# Runware vs StreamLake

> Runware generates media across 300+ priced models; StreamLake sells Kuaishou's KAT-Coder for agentic coding. Kuaishou also makes Kling, which Runware can serve, but the two products barely overlap.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/runware-vs-streamlake · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

Runware and StreamLake sell different things. Runware is a media generation API: one endpoint and one request schema across image, video, audio, 3D and text, with 300+ priced models, images from fractions of a cent and video billed per second, like Seedance 2.5 at about $0.10 a second at 480p. Switching from a Kling video to a Seedream image mostly means changing the model ID. StreamLake is Kuaishou's AI cloud, and its headline product is KAT-Coder-Pro V2.5, a proprietary agentic coding model, sold per token or on a KwaiKAT Coding Plan with a Claude-protocol proxy.

The link is Kuaishou, which makes both KAT-Coder and the Kling video models, but StreamLake's pitch is coding and compute, not media APIs. Media apps belong on Runware, which also rents raw GPUs by the second at $2.76 an hour for H100s. Coding agents and Chinese internet businesses wanting domestic MaaS and bare metal belong on StreamLake. Western buyers should note that StreamLake keeps data in China and leads with yuan pricing, while Runware's output URLs expire after seven days by default.

## What each one does

### Runware

Runware sells what it calls the lowest-cost API for media generation, and it claims more than 1M developers. One endpoint covers image, video, audio, 3D and text. Every request is a task with the same shape, so switching from a Kling video to a Seedream image mostly means changing the model ID. The published rate sheet lists 300+ priced models, with images from fractions of a cent to a few cents each and video billed per second, like Seedance 2.5 at about $0.10 a second at 480p.

### StreamLake

StreamLake is the AI cloud brand of Kuaishou, the Chinese short-video company behind the Kling video models. It sells model-as-a-service inference and bare-metal compute to internet businesses, drawing on the infrastructure Kuaishou built to serve video at massive scale. Its developer site offers APIs, SDKs and integration guides aimed at taking teams from testing to production.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Runware for

- High-volume image and short video generation
- Switching media models by changing a model ID
- Per-second GPU rental for custom diffusion work

### Choose StreamLake for

- Agentic coding on a subscription plan
- Claude Code users trying KAT-Coder
- Chinese businesses needing domestic bare metal

## At a glance

| Attribute | Runware | StreamLake |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Hosted media models | Proprietary coding models |
| Flagship models | Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0 | KAT-Coder-Pro V2.5, KAT-Coder-Air |
| Speed | - | - |
| Price | Images from fractions of a cent | Per token or KwaiKAT Coding Plan |
| Customization | Fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints | - |
| Deployment | Unified API, raw GPUs | MaaS API, bare metal |
| Long context | Not applicable | - |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Runware and StreamLake?

Runware generates media across 300+ priced models; StreamLake sells Kuaishou's KAT-Coder for agentic coding. Kuaishou also makes Kling, which Runware can serve, but the two products barely overlap.

### When should I choose Runware over StreamLake?

High-volume image and short video generation; Switching media models by changing a model ID; Per-second GPU rental for custom diffusion work.

### When should I choose StreamLake over Runware?

Agentic coding on a subscription plan; Claude Code users trying KAT-Coder; Chinese businesses needing domestic bare metal.

### Is Runware or StreamLake cheaper?

Runware: Images from fractions of a cent. StreamLake: Per token or KwaiKAT Coding Plan. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-runware.md), [Subconscious vs StreamLake](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-streamlake.md).

Full profiles: [Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/runware.md), [StreamLake](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/streamlake.md).