Criterion Descript Runway
CategoryAI Video GeneratorsAI Video Generators
In one sentenceEdit video and audio by editing the transcript, with an AI co-editor called Underlord.AI video studio offering Runway's Gen-4.5 plus partner models, with a pay-per-credit developer API.
Problem it solvesTraditional timeline editing is slow and technical; Descript makes editing as easy as editing text.Filming or animating short clips is expensive and slow; Runway generates and edits footage from text and images.
Free planYesYes
Developer APIYes — docsYes — docs
Open sourceNoNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, WebWeb, iOS, API
Pricing (summary)Free plan with 1 media hour and 100 one-time AI credits. Hobbyist $24/month ($16 annual), Creator $35 ($24 annual) and Business $65 ($50 annual) per person add media hours, monthly AI credits and higher export quality. Enterprise is custom.
Checked 2026-10-19		Free (125 one-time credits), Standard $15/mo ($12 annual), Pro $35/mo ($28 annual) and Max $95/mo ($76 annual) with 625 to 9,500 monthly credits. Enterprise is custom. The API is separate at $0.01 per credit.
Checked 2026-10-19
Strengths
  • Very easy editing model
  • Strong audio clean-up
  • API included at no extra cost for paid users
  • Clear per-second API pricing
  • Multiple frontier video models in one place
  • Max plan offers HDR/ProRes outputs
  • Credits on Max roll over one month
Limitations
  • Free exports are 720p with a watermark
  • Media hours and AI credits cap usage
  • API still in beta; some endpoints need Creator or higher
  • Free credits are one-time only
  • Standard and Pro credits do not roll over
  • Clip lengths are short
  • Commercial-rights terms not stated on the pricing page