AI Video Generators Compared (October 2026): Clip Length, 4K, Watermarks and Free Plans
Best AI Video EditorsWe checked the pricing pages and docs of 12 AI video generators plus 3 open-source models. Here is who gives the longest clips, real 4K, a usable free plan and commercial rights.
Most "best AI video generator" lists rank tools by vibes. This one compares the numbers that decide whether a tool fits your project: how long a single clip can be, what resolution it really outputs, whether the free plan watermarks your video, whether you may use the result commercially, and whether there is an API.
Every figure below comes from the tool's own pricing page, docs or terms, checked on 23 October 2026. Each tool page on this site links the exact sources. When a company doesn't publish a number, we leave it blank rather than guess.
The comparison
| Tool | Price | Max clip | Max resolution | Free watermark | Commercial use | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kling AI | Free plan · from $8.8/mo | 15s per generation (Kling 3.0) | 4K (native) | Yes | Paid plans | Yes |
| Vidu | Free plan · from $10/mo | 16s per generation (Q3) | 4K (higher tiers) | Yes | Paid plans | Yes |
| Hailuo AI (MiniMax) | Free plan · from $14.99/mo | 15s per generation (MiniMax H3) | 2K (MiniMax H3) | Yes | Paid plans | Yes |
| Runway | Free plan · from $15/mo | 10s per generation (Gen-4.5) | 4K (upscale) | Yes | All plans | Yes |
| Luma Dream Machine | from $30/mo | 10s per generation (Ray3.2) | 1080p native (HDR/EXR); 4K via upscale or partner models | — | All plans | Yes |
| Google Veo (Flow / Gemini) | Free plan · from $4.99/mo | 10s (Gemini Omni Flash); 8s (Veo 3.1) | 4K (upscale, Ultra plans only) | — | — | Yes |
| PixVerse | Free plan · from $10/mo | — | 4K (Pro plan and up) | Yes | — | Yes |
| Pika | Free plan · from $10/mo | — | — | No | Paid plans | Yes |
| LTX Studio | Free plan · from $15/mo | — | 4K HDR (LTX-2.5) | Yes | Standard plan and above | Yes |
| Dreamina (Seedance) | Free plan · from $15/mo | — | — | Yes | — | — |
| Midjourney Video | from $10/mo | 5s base, extendable to 21s | 720p (HD on Standard and above) | — | All paid plans (Pro or Mega required for companies over $1M revenue) | — |
| Adobe Firefly Video | Free plan · from $9.99/mo | 5s per clip (Firefly Video Model); longer with some partner models | 1080p (Firefly Video Model); 4K with select partner models | — | Firefly model outputs on all plans; check partner-model outputs | Yes |
The table reads from our live tool data, so it may have been updated since this article was published. Prices are the cheapest recurring monthly plan in USD, not first-month promotions.
Longest single clip: Vidu, Kling and Hailuo
If you want fewer cuts and less stitching, single-generation length matters more than anything else:
- Vidu goes up to 16 seconds per generation with its Q3 model.
- Kling AI and Hailuo AI both reach 15 seconds (Kling 3.0 and MiniMax H3).
- Runway and Luma Dream Machine stop at 10 seconds, and Google Veo at 8 seconds on Veo 3.1 (10 seconds with Gemini Omni Flash).
- Midjourney Video starts at 5 seconds but can be extended to 21, and Adobe Firefly Video's own model makes 5-second clips.
Real 4K vs upscaled 4K
"4K" on a pricing page often means an upscale pass. Only two tools in this group say they generate 4K natively:
- Kling AI lists native 4K on the Kling 3.0 series.
- LTX Studio lists 4K HDR with its LTX-2.5 model.
Runway and Google Veo offer 4K through upscaling (Veo only on Ultra plans), Vidu and PixVerse reserve 4K for higher tiers, and Luma generates 1080p natively with 4K via upscale. Hailuo tops out at 2K, Firefly's own model at 1080p, and Midjourney Video at 720p (HD on Standard and above).
Free plans: almost all of them watermark
If you plan to publish what you make on a free plan, check this column first. Runway, Kling, Hailuo, Vidu, PixVerse, LTX Studio and Dreamina all add a watermark to free-plan output or list watermark removal as a paid feature. Pika doesn't watermark, but its free account comes with no monthly credits — you buy credit packs as you go.
For simply trying things out, the most generous recurring allowances we found are Google Veo through Google Flow (50 credits per day), PixVerse (60 credits to start plus 30 a day, up to 540p) and Dreamina (free daily credits). Luma Dream Machine and Midjourney have no free plan at all.
Cheapest way in
- Google Veo is included in Google AI Plus at $4.99/month (US price).
- Kling AI renews at $8.80/month after a $10 first month.
- Adobe Firefly starts at $9.99, and Pika, Vidu, PixVerse and Midjourney at $10.
- Runway, LTX Studio and Dreamina start at $15, Hailuo at $14.99, and Luma at $30.
Several of these sites run first-month discounts. We list the price you pay from the second month on.
Commercial rights
This is where "free" gets expensive. Runway and Luma state that outputs can be used commercially on all plans. Kling, Hailuo, Vidu and Pika restrict commercial use to paid plans. LTX Studio's free credits are for personal use only; commercial use starts on its Standard plan. Midjourney allows commercial use on all paid plans but requires Pro or Mega for companies with more than $1M in annual revenue. For Veo, PixVerse and Dreamina we couldn't find a clear statement, so read their terms before using clips in client work.
If you'd rather run it yourself
Three open models are worth knowing if you have a capable GPU:
- Wan from Alibaba — Apache 2.0 licence, 720p.
- HunyuanVideo from Tencent — 720p native, 1080p with its super-resolution model. Its community licence does not apply in the EU, UK or South Korea.
- Mochi 1 from Genmo — Apache 2.0, 480p. The only public checkpoint is still the October 2024 preview.
LTX Studio's underlying LTX model is also open.
What happened to Sora?
OpenAI shut down the Sora web and mobile apps on 26 April 2026 and the Sora API on 24 September 2026. Its listing stays up for reference, but it no longer appears in our comparisons.
Quick picks
- Longest shots: Vidu, Kling AI, Hailuo.
- Native 4K: Kling AI, LTX Studio.
- Cheapest to try daily: Google Veo via Flow, PixVerse.
- Commercial use without plan-tier fine print: Runway, Luma.
- Self-hosting: Wan.
Want to go deeper on one pair? See Kling AI vs Runway, or browse every text-to-video tool with filters for free plans, watermarks and APIs.
Found a number that has changed? Tell us and we'll re-check the source.