Both Runway and Midjourney provide industry-leading AI generation tools, excelling in image creation and video production. Learn how they compare and which will better meet your needs.
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Verdict: Runway AI and Midjourney are leading AI generation tools renowned for their AI capabilities that revolutionize the creative industry. Both offer powerful tools for creating stunning visuals, but they approach the task in different ways. Runway AI stands out for its easy-to-use platform and robust video generation, while Midjourney excels as a versatile and highly customizable image generator.
We evaluated both art generators against key categories including core features, output quality, cost, customization, ease of use, and customer support to help you decide which better suits your creative needs. Here's what you need to know.
Both platforms are industry-leading AI generation tools, excelling in image creation and video production. Here's how they compare.
Runway AI is a robust video generation tool that enables users of all skill levels to create and customize vibrant and high-quality multimedia assets. Core Runway AI features include:
Midjourney is a cutting-edge text-to-image platform that allows individuals and businesses to turn their creative ideas into stunning visuals. Midjourney's key offerings include the following:
Midjourney is the more cost-effective option because it offers more affordable monthly and annual plans.
Runway AI's pricing structure uses a credit system, with each credit representing a specific amount of computational power used for various AI tools. The platform's five subscription tiers offer different credit limits and capabilities, starting with a free basic plan that gives users 125 one-time credits equivalent to 25 image generations. Paid plans start at $15 per month or $12 per month for an annual subscription, providing progressively larger allotments that reset every month for various image, video, and audio generations.
While Runway AI's free plan allows users to explore the platform's tools and content creation features, its pricing structure can get a bit complex. The challenge lies in estimating how many credits your desired output or project will require, as some AI tools consume credits faster than others. Unused credits also don't carry over to the following months, which is a disadvantage compared to Midjourney's fixed-hour model.
Midjourney has a straightforward subscription plan with four tiers, allowing users to pay month-to-month or annually for a 20 percent discount. Unlike Runway AI, Midjourney doesn't offer a free plan, but its paid tiers have relatively lower costs. Midjourney's Basic plan, priced at $10 per month or $8 per month for an annual subscription, is ideal for casual users or those new to the platform who want to experiment with generating a limited number of images. Users can upgrade to higher-paid plans for longer GPU hours and additional features like faster image generation and stealth mode to keep creations private. A GPU hour refers to the computational power used to generate images. Users can also purchase additional GPU hours if their monthly allocation runs out, offering flexibility for those who want to create outputs through the platform occasionally.
All Midjourney plans include access to the platform's member gallery, the official Discord community, and general and commercial usage terms. While Midjourney doesn't offer free trials or a free-forever plan, the company occasionally releases a limited-time free version that allows users to generate up to 25 sets of images.
Runway AI and Midjourney are powerful AI generation tools, categorized according to user requirements and preferences. While each platform excels, Runway AI offers a smooth edge for users seeking to experience AI tools and different types of media.
Runway AI excels as a versatile platform that caters to different users' creative needs. The platform's extensive suite of more than 30 artificial intelligence tools empowers users to explore video and image creation, from generation to manipulation and customization. Unlike Midjourney's focus on image generation, Runway AI provides features to produce stunning videos such as audio processing, motion tracking, 3D capture, special effects, and more. This versatility makes Runway AI a valuable asset for filmmakers, artists, and content creators seeking an all-in-one platform to transform their creative visions into high-quality videos.
Midjourney is a specialized platform that excels in text-to-image generation, utilizing advanced AI algorithms to transform textual descriptions into stunning visuals. While Runway offers more AI tools than Midjourney, the platform's strength lies in its capability to produce high-quality images based on user prompts. Users can also create vibrant and detailed footage with Midjourney's bot on Discord, but the one drawback is that it's limited to four seconds. Midjourney is an ideal choice for artists and designers who prioritize visual aesthetics and want to explore AI-generated imagery more in-depth.
While Runway offers a wide range of AI tools, its prompt fidelity can be somewhat limited compared to Midjourney when it comes to image generation. The platform is generally easy to use, but users may find it challenging to generate the desired output through text prompts alone without additional adjustments or experimentation. However, Runway AI excels in video generation, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy in interpreting user prompts. You can also use the platform's video editing features and image manipulation to refine and customize the generated outputs.
Midjourney excels in prompt fidelity, accurately interpreting and translating textual descriptions into visually compelling images. It captures the intended meaning and translates nuanced instructions into hyper-realistic images. While there are occasional errors that are hit-and-miss when experimenting with negative prompts, Midjourney ultimately does a great job at translating prompts. It captures even the smallest detail, no matter the complexity. This precision makes the platform an ideal choice for artists, designers, and content creators who seek to create highly specific and personalized visuals.
Runway AI's output consistency can vary depending on the specific AI tool being used. The platform is popular for its ability to generate high-quality videos showing consistent output. While some tools within the platform consistently deliver high-quality results, others may exhibit varying output quality based on prompt complexity or the underlying AI model. Users may need to experiment with different prompts and settings to achieve desired levels of consistency.
Midjourney generally demonstrates a higher level of output consistency, particularly in its text-to-image generation feature. The platform's sophisticated AI models are designed to generate consistent outputs based on the user prompts, often surpassing the quality in other image-generation tools. For example, Midjourney produces images of characters with the same facial features and other characteristics among multiple image generations. The style of these generated images is also consistent, especially when you use the Fast and Turbo modes. However, achieving highly specific or complex visual styles may still require some experimentation and iteration.
Runway AI's diverse tools offer a wide range of artistic styles, allowing users to explore different creative approaches. It features various presets that let you generate images and videos in more than 30 different curated styles, ranging from cinematic to isometric 3D for rendering three-dimensional scenes. For more granular control of your generated images in Runway AI, you can tweak advanced settings to adjust the size, style, medium, mood, and prompt weight to fine-tune your output.
Additionally, you can use the platform's suite of editing tools and special effects to manipulate and enhance your outputs. Easily remove backgrounds, expand images, and replace objects in your generated images and videos. You can even blend AI-generated elements and special effects with your captured footage. However, Runway AI doesn't always capture your desired styles based on user prompts alone and requires you to adjust settings and parameters to get your intended output.
Midjourney offers a wide range of artistic styles and customization options you can use to capture your desired images. One of the standout features of Midjourney is its ability to capture nuances and layered instructions using user prompts, and this also applies to experimenting with artistic styles. Unlike Runway AI, Midjourney lets you generate a realistic and accurate image through detailed textual prompts. You can add the parameters to your prompts and generate a customized image even without adjusting the settings.
The "stylize" parameter in Midjourney also affects how closely the generated images match your prompt; a high stylization value produces highly artistic images that are less connected to the prompts, and vice versa. You can also add the URL of an image at the end of your prompt and parameter to use the photo as a style reference. Even with short prompts, Midjourney can provide incredibly vivid and detailed visuals; however, you may create more personalized outcomes by mixing ideas like the artistic medium, historical eras, location, movement, and more.
Runway AI features workspaces designed to enhance collaboration and project development among multiple users in real time. Unlike Midjourney, teams can share an account on Runway AI, allowing the primary account holder to invite collaborators. This makes it ideal for teams or individuals working together on projects because it enables real-time feedback and revisions.
While Midjourney doesn't allow sharing accounts like Runway AI, users can easily explore other creations and share them with others through the website and Discord. The platform's strength lies in its active user community of over 20 million users, and its Discord community allows you to share ideas, provide feedback, and learn from each other's best practices. You also have the option to use the Discord server to create images with other subscribers or make a personal account to organize your work. Additionally, Midjourney enables you to keep your generated images private using stealth mode if you don't want to share them on the website with other users.
Midjourney emerged as the clear winner in terms of image quality, producing visuals with exceptional quality that exceed the capabilities of Runway AI.
Runway AI offers a versatile range of AI tools and customization options, but its image quality can vary depending on the specific tool and the complexity of the prompt. It sometimes struggles with accurately portraying some details in generated images. When I tested the tool, Runway produced images that were vibrant, colorful, and realistic but would sometimes generate errors, such as a cat with six paws or a kid with a distorted face. A few of Runway's generated images, particularly those featuring landscapes, lack the realism and richness of those from Midjourney.
Midjourney's advanced AI models consistently produce highly detailed and visually striking images that closely align with user-defined prompts. The platform generated images that are highly detailed, vibrant, consistent, and visually appealing, which can be refined further using different parameters. Images like people, landscapes, food, and sci-fi art demonstrated intricate textures, depth, and remarkable clarity. Midjourney's level of detail, color accuracy, and overall aesthetic appeal surpass Runway AI's outputs, making it a better choice for users seeking professional-grade results.
Runway AI offers a versatile range of video generation tools and generally produces high-quality videos suitable for various purposes.
Runway AI is renowned for its ability to generate high-quality videos using advanced machine learning algorithms and special effects tools for enhancing footage. This robust platform allows you to choose between HD (720p) and QHD (2K) video options and tweak the output's technical details. Paid subscribers can generate QHD images, export videos in 4K, and produce full 3D texture options for more dynamic videos. Runway AI's wide range of AI tools also allows you to produce videos using prompts, images, and footage you generated from the platform or exported from another platform.
Based on my experience, I could generate the hyper-realistic video below using a detailed prompt and Runway AI could capture the desired setting, camera angle, and lighting. Runway AI was also able to show intricate details like hair strands blown by the wind, a character's subtle expressions, and sunlight shining over the subject's face.
Midjourney has recently introduced video generation capabilities, and while it's still a relatively new feature, it shows promising results. The video quality Midjourney produces is generally impressive, with smooth and visually appealing animations. However, when compared to Runway AI, Midjourney still has a lot to develop and improve. Unlike Runway AI, Midjourney has limited video generation features. It doesn't offer built-in tools for creating longer footage or manipulating live-action clips. Generated videos on Midjourney are only limited to four seconds, and you need to use another tool to generate longer videos or production-ready assets.
Both Runway AI and Midjourney require some level of knowledge depending on the user's skill level. However, Runway AI is more straightforward and its interface is easier to navigate.
Runway AI has a clean and intuitive user interface that makes it easy to navigate and explore. Its dashboard displays over 30 AI tools that users can access, ranging from generative video to advanced editing tools. You can easily find your projects and assets in the main dashboard and navigate through your workspace and custom elements you created in the platform. Based on my experience, Runway AI's drag-and-drop made it easier to upload images, remove objects, apply visual effects, or switch a scene in a video. You can also make changes to your projects in real time because Runway allows you to see results using the preview option.
In addition to Runway AI's drag-and-drop interface, the platform features slide bars, toggle buttons, and drop-down menus, so it's easier to adjust the settings of the images or videos you're generating. While some users may find Runway AI's interface intuitive, others may need to spend some time familiarizing themselves with advanced features, especially for editing and visual effects.
While Midjourney is relatively simple to navigate for users who are familiar with text prompts, new users might find it more complex than Runway AI. If you're a beginner to writing prompts, you might find it challenging to learn how to get a highly customized output using Midjourney. However, once you're familiar with the basics of AI prompts, the platform can be easier to use and explore. You can use buttons and sliders on the website to adjust your parameters and customize your desired output. If you want to use a reference image for the visuals you want to generate, you can choose an asset you previously generated on the platform, which minimizes the need to download and upload them. However, using Discord to generate images and videos requires some time to learn.
Like Runway AI, Midjourney has a clean and simple interface, but its initial learning curve can be steep. Using complex text prompts and their extensive customizations can be overwhelming, and users might need time to learn and familiarize themselves with the website and Discord app.
Midjourney won this category due to its strong community-based support system.
Runway AI offers a limited range of customer support options, including email assistance and a knowledgebase. Users can reach out to Runway AI's support team for personal guidance, but product and technical assistance can only be accessed by customers on a Standard plan or higher. Users who are qualified to access product and technical support can expect a response in under three business days. Fortunately, you can refer to Runway AI's Help Center or Runway Academy if you need assistance with your account. You can use these resources for documentation, tutorials, and step-by-step guides to understand the platform and its tools better.
Midjourney's customer support is primarily provided through its active Discord community. The community is active and helpful, with over 20 million users willing to assist users with their questions and concerns. Midjourney also offers documentation with detailed guides, prompt writing guidelines, and in-depth instructions on how to use tools and customize your outputs effectively. While Midjourney doesn't have phone support, you can reach out to them via email for billing concerns.
Runway AI and Midjourney are robust and versatile AI generation tools, but they may not be suitable for all users and scenarios.
Runway AI is a powerful video generator, but it's not for everyone, including the following use cases:
The following users might not be the best fit for Midjourney:
Runway AI and Midjourney are industry leaders, but they might not be ideal for every team and business. Three alternatives to consider are Jasper AI, Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion.
To assess Runway AI and Midjourney, I determined six key criteria for individuals, teams, and businesses. From there, I divided each category into weighted subcriteria and assigned a total score out of five to identify the winner for each category.
In evaluating the two platforms, I put the highest weight on core features and output quality to help users find a robust AI generation tool. I also assessed the cost, ease of use, and customization, followed by the platforms' customer support.
Runway AI and Midjourney are leading AI art generators that enable you to transform their creative vision into visually appealing outputs. Runway AI stands out for its user-friendly interface and powerful video generation, while Midjourney excels in creating images and customization. Ultimately, the best option will depend on your individual needs and preferences. Runway AI and Midjourney have their strengths and weaknesses, so it's essential to consider your objectives and artistic requirements before making a decision.