Vidu AI
#23 in Text-to-video
« An ambitious video generator that can produce high-quality videos from a brief description. Create coherent videos with multiple characters and objects in under 30 seconds »
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Vidu AI: dialogue, music and picture rendered together in one 16-second pass
Updated on September 14, 2026
Vidu AI is ShengShu Technology's AI video generation platform, born from Tsinghua University research in Beijing. Its Q3 model, released in late January 2026, renders picture and soundtrack in a single pass, with synced dialogue and sound effects, on clips up to 16 seconds at 1080p. A free tier with unlimited off-peak generation lets you try it before the first paid plan at $8 per month. Everything runs in the browser, with an API on the side for developers.
Pros
- Audio and video generated together in one pass
- Up to 7 reference images keep characters stable
- Unlimited free generation during off-peak hours
- Excellent results on anime and stylized looks
Cons
- Photorealistic human motion lags behind its anime output
- Free-plan videos are watermarked and non-commercial
- No refunds on spent or unused credits
Vidu Q3, sound and picture computed in the same render
Vidu Q3 is the first video model to natively generate audio and image in a single pass, with voices, sound effects and music matched to the motion. Clips come out ready to publish, no detour through an editing app. At launch, ShengShu claimed the top spot on Artificial Analysis video rankings in China and second place worldwide.
The company moves fast. The platform, opened in April 2024, gathered 30 million sign-ups across 200+ countries in its first year, and ShengShu closed a RMB 2 billion Series B in spring 2026 led by Alibaba Cloud to fund its world-model research.
Seven references so your character never drifts
The Reference-to-Video mode accepts up to seven reference images, characters, props, costumes or sets, and keeps them identical across the whole sequence. You drop in a photo of your mascot, type two lines, and it replays the scene from another angle without changing faces. For an animated series or a product ad, that is the feature that pays the bills.
Video is no longer the only dish on the menu either, since a full AI image generation stack arrived in late 2025, from text-to-image to editing, handy for building your boards before animating them.
| Mode | You provide | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-Video | a written prompt | a clip with sound, up to 16 s at 1080p |
| Image-to-Video | a photo or drawing | your still image set in motion |
| Reference-to-Video | up to 7 reference images | a scene where every element stays put |
| First and last frame | two images | the filmed transition between them |
Vidu pricing, from free off-peak hours to paid plans
The Standard plan costs $8 per month billed annually, with 800 credits, watermark removal and commercial rights. Higher tiers sit around $30 and $84 monthly for 4,000 and 8,000 credits, and an API lives at platform.vidu.com for developers.
The free tier ranks among the most generous in the category, with monthly credits and, above all, unlimited generation during off-peak hours (do keep in mind that failed renders still burn credits, worth knowing before firing off ten attempts in a row). Since these figures shift with each release, treat the official pricing page as the only source that counts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vidu AI free?
Yes, partly. Vidu hands out free credits renewed every month, plus an off-peak mode with unlimited generation and no credit card required. Free-tier videos carry a watermark and are licensed for personal use only. For monetized videos or client work, a paid plan is required, starting with the Standard tier.
Vidu AI or Kling AI, which one should you pick?
Both Chinese platforms lead the sector on value for money. Kling AI keeps the edge on realistic human faces and very long clips, while Vidu generates faster, costs less, shines on anime and holds up to seven references to keep the same characters from shot to shot, with audio built in since Q3.
Is my data safe on Vidu?
ShengShu Technology, backed by Baidu, Ant Group and now Alibaba Cloud, has run the platform since 2024 with no publicized data incident. Content filtering, however, follows Chinese regulations, which restricts some political or journalistic topics. Companies with data-residency rules should read the privacy policy closely before committing.
Can you extend a video generated with Vidu?
A video extension feature is part of the toolkit, alongside lip sync, upscaling and multi-frame sequences. In direct generation, the Q3 model produces 1 to 16 seconds per render depending on the mode, with the reference variant covering 3 to 16 seconds.
Verdict: Thirty million sign-ups in year one tell their own story, and the audience is clear today, short-form video makers and animation fans after ready-to-publish clips with sound baked in. The free tier is plenty to make up your own mind.
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