Pika
Creative apps on Pika 2.5 and third-party video, image and audio models
Overview
Pika is an AI creative platform from Mellis, Inc. that began in 2023 as a Discord text-to-video bot. Since a September 2026 relaunch it offers more than 25 apps for video, image and sound built on its own Pika 2.5 model and on third-party models such as Seedance, GPT Image and MiniMax H3. A separate Pika API Club sells access to more than 70 models through one API.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- All models
- 2 video and 8 image or audio generations in parallel
- No watermark
- No commercial licence
- All models
- 8 video and 32 image or audio generations in parallel
- No watermark
- Commercial licence
- Unlimited parallel generations
- Commercial licence
- Priority queue
- Early access to new models from $440/month
- All models
- Unlimited parallel generations
- Commercial licence
- Dedicated support
- Packs up to $1,000 for 66,000 credits
- Top-up credits expire 365 days after purchase
- Usable on pika.art only, not the API or iOS app
Use cases
What you can produce with Pika
- Short clips or multi-shot videos up to 30 seconds with sound from Video Studio
- Image-to-video and keyframe-to-keyframe animation with Pika 2.5 at up to 1080p
- Styled product images from a phone photo with Product Shot
- Colour-graded or extended footage with the Color Grade and Extend Video apps
- Speech, music, sound effects and soundtracks matched to a clip from Pika's audio models
- Access to more than 70 video, image, audio and language models through one Pika API Club key
The relaunched Pika is a credit-priced front end to many models: Video Studio, Product Shot, Color Grade and audio apps run on Pika 2.5 or on third-party models such as Seedance, and Pika says its Seedance pricing undercuts other platforms. The $10-a-month API Club extends the same idea to developers.
Read the plan details before paying. The free account has no monthly credits, commercial use starts at the $35 Creator plan, credits do not roll over, and Trustpilot reviews dwell on credits and unanswered support. Worth a look for cheap multi-model access; not for anyone expecting the old Pikaffects-first app.
What we found
Pika began in late April 2023 as a text-to-video bot on Discord, built by Stanford PhD students Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng, and became known for Pikaffects, one-click effects that melt, inflate or crush an object. The operating company is Mellis, Inc. It raised $55 million in its first six months, with a Lightspeed-led Series A announced in November 2023, and The Decoder reported an $80 million round in June 2024 that valued it at $470 million.
On 17 September 2026 Pika relaunched as a general creative platform. The new pika.art puts more than 25 apps, such as Video Studio, Product Shot, Color Grade and Extend Video, on top of other companies' models, including Seedance, GPT Image and MiniMax H3, alongside Pika's own. Apps choose a model automatically unless you pick one. Video Studio makes clips or multi-shot videos up to 30 seconds with sound. Pika 2.5 remains its own flagship video model, producing silent clips at up to 1080p. In August Pika added its own audio models, including Pika Speech, and launched the Pika API Club, a $10 monthly membership selling more than 70 models through one key at near-wholesale prices.
Pricing changed with the relaunch. The free account now carries no monthly credits; generating requires a credit pack, from $25 for 1,500 credits. Starter is $10 a month, Creator $35 and Fancy from $95, about 20% less billed yearly, and only Creator and above include a commercial licence. Plan credits do not roll over and payments are non-refundable.
Billing is where users complain. On Trustpilot, read on 14 October 2026, Pika scored 1.7 from 73 reviews, 83% one-star, on an unclaimed profile, with recent reviews describing credits running out and support not replying. The help-centre FAQ still describes the old plans, so read the pricing page instead. Pika is now worth considering for low-cost access to many models; its original effects are no longer the point.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
Notable facts
- Pika gained 500,000 users in its first week of public launch in November 2023 — without any paid advertising.
- Both founders dropped out of their Stanford PhD programmes to start Pika after realising the commercial potential of their video generation research.
- Pika's 'Pikaffect' features can transform a photo of a birthday cake into a video of candles melting or the cake inflating — based on a single one-word prompt.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Pika's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Pika unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
For the latest details, please refer to Pika directly →
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