14 Best Free AI Video Generators — Grok.ai, Meta.ai, Seedance, Tencent & Top Chinese Models

AI video tools move fast — and several good options now offer free access (free tiers, demos or daily credits). Below are the best free AI video generators you can try today, including Western platforms (Grok, Meta, Runway, Pika) plus important Chinese models and research demos (ByteDance Seedance, Tencent HunyuanVideo, Zhipu’s Vidu/Ying, Alibaba/ModelScope). Each entry notes what the tool does, who it’s best for, and quick tips to avoid wasting your free credits.

Turn ideas into visuals with simple text prompts.

Note: “Free” means the provider currently offers some free usage (daily credits, demo, free tier or trial). Quotas and availability change quickly — check provider pages for up-to-the-minute limits and export rules.

1) Grok Imagine (xAI) — fast idea → short video (free credits/demo)

What it does: Grok Imagine (from xAI/Grok) offers image and short video generation from text or images with daily/demo credits in many rollouts. It’s positioned as a fast playground for quick clips and ideas.
Best for: quick experimental clips, social shorts, rapid concept tests.
Quick tip: Use a few short prompts and iterate — free credits are limited so test low-res/short variations first.

2) Meta AI (MovieGen demos) — research-grade prototypes

What it does: Meta/Meta AI has released MovieGen-style demos and research experiments that generate short video clips from text and images for public trials in phases. These demos are useful for seeing the cutting edge of text→video research.
Best for: exploring research outputs and prototyping storyboards.
Quick tip: Treat these demos as concept tools — they’re great for ideation, not final production.

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3) Runway — generation + integrated editing (free tier)

What it does: Runway provides powerful generative video models (Gen family) and an in-app editing studio; a generous free tier / credit allotment lets users try many features before paying.
Best for: creators who want generation and editing in the same workflow.
Quick tip: Save free credits for full-scene tests — do low-res drafts first.

4) Pika Labs — fast, playful social clips (free tier)

What it does: Pika Labs (Pika) converts short text prompts or images into animated clips quickly; it offers a free tier for casual creators.
Best for: social media creators and quick experiments.
Quick tip: Try Pikaffects and Pikaformance models for character-like motions.

5) Bing Video Creator (OpenAI Sora via Bing) — quick vertical clips (free)

What it does: Microsoft’s Bing Video Creator integrates OpenAI’s Sora model for short vertical videos accessible in the Bing app with daily limits — a convenient free way to prototype short clips.
Best for: fast vertical social clips and idea testing.
Quick tip: Use multiple short outputs and stitch them if you need longer content.

6) Google Gemini Veo (Veo 3) — Gemini users / promo windows

What it does: Google’s Gemini/“Veo” experiments (Veo 3 / Veo models) have periodically offered short video generations to Gemini users during promo windows. Availability can be restricted by region and rollout phase.
Best for: users already in Google’s ecosystem who want short, high-fidelity micro-clips.
Quick tip: Try during promotional periods and stitch clips for longer outputs.

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7) Lumen5 — script-to-video for marketers (free plan)

What it does: Lumen5 turns blog posts or scripts into short, shareable marketing videos. The free plan includes branded exports and limited features.
Best for: repurposing blog posts into short promo videos.
Quick tip: Clean your script first and then let Lumen5 suggest scenes.

8) Pictory — repurpose long content (free trial)

What it does: Pictory automatically converts long videos, webinars or scripts into short edited clips with captions; free trials let you test the workflow.
Best for: creators repurposing webinars, podcasts or long recordings.
Quick tip: Use auto-chapters and captions to speed up editing.

9) ModelScope / Alibaba DAMO (text→video models) — open models & demos

What it does: Alibaba’s ModelScope (DAMO Lab) provides text-to-video models and demo pages — many are research/open-source style models available for free testing via ModelScope and Hugging Face.
Best for: developers and researchers who want open models or API access for experiments.
Quick tip: Use ModelScope demos to prototype prompts before moving to paid tooling.

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10) Seedance (ByteDance) — Seedance 1.x (high-quality short videos)

What it does: ByteDance (owner of TikTok/Douyin) released Seedance models (Seedance 1.0 / 1.5) that support multi-shot text-to-video and image-to-video generation; browser demos and limited free access are available for rapid prototyping.
Best for: creators wanting expressive, entertaining short clips with synced audio.
Quick tip: Start with image-to-video and short text prompts to save credits.

11) Tencent HunyuanVideo — cinematic research & demos

What it does: Tencent’s HunyuanVideo (Hunyuan Video) is a foundation model for video generation released with demos and research pages; it aims at cinematic quality and style switching between real/virtual. Some access and demo pages allow trying models.
Best for: demoing higher-fidelity cinematic-style clips within Tencent’s ecosystem.
Quick tip: Expect region-based availability; use VPN/local accounts where permitted by terms.

12) Zhipu AI (Vidu2 / Ying) — China-based text & image → video models

What it does: Zhipu AI has public models (Vidu2, Ying) that support text-to-video and image-to-video generation; they appear in open platform demos and model marketplaces (free tiers/demos vary).
Best for: anyone experimenting with Chinese-language prompts or China-centric outputs.
Quick tip: Try Vidu2 demo pages for image→video quick tests.

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13) CogVideoX-Flash / GLM-4-Flash & other research models

What it does: Several Chinese research teams provide open/demo models (e.g., CogVideoX-Flash, GLM-4-Flash) that support text-to-video or image-to-video generation; these are often available as demos on developer portals.
Best for: developers and researchers wanting to test bleeding-edge models and multi-lingual prompts.
Quick tip: Use these demos for experiments — they’re often not production-ready.

14) Wan.video & other smaller browser tools

What it does: Wan.video and similar sites provide short text/image→video generation and sometimes limited free exports for quick experimentation. These tools focus on short creative outputs at 1080p or lower.
Best for: quick, small marketing clips or short-form creative experiments.
Quick tip: Read terms if you’ll reuse assets commercially.

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How to choose the right free AI video tool

1. Decide format: vertical social snippets vs short landscape edits vs storyboard prototyping. (Bing/Gemini/Pika for vertical; Runway/Pictory/Seedance for longer/production focus.)

2. Check free limits: daily credits, trial quotas, or watermarks vary by provider — plan your experiments.

3. Editing needs: If you want in-app editing, Runway and Pictory are better; for pure generation, try Grok, Pika, Seedance or ModelScope.

4. Language & region: Chinese models are often best for Mandarin/China-centric content and may have regional access rules.

Practical prompt & workflow tips

• Start concise: subject + action + style (e.g., “A calm morning street in Kyoto, cinematic, 3s”).

• Generate multiple variations and pick best frames to stitch.

• Test low-res drafts first and only spend credits on final high-res exports.

• Combine tools: generate base clip in one tool, refine or color-grade in another.

• Respect copyright and avoid generating realistic likenesses of real people without consent.

Quick comparison (at-a-glance)

Final note

Free AI video generators are excellent for prototyping, social content and repurposing long-form media. If you’re experimenting, pick one or two tools that fit your format (e.g., Runway + Pika or Grok + Pictory), iterate with quick low-res outputs, then upgrade only for final exports.