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Both can turn a prompt or an image into video, but they suit different budgets and workflows. Runway is a full video generation and editing suite. Krea is a real-time canvas and multi-model studio that’s cheaper to experiment in.
| Runway (affiliate link) | Krea | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does best | Cinematic text/image-to-video and editing | Real-time sketch-to-image, upscaling, multi-model video |
| Free plan | One-time 125 credits (never refills) | 100 compute units a day |
| Free plan catch | Watermarked exports; credits go fast | No commercial use on Free |
| Entry paid plan | Standard $15/mo ($12/mo annual) | Basic $9/mo ($5.25/mo annual) |
Pick Runway if…
- You need polished clips and editing tools in one place.
- You’re making b-roll or scenes for a real project and will pay to remove the watermark.
Pick Krea if…
- You want to experiment daily without burning one-time credits.
- You mostly work on images and upscaling, with some video on the side.
Before you pay
Test your idea on Krea’s daily free units first, then spend Runway’s 125 one-time credits only on prompts you’ve already refined. Prices checked on the official pricing pages on Oct 27, 2026. Runway review • Krea review • Best AI video generators