Head-to-head comparison
Hailuo vs Wan, comparison 2026
Hailuo
7.8/10
MiniMax
Budget MiniMax model with strong motion and image-to-video — low barrier to entry.
Wan
7.7/10
Alibaba (Tongyi Lab)
Alibaba's open-source video model with native audio — free to run locally under Apache 2.0.
TL;DR, key differences
| Attribute | Hailuo | Wan |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $10/mo | free |
| Pro / higher plan | $64/mo | n/a |
| English prompts | yes | yes |
| Native audio | no | yes |
| Image-to-video | yes | yes |
| Max clip length | 10s | 10s |
| Availability | worldwide | worldwide |
| Rating (our tests) | 7.8/10 | 7.7/10 |
Strengths
Hailuo, pros
- +Very low price point (Standard ~$10/mo)
- +Natural, dynamic motion and character physics
- +Generous free tier with daily free credits
- +Strong image-to-video (animate product shots and graphics)
- +Commercial license and no watermark on paid plans
Wan, pros
- +Open-source under Apache 2.0 — free locally with no fees or royalties
- +Native audio (dialogue, lip-sync, ambient sound) in one render
- +Full privacy and control when running locally
- +No generation limits with your own GPU
- +Also available via cloud APIs (fal.ai, DashScope) without your own hardware
Weaknesses
Hailuo, cons
- −Free tier has watermark, 720p, max 6s clips, and no commercial rights
- −Free credits expire in ~3 days
- −No native audio (requires ElevenLabs or similar)
- −Weaker lip-sync quality
- −Chinese vendor — review ToS regarding data privacy
Wan, cons
- −Local run requires a powerful GPU (min. 24 GB VRAM) and technical setup
- −Weaker rendering of hands, fingers, and on-image text
- −Audio sync can be imperfect (lips don't always match)
- −Higher barrier to entry for non-technical users than ready-made SaaS
- −Weaker in complex scenes with multiple characters
When to choose which tool
Choose Hailuo if
- →Budget entry point into AI video for beginners
- →Image-to-video (animate product shots and graphics)
- →Clips with dynamic character motion and action
- →Bulk content for TikTok and Reels
- →Testing ideas on the generous free tier
Choose Wan if
- →Free local video generation for technical users
- →Bulk content without monthly limits
- →Projects requiring full data privacy
- →Experiments and fine-tuning on your own hardware
- →Low-cost rendering via cloud API instead of subscriptions
Verdict
In our tests, Hailuo (7.8/10) outscores Wan (7.7/10) in overall quality. On price, Wan wins (from $0/mo). Wan includes native audio in a single render pass; the other option requires a separate audio tool. Choose Hailuo if you need: Budget entry point into AI video for beginners, Image-to-video (animate product shots and graphics). Choose Wan if you need: Free local video generation for technical users, Bulk content without monthly limits.