Veo 3.1 vs Runway Gen-4.5 vs Kling 3.0 vs Hailuo 2.3: which AI video tool for which job in 2026

Sora 2 cannot anchor a new build. OpenAI says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI).

Runway sells access to several models on one plan. Its model list includes Gen-4.5, Kling 3.0 and Nano Banana Pro (Runway). Runway says Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second of generated video (Runway). The Free plan comes with a one-time 125 credits that do not expire (Runway). The Pro plan costs USD 35 per month billed monthly, or USD 28 per month billed annually, and includes 2250 credits per month, which Runway equates to 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 (Runway). The Max plan costs USD 95 per month billed monthly, or USD 76 per month billed annually, and includes 9500 credits per month, which Runway equates to 791 seconds of Gen-4.5 (Runway).

Google describes Veo 3.1 with Ingredients to Video, native vertical outputs for portrait mode, and upscaling to 1080p and 4K (Google).

For studio work, Variety reported that Lionsgate owns a film and television library of more than 20,000 titles, in a deal that trained a custom AI model with Runway (Variety).

Outside these four, HyperFrames is an open-source framework that turns HTML, CSS and seekable animations into deterministic MP4 video (HyperFrames). Wan2.2-Animate-14B is a video model that has been integrated into Diffusers (Wan).

The four-way wins-on framework, at a glance

The sources below describe what each tool offers. None of them ranks the tools against each other, so the table names capabilities rather than winners.

Twelve jobs, one model recommendation each

The matrix below maps common jobs to a primary tool. Each row pairs a common job with the tool we would reach for first.

The four sections that follow go deeper on each tool. This post leads with Veo and Runway because those are the two we recommend most often in 2026 buyer scopes.

Veo 3.1: native audio and 4K output through upscaling

Google's Veo 3.1 adds Ingredients to Video with native vertical output in portrait mode, which Google says is for mobile-first, short-form video. The same post describes upscaling to 1080p and 4K (Google).

Google said it is reducing its top-tier AI Ultra plan from $250 to $200, and it introduced a $100 AI Ultra plan (Google).

Runway Gen-4 / Gen-4.5: control and character consistency

Runway's clearest public tie to a major studio is its work with Lionsgate. Variety reported that Lionsgate owns a film and television library with more than 20,000 titles, and the two companies set out to train a new AI model customized to that catalog (Variety).

That changes the buying conversation. It stops being about which clip looks best and starts being about which vendor a studio's legal and post-production teams can already review and approve.

Pricing

• Free: a one-time deposit of 125 credits that does not expire (Runway pricing)
• Standard: USD 15 per month, or USD 12 per month billed annually, for 625 credits. Runway states that 625 credits is 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 104 seconds of Gen-4 (Runway pricing)
• Pro: USD 35 per month, or USD 28 per month billed annually, for 2250 credits. Runway states that 2250 credits is 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 (Runway pricing)
• Max: USD 95 per month, or USD 76 per month billed annually, for 9500 credits. Runway states that 9500 credits is 791 seconds of Gen-4.5 (Runway pricing)

Runway's pricing page also states that Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second of generated video (Runway pricing).

Where Runway fits

Runway offers the Gen-4 and Gen-4.5 video models on a monthly credit plan. There is a free tier to test the tools and paid tiers that scale the credit allowance. The Lionsgate work shows what a custom-trained catalog model looks like in practice: a long program with a studio, not a plug-in a buyer installs in an afternoon.

Kling 3.0 / 3.0 Omni: multi-shot storyboards

Kling 3.0 is one of the models offered inside Runway's plans, which list it next to Gen-4.5 and Nano Banana Pro (Runway). Runway's pricing page says each model uses a set number of credits per generation, based on the model, the duration and the resolution (Runway). Kling's own site does not publish its subscription prices in a form we could check, so confirm them on klingai.com before budgeting.

Pricing reality, side by side

Prices move often. The useful comparison is between plans that still exist, at the unit each vendor publishes.

Runway lists its tiers on its pricing page (Runway). The Free plan includes a one-time 125 credits that do not expire. Standard costs USD 15 per month, or USD 12 per month billed annually, and includes 625 credits a month, which Runway equates to 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video. Pro costs USD 35 per month, or USD 28 billed annually, with 2250 credits a month, which Runway lists as 187 seconds of video. Max costs USD 95 per month, or USD 76 billed annually, with 9500 credits, which Runway lists as 791 seconds of Gen-4.5. Runway also states that Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second of generated video (Runway).

Google changed its top tier as well. It cut the monthly price of its top-tier AI Ultra plan from USD 250 to USD 200, and introduced a USD 100 AI Ultra plan (Google).

Availability matters as much as price. OpenAI's help center says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI). Veo 3.1 supports 1080p and 4K upscaling (Google).

Units differ, so the label on the page rarely matches the unit your team ships in. Runway counts credits, Google sells plan months, and OpenAI sold access that is now closing. Convert every quote to the unit you actually deliver before you compare two numbers.

Failure modes by axis

No model is failure-free, and the failures do not line up. A model that holds a character together across shots may still slip on lip-sync, and a model that handles a long clip may lose the face. Each axis below is a separate test, not a score. "AI look" is where the results of those tests belong. Provenance sits outside all of these axes: buyers who lean on watermarking to verify a clip's origin should read about the SynthID watermark break before treating any single signal as proof.

What this piece is NOT covering

This piece is about the generative video models buyers ask about by name. Some adjacent buyer journeys come up in the same conversations but need different shortlists.

• Deterministic, programmatic video. HyperFrames is an open-source framework from the HyperFrames project on GitHub. It turns HTML, CSS, media, and seekable animations into deterministic MP4 videos. It is not a generative model. It runs locally with a CLI, from AI coding agents, or as a renderer for agent workflows. When the job is repeatable programmatic output rather than a single creative spot, this belongs on the shortlist.

• Real-time live AI dubbing and broadcast. This is a different stack from the models in this piece.

• Self-hosted or on-prem open-weight video. The Wan-Video project publishes Wan2.2-Animate-14B on GitHub, and its weights have been integrated into Diffusers. For a buyer who cannot send footage to a vendor API, a model you run yourself belongs on the shortlist. See our private LLM hosting write-up for the broader pattern.

What is beyond the four (and why we still recommend the four most of the time)

The shortlist moves faster than the write-ups. OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026, and it will discontinue the Sora API on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI). Any list that ignores those dates is already stale.

The four in this piece each cover a part of a paid job. Runway is the one a studio has put to work: Lionsgate owns a film and television library of more than 20,000 titles, and it worked with Runway on a custom model (Variety). Google keeps adding to Veo: Veo 3.1 adds native vertical output for short-form video and upscaling to 1080p and 4K (Google). For a paid job, fit matters more than a leaderboard position.

Beyond the four, open tools are worth watching. HyperFrames is an open-source framework for turning HTML, CSS, media and seekable animations into MP4 video (GitHub). Wan2.2 is available for industrial and academic use (GitHub).

Cost is moving too. Google cut the monthly price of its top-tier AI Ultra plan from $250 to $200, and it introduced a $100 AI Ultra plan (Google). Runway's plans run at $12, $28 and $76 a month when billed annually (Runway).

A one-page decision tree

This is the short version. Each branch below rests on something a vendor or a trade outlet has said, so you can check it yourself.

Start with the deliverable.

• A 4K master. Google says Veo 3.1 supports upscaling to 1080p and 4K (Google). It also supports native vertical output for short-form video.
• Many near-identical cuts from one design. The HyperFrames project describes an open-source framework that turns HTML, CSS, media and seekable animations into deterministic MP4 video (GitHub).
• You need to run the model yourself. The Wan2.2 project says Wan2.2-Animate-14B has been integrated into Diffusers (GitHub).
• Volume is the constraint. Runway says Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second of generated video (Runway). The entry paid plan includes 625 credits a month, which Runway says is 52s of Gen-4.5 (Runway). The top plan includes 9500 credits, which Runway says is 791s of Gen-4.5 (Runway).
• Film and TV library work. Variety reported that Lionsgate worked with Runway on a model trained on a library of more than 20,000 titles (Variety).

Then check vendor risk.

• Sora. OpenAI says the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026 (OpenAI Help), and the API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026 (OpenAI Help). If your plan leans on it, replace it now.
• Google's top tier. Google cut AI Ultra from $250 to $200 a month (Google) and introduced a $100 AI Ultra plan (Google).

If the answer is not obvious for your job, we will run the decision through this tree with you on a call: book a strategy call.

Keep reading

This piece covers four video-generation tools. Our AI video generation 2026 overview covers the wider field.

For real-time work and dubbing, see AI dubbing and localization.

For the legal and compliance work around an AI video brief, our EU AI Act guide for SaaS founders is the place to start.

To run these pipelines on private infrastructure, with footage and prompts kept in your own environment, see Enterprise AI.

For longer narratives or a pipeline that ships in several languages, AI Content Production is the service line to scope.

Sources

• GitHub - Wan-Video/Wan2.2: Wan: Open and Advanced Large-Scale Video Generative Models (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• GitHub - heygen-com/hyperframes (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• Google AI Ultra pricing (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• Runway pricing (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• Veo 3.1 Ingredients to Video: More consistency, creativity and control (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• What to know about the Sora discontinuation | OpenAI Help Center (primary source, checked 2026-09-14)
• Lionsgate Partners With Runway on Generative AI Model Trained on Studio's Content Library (secondary source, checked 2026-09-14)