Pika
Video, image and sound apps built on Pika and partner models
Pika report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for short social clips with sound
Pika is a set of small video, image and sound tools, each doing one job, on top of its own model and partners like Seedance and MiniMax. Starter is $8 a month on yearly billing, the cheapest start among its video rivals. There are no free credits at all, though, and commercial use needs Creator at $28.
Who Pika is for
- Great if you make social clips and ads and like one tool per job
- Handy when your clips need music and sound effects matched to the action
- Good for trying Seedance, MiniMax and Pika's own model on one balance
Who Pika is not for
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as the free plan comes with 0 credits
- Not for you if you're making paid ads on Starter, which has no commercial license
- Tight if you need much video, as Starter is about 7 short clips a month
Why Pika gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyStarter is $8 a month on yearly billing ($10 monthly) for 900 credits, about 7 five-second Seedance 2.5 clips or 112 Nano Banana 2 images. That's the cheapest start among its listed video rivals, Runway at $12 and Luma at $25, but there's no commercial license until Creator at $28.
- FFree plan and trialThe Free plan has 0 credits a month and only works with bought packs, at $25 for 1,500 credits. So nothing is free, and payments aren't refunded.
- BFeaturesVideo Studio for up to 30-second multi-shot videos on Pika 2.5, Seedance and MiniMax, apps to extend, regrade and rework footage, image tools, saved characters, product shots and soundtracks matched to the action. The whole job.
- AEase of use4.73 from about 4,300 App Store ratings, in the top band. Each tool does one thing, like Extend Video or Color Grade, so it's clear where to start.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb and iPhone, with ChatGPT and other agents through MCP and a separate developer API. No Android or desktop app, and top-up credits don't work in the iPhone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Pika's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/pika#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/pika.svg" alt="Pika: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Pika stands among AI image and video generators
Pika's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 12 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 17 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8 a month, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 2 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Pika’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 15 of 21, level with 5
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 21, level with 2
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 21, level with 13
- AEase of useAbove 17 of 21, level with 4
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 21, level with 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 17 AI image and video generators. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Pika, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Pika you would be making a video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $96 a year.
What you could not
- A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make.
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- A video editor.
- A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, ChatGPT among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Pika’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Pika?
Pika is a web app for making short videos, images and sound, organized as single-purpose tools such as Video Studio, Extend Video, Color Grade and Product Shot. Underneath are its own Pika 2.5 and audio models plus partner models such as Seedance, MiniMax, Nano Banana and GPT Image. Every generation is paid in credits from a monthly plan or a bought pack.
Pika is a paid product, starting at $8 per month for 900 credits, billed annually ($10 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Social and ad creators who want task-specific video and image tools
- Adding sound and music to generated clips in the same app
- Trying several partner video models without separate accounts
Worth knowing
- There are no free credits: the Free plan includes 0 credits a month and works only with bought packs, at 60 credits per $1 ($25 for 1,500).
- The Starter plan has no commercial license; commercial use starts at Creator.
- Plan credits reset each period without rollover; top-up credits expire after 365 days and work only on pika.art, not the API, MCP or iOS app.
- Payments are non-refundable. The developer API is a separate membership at $10 a month, with $10 of credit in the first month.
Key features
- Video Studio
- Makes anything from a short clip to a 30-second multi-shot video, using Pika 2.5, Seedance 2.5, MiniMax H3, Wan 3.0 or Gemini Omni.
- Editing apps for footage
- Extend Video adds frames to a clip, Color Grade changes its look, and Swap Anything and Motion Transfer rework existing video.
- Image Studio and Edit Image
- Generate images with models such as GPT Image 2.5, Nano Banana 2 and Seedream, then swap, remove or restyle parts of them.
- Characters and product shots
- Character Studio saves a character to reuse across creations, and Product Shot stages a product without a photoshoot.
- Pika Soundtrack and audio
- Soundtrack scores a clip with music, ambience and sound effects matched to the action; separate studios handle speech, music and SFX.
- MCP, ChatGPT and API
- Pika can be used from ChatGPT and other agents through its MCP server, and developers reach the same models through the Pika API Club.
Pika pricing
- Starts at
- $8 per month for 900 credits, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $8per month for 900 credits, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) | Enough for about 7 five-second Seedance 2.5 clips at 720p or 112 Nano Banana 2 images; no commercial license. |
| Creator | $28per month for 3,150 credits, billed annually ($35 billed monthly) | About 25 Seedance 2.5 clips or 393 Nano Banana 2 images, a commercial license and 8 video jobs at once. |
| Fancy | $76per month for 8,550 credits, billed annually ($95 billed monthly) | About 70 Seedance 2.5 clips, priority queue and unlimited parallel jobs. Larger credit steps run to $880 a month. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom monthly credits for studios and teams, with dedicated support and early access to new models. |
Read from pika.art on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Pika before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page lists yearly billing at 20% off: Starter $8 instead of $10 a month, Creator $28 instead of $35, Fancy $76 instead of $95.
Stated on pika.art
How people rate the Pika app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars88%
- 4 stars5%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars1%
- 1 star4%
4,256 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Pika alternatives
- Pika vs Runway
Free trial · from $12/mo
- Pika vs Luma
Free trial · from $25/mo
- Pika vs Hailuo AI
Free trial
- Pika vs PixVerse
Free plan
- Pika vs Higgsfield
Free plan
Common questions
Is Pika free?
No. Pika is a paid product, starting at $8 per month for 900 credits, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).
How much does Pika cost?
Pika lists 4 plans. Starter: $8 per month for 900 credits, billed annually ($10 billed monthly). Creator: $28 per month for 3,150 credits, billed annually ($35 billed monthly). Fancy: $76 per month for 8,550 credits, billed annually ($95 billed monthly). Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from pika.art on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Pika work on?
Pika is available on Web and iOS.
Does Pika offer any discounts?
Pika publicly lists the following: Save 20% with yearly billing.
How is Pika rated?
Pika's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4,256 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Pika have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Pika is listed for Web and iOS.
Does Pika have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Pika is listed for Web and iOS.
Is Pika open source?
Pika is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does Pika have an API?
Yes. Pika offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Pika integrate with?
Pika's listing names ChatGPT. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Pika?
Pika is made by Mellis, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Pika?
The closest alternatives to Pika in our directory are Runway, Luma, Hailuo AI, PixVerse and Higgsfield. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Pika.
How does Pika compare with other AI image and video generators?
Pika's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 12 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 17 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Pika good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Pika B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8 a month, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 2 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Pika?
To replace Pika you would be making a video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $96 a year. What you could not make: A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. A video editor. A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.