Correction, 2026-10-01: the first version of this page called Gen-4 Turbo the only per-second model on the canvas and said nothing else sells a clip under 5 seconds. Both were wrong: base Wan 3.0, Seedance, Kling v3, Gemini Omni Flash, Grok Imagine, Pruna and Creatify Boreal also bill by the second, and base Wan 3.0 makes a 2-second clip for 10 credits at 480p, so the "twelve inserts" comparison was wrong too (120 credits on Wan 3.0 at 480p, not 288). The page also did not say that Gen-4 Turbo needs a start image, credited it with camera controls the 8frame node does not have, gave an unmeasured "1.5 to 3 seconds before artefacts" figure, and ranked other models on quality. All fixed below.
Runway Gen-4 Turbo on 8frame costs 8 credits a second, for 2 to 10 seconds, and it only animates a start image: the prompt is optional, the image is not. Per-second billing is common on the canvas now, so the useful question is where 8 a second lands against the other models that let you buy exactly the seconds you need.
TL;DR
- 8 credits per second, 2 to 10 seconds. A 5-second clip is 40, a 2-second clip is 16
- Start image required. Gen-4 Turbo is image-to-video only on 8frame
- Not the cheapest short clip. Base Wan 3.0 also sells 2 seconds: 10 credits at 480p, 19 at 720p
- Silent. Budget a separate audio pass
- Runway's own plans are separate. These are 8frame credit prices
The per-second arithmetic
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate. Both models below animate a start image and bill by the second:
| Duration | Gen-4 Turbo | Wan 3.0, 480p | Wan 3.0, 720p |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2s | 16 | 10 | 19 |
| 3s | 24 | 15 | 29 |
| 5s | 40 | 24 | 48 |
| 8s | 64 | 38 | 76 |
| 10s | 80 | 48 | 95 |
Where it sits: 8 credits a second is more than base Wan 3.0 at 480p (about 4.7 a second) and less than Wan 3.0 at 720p (about 9.5). For 8 silent seconds, Veo 3.1 Lite is 33.
The cheapest short clip on the canvas is Pruna p-video Draft, 2 credits for 2 seconds at 720p; it is new to 8frame, so we quote its price, not its quality.
Why buying only the seconds you use matters
Cutaways in a tight edit are often a second or two long. With a model that only sells fixed lengths you pay for 5 seconds and use the best 2; with per-second billing you buy the 2, plus a small margin. That saving is real on Gen-4 Turbo, and just as real on Wan 3.0.
Twelve two-second inserts from stills: 192 credits on Gen-4 Turbo, 120 on Wan 3.0 at 480p, 228 on Wan 3.0 at 720p.
Where it fits
Short inserts from a still. 2 to 10 seconds, billed by the second.
A second interpretation of the same frame. When a still keeps animating the same way on your usual model, another model family is a cheap test: a 2-second Gen-4 Turbo try is 16 credits.
Where to use something else
A prompt and no image. Gen-4 Turbo needs a start image; base Wan 3.0 runs from text, 24 credits for 5 seconds at 480p.
Volume b-roll at full clip length. Wan 3.0 at 480p, 24 credits for 5 seconds.
Audio in the same pass. Veo 3.1 Lite at 54 for 8 seconds includes it.
Long takes. Base Wan 3.0 does 30 seconds for 142 credits at 480p.
Several reference images. Seedance 2.5 takes up to 9 (157 for 5 seconds at 720p).
A note on Runway's own pricing
Runway sells its own plans directly, and those are separate from the credit prices here. As of our check on 2026-10-01, their plans were Free with 125 one-time credits, Standard at $12/month annual with 625 credits a month, Pro at $28 with 2,250, and Max at $76 with 9,500, of which up to one month of unused credits rolls over. Monthly billing was $15, $35 and $95. On Runway's developer API, Gen-4.5 was 12 credits per second and Gen-4 Turbo 5 credits per second (checked 2026-09-30).
There is no "Unlimited" Runway plan; that name is retired, and articles still using it are stale. We corrected that across this blog after a reader flagged it.
Check runway.com/pricing directly before relying on any of those figures, including ours.
The workflow
- Start from a still. Gen-4 Turbo needs a start image; generate it in the final shape (a Seedream 5 Lite image is 6 credits).
- Decide the cut length first. Per-second billing only saves money if you know the length.
- Buy the seconds you will keep, plus a small margin.
- Name one camera move, in film language. One per clip.
- Plan audio separately. ElevenLabs SFX at 1 to 6 credits by length, or a music bed at 13 for 30 seconds on Lyria 2.
- Generate at delivery resolution, since there is no video upscaler on this canvas.
FAQ
How much does Runway Gen-4 Turbo cost on 8frame? 8 credits per second, 2 to 10 seconds. A 5-second clip is 40.
Does Gen-4 Turbo work from text alone? No. On 8frame it animates a start image; the prompt is optional.
Is it cheaper than Wan 3.0? Not against base Wan 3.0 at 480p, at any length: 10 against 16 for 2 seconds, 24 against 40 for 5. Against Wan 3.0 at 720p it is cheaper per second, 8 against about 9.5.
Does it generate audio? No. Budget a separate pass.
What about Runway's own plans? Separate from 8frame credits. Check runway.com/pricing directly.
Sources
- 8frame prices and durations (Runway Gen-4 Turbo, Wan 3.0, Veo 3.1 Lite, Pruna p-video Draft, Seedance 2.5, Seedream 5 Lite, ElevenLabs SFX, Lyria 2): 8frame tool registry credit functions, read 2026-10-01
- Gen-4 Turbo start-image requirement and node inputs: 8frame tool configuration, read 2026-10-01
- Runway plans: runway.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-01
- Runway API rates: docs.dev.runwayml.com/guides/pricing, checked 2026-09-30
Buy only the seconds you keep. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.