Best AI video generators

AI video generators make short clips from a text prompt or a starting image. In October 2026 the main differences are clip length, whether the model makes sound itself, resolution, and how credits are counted. One well-known name is gone: OpenAI's support team confirmed that Sora's web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, so it is not on this list.

How these picks were chosen

We compared what vendors publish: plan prices, the free allowance, credit costs, clip length, resolution and native audio, plus limits stated in their own documentation. We did not render test clips or rank output quality. Several vendors run promotions, so each price below names its plan and billing period, and sources are at the end.

1. Google Gemini Omni and Veo (Gemini app and Flow)

Best for: short clips with sound, made in Gemini or Flow · Price: Google AI Plus $4.99/month, Google AI Pro $19.99/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes, 50 Flow credits a day

Google's newest video model is Gemini Omni Flash, updated to Omni 1.1 Flash in August 2026 and available in the Gemini app and in Flow, Google's video studio. Clips are 10 seconds for now, with longer durations "coming soon". The developer documentation lists 360p, 720p (default), 1080p and 4K output, sound generated automatically, image-to-video, first and last frame control, and subject references. You can combine images, audio, video and text as input and edit the result by describing changes in conversation. Veo 3.1, which also generates native audio, remains available in Flow.

Video in the Gemini app needs a Google AI plan. Google's US plans page lists AI Plus at $4.99 a month with 200 Flow credits, AI Pro at $19.99 with 1,000 credits, and AI Ultra from $99.99. Flow's help page says every account gets 50 Flow credits a day, with or without a subscription. A 10-second Omni Flash clip at 720p costs 15 credits; Veo 3.1 Fast costs 20 credits on non-Ultra plans and Veo 3.1 Quality 100.

Limits: editing your own uploaded video is not available in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK and some US states. Gemini app usage is compute-based and refreshes every 5 hours up to a weekly limit, and video uses more of it. All Omni videos carry an invisible SynthID watermark.

2. Runway

Best for: creators who want control and several models in one place · Price: Standard $15/month or $12/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes, 125 one-time credits

Runway's own model is Gen-4.5, and one subscription also covers hosted models such as Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.5. Standard includes 625 credits a month, which Runway says equals 52 seconds of Gen-4.5. Pro, at $35 a month or $28 billed yearly, gives 2,250 credits and unlimited 4K upscaling. Max, at $95 or $76 billed yearly, adds HDR and ProRes output. Recent additions include frame-rate enhancement up to 4K and a DaVinci Resolve plug-in.

Limits: Runway states that Gen-4.5 "doesn't generate embedded audio itself"; for sound you switch to a hosted model such as Kling 3.0. The free credits are a one-time grant, not monthly, and watermark-free export is listed from the Standard plan.

3. Kling

Best for: longer shots with spoken dialogue · Price: Standard $8.80/month after a $6.99 first month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: Basic, no monthly credits

Kling VIDEO 3.0, released in February 2026, generates 3 to 15 seconds of continuous video at up to 1080p, with native audio in Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. It supports multi-shot sequences and keeps characters and elements consistent in image-to-video. Kling 4.0 began early access on September 28, 2026, and Kling says the full model is "scheduled to launch in October 2026" with 3 to 30-second clips, 4K and stereo audio.

Kling's plan table lists first-month prices of $6.99 for Standard (660 credits), $25.99 for Pro (3,000), $64.99 for Premier (8,000) and $127.99 for Ultra (26,000); the plans then renew at $8.80, $32.56, $80.96 and $159.99 a month. Commercial use starts on Standard. Subscription credits last one month; purchased credit packs last two years.

Limits: the free Basic tier has no monthly credits. The plan table is from July 2026, so confirm the current price at checkout. Some Kling 4.0 features, including HDR, are "coming soon".

4. Luma (Ray3.2)

Best for: HDR footage and multi-keyframe direction · Price: Plus $30/month or $25/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: no

Luma retired the Dream Machine name; its current model is Ray3.2. It makes 5 or 10-second clips from text or an image at up to 1080p, with HDR in native 16-bit color and EXR export. You can place up to 16 keyframes in a single clip, which gives fine control over motion. The same plans include third-party models such as Kling and Veo.

Plus includes 10,000 credits and commercial use; a 10-second Ray3.2 clip at 1080p costs 1,200 credits. Pro costs $90 a month ($75 billed yearly) for 40,000 credits.

Limits: Ray3.2 has no natively generated audio, clips top out at 10 seconds, and the current pricing page shows no free plan. Luma says video editing struggles with heavy camera shake, fast chaotic action and dark or blurry footage.

5. Adobe Firefly

Best for: commercial projects and access to partner models · Price: Firefly Standard US$9.99/month, Pro US$19.99/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes, daily generations

Firefly's video generator makes clips of up to 8 seconds, up to 15 on some models, at resolutions up to 4K. Besides Adobe's own Firefly Video Model, which Adobe says is "designed to be safe for commercial use" because it is trained on licensed and public-domain content, you can pick Google Veo 3.1, Luma Ray3, Kling 3.0 and Runway Gen-4.5. Sound comes through partners; Adobe notes that Veo 3.1 generates synchronized audio from the prompt.

Limits: Adobe's pages give different counts of five-second videos per plan, so check the plans page for your allowance. Unlimited use of the Firefly Video Model is listed only on the top Premium plan. Pro Plus is US$49.99 a month at its regular price.

6. Pika

Best for: the cheapest paid start · Price: Starter $10/month or $8/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: account is free, but no monthly credits

Pika 2.5 is the company's flagship text-to-video model, "tuned for crisp 1080p motion". Starter includes 900 credits a month. Creator, at $35 a month or $28 billed yearly, gives 3,150 credits and a commercial license. If you do not want a subscription, credit packs start at 1,500 credits for $25.

Limits: Pika 2.5 text-to-video makes 5-second clips only. There is no commercial license below Creator, and the free tier lists zero monthly credits, so you need a pack to generate.

7. Higgsfield

Best for: marketers who want many third-party models under one plan · Price: Starter $19/month, Plus $59 ($47 billed yearly), Ultra $129 ($99 billed yearly) (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: limited models, no credits

Higgsfield is an aggregator. Its own comparison says it carries Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, WAN 2.6, Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni Flash, and it adds tools of its own for ads and character consistency, such as Soul ID and Marketing Studio. Mid and top plans include unlimited generations on selected models without using credits. Plan details and pricing questions are covered on our Higgsfield page.

Limits: "unlimited" applies only to selected models, often image models, for set time windows. Without a paid plan, access "is limited to a small set of models and doesn't include credits". The lower headline prices assume yearly billing.

8. HeyGen

Best for: presenter and talking-head videos, translation · Price: Creator $29/month or $24/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

HeyGen is built for videos of a person speaking, such as training clips, product explainers and translated versions of a video you already have. Its new Avatar V model builds a persistent digital likeness from a short video of you and supports videos up to 3 minutes long. Creator includes 600 credits a month, videos up to 30 minutes and 175+ languages and dialects. Pro, at $49 a month, adds output up to 4K.

Limits: the free plan allows 3 videos a month, each up to 1 minute, with a watermark. HeyGen is not a general scene generator; for cinematic shots use one of the tools above.

Which one to pick

• Free, today: Google Flow's daily credits, or Firefly's daily generations.
• Sound and dialogue in the clip: Gemini Omni, Veo 3.1 or Kling.
• Precise motion and color: Luma Ray3.2 for keyframes and HDR, Runway for its editing tools.
• A person explaining something: HeyGen.

Most video tools start best from a strong still frame. Make one with an AI image generator, or with prompts from our Nano Banana collection, then animate it. More no-cost options are on the free AI tools list.

A prompt structure for video

Video prompts need what an image prompt needs, plus motion and sound. Our AI video prompts collection has worked examples.

[Shot type: wide, medium, close-up] of [subject] [action] in [setting].
Camera: [static, slow push-in, handheld, drone orbit].
Lighting and mood: [golden hour, overcast, neon].
Sound: [ambient sounds, dialogue in quotes, or "no music"].
Length: [5 / 8 / 10] seconds. Aspect ratio: [16:9 / 9:16].

FAQ

What is the best free AI video generator?

Google Flow gives every account 50 credits a day, and a 10-second Gemini Omni Flash clip at 720p costs 15 credits. Adobe Firefly also includes free daily generations. HeyGen's free plan covers 3 short presenter videos a month with a watermark.

Is Sora still available?

No. OpenAI support stated that Sora's web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026.

Which AI video generators make sound?

Gemini Omni, Veo 3.1 and Kling VIDEO 3.0 generate audio with the video. Runway's Gen-4.5 and Luma's Ray3.2 do not, though Runway hosts models that do.

How long can AI video clips be?

Kling VIDEO 3.0 goes up to 15 seconds, and Kling 4.0 is announced at up to 30. Gemini Omni Flash and Luma Ray3.2 stop at 10 seconds per generation. HeyGen's presenter videos run longer: up to 3 minutes with Avatar V.