Developers adding AI video, avatars or audio through one API with a model router; pay per credit, with no stated free tier.

Kenning's take

What it does

Runway Dev is a single API for Runway's own media models, such as Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0, and models from other labs including Google, OpenAI and ByteDance. It also offers workflows, recipes, a model router that picks a model by cost, speed or quality, and Characters, which are real-time conversational avatars with custom voices and knowledge. Usage is paid with credits bought at $0.01 each.

  • One API for Runway and third-party media models
  • Model Router choosing by cost, latency or quality
  • Characters for real-time conversational avatars
  • Workflows and recipes
  • Playground to compare models
  • Node and Python SDKs

Who it suits. Developers adding AI video, image, audio or live avatars to their products.

Key facts

Part of
Runway
Made by
Runway AI, Inc.
How to get it
sign up at dev.runwayml.com and get an API key; enterprise plans through sales
Works on
API, Web
API price
credits at $0.01 each; Gen-4.5 $0.12 per second, Aleph 2.0 $0.28 per second, Seedance 2.5 from $0.20 per second, images from $0.01

FAQ

How much does the Runway API cost?

Credits cost $0.01 each. Gen-4.5 video works out at $0.12 a second and Aleph 2.0 at $0.28 a second.

Does Runway Dev include models from other companies?

Yes. It offers models from other labs such as Google's Nano Banana Pro and OpenAI's GPT Image 2.5.

What are Runway Characters?

Real-time conversational avatars with custom voices, knowledge and tools that developers can put in their products.

Facts from the maker's own pages and the sources listed. Checked 2026-10-11.