Kling vs Runway vs Luma — The No-Watermark Truth on Free Tiers
Every AI video tool advertises a free tier, and every one of them hides the same question: can you publish what you make, without a watermark, and keep the money? For Kling, Runway and Luma the answers are three different kinds of "no" — and one of them no longer has a free plan on its pricing page at all.
| Tool | Free tier | Watermark on free? | Commercial use on free? | Cheapest clean door |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kling AI | Monthly free credits (amount not stated on the page), 720p | Yes | No | Standard — $6.99 first month, then $8.80/mo (660 credits) |
| Runway | 125 credits, once — never renews | Yes | Yes, per Terms of Use — but watermarked | Standard — $15/mo ($12/mo billed annually, 625 credits) |
| Luma | No ongoing free plan on the web pricing page — trial credits only, amount unstated | No free tier to watermark | No free tier; older Free tier was personal-use only | Plus — $30/mo ($25/mo billed annually, 10,000 credits) |
Kling gives the most generous free allowance of the three: credits you claim each month, at 720p, with the Kling watermark on every export and no commercial use. The free tier runs an older model at a 5-second ceiling, and buying credit packs does not remove the watermark or unlock commercial use — only a subscription does. Standard is the cheapest legitimate door in this whole comparison: $6.99 for the first month, $8.80 after that, 660 credits, no watermark, commercial use included.
Runway is the odd one out, and the honest answer is more interesting than "paid plans only". Its Terms of Use say the company does not restrict your commercial use of your outputs, with no free-tier exception — so the licence is not the blocker. The watermark is. All 125 free credits are one-time, they never refresh, they do not unlock the flagship Gen-4.5 model, and every free export carries the Runway watermark. Standard ($15 a month, $12 billed annually) is where the watermark comes off and the monthly 625 credits begin.
Luma is the one that changed the rules. Its current web pricing page lists only paid plans — Plus, Pro and Ultra — with trial credits and no stated free allowance. The older Free tier (draft-resolution, watermarked, personal use only) still appears in Luma's help documents and app listings, and the old Lite tier at $9.99 a month was watermarked and non-commercial too, so it was never a clean door. On the current pricing, the first tier with no watermark and commercial use is Plus at $30 a month ($25 billed annually).
The verdict: the no-watermark truth on free video tiers
None of these three gives you a watermark-free, commercial-ready free tier — that is the truth, and it is worth saying plainly because so many "no watermark" lists imply otherwise. For learning, Kling's renewing free credits are the best playground, as long as nothing you make leaves your own screen. For publishing, the cheapest honest entry is Kling Standard. Runway's free tier is a one-time audition with a watermark, not a plan — and Luma, right now, asks you to pay before you can properly try it at all. One narrow exception sits outside this trio: Pika's free plan lists no watermark, but it gives no monthly credits and no commercial licence, so it solves the watermark problem and none of the others.
Read the rights line before the credit count: a watermark is visible and a commercial ban is not — both kill a monetised video just as dead. Check the terms on the vendor's own page on the day you publish, because these pages move.