Vidu
Fast image-to-video with strong character reference consistency
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Facts checked · Nov 2026 — the pricing, free-plan and watermark facts on this page were checked against Vidu's official pages. See how we verify and the listing changelog.
Price alerts for Vidu
AI video tools change prices and credit rules without warning — Kling has raised prices roughly 3× before. Get emailed when Vidu's price, credits or free plan changes.
Our verdict
Fast, reference-driven generation that keeps a character looking like itself from clip to clip — the tool for character stories and anime-style work, on a credit meter that rewards planning.
Vidu at a glance
| Starting price | Paid plans; free credits available |
| Pricing type | Freemium |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free export allowed | ✓ |
| No watermark on free export | ✕ |
| Commercial use on free plan | ✕ |
| API available | ✓ |
| Category | Image-to-Video Tools |
What Vidu really costs
Vidu bills in credits, and its pricing FAQ usefully separates the three kinds: subscription credits included with a plan (valid 30 days), purchased credits bought on demand (valid 2 years) and bonus credits from events and programmes (also 2 years). That validity split is the main budgeting fact — plan credits are use-it-or-lose-it monthly, while bought credits can wait for the project that needs them.
We could not read Vidu's plan prices or its per-generation credit rates from its official pricing page — the page loads its plan table with JavaScript and no figures came through — so this review publishes no cost cards rather than borrow rates from third-party reviews. Before subscribing, open the live pricing page, note the credit cost of the modes you will actually use, and compare it against the monthly bundle at your likely retake rate.
Credit types and validity are from Vidu's official pricing FAQ, checked Nov 2026. Plan prices and per-generation rates could not be read from the official page, so no cost figures are published here.
What is Vidu?
Vidu is a video generation platform whose reputation rests on one hard trick: consistency. Feed it reference images of a character or product and its reference-to-video tools work to keep that subject recognisably the same across separate clips — the problem that breaks most multi-shot AI stories. Around that core it offers the expected image-to-video and text-to-video generation, template effects, and notably fast generation, all in a consumer platform with its own plans and credit system.
The natural audience is storytellers and stylised-content creators: character stories, anime-style sequences and product clips where the same subject must survive from shot to shot. Realism varies by scene type — Vidu's stylised work is its comfort zone — and the polished consistency features live behind paid credits. But for creators who have watched a rival tool quietly replace their lead character between cuts, Vidu's reference workflow is a direct answer to a real frustration.
How Vidu works
- 1Create an account — new users receive trial credits, and Vidu's pricing FAQ describes additional credits from daily logins and events.
- 2Gather your reference material: clear images of the character, product or subject that must stay consistent across clips.
- 3Choose reference-to-video for consistency-led shots, image-to-video to animate one frame, or text-to-video for open generation.
- 4Write prompts that describe the action and camera, letting the references carry the subject's appearance instead of describing it repeatedly.
- 5Generate in the faster modes while drafting and save full quality for keepers — every generation spends credits, including the ones you reject.
- 6Download your finished clips; free output is watermarked and for personal use, so publish from a paid plan.
Core features
Reference-to-video consistency
Vidu's signature feature: supply reference images and the model works to hold the subject's identity across clips, so a character or product can star in a sequence rather than a single shot.
Image-to-video animation
Animate a still image into a moving clip, using your frame as the anchor — the reliable route when composition and subject are already decided.
Text-to-video generation
Generate clips directly from written prompts when you do not have a starting image, with the same models that power the reference workflows.
Template effects
Ready-made effect templates for common social formats, useful for quick stylised clips without prompt engineering from scratch.
Fast generation and off-peak mode
Speed is a stated strength, and Vidu's pricing page highlights an off-peak mode that trades immediacy for efficiency on suitable plans — plan renders around your deadlines.
API platform
An API exists for building Vidu's generation into your own product or pipeline, confirmed in our verified data.
The free plan — the full truth
Vidu's free tier is a sampler with clear labels: our verified data confirms that free output can be exported, that it carries a watermark, and that it is licensed for personal, non-commercial use only. New users receive trial credits on registering, and Vidu's pricing FAQ describes earning more through daily logins and events — a drip feed designed for continued testing, not for production volume.
The commercial line is the one to respect. A watermark can be lived with in a draft; a personal-use licence cannot be ignored in published work. Anything destined for a channel you monetise, a client or an ad belongs on a paid plan, where the watermark comes off and the usage rights follow the plan terms.
- • Free output is watermarked (verified)
- • Free output is personal, non-commercial use only (verified)
- • Free access runs on trial and earned credits, not a production allowance
- • Advanced consistency features need paid credits, per our listing
- • Subscription credits are valid for 30 days, per Vidu's pricing FAQ
Vidu pricing
We could not verify Vidu's plan prices from its official pricing page: the page's plan table loads dynamically and no prices or credit bundles could be read from it, and we do not take plan tables from third-party review sites. Our listing likewise gives no numeric price ('Paid plans; free credits available'). Check vidu.com/pricing for the live table, Nov 2026.
Pros
- + Reference features keep characters and products consistent across clips
- + Fast generation suits iterative, story-style workflows
- + Anime and stylised looks are a genuine strength
- + Purchased credits stay valid for 2 years, softening the monthly reset
- + API available for product and pipeline use
Cons
- − Free output is watermarked and personal-use only
- − Subscription credits expire after 30 days
- − Realism varies by scene type — stylised work is safer
- − The consistency features that justify Vidu need paid credits
- − Plan prices could not be verified from its official page — check before budgeting
Best for
- ✓ Creators making character stories that must hold together across shots
- ✓ Anime and stylised content producers
- ✓ Product creators who need the same item recognisable in every clip
- ✓ Developers who want a generation API with reference features
Not ideal for
- ✕ Presenter, training or talking-head video — use an avatar tool instead
- ✕ Publishing commercial work from the free tier
- ✕ Users who want a verified, published price list before signing up
Vidu alternatives
See all alternatives →Runway is the first alternative in this category and the better pick when you want generation plus a real editing workspace to finish shots, with published pricing. Kling AI competes on motion quality and value per credit inside a standalone platform. Pika is the lighter choice for quick, playful social clips and effects. Choose Vidu when the same character must survive every cut; choose Runway when the work is less about one recurring subject and more about directing and finishing individual shots.
Runway
Runway is one of the most complete creative AI video platforms, combining text and image-to-video generation with editing tools such as background changes, relighting and object removal. It is aimed at creators and teams who want generation and post-production in one workspace rather than a single-purpose generator.
Kling AI
Kling AI, developed by Kuaishou, produces detailed short clips from text or images and has become a popular budget-friendly alternative to Western generators. Its newer models support longer, higher-resolution output and are widely used for social and cinematic-style short clips.
Pika
Pika focuses on quick, fun short-form generation with effects and templates that make images melt, inflate, transform and move. It is popular with social creators who want eye-catching clips quickly rather than long cinematic sequences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vidu free?
There is a free tier with trial credits on sign-up and more earnable through daily logins and events. Free output is watermarked and licensed for personal use only, so it is for testing and drafts.
Does Vidu watermark free videos?
Yes — verified: free-tier output carries a watermark. Paid plans are the route to clean exports.
Can I use Vidu videos commercially?
Not the free ones: our verified data confirms free-plan output is for personal, non-commercial use. Commercial work needs a paid plan under its terms.
What is Vidu known for?
Keeping a character or subject consistent across clips using reference images, plus fast generation and strong anime and stylised looks.
Vidu or Hailuo?
Both handle character work. Vidu leans into reference-based consistency — the same subject across many clips — while Hailuo leans into expressive generated characters within a shot. Pick by whether your problem is consistency between clips or performance inside one.
Does Vidu have an API?
Yes — an API platform exists, confirmed in our verified data, for building Vidu generation into your own product or workflow.