2026 Review
Hailuo AI
MiniMax's video generator turning text and images into short cinematic clips, with free daily credits.
Facts checked Aug 10, 2026
About Hailuo AI
Hailuo AI is the consumer video generator from Chinese AI lab MiniMax, producing short cinematic clips from text prompts or reference images. Its Hailuo 02 and 2.3 models earned a reputation for realistic physics and expressive character motion, and the new MiniMax H3 model adds native multimodal generation and editing. A free tier with daily credits makes it one of the cheapest ways to experiment with AI video; paid plans start at $9.99/month.
At a glance
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Shanghai, CN
- Platforms
- Web
Integrates with
Main competitors
Best for
Pros
- Free daily credits refresh forever - most rivals only give a one-time trial pot
- Motion realism and physics among the best in its price class
- Paid plans from $9.99/mo undercut Runway and most Western rivals
- Watermark-free downloads and commercial use on paid tiers
Cons
- Clips are short (6-10 seconds); no native long-form or audio-synced dialogue like Google Flow's Veo 3
- Credits are consumed even by failed or discarded generations
- Trustpilot (1.4) is full of billing and credit-deduction complaints, and support is slow
- Chinese data jurisdiction and content filters may concern enterprise users
Our verdict
Best for: Social creators and hobbyists who want lots of decent AI video clips for the lowest cost of entry - or free.
Skip if: You need long clips, synced dialogue and audio, or enterprise support - look at Google Flow or Runway instead.
Our review
Editorial score: 4.2 out of 5Hailuo AI's pitch is simple: frontier-adjacent video quality at prices - and a free tier - that make Western rivals look expensive. The Hailuo 02 and 2.3 models punch well above their cost in motion realism, especially for human characters, and the daily free credit refresh is genuinely renewable rather than a one-time teaser. For social creators grinding out short clips, the cost per usable video is about the lowest in the category.
The trade-offs are real. Clips top out around 10 seconds with no native dialogue audio, so anything narrative needs external editing and sound. The credit system charges for failed generations, which stings when prompts misfire, and the 1.4 Trustpilot score reflects a pattern of billing complaints and slow support. Enterprise buyers will also weigh the Chinese data jurisdiction and opaque content filters.
The new MiniMax H3 model and the company's January 2026 Hong Kong listing suggest the product will keep improving quickly - MiniMax now has public-market money and ships fast. But the platform increasingly resembles a busy consumer app, with template feeds and effect packs crowding the core generator.
Verdict: the best free entry point into AI video and a top value pick for short social clips. Pay for Runway or Google Flow when you need longer, audio-synced, or client-safe work; use Hailuo when volume and cost matter most.
What reviewers elsewhere say
62% positive — Creator communities praise output quality and value; Trustpilot skews very negative on credit deductions, billing, and unresponsive support.
Trustpilot 1.4 out of 5
Sentiment estimated from reviews on Trustpilot, Reddit, Product Hunt, as of Aug 2026. Third-party scores are point-in-time snapshots. We don't host user reviews.
Key features
- Text-to-video and image-to-video with the MiniMax H3, Hailuo 2.3, and Hailuo 02 models
- Free tier with daily credit refresh - keep generating without a card on file
- Subject and character reference to keep the same face across clips
- Director-style camera controls (pan, zoom, tracking shots) via prompt commands
- Template library for trending effects and one-click social formats
- Developer API for Hailuo video models via the MiniMax open platform
How to use Hailuo AI
- Sign up free at hailuoai.video - daily credits are granted automatically.
- Pick a model (MiniMax H3 for quality, older Hailuo models for cheaper credits) and write a prompt, or upload a reference image.
- Add camera directions like [Pan left] or [Zoom in] to control the shot.
- Generate, then iterate - short prompts with one clear action work best.
- Upgrade to a paid tier for watermark-free 1080p downloads and commercial rights.
Pricing
Daily credit refresh (roughly 3-5 short videos/day), 720p with watermark, no commercial use.
Entry paid tier: monthly credit pool, watermark-free 1080p downloads, commercial use.
Larger credit pool, 10-second 1080p generations, parallel generation queue.
Highest credit allowance plus unlimited relax-mode generations on older models for heavy users.
Pricing verified August 2026 · prices as listed by the vendor; check the official site for current offers.
Try Hailuo AI (opens in a new tab)Frequently asked questions
What is Hailuo AI?
Hailuo AI is a text-to-video and image-to-video generator from MiniMax, a Shanghai-based AI company. It produces short cinematic clips (roughly 6-10 seconds) and is known for realistic motion, character consistency, and a free tier with daily credits.
How much does Hailuo AI cost?
There is a free tier with a daily credit refresh (about 3-5 short videos a day, watermarked). Paid plans start at $9.99/month for watermark-free downloads and commercial use, scaling up through roughly $25/month and a $199.99/month heavy-user tier with larger credit pools.
Is Hailuo AI really free?
Yes, within limits. Free credits refresh daily rather than being a one-time trial, so casual users can keep generating indefinitely. Free videos are 720p, watermarked, and not licensed for commercial use.
Does Hailuo AI have an API?
Yes - MiniMax offers the Hailuo video models (plus its language, speech, and music models) through its open platform API, so developers can generate video programmatically.
Hailuo AI vs Kling AI - which should I choose?
Both are Chinese-built generators with strong quality-per-dollar. Choose Hailuo for character consistency, camera-direction prompts, and its renewable free tier; choose Kling AI for longer clips and its larger effects ecosystem. For synced audio and dialogue, Google Flow's Veo models lead both.
Tags
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