Best AI Video Generators of 2026
Seven AI video generators ranked on published prices, seconds per dollar, clip length, resolution, audio and the rights you get, as listed in October 2026.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Google Veo 3.1 is the best AI video generator for most people: native audio in every clip, up to 4K, SynthID on every output, 50 free Flow credits a day and plans from $4.99. Runway is the pick for professionals who edit real footage, Kling for long 15 second clips, and Luma for HDR post production. Sora is discontinued.
Our top picks
How to choose
Start with four questions.
Do you need sound? If your clips need dialogue or sound effects, Veo 3.1 is the only model here that includes native audio in every clip by default. Everything else needs a voice tool such as ElevenLabs or an editor.
How long is your longest shot? Veo makes 8 seconds per generation, Runway up to 10, Kling and Grok 15. Longer scenes are built by extending or cutting clips together.
Will you edit footage you shot? Only Runway Aleph 2.0 edits up to 30 seconds of real video in context. Luma does video to video up to 20 seconds.
Will you use it commercially? Check the plan, not just the tool. Pika's commercial license starts at $35. Kling requires written permission. CapCut depends on which assets you use.
Then compare seconds per dollar on the plan you would actually buy.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $4.99 per month
- Max length
- 8 seconds per Veo 3.1 generation, longer with scene extension
- Max resolution
- 4K (API, and 4K upscale on Ultra in Flow)
- Commercial use
- Google does not claim ownership of outputs; Prohibited Use Policy applies
Veo 3.1 generates native dialogue, effects and ambience in every clip, renders up to 4K and marks every video with SynthID. It has the cheapest entry in the category, 50 free Flow credits a day and Google AI Plus at $4.99, and its API starts at $0.05 per second.
Pros
- Native audio (dialogue, effects, ambience) in every Veo 3.1 clip
- Cheapest entry in the category: 50 free Flow credits a day and Plus at $4.99
- API pricing from $0.05 per second (Lite 720p) to $0.60 (Standard 4K), charged only for successful videos
- Every video carries a SynthID watermark that Gemini and the SynthID Detector can check
Cons
- 8 second clips per generation; longer scenes need extension or editing
- Quality clips cost 100 credits, so Pro's 1,000 monthly credits buy only 10
- The Gemini app now defaults to Gemini Omni Flash for video, so Veo 3.1 is mainly a Flow and API product
- Avatars and video editing in Flow are unavailable in the EEA, UK and Switzerland
Skip it if you need single takes longer than 8 seconds or want to edit footage you shot.
- Starting price
- $15 per month
- Max length
- Gen-4.5 clips 2 to 10 seconds; Aleph 2.0 edits clips up to 30 seconds
- Max resolution
- 720p Gen-4.5 output, 4K upscaling on paid plans
- Commercial use
- Allowed on all plans; Runway claims no ownership of outputs
Runway pairs Gen-4.5 with Aleph 2.0, which edits up to 30 seconds of real footage in context, plus 4K upscaling, C2PA credentials, pooled Team credits and Enterprise SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001 and indemnification. Commercial use is allowed on every plan and the API is $0.01 per credit.
Pros
- Aleph 2.0 edits up to 30 seconds of existing 1080p footage and changes only what you ask, which few rivals offer
- Gen-4.5 ranked first on the Artificial Analysis text to video leaderboard at launch (1,247 Elo, December 2025)
- One credit wallet covers Runway models plus Kling, Seedance, Veo and Wan, in the app and the API
- C2PA content credentials on outputs and a public C2PA verifier
- Team plan pools credits; Enterprise adds SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, SSO and indemnification
Cons
- 625 Standard credits buy about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5, so the entry plan runs out fast
- Terms let Runway train on your inputs and outputs unless you are on Enterprise
- Trustpilot score is 1.2 from 366 reviews, driven by credit burn, failed renders and refund complaints
- Named defendant in Andersen v. Stability AI and in YouTube scraping class actions that are still pending
Skip it if you are on a tight budget: Standard's 625 credits buy about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5.
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Max length
- 15 seconds per generation, extendable to 3 minutes
- Max resolution
- 4K
- Commercial use
- Terms bar commercial use of outputs without Kling's written permission and require Kling branding
Kling makes up to 15 seconds per generation in 1080p or 4K and extends to 3 minutes, the longest single clips of the tools compared. Plans start at $10 a month in the App Store, and it rates 4.7 from 31,712 there.
Pros
- Up to 15 seconds per generation in 1080p or 4K, extendable to 3 minutes, per its App Store listing
- Entry membership at $10 per month and small credit packs from $1.49
- 4.7 on the App Store from 31,712 ratings
- Canvas workspace, MCP and CLI for batch generation
Cons
- Terms of service (April 21, 2026) say outputs may not be used commercially without Kling's written permission
- Terms grant Kling a license to use your content and to train its models unless you email to revoke
- Trustpilot 1.2 from 415 reviews, mostly failed generations eating credits and billing
- Prompts on politically sensitive topics are blocked, per TechCrunch
Skip it if for business use: its terms bar commercial use without Kling's written permission.
- Starting price
- $30 per month
- Max length
- Ray3.2 5 or 10 seconds per generation; video to video up to 20 seconds
- Max resolution
- 1080p with native HDR and 16 bit EXR; 4K via upscaling and third party models
- Commercial use
- All paid plans, only for output made during an active subscription
Luma's Ray3.2 is the only model here with native HDR and 16 bit EXR export, and up to 16 keyframes per clip. Plus credits cost $0.003 each, so a 5 second 1080p clip is $1.20 on a plan or the API.
Pros
- Plus credits cost $0.003 each, so a 5 second 1080p Ray3.2 clip is about $1.20 on the cheapest plan
- Native HDR generation and 16 bit EXR export (ACES2065-1) that colorists and compositors can use
- Multi keyframe control with up to 16 keyframes in one clip and video to video up to 20 seconds
- Commercial use on every paid plan
- Clear API pricing per video with no minimum commitment
Cons
- No free plan on the pricing page and a $30 entry price
- Terms let Luma train on your inputs and outputs outside Enterprise
- Trustpilot score is 1.4 from 70 reviews, mostly credit burn, refunds and slow support
- Druyan-Sagan Associates sued Luma in August 2026 over a Ray3.14 ad using Carl Sagan material
Skip it if you want a free plan or native audio.
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Max length
- Pika 2.5: 5 seconds from text, 5 or 10 from a photo; Video Studio up to 30 second multi shot
- Max resolution
- 1080p on Pika 2.5
- Commercial use
- Creator plan ($35) and above
Pika's effects and Pika 2.5 at 1080p make quick, playful clips for TikTok and Reels, with no watermark on any plan and third party models like Seedance and Wan on one balance from $10.
Pros
- Every plan works out to the same $0.0111 per credit, so upgrading only buys volume and features
- Pika 2.5 renders 1080p from text, a photo, or 2 to 5 keyframes
- No watermark on any plan, including Free
- Third party models (Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0, MiniMax H3, Nano Banana 2) on the same balance
- MCP connector for ChatGPT, Claude and other agents
Cons
- Commercial use needs Creator at $35 per month; Starter output is personal use only
- The pricing page lists credit costs for only four third party models, not for Pika's own models
- Payments are non refundable and plan credits do not roll over
- Trustpilot score is 1.7 from 73 reviews, citing failed generations, credit confusion and slow support
Skip it if you need commercial use under the $35 Creator plan.
- Starting price
- $19.99 per month
- Max length
- Pro covers up to 240 seconds of 720p Seedance 2.0 Mini video per month
- Max resolution
- Not published
- Commercial use
- Only with assets tagged for commercial use; mixing in non commercial assets makes the export personal use only
CapCut's editor is free on phone, desktop and web, and Pro at $19.99 adds 1,200 AI credits with Seedance generation, about 240 seconds of 720p video a month, plus free text to speech.
Pros
- Free editor on iOS, Android, desktop and web
- 4.6 on the App Store from 1,124,280 ratings
- Pro bundles 1,200 AI credits and 1 TB of cloud storage for $19.99
- Free text to speech with 200+ AI voices, a voice changer and custom voice clones from a few recorded sentences
- 4K 60fps export, keyframes, chroma key, stabilization and auto captions in the editor
Cons
- Terms grant a perpetual, sublicensable, worldwide license to your content and a license to your name and likeness
- Commercial use depends on per asset tags; standard Sounds are non commercial
- Trustpilot 1.2 from 1,352 reviews, mostly repeat charges and credit deductions
- Was briefly unavailable in the US in January 2025 under the foreign adversary apps law
Skip it if its perpetual content license or per asset commercial rules are a problem.
- Starting price
- $8 per month
- Max length
- Not published
- Max resolution
- Not published
- Commercial use
- Not published
Grok Imagine makes 15 second videos and 2K images inside the Grok app from the $8 Plus plan, a cheap way to sketch ideas without a separate video tool.
Pros
- Live search across X and the web
- Image and video generation in the same chat
- Paid plans include Grok API access
- Five price points from $8 to $200 per month
Cons
- Plans bundle X social features you may not want
- Usage pool is shared with Cursor and refreshes weekly
- Thin business review base: 4.1 on G2 from 58 reviews
Skip it if you need a production workspace, an editing timeline or published per second prices.
What it costs
| Tool | Free | Entry plan | API per second |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo | 50 Flow credits a day | $4.99 (Plus, 200 credits) | $0.05 to $0.60 |
| Runway | 125 one time credits | $15 (625 credits) | $0.12 (Gen-4.5) |
| Kling | 1 week trial for $1.19 to $1.49 | $10 (App Store) | About $0.11 to $0.20 via fal.ai |
| Luma | None listed | $30 (10,000 credits) | $0.03 (540p) to $0.24 (1080p) |
| Pika | Packs only | $10 (900 credits) | API Club plus model prices |
| CapCut | Free editor | $19.99 (1,200 AI credits) | Not listed |
| Grok | Limited free tier | $8 (Plus) | Grok API on Premium |
Seconds per dollar on mid plans. Google AI Pro ($19.99) buys 50 Veo 3.1 Fast clips of 8 seconds, about 400 seconds with audio, or $0.05 per second. Runway Pro ($35) buys about 187 seconds of Gen-4.5, about $0.19 per second. Luma Plus ($30) buys 25 five second 1080p clips, 125 seconds, or $0.24 per second, and 500 seconds at 720p. These assume every take is usable; in practice budget 2 to 3 attempts per keeper.
See per unit rates for every tool in the AI Price Index, and full plan math in Veo pricing and Runway pricing.
Text to video vs image to video vs video to video
Text to video turns a prompt into a clip. All seven tools do it. Quality depends on how well the model follows camera directions and keeps physics believable.
Image to video animates a still. It gives you more control over composition and is the best way to keep a product or character consistent across shots. Pika 2.5 makes 5 to 10 seconds from a photo, and Luma accepts up to 16 keyframes per clip.
Video to video changes footage you already have. Runway Aleph 2.0 leads, editing up to 30 seconds, and Luma handles up to 20 seconds. This is the workflow most agencies care about, because it starts from approved footage.
Audio, provenance and rights
Audio. Veo 3.1 includes dialogue, effects and ambience in every clip. Kling offers audio on some models at extra cost. For everything else, add narration with ElevenLabs or Murf, or music with Suno or SOUNDRAW. See the best AI voice generators and best AI music generators.
Provenance. Veo marks every clip with SynthID, which Gemini and the SynthID Detector can check. Runway attaches C2PA content credentials and runs a public verifier. Pika adds no watermark. Kling's terms require Kling branding.
Ownership and commercial use. Google says it does not claim ownership of Veo outputs. Runway claims no ownership. Luma allows commercial use for output made during an active paid subscription. Pika requires Creator or above. Kling bars commercial use without written permission.
Training on your content. Runway and Luma can train on your inputs and outputs outside Enterprise. Kling grants itself a license to your content unless you email to revoke. Enterprise plans at Runway and Luma exclude your content from training.
What happened to Sora
OpenAI's Sora was a leading video model in late 2025, with synced audio and consent based cameos. OpenAI announced its end on March 24, 2026, closed the app on April 26, 2026 and shut the Sora 2 API on September 24, 2026, with no one to one replacement. If you are a former Sora user, see Sora alternatives.
Red flags
- Credits spent on failed renders. Trustpilot scores for Runway (1.2 from 366), Kling (1.2 from 415), Luma (1.4 from 70) and Pika (1.7 from 73) are driven by this. Start on monthly billing.
- Non refundable payments. Pika's terms say payments are non refundable.
- Hidden credit costs. Pika does not list Pika 2.5 credit costs on its pricing page, and Kling's web membership page did not show allowances when we checked.
- Likeness and copyright. Animating a real person without consent or prompting for copyrighted characters breaks every vendor's terms and can create legal exposure for you.
- Pending lawsuits. Runway is a named defendant in Andersen v. Stability AI and YouTube scraping class actions; Druyan-Sagan Associates sued Luma over a Ray3.14 ad.
- Regional limits. Flow's avatars and video editing are unavailable in the EEA, UK and Switzerland.
How we picked
We compared AI video generators on published facts only: vendor pricing pages, API docs, terms of service, help centers and ratings on Trustpilot and the App Store, all as listed in October 2026. No scores come from private testing. Each tool is graded on value (price per second, free tier, pricing transparency), features (clip length, resolution, audio, editing), ease, integrations and trust (ratings, compliance, lawsuits and terms). Rank order is editorial: the best fit for most readers on those facts. Full method: how we score.
Bottom line
Start with Veo's free daily credits; for most people, Google AI Pro at $19.99 is the best value plan in AI video. Add Runway when you need to edit real footage or work as a team. Use Kling for long personal clips, Luma for HDR plates, and Pika or CapCut for fast social content. Compare head to head in Veo vs Runway, Veo vs Kling, Runway vs Kling and Runway vs Pika.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI video generator in 2026?
Google Veo 3.1. It generates video with native audio, reaches 4K, has 50 free Flow credits a day and costs $4.99 to $199.99 a month on Google AI plans or $0.05 to $0.60 per second on the API. Runway is the best pick for editing real footage and teams.
What is the best free AI video generator?
Veo in Google Flow, which gives every user 50 credits a day, enough for about 5 Veo 3.1 Lite clips or 2 Fast clips. CapCut's editor is free, and Runway's Free plan includes 125 one time credits.
Which AI video generator makes the longest videos?
Kling generates up to 15 seconds per clip and can extend to 3 minutes. Grok Imagine makes 15 second clips. Runway Gen-4.5 runs up to 10 seconds, Veo 3.1 8 seconds and Luma Ray3.2 5 or 10 seconds per generation.
Which AI video generator has sound?
Veo 3.1 generates native dialogue, sound effects and ambience in every clip, and its API prices include audio. Kling offers audio on some models at extra cost. Runway, Luma and Pika need audio from another tool or editor.
Can I use AI generated video commercially?
On most paid plans, yes. Google claims no ownership of Veo outputs, Runway allows commercial use on every plan, Luma on every paid plan and Pika from the $35 Creator plan. Kling's terms bar commercial use without written permission. Never animate a real person without consent.
What happened to Sora?
OpenAI discontinued Sora. The app shut down on April 26, 2026 and the Sora 2 API on September 24, 2026, with no one to one replacement. See our Sora alternatives page for what former users switched to.
How much does AI video cost per second?
On published APIs: Veo 3.1 Lite $0.05 to $0.08, Veo 3.1 Fast $0.10 to $0.30, Runway Gen-4.5 $0.12, Luma Ray3.2 $0.06 (720p) to $0.24 (1080p), and Veo 3.1 Standard $0.40 to $0.60. Subscription plans work out higher or lower depending on how many takes you need.
Do AI video generators add watermarks?
Veo embeds an invisible SynthID watermark in every clip, and Runway attaches C2PA content credentials. Pika adds no watermark on any plan. Kling's terms require Kling branding on outputs.