Pika vs Runway
What each vendor publishes about price, free plan, watermark, resolution, length and features, side by side. Checked Oct 26, 2026. We don't test tools; we compare what vendors publish, and every fact links to its source on the tool's profile.
The differences in short
- Pika has the lower published price: $8/month against $12/month for Runway (lowest published rate; may need yearly billing).
- Maximum resolution: Pika not stated, Runway 4K (upscaling).
- Runway states voice cloning; Pika does not say so on the pages we checked.
- Runway states upscaling; Pika does not say so on the pages we checked.
- Pika states video ads / ugc; Runway does not say so on the pages we checked.
- Pika states extend video; Runway does not say so on the pages we checked.
- Pika states motion transfer; Runway does not say so on the pages we checked.
Side by side
| Fact | Pika | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Type | AI video generator | AI video generator |
| Starts at | $10/mo ($8/mo yearly) | $15/mo ($12/mo yearly) |
| Billing | Credits | Credits |
| Free plan | Free plan (No monthly credits; buy credit packs) | Free plan (125 one-time credits) |
| Watermark | No watermark on free | None on paid plans |
| Max resolution | Not stated | 4K (upscaling) |
| Max clip / video length | Not stated | Not stated |
| Commercial use | Yes (Commercial license not included on Free; included from Starter.) | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Voice cloning | Not stated | Yes (vendor states it) |
| Upscaling | Not stated | Yes (vendor states it) |
| Video ads / UGC | Yes (vendor states it) | Not stated |
| Extend video | Yes (vendor states it) | Not stated |
| Motion transfer | Yes (vendor states it) | Not stated |
| Checked | Oct 26, 2026 | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Website | Visit Pika | Visit Runway |
Summaries
Pika: Video studio that runs Pika's own models alongside third-party video, image and audio models, sold as monthly credit plans.
Runway: AI video and image generation studio with its own Gen-4 and Gen-4.5 models plus third-party models, credit-based plans and 4K upscaling.
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