Wan vs Hailuo AI 2026: Which Budget AI Video Tool Is Better?

Alibaba’s Wan 3.0 tops the leaderboard, makes clips up to 30 seconds and charges per second from $0.05, but is harder to use; Hailuo AI (MiniMax H3) is an easy web app for lively 4–15 second clips, from $14.99/month.

Wan (Alibaba) vs Hailuo AI

Both Chinese tools sit near the top of Artificial Analysis’s text-to-video leaderboard (October 2026), but they serve different people: Wan for those willing to do a bit of setup for the lowest price, Hailuo for those who want to open a website and start.

Choose Wan (Alibaba) if

You want No. 1 quality at the lowest price per second
You need clips up to 30 seconds in one pass
You can use an API or partner platform, or want to self-host open-weight Wan 2.2

Choose Hailuo AI if

You want a simple web app you can use right after signing up
You make short 4–15 second clips with expressive faces and lively motion
You prefer a fixed monthly plan with clear credits

Cost

Wan 3.0 is priced per second: about $0.05 (480p), $0.10 (720p) and $0.20 (1080p); a 10-second 720p clip costs about $1. Hailuo: about 200 trial credits, Standard $14.99/month (1,000 credits), Pro $54.99/month (4,500 credits); each H3 clip uses roughly 30–80 credits.

Verdict

Want the cheapest top-ranked quality and don’t mind some technical setup: Wan. Want ease of use and quick, lively short clips: Hailuo AI. Wan is also available on Runway, so API-shy users can try it there.

Comparison based on official sites, pricing pages, the Artificial Analysis leaderboard and comparison sites, checked October 30, 2026 — no affiliate links.