Per-task cost in the API response: Runway vs Sume usage.cost
Runway task responses carry a credit cost, estimated while running and final on completion. On Sume, read usage.cost on the job, a USD billable amount.
On Sume, the per-job cost is usage.cost, which the video docs call the Sume billable amount, in USD. Runway's Jul 30, 2026 changelog says its API responses now include each task's credit cost, as an estimate while running and the final cost on completion. The docs I read for Sume do not describe a running estimate on the job itself, so meter from the finished job and use the free checks for a price before you submit.
Vendor text is from the Runway changelog as read 2026-10-01. Sume facts are from Video generation and Video filter.
What does Runway's Task Cost API return?
Per the changelog entry: the credit cost of each task, an estimate while the task runs, the final cost on completion. It says the point is to let platforms meter and show per-generation pricing to their own users.
Where does a Sume job show its cost?
The video docs say the amount is reserved on submit at provider list × 1.25 from the workspace USD balance, and that usage.cost is the Sume billable amount. Poll GET /v1/jobs/:id/status and read GET /v1/jobs/:id/result once the result is ready.
| Moment | Runway (changelog) | Sume (docs) |
|---|---|---|
| Before submit | Not stated in the entry | Free check where offered, for example estimate from POST /v1/video-filter/check when valid |
| On submit | Not stated in the entry | Amount reserved at provider list × 1.25 |
| While running | Estimated credit cost | Not described in the pages cited |
| On completion | Final credit cost | usage.cost, the billable USD amount |
How do I meter my own users from this?
Store the Sume job id with your own user id when you submit, then record usage.cost when the job reaches a terminal state. Pass an Idempotency-Key on submit so a retry returns the original job rather than a second charge. Do not add your own multiplier to usage.cost; it already is the billable amount.
Is there a way to see a price first?
Some routes have an unbilled preflight. The video filter check returns an estimate when the program is valid, and rates can be confirmed live in GET /v1/catalog. See video filter check, the free dry run.
Sources
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