Vidu
Shengshu Technology's AI video generator, built around consistent characters
Overview
Vidu is the AI video generator from Shengshu Technology, a Tsinghua University spin-out in Beijing. It makes text-, image- and reference-to-video clips of up to 16 seconds with consistent characters and native audio, now on the Vidu Q4 Preview model, and sells credits to developers through an API platform that also offers the real-time S2 model.
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 These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete.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.
- Q4 model at 540P, 4 credits per second
- 10 references a month
- Q4 at 540P, 2 credits per second
- Dedicated fast generation channel
- 3-16s videos, up to 4 at once
- Commercial use of generated content
- Off-peak quota of 20 videos a day
- Dedicated ultra-fast channel
- H.265 Pro / H.264 Pro encoding
- Commercial use of generated content
- Off-peak quota of 200 videos a day
- Dedicated ultra-fast channel
- Commercial use of generated content
- Packs from 30,000 to 4,000,000 credits, valid 12 months
- Q-series video and S2 real-time model
- Enterprise plan with fine-tuning and private deployment on quote
Use cases
What you can produce with Vidu
- Short videos from text prompts, still images or several reference images, up to 16 seconds
- The same character or product kept recognisable across separate clips
- Clips with dialogue, sound effects and music generated with the picture
- First-and-last-frame transitions between two images
- Up to four variations generated at once on paid plans, cleared for commercial use
- Video generation built into apps through a credit-based API, including the real-time S2 model
ASEAN Perspective
Vidu in Southeast Asia
清华系学术背景是其差异化标签。国际版（vidu.studio）面向海外开发者提供 API。
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 include commercial rights, and the API is pay-as-you-go.
The higher tiers got much dearer in 2026, Ultimate's credit allowance is stated two ways on the same page, and free output carries no commercial licence. A strong pick for character-led social and animated content; budget carefully before committing to a year.
What we found
Vidu is the AI video generator from Shengshu Technology (生数科技), a Beijing company spun out of Tsinghua University AI research. Tsinghua and Shengshu unveiled the model at the Zhongguancun Forum in April 2024 and opened it to users worldwide that July. It now covers text-, image- and reference-to-video, where several reference images keep a character or product consistent across clips, plus image generation and AI templates. Vidu Q3, released in January 2026, added audio and video generated together in clips of up to 16 seconds. On 7 October 2026 Shengshu released Vidu Q4 Preview, aimed at short-drama studios, ad agencies and film teams, and its API platform also lists S2, a real-time interactive model.
The money behind it grew quickly. In April 2026 IThome, citing Bloomberg, reported a round of about RMB 2 billion led by Alibaba Cloud, two months after a raise of about RMB 600 million. Shengshu says Vidu has users in more than 200 countries, and its API site claims more than 85,000 customers; neither figure is audited.
Prices have risen at the top end. Standard is $10 a month or $99 a year for 800 credits, Premium $43 a month or $425 a year for 3,500, and Ultimate $230 a month or $2,300 a year, which the plan card says buys 20,000 credits while the comparison table says 8,000. Earlier versions of this page listed Premium at $35 and Ultimate at $99. The free plan runs Q4 at 540p for 4 credits a second, twice the paid rate, with bonus credits on sign-in. Vidu's terms grant commercial use only to paid users. Developers buy API credits at half a US cent each, discounted 30% during the Q4 launch.
Review-site ratings and user counts cited before could not be confirmed today and have been removed. Vidu suits creators who need consistent characters across short clips and clear paid commercial rights; check the credit maths before buying a year.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Vidu's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Vidu 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.
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