What does Pika do?
Pika is an AI video generator that also makes images and audio, using its own Pika 2.5 model plus third-party models such as Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0. Paid plans start at $8/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly), with a commercial license and no watermark. It suits short social clips; skip it if you need lots of long footage.
- Pika and third-party models. Pika's own Pika 2.5 and Pikaframes sit next to third-party video models such as Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0 and image models such as Nano Banana 2 and GPT Image 2.5. Every plan lists all models.
- No watermark on any plan. Every plan, including Free, lists 'No watermark'.
- Commercial license from Starter. Starter, Creator, Fancy and Enterprise list a commercial license; the Free plan doesn't.
- Video, image and audio studios. The homepage lists Video Studio, Image Studio, Music, Speech and SFX studios, plus apps such as Extend Video, Swap Anything and Color Grade.
- Parallel generations. Plans differ in how many jobs run at once: 2 videos on Free and Starter, 8 on Creator, unlimited on Fancy.
- Flat-rate credit packs. Buy extra credits at 60 per $1 without changing plan, from $25 to $1,000 packs (the $1,000 pack adds 10%).
- Pika MCP and API. Pika runs an MCP server and a separate developer API; top-up credits work with MCP but not with the API.
Who is Pika for?
Pika is a good fit if you're a video creator, and you need help making videos and images.
How much does Pika cost?
Pika starts at $8/mo. It also has a free plan. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026 on the official pricing page.
- Starts at
- $8/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Not offered on the pricing page
Starter plan billed yearly ($10/mo billed monthly) with 900 credits a month and a commercial license (pricing page, Oct 24, 2026). Creator is $35/mo ($28/mo yearly) for 3,150 credits. Free plan: no monthly credits, top-up packs only (60 credits per $1).
Pika plans compared
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | No monthly credits (credit packs only), all models, 2 videos and 2 images or audio at once, no watermark, no commercial license |
| Starter | $10/mo | $8/mo | 900 credits a month (about 7 Seedance 2.5 or 27 Wan 3.0 five-second clips), 2 videos and 8 images or audio at once, no watermark, commercial license |
| Creator | $35/mo | $28/mo | 3,150 credits a month (about 25 Seedance 2.5 or 95 Wan 3.0 clips), 8 videos and 32 images or audio at once, commercial license |
| Fancy | From $95/mo | From $76/mo | 8,550+ credits a month (about 70+ Seedance 2.5 clips; tiers up to $880/mo, or $704/mo yearly), unlimited parallel generations, priority queue, commercial license; early access to new models from $440/mo |
| Enterprise | Not listed | Custom | Custom credits, unlimited parallel generations, dedicated support; contact sales |
Checked on Oct 24, 2026. Annual prices are the per-month rate in the 'annual, -20%' row of Pika's comparison table (Starter saves $24 a year, Creator $84). Credits are spent per generation: a 5-second 720p Seedance 2.5 video uses 122 credits, a 5-second 720p Wan 3.0 video 33, a 1K Nano Banana 2 image 8 and a 1K GPT Image 2.5 image 2; the clip counts above are Pika's own estimates if you spend every credit on one model. The page doesn't list audio credit costs. Extra credits cost the same on every plan (60 credits per $1), in packs from 1,500 credits for $25 to 66,000 for $1,000. Top-up credits work only in Pika Create on pika.art and Pika MCP, not in the API, iOS app or old.pika.art. The pricing page and help center list questions on rollover, cancellation and refunds but didn't show the answers when we checked.
What Pika's monthly credits buy
- Starter$10/mo · 900 credits27 five-second clips≈ $0.37 per clip
- Creator$35/mo · 3,150 credits95 five-second clips≈ $0.37 per clip
- Fancy (entry tier)$95/mo · 8,550 credits259 five-second clips≈ $0.37 per clip
What the picture says: Fancy (entry tier) costs 9.5× Starter and buys 9.5× the five-second clips of 720p Wan 3.0 video, so the price per clip stays about $0.37: bigger plans buy more, not cheaper.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 on Pika's pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm before you buy.
Pika pros and cons
What stands out
- Low paid entry price: $8/mo billed yearly, $10 monthly
- Commercial license from the $8/mo Starter plan
- No watermark on any plan, including Free
- All models on every plan, including Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0
- Pricing page turns credits into clip and image counts per model
- Flat price for extra credits: 60 per $1 on every plan
Watch out for
- Free plan has no monthly credits, so you must buy a pack (from $25) to generate
- Starter's 900 credits are only about 7 Seedance 2.5 clips of 5 seconds a month
- Model choice changes cost a lot: Seedance 2.5 uses 122 credits per clip vs 33 for Wan 3.0
- Fancy is a range ($95–$880 a month), so the top tiers take some working out
- Rollover, cancellation and refund answers weren't shown on the pricing page or help center
- Top-up credits can't be used in the API or iOS app
Based on Pika's own pages, not hands-on testing.
What are the alternatives to Pika?
We list 3 other AI Video & Image tools: Higgsfield, Luma AI, Runway. Each one below shows its starting price and when you might pick it instead.
Higgsfield · Price not checkedChoose Higgsfield if you'd like a second option to compare for making videos and images.
Luma AI · From $25/moChoose Luma AI if you'd like a second option to compare for making videos and images.
Runway · From $12/moChoose Runway if you'd like a second option to compare for making videos and images.
Compared in
Pika FAQ
How much does Pika cost?
As of Oct 24, 2026: Starter $10/mo ($8/mo billed yearly), Creator $35/mo ($28/mo yearly) and Fancy from $95/mo ($76/mo yearly), with Fancy tiers up to $880/mo. Free costs $0 but has no monthly credits, and Enterprise is priced by quote.
How many videos can you make with Pika credits?
It depends on the model. Pika's pricing page puts a 5-second 720p clip at 122 credits on Seedance 2.5 and 33 on Wan 3.0. That's about 7 or 27 clips a month on Starter (900 credits), 25 or 95 on Creator (3,150) and 70+ or 259+ on Fancy (8,550+).
Is Pika free?
There's a Free plan, but it has no monthly credits. You get access to all models with no watermark, and you generate by buying credit packs, which start at 1,500 credits for $25. Free doesn't include a commercial license.
Can I use Pika videos commercially?
Yes, from the Starter plan ($10/mo, or $8/mo yearly) up: Starter, Creator, Fancy and Enterprise all list a commercial license on Pika's pricing page (Oct 24, 2026). The Free plan lists it as not included. On Oct 12 the license started at Creator, so check the page before you buy.
Does Pika add a watermark?
No. Every plan on the pricing page, including Free, lists 'No watermark'.
How much do extra Pika credits cost?
60 credits per $1 on every plan. Packs run from 1,500 credits for $25 to 66,000 for $1,000. They work in Pika Create on pika.art and Pika MCP, but not in the API, iOS app or old.pika.art.
Which AI models does Pika use?
Pika's own Pika 2.5 and Pikaframes, plus third-party video models such as Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0 and image models such as Nano Banana 2 and GPT Image 2.5. All plans list access to all models; each model has its own credit cost.
Pika vs Runway: which is cheaper?
Pika's entry plan is cheaper: Starter is $8/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly) vs Runway Standard at $12/mo ($15 monthly), and both include commercial use. Credits aren't comparable, though: Runway Standard buys about 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 a month, while Pika Starter buys about 7 Seedance 2.5 or 27 Wan 3.0 five-second clips.
Sources and how we checked
- Official pricing page, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Official website
- Pika help center FAQ (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pika homepage (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026
- Runway pricing (checked Oct 24, 2026), checked Oct 24, 2026