Runway is the default pick for most readers who want a full creative workspace, with Standard at $15 per month, or $12 per month billed annually, and 625 credits a month. Price per clip matters more than the headline price, because every tool here sells credits and a 5 second clip can cost 20 credits on one tool and 400 credits on another. Pika changed its plan names on 28 October 2026, so older guides that list Basic, Standard, Pro and Unlimited describe legacy plans, while the current plans are Free, Starter, Creator and Fancy.
Pick by clip length, audio needs and credit cost, not by the model name alone. Credit rates differ by model, resolution and length, so check how many credits a 5 second clip at 1080p uses before you commit.
On this page
Top generative video software: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Runway | Full creative workspace for short films and ads | $15 per month, $12 per month billed annually | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Google Veo 3 | Native audio and filmmaking inside Google Flow | $19.99 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Pika | Short social clips across many models | $10 per month, $8 per month billed annually | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Kling AI | Realistic motion and product video | $8.80 per month after $6.99 first month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Hailuo AI | Physics heavy clips and multi model access | $10.50 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Luma Dream Machine | Cinematic clips with several third party models | $30 per month | Free trial | Visit |
| 7 | Adobe Firefly | Adobe users who need video plus image tools | $9.99 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Synthesia | Training video with an AI presenter | $19 per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best top generative video software tools, in detail
Runway
Best for: Full creative workspace for short films and ads
Runway Standard costs $15 per month, or $12 per month billed annually, and includes 625 credits a month, 20 GB of storage and 5 parallel generations. Pro costs $35 per month, or $28 per month billed annually, and includes 2,250 credits a month. Max costs $95 per month, or $76 per month billed annually, and includes 9,500 credits a month.
- Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second, so Standard covers about 52 seconds a month, Pro covers about 187 seconds and Max covers about 791 seconds.
- The free plan gives 125 credits once, with 5 GB of storage, and those credits do not refresh.
- Choose Runway when you want editing, image generation, music, voice and video in one place.
- Skip it when you need long clips every week, because Standard runs out after a handful of retakes.
Pros
- 625 credits a month on Standard, with Gen-4.5 at 12 credits per second
- no watermark on Standard and above
- Max allows credit rollover for 1 month
Cons
- Standard and Pro credits do not roll over
- Standard buys about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video a month, so retakes use the allowance fast
Google Veo 3
Best for: Native audio and filmmaking inside Google Flow
Google Veo 3 is reached through the Gemini app and Google Flow, and consumer access is bundled into Google AI plans. Google AI Pro costs $19.99 per month, or $199.99 a year, and includes 1,000 Flow credits a month plus 50 Flow credits a day, 5 TB of cloud storage and expanded access to Gemini models. Google AI Ultra starts from $99.99 per month and raises usage limits and storage.
- Veo 3.1 produces clips with native audio in the same generation.
- Flow adds scene continuity, camera controls and editing tools around Veo.
- Choose Veo 3 when you already use Google tools and want audio with your video.
- Skip it when you want a simple per clip price.
Pros
- Veo 3.1 generates video with synchronised audio, dialogue and sound effects
- Google AI Pro includes 1,000 Flow credits a month plus 50 Flow credits a day and 5 TB of storage
Cons
- Veo is not sold as a standalone subscription, so you buy a wider Google AI plan to get it
- Google does not publish an exact monthly clip count for Pro
Pika
Best for: Short social clips across many models
Pika Starter costs $10 per month, or $8 per month billed annually, and includes 600 credits a month. Creator costs $35 per month, or $28 per month billed annually, and includes 2,600 credits a month. Fancy starts from $95 per month, or from $76 per month billed annually, and includes 8,550 credits a month and above.
- The free plan costs $0, has no watermark on exports, and has 0 monthly credits.
- Top up credits start at $25 for 1,500 credits and carry over for 365 days after purchase.
- A 5 second Pika 2.5 clip at 720p uses 20 credits, so Starter covers 30 of those clips a month.
- The same length at 720p on Seedance 2.5 uses 122 credits, so Starter covers 4 of those clips a month.
Pros
- Starter includes a commercial license and no watermark
- all plans include access to all models, including Seedance 2.5, Kling 4.0 and Veo 3.1
Cons
- Free plan has 0 monthly credits and relies on credit packs
- plan credits refresh each billing period and do not roll over
Kling AI
Best for: Realistic motion and product video
Kling Standard lists at $10, with $6.99 for the first month, then $8.80 a month, for 660 credits a month. Pro lists at $37, with $25.99 for the first month, then $32.56 a month, for 3,000 credits a month. Billed yearly, Standard costs $79.20 a year, which works out to $6.60 a month, and Pro costs $293.04 a year, which works out to $24.42 a month.
- Purchased top up credits last 2 years, while monthly subscription credits last 31 days.
- Kling 3.0 spends credits by the second.
- With native audio, a clip uses 12 credits per second at 1080p and 9 credits per second at 720p.
- Without native audio, the rate is 8 credits per second at 1080p.
Pros
- Standard includes 660 credits a month and watermark removal
- monthly credits are priced per second by model, resolution and audio, which makes costs easy to compare
Cons
- Monthly subscription credits are valid for 31 days and do not roll over
- the first month price is a one time offer, so budget against the $8.80 renewal price
Hailuo AI
Best for: Physics heavy clips and multi model access
Hailuo AI is the consumer video app from MiniMax. Standard costs $10.50 per month, with a list price of $14.99, and includes 1,000 credits a month. Pro costs $38 per month, with a list price of $54.99, and includes 4,500 credits a month.
- Master costs $89 per month and includes 10,500 credits a month.
- Max costs $216 per month and includes 27,000 credits a month plus unlimited Hailuo 2.0 and 2.3 use.
- Standard includes about 40 six second clips at 768p, or about 12 six second clips at 1080p.
- For MiniMax H3, the same 1,000 credits buy about 84 seconds at 2K.
Pros
- Standard includes 1,000 credits a month and access to Veo 3.1 and Sora 2 alongside MiniMax models
- 1080p output starts on Standard
Cons
- Free plan has 0 monthly credits and only one time trial credits
- Standard runs one task at a time, so queues build up on busy days
Luma Dream Machine
Best for: Cinematic clips with several third party models
Luma now sells its current plans as Plus, Pro and Ultra. Plus costs $30 per month and includes 10,000 credits a month. Pro costs $90 per month and includes 40,000 credits a month.
- Ultra costs $300 per month and includes 150,000 credits a month.
- Yearly billing saves up to 20 percent.
- Ray 3.14 text to video uses 100 credits per 5 seconds at 720p and 400 credits per 5 seconds at 1080p.
- Seedance 2.0 uses 126 credits per second at 1080p.
Pros
- Plus includes 10,000 credits a month and commercial use
- the same credit pool covers Luma models plus Seedance, Kling 4.0, Veo 3.1 and MiniMax H3
Cons
- There is no free tier on the current Plus, Pro and Ultra ladder, only trial credits
- Ray 3.14 text to video at 1080p uses 400 credits per 5 seconds, so high resolution clips use the pool fast
Adobe Firefly
Best for: Adobe users who need video plus image tools
Adobe Firefly Standard costs $9.99 per month and includes 2,000 generative credits a month. Pro costs $19.99 per month and includes 4,000 generative credits a month. Pro Plus costs $49.99 per month and includes 10,000 generative credits a month.
- Premium costs $199.99 per month and includes 50,000 generative credits a month plus unlimited Firefly Video Model generations.
- Pro and above add Photoshop on web and mobile and Adobe Express Premium.
- A 5 second clip at 1080p uses 500 credits, so Standard covers 4 clips and Pro covers 8 clips.
- Standard image features, including Generative Fill, do not use credits on a subscription plan.
Pros
- Standard includes 2,000 generative credits a month and unlimited standard image generations
- Pro adds Photoshop on web and mobile and Adobe Express Premium
Cons
- A 5 second 1080p clip uses 500 credits, so Standard covers 4 such clips a month
- monthly credits reset on the billing date and do not roll over
Synthesia
Best for: Training video with an AI presenter
Synthesia Basic costs $0 per month and includes 500 credits a month, 10 minutes of studio video creation or dubbing, 9 AI avatars and a watermark on videos. Starter costs $19 per month, with $9 for the first month, and includes 1,250 credits a month, up to about 12 minutes of video a month on top of the free allowance, 125 or more AI avatars, 3 personal avatars, downloads and logo removal. Pro costs $89 per month, with $49 for the first month, and includes 6,000 credits a month.
- Synthesia output is a presenter video built from a script, not a text to video scene.
- A 1 minute Syren video uses about 1,000 to 2,000 credits.
- The same credits are shared across video, dubbing and surveys.
- Choose Synthesia for training and onboarding where a presenter adds clarity.
Pros
- Basic is free with 500 credits a month and 10 minutes of studio video
- Starter includes 125 or more AI avatars, 3 personal avatars and 1 editor plus 3 guests
Cons
- Videos on Basic carry a Synthesia watermark
- 1 click translation into 140 or more languages and SCORM export are held for higher plans
How we chose
We included tools with a live consumer subscription, an official pricing page and a real video generation model, and we left out tools that had closed or had no live subscription. We did not test any tool hands-on. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages opened on 12 November 2026, with Kling and Hailuo prices confirmed from official page checks in early November 2026. Pika renamed its plans on 28 October 2026, so a guide that still lists Basic, Standard, Pro and Unlimited is describing legacy plans. Sora was left out because OpenAI closed the Sora app on 26 April 2026 and the Sora 2 API on 24 September 2026.
Which tool fits your budget and volume
| Monthly budget | Best starting point | What the entry plan covers |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10 per month | Kling Standard, $8.80 renewal price | 660 credits a month, about 6 eight second 1080p clips with audio |
| $10 per month | Pika Starter, $10 per month | 600 credits a month, 30 five second Pika 2.5 clips at 720p |
| $10 to $20 per month | Runway Standard, $15 per month | 625 credits a month, about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video |
| $20 per month | Google Veo 3 through Google AI Pro, $19.99 per month | 1,000 Flow credits a month plus 50 Flow credits a day, plus 5 TB storage |
| $30 per month | Luma Plus, $30 per month | 10,000 credits a month, 25 Ray 3.14 clips at 1080p |
Frequently asked questions
How much does generative video software cost per month?
Entry plans run from $8.80 per month for Kling Standard after a $6.99 first month to $30 per month for Luma Plus, with Runway Standard at $15 per month, Pika Starter at $10 per month, Hailuo Standard at $10.50 per month, Firefly Standard at $9.99 per month, Synthesia Starter at $19 per month and Veo 3 through Google AI Pro at $19.99 per month. Check the credits per clip for your resolution before you buy.
Which is best for short social media clips?
Pika Starter is the best pick for short social clips when you want many models in one place, because 600 credits a month cover 30 five second Pika 2.5 clips at 720p and the plan includes a commercial license with no watermark. Kling Standard is a close second for realistic motion, with 660 credits a month and clear per second pricing.
Which is best for video with sound and dialogue?
Google Veo 3 is the best pick for video with sound and dialogue, because Veo 3.1 generates synchronised audio, dialogue and sound effects in the same generation, and Google Flow adds scene tools around it. Kling also offers native audio, with 12 credits per second at 1080p and 9 credits per second at 720p on Kling 3.0.
Do free plans give enough video to test a tool?
Free plans give enough video to test the interface and a few clips, but not enough for regular publishing. Runway gives 125 credits once, Pika Free has 0 monthly credits, Hailuo Free has 0 monthly credits, Synthesia Basic gives 500 credits a month, and Google Flow gives 50 Flow credits a day.
Can I use the videos for client work?
Yes on most entry plans, but check the plan page first. Pika Starter, Runway Standard and Luma Plus include commercial use, while Kling Basic is for personal, non commercial use and Synthesia Basic videos carry a watermark. Hailuo Standard removes the watermark and adds commercial rights.
Why is Sora not in this list?
Sora is not in this list because OpenAI closed the Sora app on 26 April 2026 and shut down the Sora 2 models and Videos API on 24 September 2026. No ChatGPT plan lists video generation now. Hailuo Standard still lists Sora 2 access, which is a separate access route through MiniMax, not a live OpenAI subscription.
Sources
- https://runway.com/
- https://runway.com/pricing
- https://flow.google/
- https://pika.art/
- https://pika.art/pricing
- https://www.klingai.com/
- https://hailuoai.video/
- https://hailuoai.video/subscribe
- https://lumalabs.ai/
- https://lumalabs.ai/pricing
- https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly.html
- https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly/plans.html
- https://www.synthesia.io/
- https://www.synthesia.io/pricing
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.