Runway
Runway’s current cloud model for text-to-video and image-to-video generation, with outputs from 2 to 10 seconds.
Score calculation
(4 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 8) ÷ 6 = 3.3
6 of six dimensions rated. Unrated dimensions are excluded from the average.
Full scoring method ↗Setup details
Runway Gen-4.5: cloud access. Standard plan and higher; 12 credits per second (2–10 second videos). Ratings describe the stated product, company or configuration in each finding.
What fits your needs
Runway cloud creative suite; product pages and model generations have separate credit rates, inputs and plan limits.
Tasks
The current catalog combines image generation and video generation/editing; Gen-4 Image accepts text and image references, while Gen-4.5 video supports text-to-video and image-to-video.
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Billing
Free access is limited and paid tiers provide monthly credits; generation cost depends on model, duration and resolution, so estimate from the current credit guide.
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Tradeoffs to expect
Route
Generation is cloud-hosted through Runway's app; local/offline inference is not documented for these hosted Gen-4 routes.
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Privacy and rights
Uploaded assets and user-content rights are governed by Runway's current terms and privacy controls; reviewed model pages don’t confirm complete training-data permission or universal likeness consent.
How to switch
Get started
Create a Runway account, select the needed Image or Video tool and model, then check credit cost before generating or uploading references.
See the evidence
Practical questions
Age and sensitive content
Runway terms require users to be 13+ and guardian permission under 18. Usage Policy prohibits child sexual abuse, adult nudity, non-consensual intimate imagery, harassment and impersonation.
See the evidence
Likeness and uploaded media
Runway prohibits using another person’s image, video or audio without permission and requires rights/licenses for submitted content. Policy also prohibits deceptive impersonation.
See the evidence
Provenance and reporting
Runway says it implements C2PA provenance signals for AI-generated content and accepts reports. A C2PA signal doesn’t show truth, consent or training permission.
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Commercial use
Check current plan and terms for use rights; no product-specific blanket output indemnity was verified.
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Runway documents Gen-4.5 duration, resolution, frame rate, and aspect-ratio controls for hosted video generation. No energy, emissions, or water footprint is published.
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Runway documents Gen-4.5 duration, resolution, frame rate, and aspect-ratio controls for hosted video generation. No energy, emissions, or water footprint is published. The score describes documented measurement transparency and available controls, not environmental performance.
1 + 1 reporting + 0 electricity + 2 controls = 4/10. This grade covers documented practices and transparency; it does not measure the energy or emissions of a request.
Runway gives no Gen-4.5 electricity sourcing, serving region, water use, or measured energy per generated video. Credits, speed, and resolution/duration settings do not quantify physical impact.
- Reporting1/3
- Runway identifies the hosted Gen-4.5 model and generation specifications, but reports no quantitative environmental impact or serving-site scope.
- Electricity sourcing0/3
- No clean-power sourcing is established for the hosted Gen-4.5 generation route.
- Resource controls2/3
- Users can set duration from 2 to 10 seconds, select among supported aspect ratios, and choose 24 or 25 fps. These are multiple practical workload/output controls, but Runway reports no measured physical-resource reduction.
Water disclosure
Water reporting has not been assessed for this choice.
Runway identifies Gen-4.5 as its current first-party video model, but its reviewed model documentation and terms do not describe the training sources or their permissions. This score applies only to that named route.
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Gen-4.5 is identified, so a low documented-safeguard score is more informative than null. Runway’s product catalog also offers other first-party and third-party models; this route score must not be generalized to the full service. User-content terms concern service use and are not treated as training-data rights evidence.
1 + 0 source transparency + 0 permission + 0 creator controls = 1/10. This grades documented training-data safeguards, not a legal ruling.
The Gen-4.5 source inventory, inherited model lineage, training-data rights basis, compatible-use checks, and rights-holder control process are not established by the reviewed sources. Other catalog routes require separate assessment.
- Source transparency0/3
- Runway identifies Gen-4.5 as its own current video model but the reviewed official model and product documentation gives no training-source account.
- Documented permission0/4
- The reviewed sources provide no affirmative training data permission basis for Gen-4.5; the terms for user Inputs/Outputs don’t settle rights in its pretraining data.
- Creator controls0/2
- The reviewed Gen-4.5 materials do not document training-source opt-outs, rights-holder remedies or consent controls.
Runway says assets are private by default and separately states that Inputs and Outputs may be used to train and improve its AI models, with a perpetual, irrevocable license for that use. Retention is purpose-based; enterprise arrangements may vary.
See the evidence
Private-by-default sharing and audited security controls help limit unauthorized access, but current standard terms permit broad content reuse for training and do not state a general opt-out in the cited section. Score 3 applies to the standard consumer service; negotiated enterprise terms may differ.
Gen-4.5 is accessed through Runway’s hosted web tool. Runway’s terms restrict copying, modification and reverse engineering of its services; weights and source implementation are not offered for self-hosting.
See the evidence
The product documentation and terms establish a proprietary cloud service with limited inspection and portability. That fits the low openness range even though users can download generated outputs.
Runway publicly describes employee benefits, including paid parental leave, health coverage, wellness/learning stipends and retirement matching; the disclosure is employee-facing and doesn’t confirm contractor or worker outcomes.
See the evidence
Runway’s careers page describes unlimited PTO with a recommended minimum, 16 weeks paid parental leave, US employee medical/dental/vision coverage, wellness and learning stipends, and a 3% 401(k) match. Its security page separately describes screening, confidentiality commitments and mandatory employee security training. These are concrete company statements, but they don’t show contractor coverage or independently verified labor outcomes.
1 + 1 pay & conditions + 0 worker voice & remedy + 0 evidence & follow-through = 2/10. This grades documented worker safeguards, not a measured rate of mistreatment.
Benefits appear employee- and in part US-specific; pay levels, working hours, contractor/annotation coverage, worker voice and independent outcome assurance remain undisclosed in the reviewed sources.
- Pay & conditions1/3
- Runway publishes concrete employee benefits and security training, but worker coverage is mostly employee-facing and no supplier/contractor conditions or outcomes are reported.
- Worker voice & remedy0/3
- The reviewed careers and workforce security pages don’t show employee representation, grievance access or documented worker remedies.
- Evidence & follow-through0/3
- Security controls are not independent labor assurance; no independently corroborated worker-level outcomes or supplier audit results are published.
Runway’s hosted rules prohibit terrorism and graphic/inciting violence and permit suspensions, while leaving ordinary military/intelligence use unaddressed.
See the evidence
Runway’s hosted Usage Policy bans terrorist/extremist content, graphic violence and incitement, and its Terms prohibit export-controlled WMD/missile development. Runway describes automated and human content review, suspension and appeal. These measures regulate content and specific export-controlled weapons—not ordinary defense or intelligence support—and don’t show a military customer.
7 base + 1 safeguard adjustment = 8/10 (3 of 9 safeguard points; every 3 adds 1). No military relationship was established in the cited sources. This ranks above known defense ties without claiming a verified clean record.
Unpublished contracts, reseller/subcontractor activity, customer-configured use and enforcement outcomes remain unknown. Hosted AUPs do not necessarily apply to independent local deployments or permissively licensed copies.
- Use restrictions1/4
- Hosted policy bans violence/extremist content and terms ban certain WMD/missile purposes, but it is not a general military, conventional weapons or surveillance restriction.
- Enforcement & oversight1/3
- Runway documents automated and human review, account suspension, reporting and an appeal path; no military-specific enforcement outcomes are public.
- Relationship disclosure1/2
- Runway publishes its policy and moderation mechanisms, but no government customer or defense relationship is established.
The bounded official review found no named military/intelligence contract or operational use for this company/project. This evidence limit is not a clean bill of health; third-party model-provider relationships and customers’ independent deployments are separate.
Military rubric ↗Categorical check of the BNC campaign guide and No Tech campaign page; absence from these named-target pages is not BDS approval.
See the evidence
No named target for this company was found in the two checked BNC sources as of 2026-10-24. This is a narrow list check, not BDS approval, and it does not capture unlisted relationships or partners.
Runway: Image generation & editing
Cloud image generation and editing through Runway’s Gen-4 Image model, charged in usage credits.
Score calculation
(4 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 8) ÷ 6 = 3.3
6 of six dimensions rated. Unrated dimensions are excluded from the average.
Full scoring method ↗Runway documents Gen-4 Image output settings and hosted generation, including single or four-image batches and 720p/1080p. It provides no environmental measurements for the model or a generation.
See the evidence
Runway documents Gen-4 Image output settings and hosted generation, including single or four-image batches and 720p/1080p. It provides no environmental measurements for the model or a generation. The score describes documented measurement transparency and available controls, not environmental performance.
1 + 1 reporting + 0 electricity + 2 controls = 4/10. This grade covers documented practices and transparency; it does not measure the energy or emissions of a request.
Runway does not disclose the electricity mix, data-center region, water, or model energy for Gen-4 Image. Credits and output settings are not an environmental footprint.
- Reporting1/3
- Runway’s product documentation identifies the hosted Gen-4 Image model and its output boundary but includes no environmental scope or measured footprint.
- Electricity sourcing0/3
- No clean-power sourcing is established for the Gen-4 Image hosted service or its serving route.
- Resource controls2/3
- Users can select single or four-image quantity, 720p or 1080p, and aspect ratio. These are several practical output-size/quantity controls; Runway reports no physical energy savings from selecting them.
Water disclosure
Water reporting has not been assessed for this choice.
Runway identifies Gen-4 Image as its first-party base image model, but the reviewed model documentation and terms give no training-source inventory or training-data rights basis. The score applies only to Gen-4 Image.
See the evidence
Gen-4 Image is an identified first-party model, so its absent training-data rights disclosure earns a low evidence score rather than null. User-upload and output terms concern the service relationship and don’t confirm pretraining permissions; no conclusion about legality follows.
1 + 0 source transparency + 0 permission + 0 creator controls = 1/10. This grades documented training-data safeguards, not a legal ruling.
Underlying base or inherited models, source datasets, permission coverage and training-data creator controls are not disclosed.
- Source transparency0/3
- The reviewed Runway model/product materials provide no meaningful training-source inventory for Gen-4 Image.
- Documented permission0/4
- No affirmative source-level permission basis is documented in the reviewed material.
- Creator controls0/2
- No training-data creator exclusion or removal process is documented.
Runway says assets are private by default and separately states that Inputs and Outputs may be used to train and improve its AI models, with a perpetual, irrevocable license for that use. Retention is purpose-based; enterprise arrangements may vary.
See the evidence
Private-by-default sharing and audited security controls help limit unauthorized access, but current standard terms permit broad content reuse for training and do not state a general opt-out in the cited section. Score 3 applies to the standard consumer service; negotiated enterprise terms may differ.
Gen-4 Image is accessed through Runway’s hosted web tool. Runway’s terms restrict copying, modification and reverse engineering of its services; weights and source implementation are not offered for self-hosting.
See the evidence
The product documentation and terms establish a proprietary cloud service with limited inspection and portability. That fits the low openness range even though users can download generated outputs.
Runway publicly describes employee benefits, including paid parental leave, health coverage, wellness/learning stipends and retirement matching; the disclosure is employee-facing and doesn’t confirm contractor or worker outcomes.
See the evidence
Runway’s careers page describes unlimited PTO with a recommended minimum, 16 weeks paid parental leave, US employee medical/dental/vision coverage, wellness and learning stipends, and a 3% 401(k) match. Its security page separately describes screening, confidentiality commitments and mandatory employee security training. These are concrete company statements, but they don’t show contractor coverage or independently verified labor outcomes.
1 + 1 pay & conditions + 0 worker voice & remedy + 0 evidence & follow-through = 2/10. This grades documented worker safeguards, not a measured rate of mistreatment.
Benefits appear employee- and in part US-specific; pay levels, working hours, contractor/annotation coverage, worker voice and independent outcome assurance remain undisclosed in the reviewed sources.
- Pay & conditions1/3
- Runway publishes concrete employee benefits and security training, but worker coverage is mostly employee-facing and no supplier/contractor conditions or outcomes are reported.
- Worker voice & remedy0/3
- The reviewed careers and workforce security pages don’t show employee representation, grievance access or documented worker remedies.
- Evidence & follow-through0/3
- Security controls are not independent labor assurance; no independently corroborated worker-level outcomes or supplier audit results are published.
Runway’s hosted rules prohibit terrorism and graphic/inciting violence and permit suspensions, while leaving ordinary military/intelligence use unaddressed.
See the evidence
Runway’s hosted Usage Policy bans terrorist/extremist content, graphic violence and incitement, and its Terms prohibit export-controlled WMD/missile development. Runway describes automated and human content review, suspension and appeal. These measures regulate content and specific export-controlled weapons—not ordinary defense or intelligence support—and don’t show a military customer.
7 base + 1 safeguard adjustment = 8/10 (3 of 9 safeguard points; every 3 adds 1). No military relationship was established in the cited sources. This ranks above known defense ties without claiming a verified clean record.
Unpublished contracts, reseller/subcontractor activity, customer-configured use and enforcement outcomes remain unknown. Hosted AUPs do not necessarily apply to independent local deployments or permissively licensed copies.
- Use restrictions1/4
- Hosted policy bans violence/extremist content and terms ban certain WMD/missile purposes, but it is not a general military, conventional weapons or surveillance restriction.
- Enforcement & oversight1/3
- Runway documents automated and human review, account suspension, reporting and an appeal path; no military-specific enforcement outcomes are public.
- Relationship disclosure1/2
- Runway publishes its policy and moderation mechanisms, but no government customer or defense relationship is established.
The bounded official review found no named military/intelligence contract or operational use for this company/project. This evidence limit is not a clean bill of health; third-party model-provider relationships and customers’ independent deployments are separate.
Military rubric ↗Categorical check of the BNC campaign guide and No Tech campaign page; absence from these named-target pages is not BDS approval.
See the evidence
No named target for this company was found in the two checked BNC sources as of 2026-10-24. This is a narrow list check, not BDS approval, and it does not capture unlisted relationships or partners.
What fits your needs
Runway Gen-4 Image capability in the cloud app; generation settings and credits are specific to this model context.
Tasks
Create images from text and image references, choose output ratio/resolution and iterate through Vary or References tools.
See the evidence
Billing
The current guide lists credit consumption by resolution; totals vary with selected model, size and number of images.
See the evidence
Tradeoffs to expect
Route
Gen-4 Image is selected in Runway's hosted Tool mode; no local inference route is documented for this product context.
See the evidence
How to switch
Get started
In Runway, open Tool, choose Image and select Gen-4 Image; set resolution and reference images before reviewing the credit estimate.
See the evidence
Practical questions
Age and image boundary
Runway requires 13+ with guardian permission for under-18 users. Policy prohibits adult nudity, NCII, child sexualization, harassment and harmful manipulation of a real person.
See the evidence
Reference likeness
Gen-4 Image supports uploaded references; Runway policy prohibits using another person’s image/audio/video without permission and requires rights to submitted content.
See the evidence
Output provenance
Runway says it implements C2PA provenance signals for AI-generated content; the Gen-4 Image guide does not specify export-level behavior for every output format.
See the evidence
Commercial use
Check the current Runway terms and plan; this review did not find a product-specific blanket output indemnity.
See the evidence
All sources
- How do credits work? ↗
- Runway Terms of Use ↗
- Guide to BDS Boycott & Pressure Corporate Priority Targeting ↗
- No Tech for Oppression, Apartheid or Genocide ↗
- Creating with Gen-4.5 ↗
- Managing assets — Runway ↗
- Runway security and privacy standards ↗
- Terms of Use — Runway ↗
- Terms of Use — Runway ↗
- Privacy Policy & Data Practices — Runway ↗
- Runway Gen-4.5 official site ↗
- Creating with Gen-4 Image ↗
- Runway pricing ↗
- Getting Started with Generative Video ↗
- Runway Trust Center ↗
- Runway Usage Policy ↗
- Runway Account Suspensions ↗
- Runway Data Security and Workforce Security ↗
- Runway Careers and Benefits ↗
- Runway pricing ↗
- Runway Safety ↗