Runway Lyria 3 Pro: 8 credits a song, in dollars, vs Sume's $0.125

A Lyria 3 Pro song on Runway costs 8 credits, which is about $0.19 on a monthly Standard plan, $0.12 on Pro and $0.08 on Max, or $0.064 to $0.15 if you pay annually. Sume's Music Router charges a flat $0.125 per generation, and every model in it, including lyria-3-pro, costs the same. So Runway's Max plan beats it, Standard does not, and the cheaper Lyria 3 Clip at 4 credits changes the answer again.

Runway does not sell a song for a dollar price; it sells credits. The dollars below come from dividing each plan's fee by its credit pool.

What does a Runway credit cost on each plan?

Runway's pricing page lists Standard at $15 a month ($12 billed annually) for 625 credits, Pro at $35 ($28) for 2,250, and Max at $95 ($76) for 9,500. Dividing gives the per-credit price in the table. A song or clip multiplies by the credit count shown on the same page: 8 credits for Lyria 3 Pro and 4 for Lyria 3 Clip.

How does the flat Sume price compare?

Sume's API pricing page lists Music at $0.125 per generation. The Music Router docs say the price is the same whichever model you pick, and the duration field is not accepted; you steer length in the prompt instead. That makes the comparison simple: $0.125 against the right-hand cell of whichever Runway row you would pay.

• Lyria 3 Pro on Runway Max: $0.080, which is $0.045 under Sume.
• Lyria 3 Pro on Runway Pro: $0.124, within a tenth of a cent of Sume.
• Lyria 3 Pro on Runway Standard: $0.192, which is $0.067 over Sume.
• Lyria 3 Clip on any plan: $0.04 to $0.096, under Sume.

What does this comparison not tell you?

It compares price per generation, not length or quality. A Runway song and a Sume generation are not guaranteed to run the same number of seconds, and the Runway page does not give a duration beside the credit count, so I have not assumed one. If you need a specific length, test one of each and divide by the seconds you actually get.

It also assumes you spend every credit. A plan you use at a third of its pool costs three times the figures above. A wallet charge only happens when a job runs.

When is each one the cheaper choice?

If you already hold a Runway Pro or Max plan for video and have spare credits each month, Lyria songs there are effectively a few cents. If music is your only need, or your volume is irregular, a flat $0.125 with no plan fee is easier to budget. For the wider cost per finished minute across Lyria, ElevenLabs and Suno, see AI music cost per finished minute. For the same credit-to-dollar conversion applied to Runway video, see Runway credit price by plan.