Updated: 2026-05

1. About This Page

Create a Runway account to avoid running out of credits during class. For this course, we assume that students will use the Free plan, and the group will have one Pro plan.

2. Create an Account

Go to runwayml.com and sign up using your Google account or email address.

After logging in, you will automatically be assigned the Free Plan and receive a one-time bonus of 125 credits. There is no monthly reset.

3. Plan Overview (as of May 2026)

Plan	Monthly (Annual Subscription)	Monthly (Monthly Subscription)	Credits	Features
Free	$0	$0	125 (one-time)	Gen-4 Turbo I2V only, 720p watermark, 3 projects, 5GB
Standard	$12	$15	625 / month	All models, no watermark, 1080p, 100GB
Pro	$28	$35	2,250 / month	For high-volume generation, 4K, 500GB
Unlimited	$76	$95	2,250 / month + Explore Mode	Unlimited at relaxed rate
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Custom	SSO, compliance support

Note: Monthly credits do not roll over to the following month. They are reset within 24 hours of the billing date.

4. Estimated Credit Usage

Number of credits required to generate one 10-second video:

Model	Cost per 10 seconds
Gen-4 Video Turbo	50 cr
Gen-4 Video	120 cr
Gen-4.5	120 cr

The 125 credits included in the Free plan are enough for about 25 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo. That’s roughly five 5-second clips. It’s enough for one or two trial runs, but not enough for serious production.

Lipsync, Aleph, Act-Two, and other services consume credits at different rates depending on the model. For details, please refer to the official Runway pricing page and the “How do credits work?” section.

5. Limitations of the Free Plan (Important)

The following factors come into play when using the Free Plan for classes:

• Gen-4 Turbo I2V only (Text-to-video functionality is limited in the Free plan)
• 720p output + watermark (Not suitable for final deliverables, but sufficient for prototyping)
• Up to 3 projects(You’ll need to clear out older projects)
• 5GB of storage
• Advanced features like Motion Brush Pro and Director Mode are available only on Standard plans and above

In other words, the Free plan is ideal for the “getting a feel for it” phase, but you’ll need the Standard plan or higher for actual production.

6. Proposed Group Operations

Intended Use of This Course:

1. Each student: Free Plan (Experience basic features with 125 credits)
2. One per group (4–5 people): Share the Pro Plan (2,250 cr / month)
   • The group leader holds the account
   • Members generate production content using the leader’s account
   • Since credits are insufficient if everyone generates one shot each, finalize the storyboards for each shot in advance before generating

Note: Sharing one Pro plan among five people = 450 cr per person per month. Since a 10-second Gen-4.5 render costs 120 cr, this works out to about 3–4 production shots per person. Advance planning is essential for projects with a large number of scenes.

7. Checking Your Credit Balance

Click the avatar in the upper-right corner of the screen → The dropdown menu will display your balance and plan.

Unlike Comfy Cloud, Runway displays “How many credits will this job consume?” before generation, so unexpected high consumption is unlikely. However, since Aleph and Lipsync vary significantly based on duration multiplied by resolution, make it a habit to always check.

8. How to Avoid Billing Issues

• There is generally no free trial (the Free plan serves as the de facto trial)
• If you upgrade mid-month, credits are granted immediately
• Downgrades and cancellations take effect on the next billing date
• As of May 2026, student and educational institution plans are not officially available (you may inquire directly)

9. Pre-Class Checklist

At the start of class, each student should have completed the following.

• You are logged in to runwayml.com
• You see 125 credits displayed on the Free plan
• You know your email address (for password recovery)
• Your group has agreed on who will have the Pro plan

10. What’s Next

• Interface Tour — Screen Layout
• First Generation — First Generation