Free AI video generators in 2026: what each one really gives you for free

Many 'free AI video' lists are out of date: Pika, Luma and Grok no longer work the way they say. Here is what each tool's free plan includes, from the official pricing pages on November 2, 2026.

Most AI video tools now run on credits, and the free part keeps shrinking. Instead of ranking which one makes the 'best' video, this guide checks what you actually get without paying, on each company's own pricing page, on November 2, 2026. We have not tested output quality for this guide; prices are in US dollars and can change by country.

The short answer

To make a little every day for free: PixVerse, which gives 30 free credits a day on its free plan.

For a one-time trial of a professional tool: Runway, with 125 one-time credits — about 10 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 20 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo, by Runway's own credit table.

Also free to start: Vidu (free plan, 540p) and Hailuo (free credits for new users). Meta's Vibes has been free since launch.

No longer free on a monthly basis: Pika (free plan has 0 monthly credits), Luma (no free plan) and, according to press reports, Grok Imagine.

Illustration: AI generating video clips on a laptop (AI-generated image)

1. PixVerse — free credits every day

The free Basic plan gives 60 starting credits plus 30 daily credits. Daily credits renew at 00:00 UTC and expire at the end of the day if you don't use them, so it rewards making something every day rather than saving up.

Paid plans start at US$ 8/month on annual billing (US$ 96/year) and add 1,200 credits a month, up to 720p and no watermark. From the Pro plan up, PixVerse also gives access to third-party models such as Kling, MiniMax and Seedance.

PixVerse free Basic plan: 60 starting credits and 30 daily credits. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

2. Runway — 125 credits to try once

Runway's free plan includes 125 credits one time only, a selection of its models and 5 GB of storage. Runway's own table says 625 credits make 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 104 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo, so 125 credits are roughly 10 or 20 seconds.

Standard costs US$ 12/month on annual billing (US$ 15 month to month), with 625 credits a month and no watermark.

Runway plans: Free includes 125 one-time credits. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

3. Vidu — a free plan at 540p

Vidu has a US$ 0 plan that uses its Q4 model at 540p for 4 credits per second of video and includes 10 reference uses a month. The page does not say how many free credits the plan includes.

Standard is US$ 8.25/month on annual billing (US$ 99/year) with 800 credits a month, and halves the cost per second.

Vidu plans, including the US$ 0 Free plan. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

4. Hailuo (MiniMax) — free credits for new accounts

Hailuo says new users receive free credits to start creating video, with its new MiniMax H3 model. It does not say how many. Paid plans start at US$ 9.99/month.

5. Meta Vibes — free, for now

Vibes, Meta's AI video feed, lets you create a video from scratch or remix one from the feed, and has been free since launch. In February 2026 Meta said it would test paid subscriptions for more monthly creations, and it has not published a free quota.

Kling: check before counting on it

Kling's paid plans start at US$ 6.99 for the first month, then US$ 8.80/month. On its plans page (November 2, 2026) the daily free credits are listed as a benefit for subscribers. Third-party guides disagree on whether free accounts still get daily credits, so check your own account.

Kling plans: daily free credits are listed as a subscriber benefit. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

Lists that are out of date

Pika: the free plan now shows 0 credits a month — you buy credit packs.

Luma: no free plan on its pricing page; individual plans start at US$ 30/month.

Google Gemini: the free plan includes image tools in Google Flow, but video generation is listed as a benefit of the paid Google AI Plus and Pro plans.

Grok Imagine: its site blocks automated checks, and press reports say video generation was limited to SuperGrok subscribers in 2026. We could not confirm it.

Pika: the Free plan shows 0 credits a month. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

Luma: plans from US$ 30/month, no free plan. Source: official pricing page, Nov 2, 2026.

How to get more from free credits

Write the prompt and test it on a still image first, when the tool offers images: an image costs fewer credits than a video.

Generate short clips (5 seconds) and join them in a free editor instead of asking for one long video.

Use daily credits before they expire (PixVerse) and keep one-time credits (Runway) for the final version.

Illustration: joining short clips into one video (AI-generated image)

Sources

Pricing pages checked on November 2, 2026.

PixVerse — plans: app.pixverse.ai/subscribe

Vidu — pricing: vidu.com/pricing

Runway — pricing: runwayml.com/pricing

Hailuo (MiniMax): hailuoai.video/subscribe

Kling AI — membership: app.klingai.com/global/membership/membership-pl…

Pika — pricing: pika.art/pricing

Luma — pricing: lumalabs.ai/pricing

Google Gemini — plans: gemini.google/subscriptions

TechCrunch, 05/02/2026 (Meta Vibes): techcrunch.com/2026/02/05/meta-tests-a-standalo…

LatestLY (Grok Imagine): latestly.com/socially/technology/xai-restricts-…