Veo 3 vs Runway

Is Veo on Runway the same as Veo from Google?

The same Veo 3.1 model, with Runway as a reseller and Google selling it through three routes of its own.

Runway’s compare table (read 24 September 2026) lists Veo 3.1 and Veo 3 with audio at 40 credits a second. Its API sells veo3.1 at 40 credits a second with audio and veo3.1_fast at 15, with credits at 1 cent each.

Google sells Veo 3.1 in Flow on a Google AI plan and on the Gemini API under preview model IDs. On Google Cloud, veo-3.1-generate-001 and veo-3.1-fast-generate-001 are generally available. The Gemini API’s deprecations page lists 30 June 2026 as Veo 3’s shutdown date; Runway still lists it.

Which costs less per second of Veo 3.1?

Google’s Gemini API, tied with Runway Max at the published rates; Runway Standard costs 2.4 times as much, if every credit is used.

Runway Standard costs $15 a month for 625 credits and Max $95 a month for 9,500 (pricing page, checked 2 October 2026). At 40 credits a second, Standard costs $0.96 a second and Max $0.40. The Gemini API lists Veo 3.1 Standard at $0.40 a second.

Flow’s row counts Google AI Pro’s $19.99 a month and 1,000 monthly credits only (plans page, checked 2 October 2026). Every Google account also gets 50 Flow credits a day, enough for two Fast clips; they do not roll over.

The Gemini API’s terms neither grant nor bar ad use, so its lower rate comes with an open rights question. The full Veo price list: Google Veo pricing. Runway’s plans: Runway pricing.

Veo 3.1 vs. Veo 3.1 Lite Price and Quality ComparedCreative AI Show

Can you run the clips in paid ads, and who covers a claim?

Google Cloud gives you the output, limits commercial use nowhere and adds an IP indemnity; Runway allows commercial use on any plan.

Runway’s terms (15 September 2026) say it “does not restrict your commercial use of your Outputs” (4.4). The terms do not say whether Google’s terms also apply to a Veo clip made on Runway. Section 10.4 treats materials “hosted by another party” as used at your own risk, and Supplemental Terms control where they conflict.

Google’s consumer terms (30 July 2026) say “Google won’t claim ownership over that content”, and Flow’s FAQ answers the commercial question with the same line. Google’s consumer terms also bar you from using AI-generated content to develop machine-learning models.

On Google Cloud, generally available Veo versions called through the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API are on the indemnified services list (20 July 2026). Google’s model page lists veo-3.1-generate-001 and veo-3.1-fast-generate-001 as GA. On Cloud, Generated Output is Customer Data and stays yours, and no clause limits commercial use (Service Specific Terms 20(a), Cloud Terms 5.1).

The indemnity covers unmodified Veo output on paid use (20(i)). It excludes trademark claims from using the output in trade or commerce, and known infringement. It reaches Google Cloud customers only, never Flow or the Gemini API.

Clause by clause: Google Veo and Runway in the rights matrix.

Who trains on your uploads?

Runway, on every plan; Google, on the Gemini API’s free tier only.

Runway’s 4.4 grants it an “irrevocable, perpetual” licence to use inputs and outputs to train and improve its models. The Gemini API pricing page says free-tier content is used to improve Google’s products and paid-tier content is not. On Google Cloud, Service Specific Terms 18 bar training on Customer Data without your permission (read 26 September 2026).

Veo 3.1 or Runway’s own Gen-4.5?

Gen-4.5 costs less a second on Runway; Veo 3.1 brings audio in the same pass, in clips of up to 8 seconds.

Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits a second, $0.29 per second of video on Standard if every credit is used (pricing page, checked 2 October 2026). Veo 3.1 at 40 credits costs over three times that. In Flow, Veo 3.1 clips run 4, 6 or 8 seconds, and Gemini Omni Flash adds 10. Runway’s pricing page lists Gen-4.5 as its current Gen-4 model.

Both user samples report paid retries

Counted within each tool’s own sources, Veo users pay for retries and Runway users run out of credits fast.

On Google Veo, 62 public sources from October 2025 to September 2026:

• Moderation blocks ordinary work, clients’ own photos and the user’s own face included (13 of 62 sources: Reddit, Reddit)
• Weak prompt adherence means a usable clip takes several paid retries (13 of 62 sources: Reddit, Reddit)
• Native audio arrives in the same pass, usable for social clips (5 of 62 sources: Reddit, pxz.ai)

On Runway, 54 public sources from January to September 2026:

• Credits run out within one or two videos (22 of 54 sources: App Store, Trustpilot)
• Logos change and products distort between brief and output (13 of 54 sources: Trustpilot, Trustpilot)
• Hosted Veo, Kling and Seedance sit in one workspace with Gen-4.5 (6 of 54 sources: YouTube, YouTube)

If neither fits

Kling makes clips of up to 15 seconds with native audio. A membership allows commercial use, with an ad-consent clause (ToS 3.1(d)) still in force. Higgsfield sells Veo next to Kling and Seedance on one balance, with credits shown at the Generate button. Luma sells Veo 3.1 with audio at 280 credits a second at 1080p.

Head to head: Kling AI vs Runway, Higgsfield vs Runway and Seedance vs Veo 3. Every rival model in one place: AI video generators.