Fresh generation
Maximum length means one new generation. Extensions, stitched clips and a project's total timeline do not count.
The screening program · October 2026
My Top 7 AI Video Generators — October 2026
All seven tools from my video, with official links, example videos, maximum clip lengths, resolution details and API pricing.
Matt Farmer · @mattfarmeraiResearched October 18, 2026
The order is my editorial ranking. Prices and availability change quickly, so every volatile claim is dated and linked to an official source.
Five-second verdict
The list before the fine print.
#1Seedance 2.5My overall pick for physics and control
PriceHeyGen VideoFrom 1¢/sec at 480p during the October promotion
ChoiceNo universal winnerThe right model depends on the shot and workflow
CaveatNative is not deliveryUpscaled output is a separate fact from base generation
How to read the numbers
Four distinctions that keep the comparison honest.
API pricing
Every dollar figure is an example API rate, not a consumer subscription. The output resolution and important conditions stay attached to the number.
Native vs delivery
Base or native generation resolution is different from an upscaled or enhanced delivery file. A showcase file's dimensions do not prove the model rendered natively at that size.
Editorial ranking
These are Matt's picks, informed by official examples and practical workflow fit. No matched independent physics test of these exact seven versions was conducted.
My overall / physics pick
Dreamina / Seedance 2.5
My top pick for advanced physics, complex motion and overall control, especially when you have the budget.
Open Seedance in DreaminaOpens Dreamina through Matt's referral link. The API prices here come from BytePlus ModelArk, separate from Dreamina's consumer plans.
- Fresh runtime
- 30 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- Official API generation up to 1080p
- Delivery note
- Dreamina advertises 4K delivery; this research did not establish native 4K generation for Seedance 2.5.
- API example
- Approx. $0.231/sec · 720p API example
Practical advantage
Up to 30 image, 10 video and 10 audio references, plus green-screen, clay-render and targeted-editing workflows.
Motion / physics note
Matt's advanced-physics favorite. Official examples show cloth, environment-dependent motion and coherent spatial lighting, but this is an editorial pick rather than a controlled benchmark.
Official example · ByteDance Seed
Peking opera motion
A vendor showcase of coordinated costume, prop and body motion.
From 1¢/sec at 480p — October promo
HeyGen Video
The budget pick for short, simple shots, with dialogue, ambience and effects generated alongside the scene.
Explore HeyGen VideoThis is HeyGen's general-purpose video model, not its avatar engine or the original MiniMax H3 endpoint.
- Fresh runtime
- 15 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- Up to 2K output
- Delivery note
- HeyGen describes native vertical 1080p/2K output; this page does not infer a more specific internal render pipeline.
- API example
- From $0.01/sec · 480p — October promotion
Practical advantage
The lowest verified entry rate among the six tools here with public pricing. Text-, image- and reference-to-video all include generated sound.
Motion / physics note
Best suited to one subject, one place and one contained action. HeyGen's own guidance calls out close handwork and soft motion such as hair, paper and petals as weaker areas.
Official example · HeyGen
Racing-car onboard shot
A vendor example showing a short, contained scene with generated sound.
Kling 4.0 Flagship
A strong option for high action, complex camera movement and longer sequences with keyframe control.
Official Kling 4.0 pageThe official model page is the safest access/status reference while API pricing and higher-resolution rollout remain in motion.
- Fresh runtime
- 30 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- 720p conservative current baseline
- Delivery note
- Kling's official feature page still labels native 1080p and 4K HDR output as coming soon. Showcase-file dimensions do not establish rollout availability.
- API example
- Not publicly verified · Kling 4.0 API
Practical advantage
Up to 10 flexible keyframes and 15 combined references for subjects, scenes, motion, voice and camera direction.
Motion / physics note
Official examples show ambitious action, continuity and camera control. Stable motion alone does not prove physically correct contact or conservation.
Official example · Kling AI
Martial arts
An official showcase of fast action and camera movement, not a controlled physics test.
Wan 3.0 Standard
A useful balance of long scenes, style and action, with broad reference inputs.
Explore Wan 3.0The console page may require sign-in; the public documentation link below carries the specifications and rates.
- Fresh runtime
- 30 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- Up to 1080p generation output
- Delivery note
- The official contract does not disclose a separate upscaler or a more detailed native-render pipeline, so this page does not invent one.
- API example
- Approx. $0.082513/sec · 720p global rate
Practical advantage
Images, video, audio, files and links can serve as references for narratives, dialogue, products and recurring subjects.
Motion / physics note
Official sparring and dojo examples show ambitious choreography and continuity. They are showcases, not a matched physics benchmark.
Official example · Alibaba Cloud Model Studio
Sparring in ruins
An official action showcase demonstrating long-scene continuity.
Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Beautiful output with native 1080p and useful image, voice and keyframe controls.
Open GrokGrok is the product entry point, not a promise that every account automatically has this exact model.
- Fresh runtime
- 15 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- Native 1080p for text- and image-to-video
- Delivery note
- Multi-reference mode is capped at 720p. Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Lite reaches 1080p through a different upscale path.
- API example
- $0.14/sec · 720p API output
Practical advantage
Up to 14 image and three voice references, plus first, last and up to four intermediate keyframes.
Motion / physics note
Matt rates the physics as decent. xAI reports better weight, momentum and fewer warps than its prior model, not a measured win over the other six.
Official workflow demo · Grok
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 official launch film
A vendor-edited launch reel containing multiple examples; it is not a single fresh generation.
FLUX 3 Video
Multi-shot scenes and a draft-to-final workflow that preserves the chosen scene and motion.
Explore FLUX 3 VideoThe official model page links to the BFL playground and API; higher delivery tiers are priced separately.
- Fresh runtime
- 20 seconds in one fresh generation
- Native / base
- HD draft and standard render path
- Delivery note
- Full-render delivery tiers extend through FHD, QHD and UHD. Higher tiers and draft enhancement are billed separately; this page does not call UHD a native base render.
- API example
- $0.17/sec · Standard HD, audio included
Practical advantage
Multi-shot composition, native audio, typography, multilingual dialogue and controlled iteration from a cheap draft into the selected final render.
Motion / physics note
The practical differentiator is preserving the chosen scene and motion from draft to final. Broad preference results are not a dedicated physics score.
Official example · Black Forest Labs
Running horses
An official animal-motion showcase from Black Forest Labs.
Google Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash
Cinematic generation with conversational editing and useful first- and last-frame controls.
Official Gemini Omni docsThis is the official model and documentation page, not a direct consumer generator interface.
- Fresh runtime
- 10 seconds before extension
- Native / base
- 720p base generation
- Delivery note
- 1080p and 4K outputs are upscaled. A 360p draft mode is also available.
- API example
- Approx. $0.10/sec · 720p video output
Practical advantage
Direct and revise a scene conversationally, control first and last frames, and use faster 360p drafts before higher-resolution delivery.
Motion / physics note
Matt likes its cinematic output and physics understanding. Google's world-knowledge positioning is not an independently measured head-to-head win.
Official workflow demo · Google
First- and last-frame interpolation
A workflow demonstration; its edited length is not the maximum for one fresh generation.
The admission board
API rates, with the conditions still attached.
These are headline examples, not a synthetic price winner. Resolutions, regions, promotions and billing paths differ.
| # | Tool | USD API example | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dreamina / Seedance 2.5 | Approx. $0.231/sec | 720p API example |
| 02 | HeyGen Video | From $0.01/sec | 480p — October promotion |
| 03 | Kling 4.0 Flagship | Not publicly verified | Kling 4.0 API |
| 04 | Wan 3.0 Standard | Approx. $0.082513/sec | 720p global rate |
| 05 | Grok Imagine Video 1.5 | $0.14/sec | 720p API output |
| 06 | FLUX 3 Video | $0.17/sec | Standard HD, audio included |
| 07 | Google Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash | Approx. $0.10/sec | 720p video output |
- 01
- Dreamina / Seedance 2.5
- USD API example
- Approx. $0.231/sec
- Condition
- 720p API example
- 02
- HeyGen Video
- USD API example
- From $0.01/sec
- Condition
- 480p — October promotion
- 03
- Kling 4.0 Flagship
- USD API example
- Not publicly verified
- Condition
- Kling 4.0 API
- 04
- Wan 3.0 Standard
- USD API example
- Approx. $0.082513/sec
- Condition
- 720p global rate
- 05
- Grok Imagine Video 1.5
- USD API example
- $0.14/sec
- Condition
- 720p API output
- 06
- FLUX 3 Video
- USD API example
- $0.17/sec
- Condition
- Standard HD, audio included
- 07
- Google Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash
- USD API example
- Approx. $0.10/sec
- Condition
- 720p video output
720p is a useful reference point, not an identical quality setting across vendors. HeyGen's row is promotional, Wan is region-dependent, FLUX separates drafts from final renders, Gemini adds input and text/thinking charges, and Kling 4.0 has no verified public rate.
Work with Matt
Need help choosing the right AI video stack?
Book a strategy hour with Matt to match the model, access path, budget and production workflow to the videos you actually need to make.
Want the longer, evergreen reference? Read Matt's Top AI Video Generators guide. This dated page preserves the ranking from the October 2026 video. Read the text version.
Production notes · evidence and sources
Method and caveats
The order is Matt's editorial judgment across output quality, motion, control, practical workflow and value. Specifications, access and prices were checked against official vendor pages on October 18, 2026. Official showcases help explain capabilities, but they are not matched laboratory tests and their file dimensions do not prove native model resolution.
#1 pricing and availability
Dreamina / Seedance 2.5
Token-based BytePlus estimate for a 16:9 output without video input. Aspect ratio, dimensions and reference-video input change the total.
- 480p: approximately $0.103 per second.
- 720p: approximately $0.231 per second.
- 1080p: approximately $0.569 per second.
- These are calculated API examples, not consumer Dreamina subscription prices.
#2 pricing and availability
HeyGen Video
The October 2026 launch promotion is 50% off. The standard 480p rate is $0.02 per second.
- October promotion — 480p: $0.010/sec; 768p: $0.015/sec; 1080p/2K: $0.045/sec.
- Standard — 480p: $0.02/sec; 768p: $0.03/sec; 1080p/2K: $0.09/sec.
- A 10-second 480p clip starts at $0.10 during the promotion.
#3 pricing and availability
Kling 4.0 Flagship
The developer pricing page exposes purchase options after client-side rendering, but a public Kling 4.0 per-second rate was not verified. Unknown does not mean free.
- No public Kling 4.0 per-second rate was verified on October 18, 2026.
- Earlier Kling model prices are not substituted for 4.0.
- Kling 4.0 Flash is a separate 20-second variant.
#4 pricing and availability
Wan 3.0 Standard
Rate shown for global regions including US, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Singapore is $0.10/sec at 720p.
- Global regions — 480p: $0.041256/sec; 720p: $0.082513/sec; 1080p: $0.165025/sec.
- Singapore — 480p: $0.05/sec; 720p: $0.10/sec; 1080p: $0.20/sec.
- Expired launch discounts and the separate Wan Prime product are excluded.
#5 pricing and availability
Grok Imagine Video 1.5
The API also charges $0.08/sec at 480p and $0.25/sec at 1080p. Extra input images are $0.01 each.
- 480p: $0.08/sec; 720p: $0.14/sec; 1080p: $0.25/sec.
- Input images are $0.01 each; preset voice audio input is free.
- Reference-to-video supports up to 14 images at 720p.
#6 pricing and availability
FLUX 3 Video
BFL's current official rate is $0.17/sec for text- or image-to-video at HD. Draft HD is $0.06/sec and the final enhanced render is billed separately.
- Text/image-to-video — Draft HD: $0.06/sec; standard HD: $0.17/sec; FHD: $0.29/sec; QHD: $0.40/sec; UHD: $0.80/sec.
- Draft enhancement is billed at the selected full-render tier.
- Video continuation and video-to-video use different rates.
#7 pricing and availability
Google Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash
Calculated from $17.50 per million video-output tokens at 5,792 tokens per 720p second. Input and text/thinking output are additional.
- 720p video output is approximately $0.10136 per second at the standard paid-tier token rate.
- Input media is billed at $1.50 per million tokens and text/thinking output at $9.00 per million tokens.
- 1080p and 4K delivery are upscaled outputs.