Hailuo AI
The best budget AI video generator. MiniMax's cost effective tool produces up to 1080p 10 second clips from text and images using a credit based system starting at $9.99/mo.
What it is
Hailuo AI is the best budget option for AI video generation. Built by MiniMax, it creates video clips up to 10 seconds long from text descriptions or reference images using a credit based subscription system, with plans starting at $9.99/mo. While it may not match the absolute highest quality on every benchmark, Hailuo consistently delivers strong results at a price point that makes AI video generation accessible to creators, marketers, and hobbyists who would otherwise find premium tools too expensive. Hailuo is part of MiniMax's broader AI ecosystem, which includes frontier language models (M2.5), audio synthesis, and the Talkie character AI platform. MiniMax has also introduced the MiniMax Token Plan, a new pricing and access model that provides a unified token based system for accessing Hailuo and other MiniMax services.
Who it is for
Budget conscious creators who want AI video generation starting at $9.99/mo instead of paying $20 to $250 per month for premium tools
Social media marketers producing short video content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts
Experimenters and hobbyists exploring AI video generation without a large financial commitment
Small businesses that need video content but cannot afford traditional video production or expensive AI tools
Content creators who generate high volumes of short clips and need to keep per clip costs low
Educators creating visual explainers and demonstrations on a limited budget
Pros and cons
Pros
- +Most cost effective AI video generator on the market; a 768p 6 second clip costs around $0.25 on the Standard plan, and even 1080p runs about $0.80 per clip
- +Free tier available for testing quality before committing to a subscription
- +1080p output quality is solid for the price point
- +Both text to video and image to video generation supported
- +Rapid iteration cycles with quick generation times
- +Backed by MiniMax, a well funded publicly traded company with over $1.5 billion raised, ensuring continued model improvements
- +No Google, OpenAI, or other Big Tech account required; standalone product
Cons
- −Video quality does not consistently match top tier output of Veo 3.1 or Runway Gen 4.5 on the most demanding prompts
- −No native audio generation; clips are silent (unlike Veo 3 which generates synchronized dialogue and sound effects)
- −Maximum clip length of 10 seconds is shorter than some competitors like Sora (20 seconds) or Kling (up to 3 minutes)
- −Limited camera control options compared to Google's Flow or Runway's director tools
- −Free tier includes watermarks on all generated content
- −MiniMax is based in China, which may raise data privacy considerations for some users
Pricing
- Limited trial credits
- 768p max resolution
- Text to video
- 1,000 credits per month
- 1080p HD video support
- Watermark free downloads
- 4,500 credits per month
- 10 second 1080p HD videos
- Watermark free downloads
- 2 parallel tasks
- 10,500 credits per month
- 10 second 1080p HD videos
- Watermark free downloads
- 12,000 credits per month
- Unlimited Hailuo 1.0 models
- 10 second 1080p HD videos
- 20,000 credits per month
- Unlimited Relax Mode (1.0 and 2.0 models)
- 10 second 1080p HD videos
Prices change; check the official pricing →