Luma AI vs Pika
Luma AI and Pika side by side: what each one is, what it costs to start, and whether you can try it free. Everything below comes from the vendors' own sites and other public sources, not from hands-on testing.
At a glance
| Luma AI | Pika | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video & Motion | Video & Motion |
| Starting price | $25/mo (checked October 2026) | $8+/mo (checked October 2026) |
| Free tier | Not listed | Not listed |
| Profile | Read profile | Read profile |
Prices are in US dollars unless shown otherwise. Confirm the current price on the vendor's site before you buy.
Key differences
Neither lists a free tier, so expect to pay to use either one.
Pika has the lower starting price ($8/mo against $25/mo for Luma AI). The cheapest plan rarely has the same limits or features, so compare plans before choosing on price.
Both are in our Video & Motion category.
About each tool
Luma AI
Browser and iOS workspace for generating video, images and audio with Luma's Ray and UNI models plus third-party models. Credit-based plans.
Who it is for
Creators, marketing and advertising teams, and film and game studios generating AI video and images. Developers can use a separate credit-based API.
Strengths
- Ray3.2 video model: text-to-video, image-to-video, video modification and reframing
- Multi-keyframe direction (up to 16 keyframes) and a low-credit Draft Mode
- 16-bit HDR output with EXR export on Ray3.2
- Paid plans list third-party video and audio models alongside Luma's own
- Commercial use is included on Plus
Limitations
- Luma's current pricing page lists no free plan, although an older help page describes one
- Team and Enterprise pricing is by contacting sales
- The API is billed separately from the web plans
Pika
AI video generator for short clips from text, images and video, with effects such as Pikaffects, editing tools and several models. Starter is $8 a month billed annually; the Free plan has no monthly credits.
Who it is for
Individual creators and small teams who make short social or marketing video clips and want effects, editing tools and several video models in one credit-based account. The vendor also lists an API and an Enterprise tier for developers and larger organizations.
Strengths
- The pricing page says all plans include access to all models and no watermark, including Free
- Annual billing is listed at 20% off: Starter $8 a month and Creator $28 a month
- Creator and above include a commercial license, and Fancy adds unlimited parallel generations and a priority queue
- The Create apps page lists tools beyond text-to-video: Camera Director, Swap Anything, Extend Video, Upscale Video, Motion Transfer, Pika Soundtrack, Pikaffects, Pikaframes (up to five stills) and Pikadditions
- A separate developer API at dev.pika.art lists usage-based prices, for example Pikaffects at $0.05 a request
Limitations
- Starter ($10 a month monthly, $8 annual) has 900 credits and no commercial license, and commercial use starts at Creator ($35 a month monthly)
- Fancy is a range ($95 to $880 a month monthly, $76 to $704 annual) from 8,550 credits, and early access starts at $440 a month
