Hailuo vs Runway Free Plan 2026: Credits, Watermarks, and Re-download Rules
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Hailuo and Runway both make Free a trial, but their current terms leave different facts checkable. Hailuo gives new users a one-time welcome package with an unpublished credit amount that expires after three days. Runway gives a documented 125 one-time credits that do not expire or renew. Both vendors say Free downloads are watermarked, and neither current policy explains whether an old Free generation becomes available as a clean re-download after you upgrade. We checked the vendors’ current pages on October 27, 2026; no account or file test was used for this comparison.
The Short Answer
- Hailuo AI — Hailuo documents a one-time welcome package whose credit amount is not published and expires after three days; Free downloads are watermarked, while Standard is $14.99/month for reported clean downloads.
- Runway — Runway documents 125 one-time Free credits that do not expire or renew; all Free videos are watermarked, and Standard starts at $15 monthly or $12 monthly billed annually.
| Tool | Best for | From | Clean export from | Free video/mo | Free export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hailuo AI | Published Policy, No Free-Volume Number | $14.99/mo | $14.99/mo | Not published | Watermarked * |
| Runway | Known One-Time Credit Deposit | $12/mo (annual) | $12/mo (annual) | 0s recurring | Watermarked * |
Hailuo’s Free Package Has No Published Volume; Runway’s Has No Renewal
Hailuo’s subscription terms say a new user receives one welcome package of free credits after registering. The same terms say it expires three days after grant, but do not publish the amount or a monthly renewal. That means a monthly seconds figure would be invented, so the Hailuo record stays Not published.
Runway’s Free-plan guide and credit guide instead name 125 one-time credits. The deposit does not expire, but it does not refresh once spent. Runway also says Free-model availability can change and is visible after sign-in, so we do not convert the 125 credits into a promised number of Free-video seconds.
Both Watermark Findings Come From the Vendors, Not Our Files
Hailuo states that Free video downloads include a watermark and that Standard subscribers and above can download without one. Its terms list Standard at $14.99 per month with 1,000 credits. They also say paid subscribers retain rights in generated and downloaded content, including commercial use; this comparison does not infer a Free-tier commercial licence from that paid policy.
Runway’s Free-plan guide says every Free-plan video carries a Runway watermark. Its current pricing page lists Standard at $15 per month or $12 per month in the annual view, with 625 monthly credits and no watermarks. These are useful policy and price facts, not proof from a file inspection: neither result is marked firsthand.
Re-download After an Upgrade Is Not Documented
The practical trap is assuming a paid subscription changes a file made on Free. Hailuo’s terms draw the line between Free watermarked downloads and watermark-free downloads on Standard and higher, but do not address an earlier Free generation after an upgrade. That is an unanswered policy question, not evidence that the old download will become clean.
Runway’s current public Help Center explains how to upgrade and describes watermarks on Free-plan generations, but it does not describe a clean re-download of an existing Free asset after upgrading. For both tools, generate a new paid-tier clip—or get vendor confirmation—before treating an upgrade as a fix for an already-watermarked file.
Published Policy, No Free-Volume Number
1. Hailuo AI — Published Policy, No Free-Volume Number
Hailuo is clear about the Free watermark and the paid clean-download boundary, but the free package cannot be normalized into usable monthly volume from its public terms. The missing retroactive re-download policy matters if a trial asset is already part of your project.
From $14.99/mo. Free plan: A one-time welcome package of free credits (amount unpublished) expires 3 days after it is granted; the current subscription terms do not state a recurring monthly free-credit allowance.
- Standard — $14.99/mo · 1 seat
- Pro — $54.99/mo · 1 seat
- Master — $119.99/mo · 1 seat
- Ultra — $124.99/mo · 1 seat
- Max — $199.99/mo · 1 seat
Free-tier export Not tested yet
Reported (not verified by us): Watermarked — Hailuo's payment policy states it outright for free users: 'Video downloads will include a watermark.' Hailuo payment policy . We'll replace this the moment we run our own export test.
Watermark-free from Standard ($14.99/mo)
Free tier: Not published
Pros
- Its subscription terms explicitly say Free downloads include a watermark and Standard or above can download without one
- The same terms publish monthly credit allotments for all current paid plans
- The terms grant paid subscribers commercial-use rights in generated and downloaded content
Skip it if
- You need a reliable free-volume estimate — the welcome-package amount and recurring free allowance are not published in the current terms
- You need a paid-seconds estimate — the accessible terms list plan credits but not a current per-video credit rate
- You need a documented retroactive clean re-download rule — the current accessible subscription terms do not state one
Known One-Time Credit Deposit
2. Runway — Known One-Time Credit Deposit
Runway publishes the size and non-renewing nature of its trial balance, as well as a direct Free watermark rule. Its current Help Center still does not turn a Free-generation asset into a documented clean re-download after an upgrade.
From $12/mo (annual). Free plan: 125 one-time credits that never refresh; the flagship Gen-4.5 model requires Standard or higher.
- Standard — $15/mo, or $12/mo billed annually · 1 seat
- Pro — $35/mo, or $28/mo billed annually · 1 seat
- Max — $95/mo, or $76/mo billed annually · 1 seat
Free-tier export Not tested yet
Reported (not verified by us): Watermarked — Runway's own help center states every free-plan video carries a Runway watermark, with Standard the first watermark-free plan. Runway Help Center — Free plan details . We'll replace this the moment we run our own export test.
Watermark-free from Standard ($12/mo (annual))
Free tier: 0s recurring
Standard: ~52s
Pros
- One subscription covers Runway's own models plus hosted third-party ones (the pricing page lists Gen-4.5, Nano Banana Pro, Aleph, Veo 3.1)
- Publishes exact per-second credit rates for every model, so costs are predictable before you generate
- 4K upscaling included from the Standard plan up
Skip it if
- You want to try the flagship model before paying — Gen-4.5 requires Standard or higher, so the free credits can't touch it
- You expect free credits to refresh — the 125 credits are one-time and can't be topped up on a Free plan
- You're optimizing for footage volume — 625 Standard credits are 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 a month
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Hailuo or Runway give recurring free credits?
Neither vendor currently publishes a recurring Free-plan video allowance. Hailuo says new users receive one welcome package, but does not publish its credit amount; it expires three days after being granted. Runway publishes 125 one-time Free credits that do not expire, but says they do not renew or refresh after use. Neither policy supports a recurring free-seconds comparison.
Are Hailuo and Runway Free videos watermarked?
Yes, according to each vendor's current documentation. Hailuo says Free downloads include a watermark, and Runway says all Free-plan videos feature a Runway watermark. Neither site has generated, downloaded, or inspected a Free file for this comparison, so both results are vendor-reported rather than firsthand export tests.
Can an upgrade remove the watermark from an old Hailuo or Runway Free video?
Neither vendor's current public policy gives a retroactive clean re-download rule for a file created on Free. Hailuo distinguishes Free watermarked downloads from Standard-and-higher clean downloads without describing old assets after an upgrade. Runway documents watermarks on Free-plan generations, but does not state whether an already-generated Free asset can later be re-downloaded clean after upgrading. Do not purchase either plan on that assumption.
What is the cheapest documented clean-download plan?
Hailuo's current terms list Standard at $14.99 per month with watermark-free downloads. Runway's current pricing page lists Standard at $15 per month, or $12 per month on its annual billing view, and includes no watermarks. These are vendor-listed prices checked on October 27, 2026; Hailuo notes that tax or VAT may apply by billing location.
How We Keep This Updated
We re-check pricing and re-run the free-tier export test on every tool in this list. Every change is logged here. Our full procedure is on the methodology page, and if anything above is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will re-check it.
- 2026-10-27 — Factual refresh: Hailuo's policy and Runway's pricing and Free-plan guides still support the listed prices, credits, and watermark rules. Removed an unsupported statement about Runway's upgrade timing; no account or file test was performed.
- 2026-09-24 — First published after checking Hailuo's current subscription terms and Runway's pricing and Help Center pages. Both watermark findings are vendor-reported; no Free-plan file was created, downloaded, or inspected by us.