Last updated: January 2026
What Is Hailuo AI?
Hailuo AI is a multimodal creative studio that lives entirely in your browser, turning text prompts, still images, or both into short video clips with motion, lighting, and optional voice-over. Powered by MiniMax's latest generation models, the platform gives solo creators, marketing agencies, and classroom hobbyists access to what feels like a Hollywood pre-visualization department—for free.
The headline feature is text-to-video generation: write up to 2,000 characters describing your scene, and Hailuo AI produces a 6-second 720p-1080p clip complete with realistic motion, physics, and camera movement. But the platform goes deeper, bundling image generation, text-to-speech with 300+ voices, and lightning-fast voice cloning into a single creative environment.
What sets Hailuo AI apart from competitors like Runway or Pika is its granular camera path control. You're not just generating video—you're directing it, specifying exactly how the camera pans, tilts, and zooms throughout the clip. This level of control was previously available only in professional 3D software.
Key Features Explained
Text-to-Video Generation
The core experience. Write a detailed description of your scene—"A astronaut walking through a neon-lit cyberpunk market, steam rising from food stalls, rain falling, camera tracking from behind"—hit Generate, and watch Hailuo AI produce a cinematic clip in minutes.
The model handles complex physics: water splashing, fabric flowing, objects falling, people walking naturally. Subject interaction is realistic—characters can pick up objects, look at each other, react to their environment. The result feels genuinely cinematic rather than slideshow-adjacent.
Prompt length up to 2,000 characters allows for detailed scene descriptions. The more specific you are about lighting, mood, camera angle, and action, the better the results.
Image-to-Video Animator
Have a high-res product shot, piece of concept art, or photograph? Hailuo AI can animate it, adding subtle parallax, depth-based motion, and scene action while preserving the original subject's appearance. This is ideal for creating punchy social content from existing brand assets or bringing illustrations to life.
The animation respects the original composition—faces don't warp, products stay recognizable, and the motion feels natural rather than artificially imposed. For product-focused animated content, this feature alone justifies exploring the platform.
Prompt Enhancer & DeepSeek Brainstorming
Stuck on what to type? The built-in prompt enhancer rewrites rough ideas into structured cinematic prompts. Type "car chase at night" and receive a detailed expansion: "High-speed sports car chase through rain-slicked city streets at midnight, neon reflections on wet asphalt, dramatic Dutch angle, camera mounted on lead vehicle..."
DeepSeek integration suggests fresh creative angles, alternative moods, and narrative variations. It's like having a writers' room brainstorming partner available on demand. For full video production with avatars and voiceover, see Vidu AI.
Director-Level Camera Control
A visual path editor lets you define exactly how the camera moves through your scene. Set keyframes for pans, tilts, zooms, and tracking shots at precise timestamps. Mimic a drone fly-through one moment, switch to a tight close-up the next, execute a dramatic crane lift—all without touching traditional 3D software.
Camera presets offer quick starting points (cinematic, documentary, music video, action), but the real power is in customization. This feature distinguishes Hailuo AI from competitors that offer limited or no camera control.
AI-Assisted Editing
Trim clips, reorder sequences, and apply effects directly in the browser. Quick visual presets—sci-fi neon, noir, dreamy pastel, vintage film—snap onto your clips instantly, letting you test multiple looks before committing to a final style.
MiniMax Audio: TTS & Voice Cloning
Need narration for your video? Paste a script (up to 10,000 characters) and select from 300+ neural voices spanning multiple languages, accents, and speaking styles. Or clone your own voice with just a 10-second audio sample.
Emotional inflection sliders let you adjust how happy, sad, angry, or calm the voice sounds. Combined with video generation, you can create complete narrated content without recording audio yourself.
Real-World Use Cases
Social Media Content at Scale
Marketing teams generate dozens of short clips for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts in a single session. Each clip can test different visual styles, hooks, and moods without traditional production overhead.
Product Teasers and Announcements
E-commerce brands animate product images into dynamic reveal videos. A static product shot becomes a cinematic unboxing or lifestyle scene.
Prototype Trailers
Game developers, filmmakers, and content creators use Hailuo AI to visualize concepts before committing to full production. Test whether an idea works visually before investing significant resources.
Classroom Storytelling Projects
Educators and students create visual narratives for presentations and projects. The free tier makes it accessible for educational contexts with limited budgets.
Music Video Concepts
Musicians visualize video concepts, test aesthetic directions, and create promotional clips without hiring production crews.
Pricing (2026)
See official pricing for current rates. Hailuo AI uses a blended subscription-plus-credit model.
Free Plan — $0/month. Daily bonus credits replenish automatically, three tasks in queue at once, 720p exports with watermark, longer wait times during peak hours. Genuinely usable for testing and light personal projects.
Standard Plan — $9.99–14.99/month (prices vary by region). 1,000 credits monthly, watermark-free downloads, fast-track generation priority, two simultaneous renders, 1080p export.
Unlimited Plan — $94.99/month. No credit cap on the Hailuo02 engine, five-job queue, priority access to new features, fastest rendering speeds, dedicated support.
One-Time Credit Packs — For users who don't want subscriptions: 20 credits for $24.90 (~$1.25 each), scaling down to 300 credits for $88.90 (under $0.30 each). Credits never expire once purchased.
Typical consumption: A 6-second HD clip costs roughly 30-50 credits depending on complexity. Heavy users generating dozens of clips daily will find the Unlimited plan economical.
Pros and Cons
What We Like
Text-to-video and image-to-video in one platform
300+ voice options plus custom voice cloning
Director-level camera path control—rare among AI video tools
Genuinely generous free tier with daily credit refresh
Credits never expire on credit pack purchases
Built-in prompt enhancer and brainstorming tools
17+ languages supported for voice generation
Emotional inflection control for TTS
What Could Be Better
Video clips currently limited to ~6 seconds maximum
Free tier queues can stretch into hours during peak times
Watermark on free exports limits professional use
Credit consumption can be unpredictable for new users
Unlimited plan at $95/month is steep for casual users
Hailuo AI vs. Alternatives
vs. Vidu AI: Vidu AI creates longer videos with avatar presenters, Brand Kits, and full scene building. Hailuo AI excels at short-form clips with granular camera control. Vidu for comprehensive video production, Hailuo for quick creative clips.
vs. LTX Studio: LTX Studio focuses on storyboarding, pre-visualization, and pitch deck creation. Hailuo AI outputs finished video clips. LTX for planning, Hailuo for execution.
vs. Arcads AI: Arcads creates UGC-style talking-head video ads with AI actors. Hailuo AI generates cinematic footage and motion. Arcads for ad creative, Hailuo for visual content.
vs. Klap AI: Klap repurposes existing long-form videos into short clips. Hailuo creates entirely new video content. Different workflows for different needs.
vs. Runway: Runway offers more editing tools and longer clips but costs significantly more. Hailuo AI's free tier and camera control make it compelling for budget-conscious creators.
vs. Pika: Pika focuses on stylized, artistic animation. Hailuo AI delivers more realistic motion and includes built-in TTS. Pika for artistic style, Hailuo for realism and voice.
vs. Kling: Kling handles longer-form motion better (up to 10 seconds). Hailuo AI offers superior prompt adherence and more granular camera controls. Trade-offs depend on your priority.
Tips for Best Results
Be specific about camera movement: "Camera slowly pans left while tracking subject" produces better results than "moving camera."
Describe lighting explicitly: "Golden hour backlighting" or "harsh overhead noon sun" gives the AI clear direction.
Use the prompt enhancer: Even if you have a clear vision, running your prompt through the enhancer often adds details you hadn't considered.
Start with free tier: The daily credits are enough to learn the platform before committing money.
Generate variations: Don't settle for the first output. Generate 3-4 versions and select the best.
FAQ
Is Hailuo AI really free?
Yes. Anyone can sign up, claim daily bonus credits, and generate watermarked videos at 720p. The free tier is genuinely usable, not just a demo. Expect longer queue times during peak hours.
How long are the videos?
Currently, clips top out at about 6 seconds (24 FPS). Longer clip support is reportedly in development, but nothing official yet.
Can I use Hailuo AI output commercially?
Paid subscribers (Standard or Unlimited) own the IP of generated content and can use it commercially in ads, YouTube, client work, etc. Free-plan clips with watermarks are restricted to personal or educational use.
How many credits does one video consume?
It varies by resolution and complexity, but a standard 720p generation typically uses 30-50 credits. Higher resolutions and more complex scenes cost more.
Does Hailuo AI support languages other than English?
For video prompts, English and Chinese produce the most consistent results, though the model understands many languages. The voice engine supports 17+ languages with authentic regional accents.
How does it compare to Runway, Veo, or Kling?
Google's Veo 3 leads on cinematic realism. Kling handles longer-form motion. Hailuo AI punches above its weight for prompt adherence and camera control—especially considering the generous free tier that competitors don't match.
Final Verdict
If you need short, stylized video clips fast, Hailuo AI is an accessible powerhouse. The free plan genuinely works for testing ideas and light personal use. Paid tiers unlock watermark-free exports and dramatically shorter wait times. The combination of text-to-video, image-to-video, TTS, and voice cloning in one platform makes it a one-stop shop for TikTok content, prototype trailers, and visual storytelling projects.
The 6-second limit is real, and queues can frustrate during peak times. But for the price point—especially free—the creative velocity Hailuo AI enables is remarkable. Give the free tier a serious try before judging based on limitations.
