Updated November 2026
Veo 3.1 vs Runway Gen-4.5: specs, audio and price
Runway Gen-4.5 makes clips up to 10 seconds, adds video-to-video editing through Aleph 2.0 and costs $0.12/s on Runway’s API, but Runway’s API has no audio setting and outputs 720p-class sizes. Veo 3.1 makes 4–8 second clips and generates sound natively, at up to 1080p or 4K, with first-and-last-frame control. The right pick depends on whether you need sound and resolution or length and editing.
Try Veo 3.1 Lite, Fast and Quality in one place
Text-to-video, image-to-video and first-and-last-frame, 4 to 8 seconds, up to 4K. Packs start at $9.99 with no subscription.
Sign in with Google to create an account; buy credits only when you need them.
Key takeaways
- Gen-4.5 is Runway’s latest model (December 1, 2025); there is no Gen-5.
- Runway API: 2–10 s clips, first frame only, no audio setting, $0.12/s.
- Veo 3.1: 4–8 s clips, native audio, first and last frame, 1080p and 4K.
- Runway sells monthly plans; the Standard plan’s 625 credits cover 52 seconds of Gen-4.5.
Specs side by side
Runway figures come from Runway’s research post, developer docs and official Node SDK; Veo figures from Google Cloud. Runway’s help centre mentions 720p at 24 fps, but we could only see that in a search snippet, so the table gives the output sizes the SDK accepts instead.
| Veo 3.1 (Quality) | Veo 3.1 Fast | Runway Gen-4.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | Runway | ||
| Version | veo-3.1-generate-001 | veo-3.1-fast-generate-001 | Gen-4.5, December 1, 2025 |
| Status (November 2026) | Generally available on Google Cloud (supported until “May 4, 2027 or later”); Gemini API preview shut down October 22, 2026; leaves Flow December 5, 2026 | Generally available on Google Cloud (supported until “May 4, 2027 or later”); Gemini API preview shut down October 22, 2026; leaves Flow December 5, 2026 | Live (all paid plans and the API) |
| Longest single clip | 8 s (extend to 37 s on Google Cloud) | 8 s | 10 s |
| Top resolution | 4K | 1080p on Google’s model page; 4K is on Google’s price list and in our generator | 1280×720-class output sizes in the API |
| Native audio | Yes (can be switched off) | Yes | No audio parameter in the official API |
| Image-to-video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| First and last frame | Yes | Yes | First frame only in the API |
| Reference inputs | Up to 3 asset images or 1 style image (Google Cloud API) | Up to 3 asset images (Google Cloud API) | Not published |
| Extend | Google Cloud only (+7 s per extension) | Google Cloud only | No (edits go through Aleph 2.0) |
| Maker’s API price, about per second | $0.20/s to $0.60/s | $0.08/s to $0.30/s | $0.05/s (Gen-4 Turbo) to $0.12/s (Gen-4.5) |
| Available on imaginary.app | Yes | Yes | Not offered today |
Image-to-video on Runway accepts more frame shapes than text-to-video: 1280:720, 720:1280, 1104:832, 960:960, 832:1104 and 1584:672. Veo 3.1 offers 16:9 and 9:16 for both. Runway also names its own model’s weak spots in its Gen-4.5 post: causality errors and object permanence.
What it costs
Runway’s API charges $0.01 per credit. Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second ($0.12/s), Gen-4 Turbo $0.05/s and Aleph 2.0 edits $0.28/s. Runway’s API has no audio setting, so compare it with silent Veo. Google’s Veo prices are per “count”, which we read as one second:
| Silent clip, per second | Price | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Runway Gen-4.5 (720p-class) | $0.12/s | Runway API |
| Runway Gen-4 Turbo | $0.05/s | Runway API |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, 1080p | $0.10/s | Google Cloud list |
| Veo 3.1 Quality, 1080p | $0.20/s | Google Cloud list |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, 1080p | $0.160–$0.187/s | imaginary.app |
So Gen-4.5 on Runway’s API costs less than Veo 3.1 Quality and more than Veo 3.1 Fast on Google Cloud, and less than Veo 3.1 Fast through us. If you want sound, note that Runway’s API has no audio setting while Veo generates sound natively, so the comparison changes. Our full credit table for every Veo 3.1 setting, with and without audio, is on the Lite vs Fast vs Quality page.
Small budgets: a monthly plan or a one-time pack
For occasional use, the question is often what a small payment buys rather than the per-second rate.
| Option | Price | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Runway Standard | $15/month ($12/month billed yearly) | 625 credits, about 52 s of Gen-4.5 (silent) |
| imaginary.app Basic Pack | $9.99 once | 13 Lite clips with audio at 720p (104 s) |
| imaginary.app Basic Pack | $9.99 once | 6 silent Fast clips at 1080p (48 s) |
| imaginary.app Basic Pack | $9.99 once | 4 Fast clips with audio at 1080p (32 s) |
Runway also has a free plan with 125 one-time credits. Our plan details are on the pricing page, and the cost calculator handles larger volumes.
When to choose Runway Gen-4.5
- You want to edit existing footage: Aleph 2.0 does video-to-video with up to 5 keyframes.
- You need up to 10 seconds per clip.
- You need square or ultra-wide image-to-video output.
- Your clips are silent b-roll, where native audio adds nothing, and you’d rather work inside Runway’s tools.
- You want a cheap model for rough iterations: Gen-4 Turbo is $0.05/s.
When to choose Veo 3.1
- Your clips need sound: dialogue, sound effects or ambience generated with the picture.
- You need 1080p or 4K output.
- You want to set both the first and the last frame of a shot.
- You prefer one-time packs to a monthly plan. For prompt ideas built around audio, see our dialogue and sound prompts.
- You want three price points in one family; the Lite vs Fast vs Quality comparison explains the trade-offs.
Frequently asked questions
Does Runway Gen-4.5 generate audio?
Is Runway Gen-4.5 cheaper than Veo 3.1?
Can I use Runway on imaginary.app?
Is there a Runway Gen-5?
How we checked: Runway specs from runway.com’s research post and pricing page, Runway’s developer docs and its official Node SDK; Veo specs and prices from Google Cloud; our prices from our pricing catalog. All read on November 8, 2026. We have not generated Runway videos ourselves.
Sources
Prices, model specs and dates on this page were checked on November 8, 2026. Third-party prices change; check the source before you rely on a number.
- Runway — introducing Gen-4.5
- Runway API — models
- Runway — official Node SDK (parameters)
- Runway API — pricing
- Google Cloud — Veo 3.1 model documentation
- Google Cloud — generative AI pricing
- Google Cloud — extend Veo videos
- Google Cloud — generate Veo videos from reference images
- Runway — plans and pricing
- imaginary.app pricing
Try Veo 3.1 Lite, Fast and Quality in one place
Text-to-video, image-to-video and first-and-last-frame, 4 to 8 seconds, up to 4K. Packs start at $9.99 with no subscription.
Sign in with Google to create an account; buy credits only when you need them.