Hailuo AI vs Runway
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
AI tool · Freemium
MiniMax's video generator for text-to-video and image-to-video clips, known for expressive motion and camera moves.
AI tool · Freemium
An AI video platform for text-to-video, image-to-video, video-to-video and editing tools.
Our verdict
Hailuo AI and Runway both generate video from text or images, but Runway is the broader creative toolkit, adding video-to-video restyling and AI editing tools, while Hailuo AI focuses on generating short clips with expressive motion and camera moves. Hailuo AI suits people who mainly want quick, dynamic short clips, especially from a still image or a character. Runway suits people who want a fuller set of video tools for ads, shorts, or experiments. Both offer freemium plans, and neither has been hands-on tested by us yet.
Pick Hailuo AI if you mainly want short, dynamic clips made from an image or a character and care most about motion and camera moves.
Pick Runway if you want one platform for generating, restyling, and editing video, or if you work with Adobe tools.
| Key difference | Hailuo AI | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Text- and image-to-video clips with expressive motion and camera moves | Broad toolkit: text, image, video-to-video, and editing tools |
| Clip length | Short clips; known limitation | Credits run out fast on longer or higher-quality generations |
| Best for | Image-to-video with dynamic motion; short character clips | Image-to-video for ads and shorts; creative experiments |
| Platforms and integrations | Web, iOS, Android, and API via MiniMax | Web, iOS, and API; works with Adobe |
| Price | Freemium; free credits can have long queue times | Freemium; credits deplete quickly on heavier use |
Written with AI from both products' catalogue entries · updated 2026-10-29
Who each one is for
Choose Hailuo AI if you need…
- Image-to-video with dynamic motion
- Short character clips
Choose Runway if you need…
- Image-to-video for ads and shorts
- Creative video experiments
Side-by-side
| Hailuo AI | Runway | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Video · Text-to-video | Video · Text-to-video |
| Price | Freemium | Freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, iOS, API |
| Works with | — | Adobe |
| Hands-on tested by us | Not yet | Not yet |
| Last checked | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-29 |
What each one is
Hailuo AI
MiniMax's video generator for text-to-video and image-to-video clips, known for expressive motion and camera moves. Motion quality is competitive with the big names. Clip length is short and queue times on free credits can be long.
Runway
An AI video platform for text-to-video, image-to-video, video-to-video and editing tools. One of the most complete creative video toolkits. Credits go quickly on longer or higher-quality generations.
Best for
Hailuo AI
- Image-to-video with dynamic motion
- Short character clips
Runway
- Image-to-video for ads and shorts
- Creative video experiments
Strengths
Hailuo AI
- Text- and image-to-video
- Camera movement instructions
- Subject reference
- API via MiniMax
Runway
- Text- and image-to-video
- Video-to-video restyling
- Camera and motion controls
- AI editing tools
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Hailuo AI or Runway?
Hailuo AI and Runway both generate video from text or images, but Runway is the broader creative toolkit, adding video-to-video restyling and AI editing tools, while Hailuo AI focuses on generating short clips with expressive motion and camera moves. Hailuo AI suits people who mainly want quick, dynamic short clips, especially from a still image or a character. Runway suits people who want a fuller set of video tools for ads, shorts, or experiments. Both offer freemium plans, and neither has been hands-on tested by us yet. Pick Hailuo AI if you mainly want short, dynamic clips made from an image or a character and care most about motion and camera moves. Pick Runway if you want one platform for generating, restyling, and editing video, or if you work with Adobe tools.
What is the difference between Hailuo AI and Runway?
Hailuo AI: MiniMax's video generator for text-to-video and image-to-video clips, known for expressive motion and camera moves. Runway: An AI video platform for text-to-video, image-to-video, video-to-video and editing tools. Hailuo AI suits image-to-video with dynamic motion, while Runway suits image-to-video for ads and shorts.
Are Hailuo AI and Runway free?
Hailuo AI: Freemium. Runway: Freemium.
What are other alternatives to Hailuo AI and Runway?
Other options people compare them with include Google Flow (Veo), Kling AI, Luma Dream Machine, Higgsfield, Sora.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.