vioscaleAI
Comparison

Lightworks vs Runway

No clear leader: Lightworks (46.5) and Runway (45.2) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Lightworks full profile →Runway full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Lightworks47
Runway45
Score
vioscaleAI score
Lightworks47 / 100medium · 54%
Runway45 / 100medium · 74%
Pricing
Free tier
Lightworks✓
Runway✓
Model
Lightworksfreemium
Runwayfreemium
Price level
Lightworkslow
Runwaylow
Transparent
Lightworks✗
Runway✗
Integrations
Count
Lightworks4
Runway2
Security
Gdpr
Lightworks✓
Runway–
Soc2
Lightworks–
Runway✓
Reliability
Status page
Lightworks–
Runway✓
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Lightworks7 items
Runway6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for video editing software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Editing
Professional NLE (multi-track finishing)
Lightworks✓
Runway✓
Colour grading
Lightworks✓
Runway✓
Multicam editing
Lightworks-
Runway-
Technical
4K/8K + HDR support
Lightworks✓
Runway✓
Codec breadth (ProRes / HEVC / AV1 / RAW)
LightworksProRes, AVID DNxHD, AVID DNxHR, H.264, AVC-Intra, Cineform
Runway-
GPU acceleration
Lightworks-
Runway-
AI
AI features (captions / text-to-video / voice)
Lightworks-
Runway✓
Capture
Screen recording built-in
Lightworks-
Runway-
Platform
Platform breadth (Win / macOS / Linux / iOS / Android / Web)
LightworksWindows, macOS, Linux
RunwayWeb, iOS, Android
Collaboration
Cloud collaboration / team review
Lightworks✓
Runway✓
Pricing
Pricing model
LightworksFreemium
RunwayFreemium
Free / open-source available
Lightworks✓
Runway✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Lightworks

Desktop-based video editing platform supporting timeline editing, color grading, visual effects, and cloud collaboration. Offers perpetual ownership or subscription options across Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Independently observed

Runway

Runway offers a cloud-based creative workspace with AI-driven tools to generate and edit video, images, and audio content. It provides three interfaces: a creative platform for teams and individuals, developer APIs for building with AI models, and enterprise components powered by their General World Model technology.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Lightworks

freemiumFree tier

Free tier; subscription and perpetual (pay-once) options available

  • FreeFree
    • Timeline Editing
    • 720p HD Export
    • Automatic Saving
    • Advanced Transitions
    • Simple VFX
  • Create-
    • 4K Video Export
    • Social Media Templates
    • NewBlue Titler Pro
    • Dynamic Motion Graphics
    • Powerful Colour Controls
    • +4 more
  • Pro-
    • 10-Bit Support
    • Audio and Video Plugin Support
    • Increased File Formats
    • Advanced Video Effects
    • Custom Format Creation
    • +5 more
as of verify ↗

Runway

HybridFree tier

Free tier available. Team Plan for 2–9 seats.

  • Team Plan-
    • shared projects
    • pooled credits
    • Brand Kits
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Lightworks✗
Runway✓
macOS
Lightworks✓
Runway✗
Windows
Lightworks✓
Runway✗
Linux
Lightworks✓
Runway✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Lightworks✓
Runway✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Lightworks

4 total
  • Dropbox
  • Google Drive
  • NewBlue Titler Pro
  • NewBlue TotalFX
Independently observed

Runway

2 total
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Lightworks or Runway: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.