Runway is a creative suite whose agent plans, generates and cuts video from a prompt. ScreenWeaver starts from a real screenplay, free to write, and builds the storyboard and the footage from it. Your script stays the source of truth.
Both get you to moving pictures. The difference is what holds the film together from the first shot to the last.
Prompt-first · Runway
Start from a prompt
1Describe the video to Runway Agent in a sentence, with images, audio or footage as references.
2The agent plans the shots, can draft a script and a storyboard in the chat, and asks follow-up questions.
3It generates the clips with Gen-4.5 or partner models such as Kling 4.0 and Seedance 2.5, with music and voice.
4The Final Cut tab assembles clips and audio. You iterate by asking again.
Fast for ads, music videos and short pieces, when the idea is a brief rather than a screenplay.
Script-first · ScreenWeaver
Write the screenplay first
1Write in a real screenwriting editor: industry formatting, outline and beats. Free.
2The shot breakdown and storyboard are generated from your scenes. You control each shot.
3Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot.
4Each shot becomes a video node in the same project. Seedance 2.5, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and more in one menu.
Built for writers and directors of films and series, who rewrite the script while the boards take shape.
What stays in your hands
The script leads. The AI follows.
The screenplay is the reference
Every storyboard frame is linked to its scene and beat. Rewrite a scene and you know which shots it touches.
Manual control of each shot
Framing, angle, movement and duration: you set them, shot by shot.
Continuity from shot to shot
Characters, locations and references carry from one shot to the next.
Several models, one project
Seedance 2.5 by default, with Seedance 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 on the same video node.
The pipeline
Write. Board. Produce.
01The screenplay, enriched
An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.
02The storyboard, made easy
Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.
03AI production, with finesse
Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.
Demo project · The Yellow Umbrella · Episode 1
Where things stand
What you can use today.
Runway and ScreenWeaver both generate video today. Here is exactly what each ScreenWeaver plan includes.
Available
Screenwriter
$0does not expire
Unlimited projects and pages, industry formatting, outline and beats, PDF and Final Draft (.fdx) export.
Available
Auteur
$39.99a month, 6,000 credits
The storyboard generated from your screenplay, then AI video from the same shots, with the latest models.
Available
Studio
$149.99a month, 25,000 credits
Everything in Auteur, plus real-time collaboration, unlimited seats and Owner, Editor and Viewer permissions.
Side by side
ScreenWeaver vs Runway
Plans and features as each company lists them. Runway prices are list prices, monthly and billed yearly.
ScreenWeaver
Runway
Starting point
Your screenplay
A prompt to the agent, plus image, video or audio references
Writing the script
Screenwriting editor, industry formatting
Agent drafts a script in the chat, no screenwriting editor
Script files
Export to PDF and Final Draft (.fdx)
No FDX or screenplay file import listed
Storyboard from the script
Auteur plan, $39.99/mo
Agent storyboards from a prompt; Story Panels app, 2 panels per run
Shot control
Framing, angle, movement, duration
Prompt, references and model settings
Consistency
Characters, locations, references tied to the script
Saved references, shareable with the workspace
Video generation today
Yes, in the Auteur plan
Video models
Seedance 2.5 and 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3, Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Gen-4.5, Aleph 2.0, Kling 4.0, Seedance 2.0 Pro; Seedance 2.5 on Pro and Max
Free plan
Writing free, no expiry
125 credits, one time
Paid plans
Auteur $39.99/mo (6,000 credits), Studio $149.99/mo (25,000 credits)
Standard $15, Pro $35, Max $95 a month ($12, $28, $76 billed yearly)
Collaboration
Real-time, Studio plan
Team plan: up to 9 people, shared projects, comments on generations
Beyond video
Script, storyboard and production in one project
Images, music, voice, sound effects, 4K upscaling
On a phone
Any browser on phone, tablet or computer, installable like an app, no app store needed
Web, plus a Runway app for iPhone
Competitor information as of October 2026, from runway.com/pricing, runway.com and the Runway help center. Prices in US dollars. Runway credits: 625, 2,250 and 9,500 a month on Standard, Pro and Max. Check their site for the latest.
Fair is fair
What Runway does well
Runway is one of the broadest AI creative suites. Its agent takes a one-sentence prompt to a multi-shot cut, with its own models and partner models side by side.
Runway Agent: plans multi-shot projects, generates clips, music and voiceover, and assembles a final cut
Its own models, Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0, plus Kling 4.0 and Seedance from partners
References: images, videos and audio called with @ in the prompt, saved and shared with the team
Finishing tools: 4K upscaling, and HDR, ProRes and image sequences on the Max plan
Runway is still a good fit if you make single shots, ads or music videos from prompts, and you need images and audio in the same tool more than a screenplay.
Our verdict
If your film starts from a script, start here.
Runway is a strong toolbox for generating shots, images and sound from a prompt. If your film starts from a script, ScreenWeaver keeps the screenplay as the source of truth: free professional writing, a storyboard generated from your scenes, and video from the same shots.
Professional writing, free and unlimited, with PDF and Final Draft export
A storyboard generated from your screenplay, shot by shot
Video from the same shots, characters kept consistent
Prices in US dollars, list prices as published on each vendor's site in September 2026 (Katalist, Runway, Kling, invideo, PixVerse, Hailuo AI, Pika, Luma, Previs Pro, Dreamina and Vidu in October 2026). Check their sites for the latest.
Yes, for filmmakers who start from a screenplay. Runway starts from a prompt: its agent plans the shots, generates them and cuts them together. ScreenWeaver starts with a free screenwriting editor, then generates the shot breakdown, the storyboard and the footage from your script.
Does ScreenWeaver generate video today?
Yes. Video generation is available in the Auteur plan, at $39.99 a month. Each storyboard shot becomes a video node, so the footage stays tied to the scene you wrote.
How much does Runway cost in 2026?
As of October 2026, runway.com lists a Free plan with 125 one-time credits, Standard at $15 a month (625 credits), Pro at $35 a month (2,250 credits) and Max at $95 a month (9,500 credits). Billed yearly, they come to $12, $28 and $76 a month. Check their site for current prices.
Can I write a screenplay in Runway?
Runway Agent can draft a script in the chat from a prompt, but Runway has no screenwriting editor: no industry formatting, and no Final Draft file listed for import or export. ScreenWeaver is a screenwriting editor with outline and beats, and PDF and Final Draft (.fdx) export, for free.
Does Runway make a storyboard from a script?
Runway Agent can produce storyboards from a prompt, and the Story Panels app extends one image into two new panels per run. In ScreenWeaver the storyboard is generated from the scenes you wrote, and each frame stays linked to its scene and beat while you rewrite.
How does ScreenWeaver keep characters consistent?
Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot, tied to the same script. Their sheets are wired into each shot's video node as references, which is what keeps a face the same from one shot to the next.
Which video models does ScreenWeaver use?
Seedance 2.5 is the default. Seedance 2.0, Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, MiniMax H3 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 are in the same menu, so you can try another model on the same shot without leaving the project.
Is ScreenWeaver free?
Writing is. The Screenwriter plan costs $0 and does not expire: unlimited projects and pages, PDF and Final Draft export. The Auteur plan costs $39.99 a month for 6,000 credits, and the Studio plan $149.99 a month for 25,000 credits.
What is the best software like Runway?
It depends on your starting point. From a prompt, Runway, Kling and LTX Studio are built for speed. From a screenplay, ScreenWeaver keeps the script, the storyboard and the footage in one project. Each tool is compared on its own page, linked above.
Runway is a trademark of its respective owner. ScreenWeaver is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Runway. Product names are used only to identify the products compared.
Write the film first. Then shoot it.
Start with a free screenplay editor. The storyboard is built from your pages, and the video from your storyboard.
