Video
Video is where the biggest year-on-year jump has happened, and also where costs bite. In 2026 no single model runs away with it: Sora, Veo and Kling sit at roughly the same quality tier for cinematic shots, and each owns a different corner of the workflow.
Before you generate a single clip, three things will save you a lot of money:
- Storyboard with images first. Stills cost cents, video costs dollars. Get the shot right as a frame, then animate it.
- Start from an image, not from text. Nearly every tool accepts a starting frame, and image-to-video gives you far more control over composition than describing it again in words.
- Describe motion and camera, not the scene. "Slow dolly in, she lowers the cup and looks off-frame left." A scene description with no motion gets you a slow ambient drift.
Google Veo
Generates native synchronised audio — dialogue, ambience and effects — alongside the picture, which no competitor matches as cleanly. Very strong photorealism and physical plausibility. The default for realistic marketing and product work where a silent clip isn't a deliverable, and priced aggressively in its fast mode.
Sora (OpenAI)
The strongest physical-world simulation of the group — objects have weight, water behaves, things occlude correctly — plus longer coherent shots and strong narrative concepting. The premium option, priced per second, and the one to reach for when the shot has to feel real rather than merely look good.
Kling
The value leader, and genuinely excellent at high-motion scenes and multi-shot sequences that keep the same subject across cuts. Roughly a fraction of Sora's per-second cost, which changes what you can afford to iterate on. If you need volume, start here.
Runway
The filmmaker's toolkit rather than a pure generator. Best-in-class explicit camera control, plus a real editing suite around it — inpainting into video, motion brush, style transfer across frames, and frame-accurate control. The choice when you know exactly what the camera should do.
Luma Dream Machine
Fast, fluid, natural motion with a strong sense of three-dimensional space, and a generous free tier. A good place to learn video generation without spending much, and strong at dreamlike, flowing camera work.
Pika
Playful and accessible, with genuinely novel effects and strong character animation. Less of a cinematic tool, more of a creative one — good for social content, stylised motion and ideas you'd struggle to brief anywhere else.
Hailuo (MiniMax)
Punches well above its price for character motion and expression, with a usable free tier. Frequently the best quality-per-credit for talking or performing subjects.