Contribute your creativityRunway (Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0) or Google Veo 3.1? A side-by-side look at generation, editing, audio and access.
| Runway | Veo | |
|---|---|---|
| Current models | Gen-4.5 (API from February 10, 2026) and Aleph 2.0 (May 21, 2026) | Veo 3.1 with a Lite tier |
| Generation | Text or image to video, 2 to 10 seconds | Text or image to video, 8 seconds, with natively generated audio |
| Editing | Aleph 2.0 edits existing video up to 30 seconds at 1080p and keeps the rest of the clip as it was | Veo updates in Flow let you edit AI video |
| Formats | ProRes and PNG sequences for editorial workflows | 720p, 1080p or 4K |
| Where you use it | runwayml.com and the Runway API | Gemini app, Flow, YouTube Shorts, Vids, Gemini API and Vertex AI |
| Best for | Editing and restyling footage you already have | Short polished shots with sound |
Pick Runway if you want to edit or restyle existing footage and need professional export formats. Pick Veo for quick, polished new shots with audio inside Google tools.
Runway splits the job into generation (Gen-4.5) and editing (Aleph 2.0). Veo is a generation model that you reach through several Google products.
Generate a short clip in both, then try one targeted edit: change the time of day and keep the action identical.
Read the reviews of Runway and Veo, see the AI model tracker for versions and sources, or browse all comparisons.