Midjourney vs Runway

Two of the 28 AI image generators in our ranking, compared fact by fact — every price and feature read from each maker's own pages on Oct 24, 2026.

Subscribers who want stylised art with style and omni references

6.6

#16

Video-first teams that also generate Gen-4 images

4.9

#23

The short answer

Higher scoreMidjourney — 6.6 vs 4.9 (#16 vs #23 of 28)
Cheaper entry planMidjourney — $10/mo vs $12/mo, billed yearly
Free planOnly Runway
Only Midjourney confirmsImage editing, Reference images, Upscaling and Commercial use
Only Runway confirmsAPI

	Midjourney	Runway
Score	6.6/10 · #16 of 28	4.9/10 · #23 of 28
Pricing model	Paid	Freemium
Paid from	$10/mo (Basic)“Monthly Price $10” — docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/27870484040333-Comparing-Midjourney-Plans	$12/mo, billed yearly (Standard)“For curious creators trying AI video $15 $12 /month” — runwayml.com/pricing
Free plan	✕ No	✓ Yes
Free trial	Not published	Not published
Image editing	✓ Yes	– Not published
Reference images	✓ Yes	– Not published
Upscaling	✓ Yes	– Not published
Commercial use	✓ Yes	– Not published
API	– Not published	✓ Yes
Why it ranks	Commercial use is allowed once you have subscribed, and its docs list Omni Reference and Upscalers.	Standard is $12/month billed annually with 625 credits, or 78 Gen-4 Images (1080p).
Watch for	No free plan: all four tiers are paid subscriptions, starting at $10 a month for Basic.	The free plan's 125 credits are a one-time deposit, not a monthly allowance.