Does Runway have a free plan?
Yes, Runway has a free plan, but its credits behave differently from what most expect: the free grant is a one-time allotment that doesn't refill each month, so it's for trying the tool, not ongoing use. There is also no separate time-limited trial of a paid tier — that one-time grant is the trial. On paid plans, unused monthly credits reset on your billing day and don't roll over; only credits you buy separately never expire. So banking a quiet month's credits for a busy one isn't an option unless you purchased them à la carte. Verified on Runway's help center, Jul 2026.
Size the free grant before you plan around it. It is 125 credits, once — and at Runway's own published exchange rate (625 credits = 52 seconds of Gen-4.5) that is roughly 10 seconds of flagship video in total, or about 20 seconds on the cheaper Gen-4 Turbo. It is enough to see whether the model understands your prompt style. It is not enough to finish anything, and there is no second month to wait for.
The no-rollover rule is the one to plan around after that: it's the opposite of ElevenLabs' two-month banking, and it means a Runway plan should be sized to your busiest month, not your average. Unused monthly credits are simply lost at the reset — and because a re-generation bills again, three takes of a single 10-second clip is 360 credits, more than half of Standard's entire 625-credit month.
Separately purchased credits are the escape hatch — those never expire, and at roughly $0.01 each they are often the better buy for bursty work than upgrading a tier you will not fill every month. The full rollover mechanics are in do Runway credits roll over, and you can convert credits to seconds of video in the Runway credits calculator.
How each kind of Runway credit behaves
| Credit type | Refills? | Rolls over? | Expires? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free one-time grant | No — granted once, and it is the trial | n/a | No refill to wait for |
| Monthly plan credits | Yes, on your billing day | No — unused ones are lost at the reset | At each reset |
| Separately purchased (à la carte) | No — you buy them | n/a | Never |
Verified on Runway's help center, Jul 2026. Size a Runway plan to your busiest month, not your average — there is no banking.
Sources checked
Official vendor pages used for pricing, rights and feature claims.
- Runway — will unused credits carry over? - monthly credits reset and don't roll over; purchased credits never expire
Keep going
- Runway credits calculator — Credits → seconds of video.
- Do Runway credits roll over? — Monthly reset vs purchased credits.
- Runway pricing (2026) — The full plan ladder.