Hayz Labs · https://hayzlabs.com/reviews/top/video-models/
reviews · top 20 list · checked 18 Oct
Top 9 AI video models
Models that make short videos from a description or a picture.
Best: Gemini Omni Flash 1.1, FLUX 3 Video and 1 more (tied, scoring 93 to 100). 9 of 9 scored.
Ordered by our score, built from the Text to Video board in Arena's open leaderboard dataset. One row per model line, newest version only. Open the Table to see the number that placed each one and how it was scored.
- 1Gemini Omni Flash 1.1Google
Top-rated text to video on arena.ai, from $4.99/month in Google Flow. Skip it if price per clip matters most.
Best for People on a Google AI plan who want the top-rated video modelYou give up About twice MiniMax H3's price per minute; its lead rests on few votes
10096–100$4.99/mo - 2FLUX 3 VideoBlack Forest Labs
Strong new video model with sound and cheap drafts, but pricier than equals. MiniMax H3 gives more per dollar.
Best for Creators who test prompts with cheap drafts before a full renderYou give up About $17 per minute at 1080p, far above MiniMax H3; weaker at image to video
9388–98Pay as you go - 3Grok Imagine Video 1.5xAI
Top four on blind video votes from $0.08 a second
Best for Fast, cheap video with sound; the Lite version starts at $0.02 a secondYou give up MiniMax H3 rates the same and costs less
9388–98Pay as you go - 4Wan 3.0Alibaba
Top-tier video from text or images, clips up to 30 seconds, at half Veo 3.1's price. MiniMax H3 costs less.
Best for Longer clips, up to 30 seconds, from text, image, video or audioYou give up Weights are closed, unlike Wan 2.2; MiniMax H3 costs less per minute
8985–92Pay as you go - 5Seedance 2.5ByteDance
Top-tier video with 30 second clips, but about 7x MiniMax H3's price per minute. Most people should start with H3.
Best for Long continuous 30 second shots with heavy reference controlYou give up About 7 times MiniMax H3's price per minute; data-use terms unclear
8885–90Pay as you go - 6MiniMax H3MiniMax
Best value in video: top-rated image to video with sound at about $5 a minute. Weights barred in US, EU, UK.
Best for Animating images or making many clips with sound on a budgetYou give up Open weights barred in the US, EU, UK and South Korea; weaker from text prompts
8482–86Pay as you go - 7Runway Gen-4.5Runway
Runway's own model inside a full video studio; well behind the leaders
Best for Creators who want a full video studio with camera controlYou give up Well behind the leaders; paid plans use credits, 12 per second of video
3130–33Free - 8Kandinsky 5.0 Video ProKandinsky Lab
MIT licensed open video model for clips up to 10 seconds
Best for Teams that want an MIT-licensed video model to run themselvesYou give up Clips top out at 10 seconds; ranks low on this list
2522–27Price varies - 9HunyuanVideo 1.5Tencent
Open video model that runs on a 14GB GPU with offloading
Best for Running a video model at home on a 14GB graphics cardYou give up Community licence terms to check; lowest ranked on this list
2422–26Price varies
| # | Name | Score | What placed it | Price | Best for | You give up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gemini Omni Flash 1.1Google · Closed · our review | 100likely 96–100 | Ranked #1 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1516. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | API about $0.10 per second of 720p | People on a Google AI plan who want the top-rated video model | About twice MiniMax H3's price per minute; its lead rests on few votes |
| 2 | FLUX 3 VideoBlack Forest Labs · Closed · our review | 93likely 88–98 | Ranked #3 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1493. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | API full renders from $0.17/s, drafts from $0.06/s | Creators who test prompts with cheap drafts before a full render | About $17 per minute at 1080p, far above MiniMax H3; weaker at image to video |
| 3 | Grok Imagine Video 1.5xAI · Closed | 93likely 88–98 | Ranked #4 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1492. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | API $0.08/s 480p, $0.14/s 720p, $0.25/s 1080p | Fast, cheap video with sound; the Lite version starts at $0.02 a second | MiniMax H3 rates the same and costs less |
| 4 | Wan 3.0Alibaba · Closed · our review | 89likely 85–92 | Ranked #6 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1476. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | API $0.041/s 480p, $0.083/s 720p, $0.165/s 1080p (US region) | Longer clips, up to 30 seconds, from text, image, video or audio | Weights are closed, unlike Wan 2.2; MiniMax H3 costs less per minute |
| 5 | Seedance 2.5ByteDance · Closed · our review | 88likely 85–90 | Ranked #7 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1474. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | Not confirmed | Long continuous 30 second shots with heavy reference control | About 7 times MiniMax H3's price per minute; data-use terms unclear |
| 6 | MiniMax H3MiniMax · Open weights · our review | 84likely 82–86 | Ranked #8 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1460. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | API $0.08/s at 768p, $0.13/s at 2K | Animating images or making many clips with sound on a budget | Open weights barred in the US, EU, UK and South Korea; weaker from text prompts |
| 7 | Runway Gen-4.5Runway · Closed | 31likely 30–33 | Ranked #23 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1225. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | Free; Standard $12/mo, Pro $28/mo (billed yearly); 12 credits per second | Creators who want a full video studio with camera control | Well behind the leaders; paid plans use credits, 12 per second of video |
| 8 | Kandinsky 5.0 Video ProKandinsky Lab · Open source | 25likely 22–27 | Ranked #33 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1175. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | Free download (MIT) | Teams that want an MIT-licensed video model to run themselves | Clips top out at 10 seconds; ranks low on this list |
| 9 | HunyuanVideo 1.5Tencent · Open weights | 24likely 22–26 | Ranked #34 in a public blind vote for video (arena.ai)What it rests onTheir figure: arena Text to Video 1169. Our score: from blind votes (Arena). Report a mistake | Free download (Tencent Hunyuan community license) | Running a video model at home on a 14GB graphics card | Community licence terms to check; lowest ranked on this list |
Nothing matches all of that. , or try everything.
How we ranked this
Order. Ordered by our score, built from the Text to Video board in Arena's open leaderboard dataset. One row per model line, newest version only.
How we score this list. Our score, built from Arena's blind votes on videos made from text. The full rules are on How we score. Open "How it was scored" on any row to see the working.
What we did not do. We did not run any of these ourselves. Every number comes from the public source linked on its row, checked on 18 Oct 2026.
Spot a mistake? A wrong rank, price or link: tell us and we will check it against the source. Corrections are dated in News.
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.