DaVinci Resolve vs Runway ML Pricing (2026)
Compare / DaVinci Resolve vs Runway
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25 seats

DaVinci Resolve vs Runway

Video Editing pricing comparison · 2026

DaVinci Resolve has a free plan, then $295 one-time, while Runway costs $15–$95/mo. These products use different pricing models ( vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
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2 products · Video Editing
Side-by-side · live
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is free to use with no watermarks or time limits.
verified 2d ago
$300 $11K
View pricing →
Runway
Runway pricing ranges from $15 to $95/user/month for consumer subscriptions in 2026, or $1
verified 10d ago
$300 $11K
View pricing →
Annual license estimate
Runway costs $78K less than DaVinci · 25 seats where applicable
Cheapest $11K
Spread 88%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
DaVinci Resolve Studio
$89K/yr
year 1 license · $295/seat
Pro
$11K/yr
year 1 license · $35/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$300/yr
Vendr · n=134
No Vendr data
—
Not in Vendr's deal flow
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 15 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2d ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 113 sourced facts
108 hidden-cost · 3 contract · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • DaVinci Resolve Studio One-Time License Cost
    $295-$300
    3 sources
  • Speed Editor / Hardware Add-On Costs
    $100-$300
    1 source
  • No Free Support for Free Version Users
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Poor Support Experience Even for Paid License Holders
    5-20% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Linux AAC Codec Not Included
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
5 documented
  • Monthly Credit Expiration
    10-30% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Rapid Credit Depletion on Any Plan
    15-50% of monthly subscription cost in additional credit purchases
    4 sources
  • Misleading 'Unlimited' Plan — Hard Monthly Credit Cap
    20-100% of the monthly plan cost in additional credit purchases
    4 sources
  • Annual Prepayment Trap — No Refund Policy
    $144-$912 at risk with annual prepayment depending on plan tier
    2 sources
  • No Human Customer Support
    5-10% of license costs in unresolved billing disputes and wasted credits
    7 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

DaVinci
Runway
Auto-renewal
✓ No
Yes
Cancellation
—
No stated notice window; cancellation described as deliberately obstructed with redirect loops
Commitment
None - one-time purchase for Studio
✓ Monthly or annual; annual billing locks in 12 months
Price escalation
No subscription pricing; Studio upgrades between major versions may require repurchase, though users are not obligated to upgrade
No published schedule; no user-reported evidence of mid-contract price increases
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
—
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9.4out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.8out of 5 (23)
Best for
Hobbyists, YouTubers, and professionals who don't need advanced AI or 8K features
Watch out
Unresponsive or unhelpful customer support for both free and paid users
TrustRadius
7.5out of 5 (2)
Trustpilot
1.04out of 5 (24)
Best for
Curious creators trying AI video
Watch out
Credits drain too fast — a single video can consume most or all monthly credits
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Option A

DaVinci Resolve

Free plan; paid $295 one-time
2 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Option B

Runway

$15–$95
/mo
5 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — DaVinci Resolve uses pricing while Runway uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

DaVinci Resolve

Free plan; paid $295 one-time
See full DaVinci Resolve pricing →
vs

Runway

$15–$95/mo
See full Runway pricing →

DaVinci Resolve and Runway ML both operate in the video editing category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan DaVinci Resolve Runway
DaVinci Resolve (free) Free /month Free /month
DaVinci Resolve Studio $295 /one-time $15 /month
Pro — $35 /month
Max — $95 /month
Enterprise — Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

DaVinci Resolve

3 scenarios
$0
Solo Content Creator (Free Version)
DaVinci Resolve (Free) covers all essential editing, color grading, and audio needs
$295
Professional Editor (Studio License)
$300 one-time for DaVinci Resolve Studio (perpetual license)
~$300 (bundle pricing cited by one user at £300 for software + Speed Editor)
Studio License + Speed Editor Bundle

Runway

11 scenarios
$35/month (Pro)
Content Creator
or $336/year - 2,250 credits for ~90-180 videos monthly. 4K output and priority generation.
$15/month (Standard)
Hobbyist
or $144/year - 625 credits for ~25-50 videos. Good for learning and experimentation.
$95/month (Max)
Production Studio
or Enterprise - 9,500 credits a month with one month of rollover. ROI positive for daily video production.
See all 11 scenarios →

What Users Say

DaVinci Resolve

Trustpilot
1.8out of 5 (23)
TrustRadius
9.4out of 10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Unresponsive or unhelpful customer support for both free and paid users
  • Frequent bugs and crashes, especially in recent versions
  • Steep learning curve and unintuitive UX for new users

Runway

Trustpilot
1.04out of 5 (24)
TrustRadius
7.5out of 10 (2)
Top complaints
  • Credits drain too fast — a single video can consume most or all monthly credits
  • No real customer support; only AI chatbots respond, with no human escalation available
  • Cancellation is deliberately difficult with redirect loops and dark patterns

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

DaVinci Resolve 6 hidden costs

medium
DaVinci Resolve Studio One-Time License Cost $295-$300
low
Speed Editor / Hardware Add-On Costs $100-$300 (source dated Oct 2024)
medium
No Free Support for Free Version Users 5-15% of license costs
high
Poor Support Experience Even for Paid License Holders 5-20% of license costs
medium
Linux AAC Codec Not Included 5-10% of license costs
See all DaVinci Resolve hidden costs →

Runway 36 hidden costs

high
Monthly Credit Expiration 10-30% of license costs
critical
Rapid Credit Depletion on Any Plan 15-50% of monthly subscription cost in additional credit purchases
high
Misleading 'Unlimited' Plan — Hard Monthly Credit Cap 20-100% of the monthly plan cost in additional credit purchases
high
Annual Prepayment Trap — No Refund Policy $144-$912 at risk with annual prepayment depending on plan tier
medium
No Human Customer Support 5-10% of license costs in unresolved billing disputes and wasted credits
See all Runway hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term DaVinci Resolve Runway
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation — No stated notice window; cancellation described as deliberately obstructed with redirect loops
Minimum commitment None - one-time purchase for Studio Monthly or annual; annual billing locks in 12 months
Price escalation No subscription pricing; Studio upgrades between major versions may require repurchase, though users are not obligated to upgrade No published schedule; no user-reported evidence of mid-contract price increases
Can downgrade Yes —

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