AI video generator comparison 2026: nine models side by side

Choosing an AI video generator comes down to three questions: do you need sound inside the clip, how long should a shot run, and can you pay for the model from Russia. For short clips with speech, Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 fit. For scenes up to 30 seconds with around ten references, look at Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0. Access without a VPN and payment in rubles come from an API gateway.

AI video generators compared: the table

The table is built from the vendors' documentation and press releases as of October 29, 2026. The durations and resolutions allowed in codexkey may be narrower than the vendor's own, so check a model's page in the catalog for exact values.

The "Length per pass" column refers to a single request. A longer clip comes from extension: ByteDance says Seedance 2.5 can be extended twice, and Veo can continue scenes it created itself. Stitching clips together by hand is not counted in the table.

Earlier versions are still in the catalog: seedance-1, kling-v2.6, runway-gen4. They are useful for projects pinned to a specific version.

The Kling row is already slightly behind: on October 15, 2026 Kuaishou released Kling 4.0 with clips up to 30 seconds. The codexkey catalog still has kling-v3.0 and kling-v2.6; details are in the article on Kling AI 3.0 and 4.0. A fresh look at Hailuo H3 is a separate piece: MiniMax H3.

How the models differ in practice

The numbers in the table do not show how a model behaves at work. Here is what the developers themselves claim:

• Seedance 2.5 accepts up to 30 images, 10 videos and 10 audio files in one request, and can edit and extend finished video. In BytePlus documentation the resolution tops out at 1080p, while 4K stayed with Seedance 2.0.
• Kling 3.0 turns one prompt into a storyboard of several shots, and the Omni version keeps a character recognizable from a reference video. A separate Motion Control feature carries motion from a video onto a character from an image.
• Veo 3.1 takes up to three reference images, builds a clip between a first and a last frame, and extends scenes. Google marks the result with a SynthID watermark.
• Wan 3.0 adds dialogue, music and sound effects by default, accepts up to 20 references and edits finished videos. Result links in Alibaba Cloud live for 24 hours (Model Studio guide).
• Hailuo 02 came out on June 18, 2025: 768p for 6 or 10 seconds and 1080p for 6 seconds. The API description does not mention audio.
• PixVerse V6 builds a short multi-shot film with sound from one prompt and connects to agents through a CLI.
• Grok Imagine 1.5 speaks with lip sync and holds up to three voices in a frame. The lighter Lite version is cheaper and reaches 1080p by upscaling from 720p.

AI video from a photo

Almost every model in the table can bring a picture to life. In Seedance 2.5 a photo serves as the first frame or as a "first and last" pair. Veo 3.1 adds up to three reference images to those, Wan 3.0 has a first and last frame, and Grok Imagine 1.5 takes up to 14 references. For Runway Gen-4.5 the documentation lists text-to-video and image-to-video. We did not check the photo mode of Hailuo 02.

One limit is worth knowing in advance. According to BytePlus documentation, Seedance 2.0 and 2.5 do not directly accept references with the faces of real people: there is a separate portrait asset mechanism for that (ModelArk documentation).

A free AI video generator: what works

We found no unlimited free cloud service on the level of the paid models. What exists as of October 29, 2026:

We cover free Kling AI in a separate article: credits, limits and the risks of "cracked" versions.

What happened to Sora and to Veo in the Gemini API

Sora is gone. OpenAI announced the shutdown on March 24, 2026, switched the app off on April 26 and the API on September 24 (The Decoder).

Veo is a subtler story. Google turned off the preview Veo 3.1 models in the Gemini API on October 22, 2026 and recommends moving to Gemini Omni Flash (deprecations page). What that means in practice is covered in How to use Veo 3.1.

How to choose an AI video generator

Five questions narrow the choice, and they work better than any ranking:

1. Do you need sound inside the clip. If so, Hailuo 02 and Runway Gen-4.5 drop out: their API descriptions do not state audio.
2. What shot length do you need. A character's line fits into Veo's 8 seconds, while a multi-shot scene needs 15-30.
3. What goes in: text only, or references as images, video and audio too. The more references, the more the model's limits matter.
4. Where you pay from, and whether the service opens in your country. With Google the question is the country: Russia is not on the Gemini API or Flow lists. For the rest, check the payment method at the last step.
5. What a second of finished result costs, not a second on the price list. Find out whether the service returns credits for a failed attempt: Kling spells this out in its credit policy.

The same criteria as a table by task:

We will not name the best model on quality: the result depends on the scene. It is more reliable to measure yourself. Take five typical prompts from your own task, run them through two or three models and compare three things: how closely the output matches the description, artifacts in hands and faces, and the price per second of finished video.

How to call an AI video model through the codexkey API

codexkey gives you one sk_cdx_... key and one set of addresses for every model in the table. A job is created with POST /v1/videos, its status is read through GET /v1/videos/{id}, and the finished file comes from GET /v1/videos/{id}/content. The format is compatible with the OpenAI Videos API; details are in the images and video reference.

import time
import requests

BASE = "https://api.codexkey.online/v1"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": "Bearer sk_cdx_YOUR_KEY"}

job = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/videos",
    headers=HEADERS,
    json={
        "model": "seedance-2.5",
        "prompt": "A paper boat sails down a rainy street, the camera follows",
    },
    timeout=60,
).json()

while True:
    state = requests.get(f"{BASE}/videos/{job['id']}", headers=HEADERS, timeout=30).json()
    if state["status"] in ("completed", "failed"):
        break
    time.sleep(10)

if state["status"] == "completed":
    video = requests.get(f"{BASE}/videos/{job['id']}/content", headers=HEADERS, timeout=300)
    with open("video.mp4", "wb") as f:
        f.write(video.content)

To switch models, change the single model field. Duration, resolution, audio and the allowed values differ per model, and the model's page shows them. There is no public price list for video: the price depends on the model and the clip parameters and is shown on the model's page. You are charged only for a successful result. Payment is in rubles: a Russian bank card, SBP (the Russian Faster Payments System) or crypto, with no VPN and no vendor account.

For a comparison of ways to get access, from direct APIs to gateways, there is a separate piece on AI model aggregators.

FAQ

Which AI video generator is the best?

There is no single best: it depends on the task. For lines of dialogue and sound people pick Veo 3.1 or Kling 3.0, for long scenes Seedance 2.5 or Wan 3.0. Run five of your own prompts through two or three models; that is more accurate than any ranking.

Is there a free AI video generator?

Yes, with caveats. The open Kandinsky 6.0 and Wan 2.2 are free but run on your own hardware. According to T-Journal, Kandinsky 6.0 is also free in GigaChat. The other cloud services give limited credits or a paid subscription, and Google does not list Russia among the countries for the Gemini API and Flow.

Which AI makes video from a photo?

Almost any model in the table: Seedance 2.5, Veo 3.1, Wan 3.0, Kling 3.0, Grok Imagine and Runway Gen-4.5 accept an image as a first frame or a reference. They differ in clip length and the number of references.

Does Sora work in 2026?

No. OpenAI closed the app on April 26, 2026 and the API on September 24, 2026. Alternatives are listed in the table above.

Can I use AI video generators from Russia without a VPN?

Check the country and the payment method for each service separately. Google does not list Russia among the countries for the Gemini API, the Gemini app or Flow (checked October 29, 2026). A codexkey key works without a VPN and is paid for by Russian bank card, SBP or crypto.

How much does video generation through the API cost?

There is no single price list; the price depends on the model, duration and resolution. Current values are shown on each model's page in the codexkey catalog, and you are charged only for a successful result.