Hailuo AI vs Runway

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Hailuo AI

MiniMax's AI video and image generator for text-to-video and image-to-video clips.

Free plan + paid

Visit Hailuo AI Hailuo AI profile

Runway

AI video and image studio built around Runway's own Gen models, with mobile apps and an API.

Free plan + paid

Visit Runway Runway profile

The short answer

Hailuo AI, from MiniMax, generates short video clips with strong motion and physics and is often chosen as a lower-cost alternative. Runway is a broader studio built on its own Gen models, with video-to-video editing, audio tools, brand kits and a developer API. Pick Hailuo for realistic motion in short clips on a budget; pick Runway for filmmaking, editing existing footage and team workflows.

Hailuo AI or Runway: our take

Both are freemium, credit-based AI video tools that run in the browser and in iOS and Android apps, and both can generate from text or a reference image. Hailuo AI is MiniMax's consumer app for its own Hailuo models. Its latest model, MiniMax H3, adds Omni Reference so a character or product stays consistent from an uploaded picture, plus editing of existing clips, and Hailuo Agent can plan multi-step projects from a single request. The same site also generates images and audio and offers effect templates for social posts. It is known for strong motion and physics, but clips are short, so longer pieces need stitching in an editor, and documentation is thin.

Runway is a fuller production studio. It uses its in-house models (Gen-4.5, Gen-4 Turbo and the Aleph video editing model) alongside selected third-party models like Kling and Seedance in one credit system, and adds voice, music and sound effects, 4K upscaling, brand kits, a planning agent and a developer platform for calling the models from code. Video-to-video editing with Aleph is a key difference for people working with real footage.

On cost, Hailuo gives new users some free credits and sells monthly credit subscriptions for higher resolution and faster queues; it is generally positioned as cheaper than Western rivals. Runway's free plan gives 125 one-time credits, and paid plans start at $12/month billed annually ($15 monthly), with Pro and Max above that and team and enterprise plans. On both, credits run out quickly at higher resolutions, and Runway's Standard and Pro credits do not roll over.

Creators making short social clips who care most about motion quality and price will likely prefer Hailuo. Filmmakers, agencies and teams that need editing tools, audio, brand consistency and an API for production work will get more from Runway. Note that Hailuo's content rules follow MiniMax's own moderation.

Choose Hailuo AI if…

Creators who want realistic motion in short AI clips at a lower cost than the big Western tools
Strong motion and physics in generated clips
Reference images keep characters and products consistent

Choose Runway if…

Filmmakers and creative teams who want strong in-house video models plus editing tools in one studio
Own video models plus third-party ones under one credit balance
Video-to-video editing with Aleph, not just generation

What is Hailuo AI?

Hailuo AI is the consumer creation app from MiniMax, the Chinese AI company behind the Hailuo family of video models. You type a prompt or upload a reference image, and it generates short video clips with camera movement and fairly realistic physics; the same site also generates images and audio and offers ready-made effect templates for social posts. Its latest model, MiniMax H3, adds reference-based generation, so a character or product can be kept consistent from an uploaded picture, plus editing of existing clips. An agent mode can plan multi-step projects from a single request. It runs in the browser and in mobile apps. New users get some free credits to try it, and heavier use, higher resolution and faster queues come with monthly credit subscriptions. Compared with Western rivals such as Runway, it's often chosen for strong motion quality at a lower price, though output length per clip is short and content rules follow the company's own moderation.

What is Runway?

Runway is one of the earliest AI video companies and remains a go-to for filmmakers, agencies and social creators. Its web studio generates video from text, images or existing footage using Runway's in-house models (Gen-4.5, Gen-4 Turbo and the Aleph video editing model), and it also offers selected third-party models such as Kling and Seedance in the same credit system. Around generation it adds image creation, voice, music and sound effects, 4K upscaling, brand kits and an agent that helps plan and produce projects. There are iPhone and Android apps for creating on the go, and a developer platform for calling the models from code. Pricing is credit-based: a free account gets a one-time pot of credits, and paid tiers add monthly credits, more parallel generations and storage, with team and enterprise plans above them. Heavy users can find credits run out quickly at higher resolutions.

Side by side

Attribute	Hailuo AI	Runway
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Best for	Creators who want realistic motion in short AI clips at a lower cost than the big Western tools	Filmmakers and creative teams who want strong in-house video models plus editing tools in one studio
Status	Active	Active