The best AI filmmaking tools, compared honestly

An AI video model makes a clip. A film needs much more around it: a plan for the shots, characters that stay recognisable, a way to try the same shot on different models, sound, and somewhere to put it all together. AI filmmaking tools are the apps that try to provide that, and they differ far more in workflow than in the models they run, since most of them now offer the same handful of models from Google, Kuaishou and ByteDance.

This guide covers seven: Runway, Flick, LTX Studio, Higgsfield, Luma, Pika and Pindow, which is ours. They are not ranked. For each we say what it is built around, which models it offers, who it suits and what to watch out for. Every fact about another company comes from its own site, listed under the table, and we left out anything we could not confirm there.

What matters in a filmmaking tool

• Workspace. A chat, a timeline, a canvas or a set of separate tools. This shapes how you plan and revise more than any single feature.
• Model choice. Whether you can pick a different model for each shot, and which ones are offered. For how the models themselves differ, see the best AI video generators.
• Planning. Script, storyboard and shot tools, if you want the app to help structure the film rather than only generate clips.
• Consistency. How the tool helps keep a character or a look steady across shots, and how firmly it does so.
• Finishing. Sound, editing and export. Some tools cut the film for you; others expect you to take the clips into an editor.
• Cost and access. Whether there is a free way in, and what a month of real work costs.

At a glance

Runway

Runway makes its own models, including Gen-4.5 and Aleph 2.0, and its app now also offers third-party models: Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0 each have a page on Runway’s site saying they are available on all paid plans, and its plans list Seedance 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro as well. Audio tools include Seed Audio and text to speech. The free plan gives 125 credits once; Standard is $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly) for 625 credits, Pro $28 ($35) for 2,250, and Max $76 ($95) for 9,500.

• Best for: people who want a broad, established toolset and a mix of Runway’s own and outside models in one place.
• Watch out for: the free plan’s 125 credits are one-time, and the third-party models need a paid plan.
• More: Runway alternatives, and how Gen-4.5 compares with Kling 3.0 in Runway vs Kling.

Flick

Flick is built on a node-based infinite canvas where scripts, scenes, characters and edits sit as connected nodes. You describe a concept in chat and Flick breaks it into a shot-by-shot storyboard before anything is generated; you then pick a model per shot from Kling, Seedance and Veo 3.1. It offers a character reference that it says carries the same face across models, and a timeline to trim takes and stitch scenes. Flick’s pricing page lists 300 credits to start plus 100 a week, and paid tiers run from $5 to $600 a month.

• Best for: narrative shorts where you want the app to plan the shots with you, then cut them together, without leaving one tool.
• Watch out for: the plan-first workflow suits some people and slows down others who prefer to explore shot by shot.
• More: Flick alternatives.

LTX Studio

LTX Studio, from Lightricks, aims to cover production from script to final cut. You can upload a script to generate scenes and storyboards, keep characters, objects and locations consistent as Elements, direct camera movement and keyframes, and finish with a timeline editor and sound design. It also has a pitch deck generator and team collaboration. Alongside Lightricks’ own LTX models it lists partner models including Veo 3.1, Kling, Seedance, Nano Banana 2, GPT Image and FLUX.2 Pro.

• Best for: agencies and teams that want planning, generation, editing and a client-ready deck in one place.
• Watch out for: a full production suite takes time to learn, which is more than you need for single shots.
• More: LTX Studio alternatives.

Higgsfield

Higgsfield describes itself as an AI-native creative suite for images, video and voice. Its site names Seedance 2.5, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1 and Nano Banana Pro among the models it offers. Its Cinema Studio lets you control camera, lighting, colour and acting in each shot, with more than 30 camera movement presets and dozens of colour palettes, and edit each scene independently.

• Best for: creators who want dramatic camera moves and looks from presets rather than prompt writing.
• Watch out for: the $9 Basic plan has 120 credits a month and selected models only; all models start on Pro at $29 a month, so check what each model costs before committing.
• More: Higgsfield alternatives.

Luma

Luma builds its own models: Ray 3.2 for video, documented at up to 20 seconds at 1080p with HDR, 16-bit EXR export and up to 16 keyframes, and Uni-1 for images. Its old Dream Machine address now leads to Luma’s app, which it presents as creative agents for professionals, covering video, image, audio and text. The site offers a free trial.

• Best for: people who want Luma’s own models, especially HDR and EXR output for grading and compositing.
• Watch out for: plans start at $30 a month with no free plan on the pricing page, and the workflow centres on agents rather than placing every shot yourself.
• More: Luma alternatives.

Pika

Pika calls itself an AI creative platform of self-contained tools. It runs its own Pika 2.5 alongside Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0 and MiniMax H3 for video, image models including Nano Banana and Seedream 5, and tools such as Extend Video, Pika Soundtrack and Character Studio. The free plan has no monthly credits, only paid packs; Starter is $10 a month for 900 credits, Creator $35 for 3,150 and Fancy $95 for 8,550 or more.

• Best for: short social pieces, product shots and quick edits with little setup.
• Watch out for: commercial use is licensed only on Creator and above.
• More: Pika alternatives.

Pindow

Pindow is an infinite, zoomable canvas where you place image, video and audio generators and their results side by side, with notes, shapes and frames around them. It runs about 16 video models and six image models from one credit balance, and models are not locked by plan. The Prompt Engine rewrites and generates prompts. A visual style bound to a board makes every image and video generated there follow that look. Audio comes from ElevenLabs voices, music and sound effects and from BytePlus Seed Audio. Plans start at $36 a month for 3,500 credits.

• Best for: filmmakers who want to try the same shot on several models and keep every take in view, without an account per vendor.
• Watch out for: it is in closed beta with a waitlist and no free tier. It has no storyboard, script or timeline tools and no real-time collaboration, and its Character Studio composes character prompts rather than locking an identity. You finish the film in your own editor.
• More: the models page lists every model and its credit cost, and pricing the plans.

How to choose

1. 1

   Decide how much planning you want the tool to do.

   If you want a storyboard built for you, Flick and LTX Studio are designed around it. If you plan elsewhere and want to generate, look at Runway, Higgsfield, Pika or Pindow.

2. 2

   Check the models, not just the app.

   Most tools here offer Veo 3.1, Kling and Seedance. If you need a particular model, confirm it is offered on the plan you would buy.

3. 3

   Decide where the edit happens.

   Flick and LTX Studio say they include a timeline. Check the others before assuming; Pindow has none, so you download clips and cut them in your editor.

4. 4

   Price a real month.

   Credits are not comparable between tools, so estimate how many clips of what length and resolution you will make, and price that on each tool.

5. 5

   Run the same shot everywhere you are considering.

   A free tier or a small plan is enough to see how each tool handles your kind of shot.

Whichever tool you pick, the model still does the filming. Our head-to-head pages run the same prompts through two models at a time, starting with Seedance vs Veo.