The best AI video generator, tested
Every AI video model on this site received the same nine prompts, requesting five seconds where supported: a product turntable, a person speaking, a title card, a camera move, a spill, hands at work, a market, a woodblock print and a still photo brought to life. We paid for every clip, recorded the wait and the cost, and kept the failures. This page ranks them prompt by prompt, with the whole roster visible under each verdict. The September 18 additions are H3 Max, H3 Max Turbo, LTX 2.3 Pro and PixVerse V6. New observations use sampled frames across the clips; audio has not been scored by ear. Longer workflow tests live on the relevant model pages and are excluded from this short-shot ranking.
Anvisha Pai, Co-founder & CEO, Voyager
The short answer
- 1.Veo 3.1 Fast is the model most people should ship: clean text, the best crowd and camera work, native audio, under two minutes a clip. $0.10 per second with audio, 720p via Gemini API.
- 2.Seedance 2.0 is the best-looking set on the roster and the most natural talking head, at five times Kling's price. $0.3034 per second at 720p, 16:9 via fal.
- 3.Wan 3.0 is the best value: steady, consistent and 30-second clips, with a content checker that refused one prompt. $0.10 per second at 720p via fal.
- 4.Kling 3.0 Standard for 15-second clips and multi-shot storyboards without on-screen text, if you can wait for fal's queue. $0.126 per second, audio on via fal.
- 5.Veo 3.1 when a hero shot needs the last bit of polish or 4K; otherwise Fast is the same look for a quarter of the price. $0.40 per second with audio, 720p or 1080p via Gemini API.
- 6.H3 Max Turbo is a low-cost draft option with readable title text in this run; its promotion ends September 30. $0.02 per second at 768p via fal.
Every model, measured
| Model | Vendor | Price | Seconds to make one clip | 9 clips cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini Omni Flash | Google DeepMind | $0.10 per second of 720p video via Gemini API | 36 to 64 | $5.85 |
| Grok Imagine Video 1.5 | xAI | $0.08 per second via xAI API | 36 to 49 | $6.30 |
| H3 Max Turbo | fal / MiniMax | $0.02 per second at 768p via fal | 6 to 6 | $0.90 |
| H3 Max | fal / MiniMax | $0.04 per second at 768p via fal | 6 to 26 | $1.80 |
| MiniMax H3 | MiniMax | $0.06 per second at 768p via fal | 52 to 182 | $2.70 |
| Hailuo 2.3 | MiniMax | $0.28 per six-second clip, standard 768p via fal | 98 to 197 | $2.52 |
| Kling 3.0 Standard | Kuaishou | $0.126 per second, audio on via fal | 129 to 729 | $5.67 |
| Kling 3.0 Pro | Kuaishou | $0.168 per second, audio on via fal | 134 to 692 | $7.56 |
| LTX 2.3 | Lightricks | $0.08 per second at 1080p via fal | 54 to 73 | $4.32 |
| Luma Ray 3.2 | Luma AI | $0.30 per five-second clip at 720p via Luma app | 62 to 187 | $9.00 |
| PixVerse V6 | PixVerse | $0.06 per second at 720p with audio via fal | 49 to 88 | $2.70 |
| Seedance 2.0 | ByteDance | $0.3034 per second at 720p, 16:9 via fal | 88 to 148 | $13.61 |
| Seedance 2.5 | ByteDance | $0.4622 per second at 720p, 16:9 via fal | 170 to 1578 | $18.49 |
| Sora 2 | OpenAI | $0.10 per second at 720p, sora-2 via OpenAI API | 67 to 200 | $3.60 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | Google DeepMind | $0.10 per second with audio, 720p via Gemini API | 52 to 96 | $8.10 |
| Veo 3.1 | Google DeepMind | $0.40 per second with audio, 720p or 1080p via Gemini API | 67 to 108 | $21.60 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite | Google DeepMind | $0.05 per second with audio, 720p via Gemini API | 37 to 102 | $2.70 |
| Wan 3.0 | Alibaba | $0.10 per second at 720p via fal | 128 to 194 | $4.00 |
| Wan 2.7 | Alibaba | $0.10 per second at 720p via fal | 41 to 134 | $4.00 |
Seconds and cost are from our own runs of the same 9 prompts through every model, one try each.
Person speaking
This prompt in full →Seedance 2.0 gives the most natural face and delivery; Veo 3.1 Fast and Wan 3.0 are close for much less. Grok burned a subtitle in, Sora 2 barely moved, Hailuo 2.3 is silent. Luma Ray 3.2 is silent but its performance is natural.
Animated title card
This prompt in full →Veo in both main tiers, Seedance 2.0, MiniMax H3 and Hailuo 2.3 spelled the title. Both Kling tiers garbled it; both Wan endpoints refused it. H3 Max, Turbo and PixVerse V6 resolve into readable titles; LTX 2.3 garbles the lettering.
Product turntable
This prompt in full →Veo 3.1 Fast, Hailuo 2.3, Wan 3.0 and Kling Standard held the product through the turn. Wan 2.7 and Gemini added cuts; Seedance 2.5 opened on a blur.
Image to video
This prompt in full →Wan 3.0, Seedance 2.0 and Kling kept the photographed product exactly. Gemini gave it a handle, Seedance 2.5 refused the job.
Camera move
This prompt in full →Veo 3.1 Fast's aerial is the most convincing; Wan 3.0 and Gemini Omni Flash move the camera with the town intact.
Physics
This prompt in full →Veo 3.1 throws the best spill and Veo 3.1 Lite the biggest splash. Wan 2.7 grew the ice cubes; Seedance 2.5 turned the water to haze. LTX 2.3 suspends the glass in its middle sampled frame; PixVerse rounds the ice and loses the glass late in the shot.
Hands at work
This prompt in full →Kling 3.0 Pro poured best with the props intact. Half the roster swapped the filter for a cup.
Busy scene
This prompt in full →Veo 3.1 Fast's market is the densest and most legible; Wan 3.0, Seedance 2.0 and MiniMax H3 hold up. Kling's people look painted.
Specific art style
This prompt in full →Veo 3.1 stays a woodblock print in every frame; MiniMax H3 and Veo Lite hold the style with lively waves. Hailuo washed out.
Head to head
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI video generator in 2026?
On the same nine clips, Veo 3.1 Fast is the best all-round model for the money, Seedance 2.0 looks best, Wan 3.0 is the best value, and Kling 3.0 wins on clip length and storyboards but cannot render text. Every verdict on this page links to the clips behind it.
What is the best free AI video generator?
None of these models has a free API. The Kling app gives 66 credits a day with a watermark, Dreamina and Hailuo give daily credits, fal's Wan 3 page offers five free 720p clips a day, and Google's Gemini app includes a few Veo clips on paid plans. Each model page lists the free tier in detail.
Which AI video generator has audio?
All of them here except Hailuo 2.3: Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, Seedance, Sora 2, Grok Imagine Video, Wan 2.7 and 3.0, MiniMax H3 and Gemini Omni Flash all generate sound with the picture.
How much does AI video cost?
From $0.28 for a silent six-second Hailuo clip to $2.40 for six seconds of Veo 3.1 with audio, at 720p, on fal, read on 10 September 2026. The table above shows what our nine clips cost on every model.
Is Sora 2 still available?
Only until 24 September 2026, when OpenAI removes it from the API; the app closed in April. Its clips are on this page for comparison, and its own page names the replacements.
Voyager
Run any of these inside Voyager
Voyager is an agent for creative work that runs every model on this page. Brief it, and it picks the model for the job, makes the thing and hands back something you can edit. Create an account to get started.