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Midjourney vs Runway

Midjourney: AI image generator known for its distinctive look, with image-to-video, on the web and in Discord. Runway: An AI creative suite for video, images and audio, with its own Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0 plus other labs' models.

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Updated October 16, 2026

Midjourney and Runway details as published on midjourney.com and runway.com (and their official app store listings), checked October 16, 2026. Luren AI shown for reference.
	Midjourney	Runway	Luren AI
Platforms	Web, Discord	Web, iOS, Android	iPhone and Android app
Mobile app	No	Yes	Yes, iPhone and Android
Free plan	No free plan or trial on its website or in Discord; a limited trial is offered in its separate niji·journey app	Free plan with 125 one-time credits and a selection of models.	Free to download and try
Pricing	Subscriptions only: Basic $10, Standard $30, Pro $60 and Mega $120 a month, 20% less when paid yearly, with extra Fast GPU time at $4 an hour (as listed on its pricing page)	Credit-based plans: Standard $15, Pro $35 and Max $95 a month, or $12, $28 and $76 a month billed yearly (as listed on its pricing page). Extra credits can be bought, from 1,000 credits.	Pay per creation with coins, or a weekly or yearly Pro subscription
What you need to start	Nothing: text prompts; up to four reference images optional with its Edit model	None: start from a text prompt, or upload an image, video or audio as a reference.	One photo, or just a prompt; no training
AI models	Its own models only: Midjourney V8.2 (default), V8.1 and earlier versions, plus Niji 7 for anime and illustration styles, made with Spellbrush	Its own Gen-4.5, Gen-4 Image and Aleph 2.0, plus models from other labs such as Seedance 2.5, Kling 3.0, Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2.1, Seedream 5.0, Wan 3.0 and FLUX.3.	Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2.5, Seedream, Qwen-Image 3.0, Grok Imagine; Veo 3.1, Kling, Seedance
Images	Text-to-image with its own models, plus Personalization, moodboards, style references and 2K HD images on V8.1 and V8.2	Images from a prompt or a reference photo, with consistent characters, objects and locations	300+ styles, your own prompt with a model picker, and an AI agent
Video	Image-to-video: 5-second clips from a start image, extendable to 21 seconds, at 480p, or 720p HD on Standard and higher plans	Text-to-video, image-to-video and video-to-video, plus Runway Agent for complete videos from a conversation	Image to video, text to video, UGC videos and 40+ AI dances
Editing	Edit model for written instructions and combining up to four images, an Editor for inpainting and outpainting, plus pan, zoom out and upscalers	Aleph 2.0 edits existing footage up to 30 seconds: change one element, the lighting or the background and keep the rest	Restore, upscale, change clothes, backgrounds, pose and expression

Choose Midjourney if…

Artists and designers who want a distinctive aesthetic
Concept art, mood boards and visual exploration
Animating still images into short stylized clips

Midjourney is an independent research lab whose own image models, with V8.2 the default since July 2026, are known for a distinctive, highly aesthetic look. You create on midjourney.com or in Discord, edit and combine pictures with its Edit model and Editor, and animate any image into a 5-second video that can be extended to 21 seconds.

Strengths

A distinctive, highly aesthetic house style, which its V8.2 update focuses on
Personalization profiles, moodboards and style references for a consistent look
Unlimited relaxed image generation on the Standard, Pro and Mega plans
Image-to-video built in, with loops, end frames and extensions up to 21 seconds

Limits to know

No free plan or trial on its website or in Discord
Creations are public unless you are on Pro or Mega, which include Stealth Mode
Only Midjourney's own models, with no third-party models to pick from
No Midjourney app for phones; it runs in the browser or in Discord
Under its plan terms, companies with more than 1 million US dollars a year in gross revenue must use the Pro or Mega plan

Midjourney alternatives →

Choose Runway if…

Filmmakers, agencies and brands making ads, short films and music videos
Editing existing footage without a reshoot
Creators who want several top video models in one place

Runway is a cloud-based creative suite for generating and editing video, images and audio, on the web and in apps for iPhone and Android. It pairs its own models, such as Gen-4.5 for video and Aleph 2.0 for editing existing footage, with models from other labs including Seedance, Kling and Nano Banana, and Runway Agent plans and assembles a whole video from a conversation. Its site says it is used by more than 60 million creators.

Strengths

Its own video models, Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0, alongside models from other labs in one subscription
Aleph 2.0 edits footage you already have and changes only what you ask for
Runway Agent plans the shots, generates them and assembles the finished video
Work syncs between the phone apps and the web, with plugins for Premiere Pro and After Effects

Limits to know

The free plan is a one-time 125 credits rather than a monthly allowance
Monthly credits do not roll over on the Standard and Pro plans
Its store listing ties more credits, higher resolution and faster generation to paid plans
The iOS app is for iPhone only, and its App Store listing is in English

Runway alternatives →

Key differences

Runway has a mobile app; Midjourney runs on Web, Discord.
Midjourney is listed among ai image generators and ai video generators; Runway among ai video generators and ai image generators and ai product photo tools.
Free plans: Midjourney: No free plan or trial on its website or in Discord; a limited trial is offered in its separate niji·journey app. Runway: Free plan with 125 one-time credits and a selection of models.

A third option

Both kinds of model, in one phone app

Luren AI puts Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5, Seedream, Veo 3.1 and Kling side by side on iPhone and Android, with 300+ ready-made styles, UGC ads, AI dances and an AI agent that makes the picture for you. Start from one photo, no training.

Get Luren AI free Meet the AI agent

FAQ

Midjourney vs Runway: questions

Is Midjourney better than Runway?

It depends on the job. Midjourney suits artists and designers who want a distinctive aesthetic; concept art, mood boards and visual exploration; animating still images into short stylized clips. Runway suits filmmakers, agencies and brands making ads, short films and music videos; editing existing footage without a reshoot; creators who want several top video models in one place.

Is Midjourney free?

No free plan or trial on its website or in Discord; a limited trial is offered in its separate niji·journey app.

Is Runway free?

Free plan with 125 one-time credits and a selection of models.

Which is better for video, Midjourney or Runway?

Midjourney: Image-to-video: 5-second clips from a start image, extendable to 21 seconds, at 480p, or 720p HD on Standard and higher plans. Runway: Text-to-video, image-to-video and video-to-video, plus Runway Agent for complete videos from a conversation.

Is there an alternative to Midjourney and Runway on my phone?

Luren AI is an iPhone and Android app with image models like Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5 and Seedream, video models like Veo 3.1 and Kling, 300+ ready-made styles and an AI agent. It is free to download and try.

More comparisons

Sources

Midjourney and Runway are trademarks of their owners. Luren AI is not affiliated with either. Details are as each company publishes them on its own site and store listings on the date above; plans and prices change, so check their sites before you buy.