Google Veo vs Hailuo AI (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hailuo AI grades higher than Google Veo: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Veo grades higher on ease of use. Hailuo AI grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Veo
Google DeepMind's text-to-video model with native audio
Hailuo AI
MiniMax's video and image generator, running its H3 model
Which one is for you
Pick Google Veo if
- Fits if you already pay for a Google AI plan and want video thrown in
- Works for developers who want to call a video model from their own apps
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a video tool on its own, as Veo is sold only inside Google AI plans
- Tight if you stay on the free Gemini plan, because video isn't listed there
- Watch out: limits are given as multiples of the free plan, never a number of clips
- Watch out: developer pricing for the Veo API sits on a page we could not read
Pick Hailuo AI if
- Fits if you make short social clips with sound from a prompt or a photo
- Works for Android or web users who want MiniMax's H3 model in a ready-made app
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you make a lot of video: Standard's 1,000 credits cover about 84 seconds of 2K H3 a month, and Pro jumps to $30.40
- Not for you if you're on iPhone, as the US App Store page for its app came back not found
- Watch out: prices are shown against crossed-out figures with no end date, and the site header still says plans start at $9.99
- Watch out: the sign-up credit isn't stated until you're signed in, while MiniMax's separate Design app offers 3,000 free credits
- Skip it if you need an API, plugins or integrations, as none are listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAGoogle VeoFair | 2.4GPAHailuo AIFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CVideo starts on AI Plus at $4.99 a month, but the plan is a bundle and the limits only double the free ones. Pro at $19.99 gives 4x, so real use sits near the middle-to-dear end of the category's $10 to $15 range. | BStandard is $8.40 a month on yearly billing ($10.50 monthly) for 1,000 credits, about 84 seconds of 2K H3 video, right at this category's cheaper quarter of $8.40. The page shows it against a crossed-out $14.99, with no end date. |
| Free plan and trial | FThe free Gemini plan doesn't list video generation. The page names it from AI Plus upward, and Pro carries only a limited Veo 3.1 Lite trial. | CNew accounts get free credits on sign-up, but the amount isn't shown until you're signed in. MiniMax's separate Design app offers 3,000 free credits for downloading it. |
| Features | CText to video with sound through the Gemini app and Google Flow, plus a developer route. The usage limits are never given as a count of videos, so you can't tell what a plan buys. | CH3 makes clips with sound up to 15 seconds at 2K, mixes image, video and audio references, edits clips by instruction and makes images; paid plans add Veo 3.1, Sora 2 and image models. No API or plugins are on record. |
| Ease of use | BIt sits inside a Gemini account you may already have, with nothing to install or set up. | CNo app-store rating on record. Effect templates give you a starting point, but mixing several references into one scene takes practice. |
| Platforms and integrations | BGemini app, Google Flow and Google AI Studio, with a route for developers. Web-first and no desktop program. | BWeb and an Android app on Google Play. The site links an iPhone app, but its US App Store page came back not found, and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | video clips with sound, if you already pay for Google AI | short clips with sound from MiniMax's H3 |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Google Veo and Hailuo AI. How we grade
Price against what you get
Google Veo starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hailuo AI starts at $8.40 a month and scores 2.3.
Google Veo scores higher and starts $3.41 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 2 score higher than Google Veo for less, and 11 score higher than Hailuo AI for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Hailuo AI also covers templates and image generation.
At a glance
| Google Veo | Hailuo AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month (Google AI Plus) | $8.40 per month, billed yearly ($10.50 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | New users get free credits on sign-up; the amount is not shown before signing in |
| Web | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Google DeepMind | MiniMax |
| Price read from | gemini.google | hailuoai.video |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Google Veo
- Veo is not sold separately; it is part of Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra, so the price covers the whole bundle.
- The free Gemini plan does not list video generation; the page names it from AI Plus upward.
- The page gives usage limits as multiples of the Free plan, not as a number of videos.
- Developer pricing for the Veo API sits on a separate page we could not read.
Hailuo AI
- Plans are shown as discounts from crossed-out prices ($14.99 for Standard) with no end date, and the site header still says plans start at $9.99 a month.
- The site links to an iOS app, but its US App Store page returned not found on October 17, 2026; the Android app is on Google Play.
- MiniMax also sells H3 in its separate MiniMax Design app, which a site banner promotes with 3,000 free credits for downloading it.
Key features
Google Veo
- Video with native audio
- Veo 3.1 generates video together with sound, from a written prompt, according to Google DeepMind's model page.
- Try it in the Gemini app
- Video generation is part of the Gemini app on paid Google AI plans, with usage limits that grow by tier.
- Google Flow
- Google's creative studio for building scenes and stories; each plan includes a monthly allowance of Flow credits.
- Build with Veo
- The model page links developers to a route for building with Veo in their own products.
- Speed-focused variant
- Google's subscription page mentions Veo 3.1 Lite, a version it says prioritizes speed and efficiency.
Hailuo AI
- MiniMax H3 video model
- Generates video with native stereo sound, up to 15 seconds long at 2K, from text, images or a mix of references, including multi-shot clips.
- Omni Reference
- Combine reference images, video and audio in one prompt, for example borrowing a camera move from one clip and a character from an image.
- Editing by instruction
- H3 edits and restyles existing clips and transfers motion from one video to another, with the change described in plain language.
- Image generation
- A separate Create Image mode turns prompts into still images, alongside text-to-video and image-to-video.
- Effect templates
- The home page offers trending preset templates such as PetPal, Style Switch, CineScope and ASMR for quick themed creations.
Plans
Google Veo
Google AI Plus$4.99
per month
Twice the Free usage limits, with video generation in the Gemini app and 200 Google Flow credits.
Google AI Pro$19.99
per month
Four times the Free usage limits, video generation, 1,000 Google Flow credits and 5 TB of storage.
Google AI Ultra$99.99
per month for 5x the Pro limits ($199.99 for 20x)
Highest access, 10,000 or 25,000 Flow credits depending on tier, and video generation with Veo 3.1.
Hailuo AI
Standard$8.40
per month, billed yearly ($10.50 billed monthly)
1,000 credits a month, about 84 seconds of 2K H3 video, plus Veo 3.1 and Sora 2. Shown against a crossed-out $14.99; $100.80 billed yearly.
Pro$30.40
per month, billed yearly ($38 billed monthly)
4,500 credits a month and unlimited 1K to 2K images on Nano Banana, Seedream and GPT Image. Shown against $54.99; $364.80 billed yearly.
Master$71.20
per month, billed yearly ($89 billed monthly)
10,500 credits a month, about 875 seconds of 2K H3 video, with unlimited 2K images. Shown against $119.99; $854.40 billed yearly.
Max$184
per month, billed yearly ($216 billed monthly)
27,000 credits a month, unlimited Hailuo 2.0 and 2.3 video and unlimited 4K images. $2,208 billed yearly.
Ways to pay less
Google Veo
No public discounts listed.
Hailuo AI
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rates with yearly billing
Billed yearly, Standard is $100.80 ($8.40 a month) against $10.50 billed monthly, Pro $364.80 against $38 a month, and Master $854.40 against $89 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Google Veo or Hailuo AI?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Google Veo is cheaper to start with: $4.99 a month, against $8.40 a month for Hailuo AI. Google Veo starts at $4.99 per month (Google AI Plus), and Hailuo AI starts at $8.40 per month, billed yearly ($10.50 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Google Veo or Hailuo AI?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Google Veo nor Hailuo AI has a free plan. Hailuo AI has a free trial.
Which platforms do Google Veo and Hailuo AI run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hailuo AI lists an Android app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.