Zhipu Qingying 智谱清影 (CogVideoX) vs Kling 可灵 vs Hailuo AI 海螺视频 vs Vidu
A side-by-side look at scores, pricing and features — with RECATOOLS' ASEAN-aware verdict for each.
Zhipu Qingying 智谱清影 (CogVideoX)
Zhipu's AI video generator, from the Qingyan app to a ¥1-a-clip API
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Kling 可灵
Kuaishou's AI video generator, with native audio, 4K output and an API
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Hailuo AI 海螺视频
MiniMax's AI video app, now on the H3 model with Veo and Sora access
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Vidu
Shengshu Technology's AI video generator, built around consistent char...
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| RECATOOLS Score | 7.3 / 10 | 7.8 / 10 | 7 / 10 | 7.4 / 10 |
| Capability | ||||
| Value for money | ||||
| Ease of use | ||||
| ASEAN readiness | ||||
| API quality | ||||
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free tier | CogVideoX-Flash is free on the bigmodel.cn API; chatglm.cn offers sign-in credits; open CogVideoX weights (2B Apache 2.0) are free to self-host | Basic plan: monthly free credits claimed on login (amount not published); no commercial use, HD/4K or watermark removal; 1 video per generation | One-time free trial credits for new users, Hailuo models only; paid plans remove watermarks | Free plan: Q4 at 540p for 4 credits a second, 10 references a month and sign-in bonus credits; no commercial-use licence |
| Paid from | ¥1 (about $0.14) per CogVideoX-3 API video, 5s or 10s up to 4K, in-app pricing behind login | $8.80/month (Standard, billed monthly; first month $6.99) or $79.20/year | Standard $10.50/mo billed monthly (list $14.99) or $8.40/mo billed yearly | $10/month (Standard, 800 credits) or $99/year |
| Has API | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free to use | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Users | — | 100M+ global registered users (60M reported Jan 2026 at CES) | — | — |
| Founded | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 |
| Maker | Zhipu AI (北京智谱华章科技股份有限公司, HKEX: 2513) | Kuaishou Technology | MiniMax (MiniMax Group Inc., HKEX: 0100) | Shengshu Technology (生数科技) |
| Verdict | Qingying is a cheap, capable hosted video generator: CogVideoX-3 makes 5- or 10-second clips up to 4K for ¥1 each through the API, and a free CogVideoX-Flash model suits prototyping. The open-weight CogVideoX line (2B un... |
Kling is one of the strongest commercial AI video generators: Kling 3.0 adds native audio and 4K output, motion control and an API priced per second, and Kuaishou's own results show it earning real money, above RMB 850 m... |
Hailuo has become a capable, good-value AI video app, with MiniMax's new H3 model producing longer, higher-resolution clips with sound and paid plans bundling rival models such as Veo and Sora. Public reviews are dominat... |
Vidu's strength is consistency: reference-to-video keeps the same character or product recognisable across clips, and Q3 and Q4 add native audio at up to 16 seconds. Entry pricing is low at $10 a month, paid plans includ... |
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Comparisons cover up to 4 tools. Scores are RECATOOLS editorial assessments; verify current pricing on each vendor's site.