Runway API

What it does

Runway API is a developer platform for generating video, images and audio. You send text prompts, and where a model requires it, input images, video or audio references, and receive generated media back, with options for resolution, aspect ratio and duration that vary by model. Access is also available through Recipes, which return a finished asset in one request, and Workflows, which chain multiple models and tasks into custom endpoints.

Developers typically call the API from Node or Python SDKs, or with cURL, to produce assets inside their own products. A Model Router lets you set priorities for cost, quality and latency, plus a per-generation cost ceiling, so the platform selects a model per request. Each project has its own API keys, credits, members and usage views, and the dashboard and usage API show spending by model and by day. The Runway Dev MCP connects a coding agent to your account for building and debugging the integration.

This suits engineering teams building generative media into applications. Access requires a Runway Dev account and purchased credits, priced at $0.01 each with no subscription, and separate from Runway web app plans. Costs vary by model, resolution and duration, and some models carry surcharges or minimums. Enterprise terms, zero-data retention and volume pricing are handled through sales.

What it can do

• Text-to-video and image-to-video generation across multiple third-party and Runway models, billed per second of output.
• Image generation and editing with selectable resolution and quality, billed per image.
• Audio generation including text-to-speech by character count, voice dubbing and sound effects.
• Model Router that selects a model per request based on cost, quality and latency priorities and a cost ceiling.
• Recipes that return a finished asset (for example product ads or multi-shot video) from a single request.
• Workflows for chaining multiple models and tasks into custom endpoints, and Characters for real-time conversational video avatars.

Works with

• Runway Dev MCP for connecting a coding agent to the account.
• Official Node SDK (@runwayml/sdk) and Python SDK (runwayml).

Example workflows

Generate a short product video from an image

Input: a product photo and a text prompt. Steps: upload the image as a URL or base64 data URI, call the image-to-video endpoint with a chosen model such as gen4.5, then poll the task until complete. Output: a generated video file URL for the task.

Route an image request by cost ceiling

Input: a text prompt with priority settings for cost, quality and latency, plus a per-generation cost ceiling. Steps: send the request to the Model Router, which selects a model that fits the ceiling. Output: a generated image and a response indicating which model ran and its cost.

Before you choose

• Credits are separate from Runway web app plans, and neither carries over to the other.
• Pricing varies by model, resolution and duration, and some models have minimums or per-output surcharges; estimate costs from the rate table before production use.
• A 20% promotional discount on Kling 4.0 is stated as running through November 30, 2026, and may end.

Listed under

• Creative

Get started

Quickstart walks through account, API key, credits and a sample app.

1. Create a Runway Dev account at dev.runway.com and generate an API key from the Manage tab, copying it when it is shown.
2. Add credits under Billing in the Manage section before making requests.
3. Install the Node SDK with npm install @runwayml/sdk or the Python SDK with pip install runwayml, then set the API key in your environment.

Buy credits for a project and spend them per generation at each model's rate. Failed generations caused by errors on Runway's side are refunded. Model Router adds no fee beyond the picked model's rate. Enterprise volume pricing is via sales.

Source: dev.runway.com/pricing, checked 28 Oct 2026. Prices can change; check before you buy.

Sources for this overview

Product pages, documentation, and pricing checked 28 Oct 2026. Each source supports part of the overview; availability and prices can change.

• One API for AI Video, Image and Audio | Runway Dev ↗dev.runway.com
• AI Video, Image and Audio API Pricing | Runway Dev ↗dev.runway.com
• API Getting Started Guide | Runway Dev ↗docs.dev.runwayml.com
• Quickstart | Runway Dev ↗docs.dev.runwayml.com

Company website

dev.runway.com: product, pricing and policy pages

Web search

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knowledge_base

Last checked 28 Oct 2026. Every field keeps its source and date; unknown means we couldn’t confirm it.