Runway Pricing Guide: Free Plan & Gen-4 Turbo Credits

Navigating Runway’s Free Tier: What 125 Credits and Gen-4 Turbo Really Get You

If you have ever typed [site.runway.com/pricing](https://site.runway.com/pricing) into your browser, you are likely looking to see how much it costs to break into the world of AI video creation. Runway remains one of the premier platforms for generative video, but figuring out how its credit system, free tier, and flagship models mesh together can feel like solving a puzzle.

At the center of the entry-level experience sits a specific combination: a Free plan providing a one-time allocation of 125 credits, engineered to let you test-drive models like Gen-4 Turbo.

Breakdown of the Free Plan

Let’s look at what the $0 entry tier actually provides:

• The Credit Deposit: You receive 125 credits total. Crucially, these are one-time credits, not monthly refilling ones. Once they are gone, they are gone. They do not expire on a timer, but they also don’t replenish unless you open your wallet and upgrade to a paid tier like Standard or Pro.
• Project and Storage Limits: Free users are capped at 3 video projects and 5GB of asset storage.
• The Watermark Rule: Any video exported from the Free plan will carry a Runway watermark.
• No Top-Ups: Free users cannot buy standalone credit packs; if you burn through your 125 credits, subscribing is your only path forward for more generation fuel.

How Far Do 125 Credits Go with Gen-4 Turbo?

The mathematical engine behind Runway’s efficiency is Gen-4 Turbo, a speed-optimized model built for rapid prototyping, iteration, and testing motions before committing heavier resources.

• The Burn Rate: Gen-4 Turbo typically consumes 5 credits per second of generated video.
• The Output Math: With your 125 free credits, that amounts to roughly 25 seconds of total video generation using Gen-4 Turbo (broken down into five 5-second clips, for instance).

Compared to higher-tier models like Gen-4.5 (which consumes roughly 12 credits per second), the Turbo model stretches your introductory pool much further, giving you enough runway to test camera pans, object movements, and text prompts.

Is the Free Plan Enough?

Think of the Free plan as an interactive sample tray rather than a functional workspace. It is structured specifically to let you evaluate the UI, test out prompt responsiveness, and see how well Gen-4 Turbo handles your creative vision.

However, if you plan on producing regular content, commercial projects, or clean, unwatermarked exports, you will quickly outgrow the 125-credit limit. For serious production, creators typically transition to paid tiers—such as the Standard plan (625 monthly credits) or the Pro plan (2,250 monthly credits)—where credits refresh regularly and watermarks are stripped away.