Kling AI
AI video generator that creates 4K clips up to 15 seconds from text or image prompts
FREEMIUM Verified JUN 11, 2026
Wan
Alibaba's open-source AI video model family (Wan 2.1–2.7) with a hosted platform at wan.video for text-to-video and image-to-video generation
Wan is Alibaba Tongyi Lab's open-source video generation model family, hosted for browser-based use at wan.video. The hosted platform runs on credits: a limited free tier covers testing, Pro costs $5/month (billed yearly) for 300 credits, and Premium is $20/month (billed yearly) for 1,200 credits — roughly 60 to 240 standard videos monthly. The underlying model weights are Apache 2.0 licensed and free to self-host. Best for creators who want a cheap hosted option and developers who want an open model.
Unverified JUL 11, 2026 FREEMIUM Live
What is Wan?
Wan is a family of open-source text-to-video and image-to-video generation models built by Alibaba’s Tongyi Lab, released under the Apache 2.0 license with model weights, training code, and inference scripts publicly available. The model line has moved fast: Wan 2.1 established the base text/image-to-video capability, Wan 2.2 added a 27-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts architecture and character animation, Wan 2.5 (September 2025) introduced native audio — generating synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and lip movement in the same pass as the video — and Wan 2.6 (December 2025) added multi-shot storytelling and consistent character identity across scenes using up to 150 reference frames. By July 2026, Wan 2.7 is the latest release in the family.
Alongside the open-source weights, Alibaba runs a hosted consumer platform at wan.video (the generation interface lives at create.wan.video) where anyone can generate text-to-video and image-to-video clips up to 1080p at 24fps in a browser, without setting up GPU infrastructure. The hosted platform runs on a credit system: a limited free tier lets you test generation, and paid Pro and Premium memberships unlock higher monthly credit allotments and commercial usage rights. Developers who want programmatic access instead of the consumer interface can call Wan models through Alibaba Cloud’s Model Studio (DashScope) API, paying per clip rather than a monthly credit allowance.
Who is it for?
Wan suits two fairly different audiences: people who just want to generate a video from a prompt in a browser without deep technical setup, and developers or studios who want an open-weight model they can self-host, fine-tune, or embed in their own pipeline without per-video licensing fees.
- Casual creators and marketers who want short, prompt-driven video clips for social or marketing use without a locked-in subscription, using the hosted wan.video platform’s credit packs or entry-level Pro plan.
- Developers building video-generation features who want an official API (via Alibaba Cloud Model Studio/DashScope) rather than a consumer web interface.
- ML teams and studios with GPU infrastructure who prefer to self-host the Apache 2.0-licensed weights directly for data control, customization, or volume generation without recurring credit costs.
- Teams that need audio-synced video — dialogue, sound effects, and lip movement generated in one pass rather than composited afterward — should confirm they’re using Wan 2.5 or later, since earlier versions were video-only.
How much does Wan cost?
Starting price: $5/mo · Free tier: yes · Model: freemium
Pricing verified JUL 11, 2026
Price history tracked from June 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1 concurrent video and 1 concurrent image generation job · 6 image styles · Testing use only, no commercial license |
| Pro | $5/mo | 300 credits/month (roughly 60 standard videos) · Priority generation queue · Commercial use rights |
| Premium | $20/mo | 1,200 credits/month (roughly 240 standard videos) · Priority generation queue · Commercial use rights |
| Credit packs | $1.50–$100 | 30 credits for $1.50 up to 3,900 credits for $100 · No subscription required · 1-year redemption validity |
| API (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio / DashScope) | $0.10–$0.15 | Official Alibaba Cloud API access to Wan models · Pay-per-generation, no subscription · Separate product from the wan.video consumer platform |
What are Wan's key features?
- Text-to-video and image-to-video generation up to 1080p at 24fps on the hosted platform
- Native audio generation — synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and lip-sync produced in the same generation pass since Wan 2.5
- Multi-shot storytelling and consistent character identity across scenes (Wan 2.6), using up to 150 reference frames
- Open-source model weights, training code, and inference scripts released under Apache 2.0 — free to self-host and modify
- Credit-based hosted platform combining one-time credit packs with monthly Pro/Premium memberships
- Official API access via Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (DashScope) for programmatic, pay-per-clip integration
What people use Wan for
- 01 Generating short marketing or social video clips from a text prompt without a subscription-locked competitor
- 02 Turning a single reference image into a short animated video (image-to-video) for product demos or social content
- 03 Self-hosting the open-source Wan model weights on private GPU infrastructure for teams that need data control or high-volume generation without per-credit fees
- 04 Building custom video-generation features on top of the official Wan API via Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (DashScope)
- 05 Producing short clips with synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and lip movement generated in a single pass (Wan 2.5 and later)
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Model weights are Apache 2.0 licensed — free commercial use and no per-video royalties for teams willing to self-host | The official wan.video pricing page renders via JavaScript, so plan details aren't visible in a static page fetch — pricing here is corroborated from third-party guides rather than a direct read of the live page |
| Rapid version cadence (2.1 through 2.7 released within about two years) has kept quality and features competitive with closed rivals | Advertised $5 and $20 monthly rates on Pro and Premium require yearly billing; standard month-to-month pricing isn't clearly published |
| Cheapest paid hosted membership starts at $5/month (billed yearly) for 300 credits, undercutting most closed-source video generators | Free tier is capped at 1 concurrent video/image job and is limited to testing, not commercial output |
| Native audio-video sync (dialogue, sound effects, lip movement) since Wan 2.5 removes the need for a separate audio pipeline | The Wan name is heavily mirrored by unofficial third-party sites (e.g. wan2-1.com, wan27.org) running their own pricing and free-credit offers, which makes it easy to land on the wrong site |
What are the best Wan alternatives?
Luma Dream Machine
AI video generator that creates cinematic clips from text or images using the Ray 2 model
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Runway
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Pika
AI video generator that turns text prompts and photos into short-form videos with scene editing tools
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Hailuo AI
AI video generator by MiniMax that turns text and images into short cinematic clips at up to 1080p
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How people make money with Wan
- Self-host Wan's open-source weights via GPU cloud providers like WaveSpeedAI and resell generations — pay-per-use pricing scales by clip length and resolution, with no subscription markup
Frequently asked questions
Is Wan free to use?
It depends on how you use it. The underlying model weights are Apache 2.0 licensed and free to self-host with no royalties. On the hosted wan.video platform, there's a limited free tier (1 concurrent video/image job, testing only); real usage needs a paid Pro ($5/month, billed yearly) or Premium ($20/month, billed yearly) membership, or a one-time credit pack.
Who makes Wan?
Wan is developed by Alibaba's Tongyi Lab. It's released as an open-source model family alongside a consumer-facing hosted platform at wan.video.
What's the difference between the open-source Wan model and wan.video?
Wan is the open-source model family (weights, training code, and inference scripts under Apache 2.0) that anyone can self-host. wan.video is Alibaba's own hosted platform that runs those models behind a browser UI and a credit-based subscription, so you don't need your own GPU infrastructure.
How much does Wan cost on the hosted platform?
Pro costs $5/month (billed yearly) for 300 credits, and Premium costs $20/month (billed yearly) for 1,200 credits — roughly 60 to 240 standard videos. One-time credit packs are also available, from $1.50 for 30 credits up to $100 for 3,900 credits.
Does Wan generate audio?
Yes, starting with Wan 2.5. The model generates synchronized dialogue, sound effects, and lip movement in the same pass as the video, rather than requiring a separate audio generation step.
What's the latest version of Wan?
As of July 2026, Wan 2.7 is the latest release, following Wan 2.6 (December 2025, multi-shot storytelling and consistent character identity) and Wan 2.5 (September 2025, native audio generation).
Can I access Wan through an API?
Yes. Alibaba Cloud's Model Studio (DashScope) offers official API access to Wan models, priced around $0.10-$0.15 per 5-second 720p clip, separate from the wan.video consumer subscription.