# Runware > Low-cost media generation across image, video, audio and 3D behind one request schema. Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/runware · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026 - Founded: 2023 - Example models: Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0 - Website: https://runware.ai ## Overview 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. Under the API sits the Sonic Inference Engine, custom hardware and software built as one system. Sonic Inference Pods pack about 1 MW of compute per container, go from order to live in roughly three weeks, and draw power straight from the source, which Runware says cuts capital cost 90% against a traditional data center. A Model Lake keeps 400K+ models resident and routes each request to the right pod, which Runware says lands prices around 10x lower. It also rents raw GPUs by the second, with H100s at $2.76 an hour. ## Upsides - Aggressive per-generation pricing across a huge media catalog. - One request schema across every modality, plus batching many tasks in one call. ## Core use cases - High-volume consumer apps generating images or short video. - Teams running fine-tuned diffusion models or community checkpoints at scale. ## Downsides - Output URLs expire after seven days by default, so apps need their own storage. - LLM hosting is a side line next to media, so text workloads fit better elsewhere. ## At a glance | Attribute | Value | |---|---| | Model access | Hosted media models | | Flagship models | Seedance 2.5, Qwen-Image-3.0 | | Speed | - | | Price | Images from fractions of a cent | | Customization | Fine-tuned diffusion checkpoints | | Deployment | Unified API, raw GPUs | | Long context | Not applicable | ## FAQ ### What is 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. ### What is Runware best for? High-volume consumer apps generating images or short video; Teams running fine-tuned diffusion models or community checkpoints at scale. ### How much does Runware cost? Runware pricing at a glance: Images from fractions of a cent. Rates change often, so check Runware's pricing page before committing. ### How much context does Runware support? Runware's long-context support: Not applicable. ### What are the downsides of Runware? Output URLs expire after seven days by default, so apps need their own storage; LLM hosting is a side line next to media, so text workloads fit better elsewhere. ### What are the best alternatives to Runware? Common alternatives include Subconscious, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Vertex AI, Amazon Bedrock. Each has a head-to-head comparison with Runware on this site. ## Comparisons - [Subconscious vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-runware.md) - [OpenAI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/openai-vs-runware.md) - [Anthropic vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/anthropic-vs-runware.md) - [Google Vertex AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/google-vertex-vs-runware.md) - [Amazon Bedrock vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/aws-bedrock-vs-runware.md) - [Together AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/together-ai-vs-runware.md) - [Fireworks AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/fireworks-vs-runware.md) - [Baseten vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/baseten-vs-runware.md) - [Groq vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/groq-vs-runware.md) - [Cerebras vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/cerebras-vs-runware.md) - [DeepInfra vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/deepinfra-vs-runware.md) - [Modal vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/modal-vs-runware.md) - [xAI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/xai-vs-runware.md) - [DeepSeek vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/deepseek-vs-runware.md) - [Moonshot AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/moonshot-ai-vs-runware.md) - [Z.ai vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/z-ai-vs-runware.md) - [Alibaba Cloud vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/alibaba-cloud-vs-runware.md) - [Meta vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/meta-vs-runware.md) - [SambaNova vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/sambanova-vs-runware.md) - [Nebius vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/nebius-vs-runware.md) - [fal vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/fal-vs-runware.md) - [Novita AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/novita-ai-vs-runware.md) - [Parasail vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/parasail-vs-runware.md) - [Inference.net vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/inference-net-vs-runware.md) - [GMI Cloud vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/gmi-cloud-vs-runware.md) - [Sail Research vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/sail-research-vs-runware.md) - [Morph vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/morph-vs-runware.md) - [Relace vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/relace-vs-runware.md) - [TypeSafe AI vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/typesafe-ai-vs-runware.md) - [StepFun vs Runware](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/stepfun-vs-runware.md) - [Runware vs StreamLake](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/runware-vs-streamlake.md) - [Runware vs Wafer](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/runware-vs-wafer.md) - [Runware vs RunInfra](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/runware-vs-runinfra.md) - [Runware vs Particle.AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/runware-vs-particle-ai.md) ## Sources - [Runware pricing](https://runware.ai/pricing) - [Sonic Inference Engine](https://runware.ai/sonic-inference) - [Runware docs](https://runware.ai/docs/platform/introduction) Pricing and model lineups change often; figures are a snapshot.