct 26, 2026
Kling AI vs Runway: which should you use?
Short answer: Pick Kling AI for the cheapest way into AI video and native 30-second clips from Kling 4.0. Pick Runway for a fuller creative suite: its own video and image models plus Kling 4.0, an agentic creative collaborator, App Studio and 4K upscaling. Kling Standard is $6.99 for the first month, then $8.80/mo billed monthly, or $79.20 a year; Runway Standard is $15/mo billed monthly or $12/mo billed annually.
Side by side
| Kling AI | Runway | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plans | Standard: Pro: Premier: Ultra+: | Standard: $15/mo billed monthly; Pro: $35/mo billed monthly; Max: $95/mo billed monthly; |
| Free tier | $0: Basic plan | $0: 125 one-time credits |
| What you get | Text and image to video. Kling 4.0 adds native 30-second generation, multiple keyframes and Omni reference; there is also native 4K video and Motion Control. | A creative suite: Runway's video and image models plus Kling 4.0, an agentic creative collaborator, App Studio, Runway Ads, music, voice and sound effects, and 4K upscaling. |
| How usage is metered | Monthly credits: 660 on Standard, 3,000 on Pro, 18,000 on Premier and 57,000 on Ultra+. | Monthly credits: 625 on Standard, 2,250 on Pro and 9,500 on Max. The free plan has 125 one-time credits. |
| How billing works | Monthly plans open with a discounted first month. Yearly plans are priced per year, with a discounted first year on Premier and Ultra+. | Billed monthly or annually; annual billing is 20% off. |
| Strengths | The lowest entry price here ($6.99 first month, then $8.80/mo) and long native clips from Kling 4.0. | Many models and editing tools under one plan. Our top pick for editing and generating video. |
| Who it's for | Creators who mainly want to turn text or images into video at a low price. | Creators and teams who want generation, editing and upscaling in one place. |
| Prices checked | kling.ai/app/membership/membership-plan, checked | runwayml.com/pricing, checked |
| Official site | https://kling.ai | https://runwayml.com |
Crossed-out prices appear only where the vendor's own pricing page shows that price struck through. "See official page" marks a price we could not read on the vendor's page on the check date. Prices exclude tax.
Free for subscribers
Which video tool fits you, and what to pair it with?
The free 5-Minute AI Stack Kit has our pick for every job and 4 starter stacks under $50/mo, and the weekday Brief sends price-drop alerts when Kling AI or Runway changes price.
What each paid plan includes
- Kling AI Standard: 660 credits a month.
- Kling AI Pro: 3,000 credits a month.
- Kling AI Premier: 18,000 credits a month.
- Kling AI Ultra+: 57,000 credits a month.
- Runway Standard: 625 credits a month.
- Runway Pro: 2,250 credits a month.
- Runway Max: 9,500 credits a month.
Every option for this job, any price: best AI tools to edit and generate video. Only want free? Free AI tools to edit and generate video. Tool pages: Kling AI · Runway.
How we check: every price and free tier on this page comes from the vendor's own pricing page, with the date we checked it. If we can't verify something, we say so. Found a wrong price? Email info@usethissi.com and we fix it within 24 hours.