Kling AI vs Luma Dream Machine vs MiniMax Hailuo vs Google Veo 3
A side-by-side look at Kling AI, Luma Dream Machine, MiniMax Hailuo and Google Veo 3 for filmmakers: what each one can do, what it costs, and where they actually differ.
-
Text, image and video-reference AI video with native audio, lip-sync and shot storyboarding
- Price
- See the vendor's pricing page
- Learning
- Moderate
- Best for
- Character-driven short films that need the same actor across many shots
-
Agent-run video and image studio with Ray3.2 camera control and multi-model access
- Price
- From $30/month (Plus), or $25/month billed yearly ($300/yr)
- Learning
- Moderate
- Best for
- Storyboard-driven shorts and ads where keyframe timing matters (Ray3.2 and Scenes)
-
Chinese AI lab behind the H3 video model: cheap per-second 2K clips with native audio, open weights
- Price
- API: H3 from $0.08/s (768P) or $0.13/s (2K); see the vendor's pricing page for consumer plans.
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Retry-heavy B-roll: generate several 768P variants, then regenerate the best one at 2K
-
Google's Veo 3.1 video model: up to 4K clips with native audio via Gemini API and Flow
- Price
- Gemini API: $0.05 to $0.60 per generated second depending on tier and resolution. Consumer access via Google AI Plus from EUR 4.99/mo (200 Flow credits).
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Previs and animatics for narrative scenes where audio matters from the first pass
The short version
Where they differ
- Google Veo 3 is the only one without text to image.
- Only Luma Dream Machine offers third-party models.
- Only MiniMax Hailuo offers desktop / local.
All 4 offer: text to video, image to video, public API.
Feature by feature
Kling AI vs Luma Dream Machine vs MiniMax Hailuo vs Google Veo 3: capabilities
| Kling AI | Luma Dream Machine | MiniMax Hailuo | Google Veo 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | See the vendor's pricing page | From $30/month (Plus), or $25/month billed yearly ($300/yr) | API: H3 from $0.08/s (768P) or $0.13/s (2K); see the vendor's pricing page for consumer plans. | Gemini API: $0.05 to $0.60 per generated second depending on tier and resolution. Consumer access via Google AI Plus from EUR 4.99/mo (200 Flow credits). |
| Infinite canvas | Partial | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Node / flow builder | Not confirmed | Partial | No | Not confirmed |
| AI agent | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Chat assistant | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | Partial |
| Team collaboration | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Text to image | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Image editing | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | No |
| Text to video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Image to video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video to video | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Native audio in video | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Lip-sync | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Voice / TTS | Partial | Yes | Yes | No |
| Music & SFX | Not confirmed | Yes | Partial | No |
| Upscaling | Not confirmed | Yes | Partial | Not confirmed |
| Character consistency | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Camera control | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Custom training | Not confirmed | Partial | Not confirmed | No |
| Third-party models | No | Yes | No | No |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Not confirmed | Partial | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Desktop / local | No | No | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | No | Partial | No |
| Free tier | Yes | Not confirmed | Partial | No |
| Commercial use | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page. "Not confirmed" means the vendor doesn't say.
Plans
Pricing compared
Kling AI
| Free | $0monthly |
|---|
Luma Dream Machine
| Plus | $30monthly, or $25/mo billed yearly ($300/yr) |
|---|---|
| Pro | $90monthly, or $75/mo billed yearly ($900/yr) |
| Ultra | $300monthly, or $250/mo billed yearly ($3,000/yr) |
| Team | Contact salescustom |
| Enterprise | Contact salescustom |
MiniMax Hailuo
| H3 768P (API) | $0.08per second of output |
|---|---|
| H3 2K (API) | $0.13per second of output |
| H3-Max 480P (API) | $0.05per second of output |
| H3-Regeneration (API) | $0.05per second of regenerated output |
| Hailuo-2.3 768P 6s (API, legacy) | $0.28per video |
Google Veo 3
| Gemini API Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.05/s (720p), $0.08/s (1080p)usage |
|---|---|
| Gemini API Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.10/s (720p), $0.12/s (1080p), $0.30/s (4K)usage |
| Gemini API Veo 3.1 Standard | $0.40/s (720p and 1080p), $0.60/s (4K)usage |
| Google AI Plus | EUR 4.99monthly |
| Google AI Pro | EUR 21.99monthly |
| Google AI Ultra | EUR 99.99 (5x limits) or EUR 219.99 (20x limits)monthly |
The verdict
Which one should you pick?
Kling AI
Pick it for
- Character-driven short films that need the same actor across many shots
- Previs and storyboard visualisation from shot-by-shot prompts
- Multi-language talking-head and dubbed social content
Stands out
- Video 3.0 Omni reference system: carries a character's look, expressions and voice traits from reference clips into new shots
- Storyboarding sets duration, shot size, perspective and camera movement per shot, which few generators expose this directly
Watch out
- Free output is watermarked and not for commercial use
- Lip-sync and voice are less of a focus than dedicated voice tools (ElevenLabs, HeyGen)
Luma Dream Machine
Pick it for
- Storyboard-driven shorts and ads where keyframe timing matters (Ray3.2 and Scenes)
- Agencies producing one hero spot resized to many placements (Variants)
- Creature and character motion with consistent references (Master Reference Assets)
Stands out
- Agent-run workflow: Luma Agents plan, select models, generate and iterate from a brief, with a separate Brainstorm mode that doesn't spend credits on renders.
- Shot-level control on Ray3.2: up to 16 keyframes per clip, frame-by-frame direction, and Luma Scenes storyboards you can retime before rendering.
Watch out
- Entry price is $30/month, above the $15 Runway Standard list price
- Agent credit usage makes it hard to predict clips per plan before buying
MiniMax Hailuo
Pick it for
- Retry-heavy B-roll: generate several 768P variants, then regenerate the best one at 2K
- Image-to-video shots that need a locked first frame from a still or storyboard panel
- Keeping one character, product or voice consistent across shots with reference inputs
Stands out
- Published per-second API pricing you can budget against: $0.08/s at 768P, $0.13/s at 2K, $0.05/s for 480P H3-Max.
- H3-Regeneration takes a 768P render to 2K at $0.05/s, so you can generate cheap variants and only upscale the picks.
Watch out
- Hard 15 second cap per clip, and durations are whole seconds only
- Local open weights top out at 768P; 2K needs the hosted API
Google Veo 3
Pick it for
- Previs and animatics for narrative scenes where audio matters from the first pass
- Short commercial or music-video B-roll at 4K on 8-second shots
- Exploring shot options cheaply with Veo 3.1 Lite before paying for Standard
Stands out
- Native audio is generated with the picture (dialogue, SFX, ambience) and is included in the listed per-second price, not a separate charge.
- 4K output on 8-second clips, where most competitors top out at 1080p in the same price band (Veo's own 4K tier costs $0.60 per second).
Watch out
- 8-second maximum per generation; longer shots need extensions or stitching
- Extension only works at 720p and only on Veo-generated footage
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page, checked against vendor pricing and changelog pages (oldest check: ). Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Build a different comparison →