Explore Mode is a feature of the Unlimited Plan that allows you to generate an infinite number of videos without spending credits on any of them. The way Explore works is outlined on all pricing and upgrade pages, both in-app and on our website:
"In Explore Mode, generations may take longer and the number you can run at the same time may be limited, based on overall site traffic."
This is because Runway balances the use of Explore Mode so that it is always available in some capacity to every Unlimited Plan subscriber. In order to make sure every single Unlimited Plan user has equal access to high-quality generations from our models, sometimes generations may take longer, and the number of simultaneous generations may be temporarily limited. Any additional delays or limits will depend on a variety of factors, like overall usage across our services. Generating at different times of day or in periods of lower demands will result in a faster Explore Mode with more concurrent generations available, while generating in a period of high demand will result in slightly slower generations and less concurrent generations available.
Credits Mode produces the same outputs as Explore Mode, but allows you to generate faster and does not have concurrency restrictions. All Unlimited Plan subscribers are also given 2250 credits per month to make sure you have access to on-demand immediate generations. You can switch back and forth between Explore Mode and Credits Mode any time.