Best Image to Video AI in 2026: Runway, Luma, Pika and Kenerate Compared

The best image to video AI in 2026 is the one that runs the right model for your shot at a price you can live with, because most apps now host the same handful of models. For long clips with sound, Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 go up to 30 seconds; for premium short shots, Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 are the usual picks; for cheap drafts, small models such as Wan 2.2 cost a few credits a second. Runway, Luma, Pika and Kenerate AI all let you choose between several of these models, and they differ mainly in price model, free tier, watermark and how much control you get over the first and last frame.

Disclosure: Kenerate AI is our product. We include it and describe it with the same criteria as the others. We did not run a scored head-to-head test, so there are no scores, stars or "#1" rankings here. Vendor facts come from each vendor's own pricing and help pages, read on 24 October 2026. Kenerate facts come from our own model configuration. Prices change often, so check before you buy.

What makes an image to video AI "the best"?

We compared every tool on the seven things that decide whether a clip is usable:

1. Start and end frame. Does the model take only a first frame, or can you also set the last frame so the motion lands where you want?
2. Maximum length. Most models stop at 5 to 10 seconds. A few now reach 15, 20 or 30 seconds in one take.
3. Resolution. 720p is fine for drafts and social feeds; 1080p or 4K matters for ads, YouTube and editing.
4. Audio. Newer models can generate sound effects, ambience and speech with the picture. Older ones are silent.
5. Price. Per second or per clip, and whether you pay a monthly subscription or buy credits once.
6. Free tier. Whether you can test video at all without paying.
7. Watermark. Whether downloads carry a logo, and on which plans.

How do the main image to video apps compare?

All competitor figures are from each vendor's own pricing page on 24 October 2026. "Not stated" means the pricing page does not say, not that the feature is missing.

The biggest change since 2025 is in the first row. Runway, Luma and Pika no longer sell only their own model; each now resells third-party models such as Seedance and Kling next to its own. That means the "best app" question is partly a pricing question: the same model can cost very different amounts depending on where you run it.

What does the same clip cost in each app?

This is our arithmetic from the vendors' listed prices, for one 5-second 720p image-to-video clip. Subscription rates assume you use every monthly credit. Your real cost depends on billing period, unused credits and promotions.

Being straight about it: on a per-clip basis for these shared models, Kenerate costs more than Pika or Luma at their subscription rates. What you get instead is no monthly fee, one balance across more than 50 image-to-video models plus image, voice and music tools, and packs that do not renew. Packs from Creator ($29) upward list "Credits Never Expire". If you will generate a lot of one model every month, a subscription to an app that hosts it is usually cheaper. If you generate in bursts or want to compare many models on the same picture, pay-as-you-go can work out better.

Which image to video models are worth using in 2026?

These are the models we would test first, with their limits and per-second credits as Kenerate runs them. "End frame" means you can upload a last image as well as the first.

Only Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 reach 30 seconds, and Wan 3.0 costs roughly a quarter as much per second at 720p (30 vs 108 credits). Sora 2 Pro, Veo 3 and several older Pixverse and Kling versions take a first frame only, so skip them when the shot must end on a set frame.

For head-to-head notes on two of these, see our Wan 3.0 vs Seedance 2.5 comparison.

Runway: best fit for an all-in-one editing workflow

Runway's pricing page lists a Free plan with 125 one-time credits that do not expire, Standard at $15 a month ($12 billed yearly) with 625 credits, Pro at $35 ($28 yearly) with 2,250 credits and Max at $95 ($76 yearly) with 9,500 credits. Runway converts the credits into seconds itself: 625 credits are "52s of Gen-4.5", so Gen-4.5 works out at about 12 credits a second. Standard lists "No watermarks" and 4K upscaling; Max adds HDR, ProRes and image sequences, and its credits roll over for one month. Purchased top-up credits never expire.

Choose Runway when you want generation, editing tools and upscaling in one subscription and you are comfortable paying monthly.

Luma: best fit for HDR and high-end finishing

Luma's pricing page lists Plus at $30 a month ($25 yearly) with 10,000 credits and commercial use, Pro at $90 and Ultra at $300. Its own Ray3.2 model costs 20 credits per 5 seconds in draft mode, 100 at 720p and 400 at 1080p, with HDR at twice the base rate and HDR plus EXR export at three times. It also lists Seedance, Kling, Veo 3.1, MiniMax H3 and FLUX 3 at per-second rates. The pricing page does not describe a free plan or watermark rules.

Choose Luma when you need HDR or EXR output for post-production, or want Ray3.2 next to the big third-party models.

Pika: best fit for cheap volume on shared models

Pika's pricing page lists a Free plan with no included credits ("packs only"), Starter at $10 a month ($8 yearly) with 900 credits, Creator at $35 ($28 yearly) with 3,150 credits and a higher tier from $95. Every plan, including Free, says "No watermark", but the Free plan has no commercial licence. Top-up packs are sold at 60 credits per $1; plan credits do not roll over, and top-ups expire 365 days after purchase. Example rates: Wan 3.0 at 33 credits and Seedance 2.5 at 122 credits for a 720p, 5-second video.

Choose Pika when you want the lowest per-clip price on Wan 3.0 or Seedance 2.5 and will use your monthly credits.

What about Google Veo and Kling's own apps?

Google's AI plans page lists Gemini Omni Flash as the video model in its Plus, Pro and Ultra plans, with 200, 1,000 and 10,000 or 25,000 Google Flow credits a month (US prices were not shown in the page text we read). Its Gemini help article says you can upload "one video and up to 5 images", need a Google AI plan on a personal account, and must be 18 or over. Veo 3.1 itself also runs in multi-model apps: Luma lists it at 140 credits a second silent or 280 with audio, and Kenerate runs Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 Fast.

Kling's own membership page did not load its plans when we checked, so we have left out its prices rather than quote third-party guesses. Kling 3.0 is listed on Runway's and Luma's pricing pages and runs on Kenerate.

Kenerate AI: best fit for comparing many models on one picture

Kenerate's video studio runs more than 50 image-to-video models, from Wan 2.2 Ultra Fast at 3 credits a second to Seedance 2.5 at 4K. You upload the picture as the first frame, add an optional last frame on models that take one, choose length, resolution and aspect ratio, and the exact credit cost shows before you generate. Video needs a paid plan: a new account gets 25 sign-up credits that cover images, and video runs on one-time credit packs from $15 for 1,300 credits, with no subscription. Downloads carry no watermark. Try it on the image to video AI page, or see photo to video AI for family, pet and travel photos.

Where it is weaker: as the cost table shows, per-clip prices for shared models are higher than Pika's or Luma's subscription rates, and there is no free video allowance.

How do you pick the right image to video AI for your shot?

1. Decide the length. Under 8 seconds: almost any model. 10 to 15 seconds: Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, Ken 1, LTX 2.5. 20 to 30 seconds: Wan 3.0 or Seedance 2.5.
2. Decide if the ending matters. If the last frame must match a product shot or the next scene, use a model with an end frame.
3. Decide on sound. If you will add music or voice later, generate silent; on Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 that is also cheaper.
4. Draft cheap, then render. Test the motion at 480p or 720p for 5 seconds, then run the keeper at 1080p or 4K.
5. Run the same picture on two or three models. A short side-by-side test on your own picture tells you more than any ranking.
6. Write a motion prompt, not an image prompt. The picture already sets the look. Describe what moves, how the camera moves and the pace. Our AI video prompts and camera movement prompts guides have examples you can copy.

Only animate pictures you own or have permission to use, and do not animate real people without their consent.

Bottom line

Pick the model before the app. Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 are the long-clip options, Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 the usual premium short-shot picks, and Wan 2.2 Ultra Fast the cheap draft engine. Then choose where to run it: a subscription to an app such as Pika or Luma is cheaper per clip for the shared models if you use your monthly credits; a pay-as-you-go studio such as Kenerate AI (our product) costs more per clip but has no monthly fee and lets you test more than 50 models on the same picture. Either way, test 5 seconds at 720p before you pay for a long or 4K render. If you only want free options, see our guide to the best free image-to-video AI generators.