Best AI Video Generators with Free Credits (No Credit Card) — 2026

Best AI Video Generators with Free Credits (No Credit Card) — 2026

Six AI video generators still offer a free plan as of September 2026, but what "free" means now varies widely: Kensa (15 one-time credits on Google sign-up, valid for 72 hours, enough for one Veo 3.1 clip), Pika (a free plan with no monthly credits — "packs only" — but watermark-free output), Leonardo AI (150 tokens per day), Runway (125 one-time credits), Kling (a free Basic plan with a monthly credit claim whose size Kling does not publish; Kling's policy describes daily login credits only for subscribers, during promotional events), and HeyGen (3 free avatar videos per month). Sora is no longer on the list — OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026. The best free option depends on whether you want a single high-quality test clip, credits that keep refreshing, or a talking-head presenter.

Verification note: This page was first written from real sign-ups in March 2026. On September 16, 2026 we re-checked every number against each platform's official pricing or help pages, and on September 26, 2026 we re-checked Kling, Pika, Sora and Kensa again and rewrote what had changed. Where an official page does not state a number, the cell reads "Not published"; where we could not load the official page, it reads "Not verified". We never fill a gap with a guess. Kensa figures come directly from our own billing configuration.

Free Tier Comparison Table

Kling AI free plan (verified September 2026)

Kling still has a $0 plan (called Basic on its membership page), but the "66 free credits a day" figure repeated across the web does not appear on any official Kling page we checked on September 26, 2026. Here is what Kling itself publishes:

• Daily login credits are described only for subscribers, and only during events. Under "Login Credits", Kling's Credits Policy says: "During the event (as shown in the interface), Kling subscribers can claim daily credits upon login/refresh. Amounts are subject to platform announcement. Issued on the first login each day and reset at 24:00." The membership page marks "Daily Free Credits for Subscribers" as not included (–) on the $0 Basic plan (Kling AI Credits Policy; Kling membership plans; checked 2026-09-26).
• Free accounts get a monthly credit claim, but Kling does not publish the amount. The membership FAQ lists "Monthly Free Credits for Non-Subscribers: Claimed upon login each month and valid for 31 days" without stating a number (Kling membership plans, FAQ Q5; checked 2026-09-26).
• The free plan has no 1080p, no watermark removal and no commercial use. The Basic column shows – for "1080p/4K Video Generation", "Brand watermark removal" and "Generated content is for commercial use", and the Credits Policy lists "1080p videos" and "Watermark removal" as "premium-only functions" (Kling membership plans; Kling AI Credits Policy; checked 2026-09-26).
• Free accounts render one video per generation. The plan comparison lists "Max Videos per Generation" as 1 on Basic versus 4 on every paid tier (Kling membership plans; checked 2026-09-26).
• The cheapest paid entry is Standard at $6.99 for the first month, then $8.80/month, for 660 credits a month. Credits bought outright are priced at "$1 USD = 66 Credits" and stay valid for two years (Kling membership plans; Kling AI Credits Policy; checked 2026-09-26).

Not published: how many credits the monthly non-subscriber claim contains, whether the Kling 3.0 models can be used on the free plan, and what a Kling 3.0 clip costs in Kling credits (the plan page does not list per-clip costs).

Kling 3 without a Kling membership: Kensa runs Kling 3 (image-to-video: upload a starting frame) at 6 credits per second at 720p, so a 5-second clip costs 30 credits — about $1.06 on the $9.90/month Basic plan (280 credits, enough for nine such clips), or 40 credits (about $1.41) at 1080p — with no Kling account needed (the 15 free signup credits do not cover a Kling 3 clip); try Kling 3 on Kensa.

Pika free plan (verified September 2026)

Pika's current free plan no longer includes monthly credits. The "150 daily credits" and "80 monthly credits" figures you may still see (including in the March version of this page) describe Pika's older plans. Here is what Pika publishes today:

• The Free plan includes no monthly credits. Pika's pricing page lists Free as "0 credits / month · packs only" (pika.art/pricing; checked 2026-09-26).
• Free accounts pay for generations with credit packs. Top-ups cost "60 credits per $1 on every plan", the smallest pack listed is 3,000 credits for $50, and Pika's pricing FAQ says top-up credits "carry over and expire 365 days after purchase" (pika.art/pricing; checked 2026-09-26).
• Free output carries no watermark but no commercial license. The Free plan lists "No watermark" as included and "Commercial license" as not included; the commercial license starts on the Creator plan at $35/month (pika.art/pricing; checked 2026-09-26).
• The cheapest subscription is Starter at $10/month ($8/month billed yearly) for 900 credits a month. The same page prices a 5-second 720p Seedance 2.5 clip at 122 credits and a 5-second 720p Wan 3.0 clip at 33 credits (pika.art/pricing; checked 2026-09-26).
• Pika's older plan numbers are still online. The legacy app's pricing page still lists a free Basic plan with "80 monthly video credits" and "Pika 2.5 (480p only)", and Pika's Help Center still says "On the Basic (free) plan you get 150 credits per month" — both conflict with the current pricing page, which we treat as authoritative (old.pika.art/pricing; Pika Help Center; checked 2026-09-26).

Not published: whether signing up requires a credit card, and whether new accounts receive any sign-up bonus credits.

Kensa — Best One-Shot Test of a Frontier Model

Free offer: 15 credits when you sign up with Google, no credit card required, valid for 72 hours

Kensa credits every new account created with Google sign-in with 15 credits the moment it is created (email magic-link sign-ups do not receive the welcome credits). That buys exactly one Veo 3.1 clip (8 seconds at a flat 13 credits, leaving 2 credits over), or one Seedance 1.5 Pro clip at 480p (2 credits per second, so 10 credits for 5 seconds), or up to three Grok Image Video clips (6 seconds at 480p for 5 credits each), or one 10-second Grok Image Video clip (10 credits at 480p, or exactly 15 at 720p) — the longest single clip the free balance covers. Kling 3 (30 credits for 5 seconds) costs more than the free balance, so it needs a paid plan. Seedance 2.0 normally starts at 31 credits, also more than the free balance; during the Sep 28 – Oct 11, 2026 (UTC) starter offer, a 4-second 480p Seedance 2.0 clip costs 14 credits, so the free credits cover one.

What you get for free:

• 1 Veo 3.1 clip (8s, up to 720p) — or 1 Seedance 1.5 Pro clip, up to 3 six-second Grok Image Video clips, or 1 ten-second Grok Image Video clip
• Text-to-video and image-to-video on the same interface paid users get
• One generation running at a time

Strengths: The free balance is spent on the same models paid users get, so what you see is real output quality, not a demo tier. Five models live in one interface — Veo 3.1, Kling 3 (image-to-video: upload a starting frame), Seedance 2.0, Seedance 1.5 Pro and Grok Image Video — so you can compare them before subscribing.

Limitations: 15 credits is a one-time test, not a production budget, and unused credits expire 72 hours after signup, so use them right away. Free accounts are limited to 720p; 1080p requires a paid subscription, starting with Basic at $9.90/month.

Best for: Users who want to judge Veo 3.1 or Seedance quality on their own prompt before paying anything. Try Kensa free.

Leonardo AI — Best Daily Token Refresh for Image-First Creators

Free offer: 150 tokens per day, refreshed daily

Leonardo's help center still confirms that free users receive 150 tokens a day. The tokens reset every 24 hours and do not roll over — whatever you do not use expires. Leonardo's own pricing page blocks automated checks, so we could not re-verify the cost of video generation, the video model in use, clip length, or watermark policy on the free plan in September 2026, and we have removed those figures rather than repeat the March numbers.

What you get for free:

• 150 tokens every day, shared across image and video features
• The full image generation suite

Strengths: A daily refresh with no cap on how many days you keep coming back. If images are your primary need, this is the most useful free allowance in the list.

Limitations: Video token costs, model and duration on the free plan are not verified as of this update — check the live pricing page before planning a video workflow around it.

Best for: Designers and artists who mainly want AI images with the occasional video experiment.

Runway — Best Free Look at a Professional Toolset

Free offer: 125 credits on signup, one-time

Runway's free plan gives 125 one-time credits, 5 GB of storage and "a selection" of its generative models to test concepts. The flagship model is now Gen-4.5, priced at 60 credits per 5-second clip, so the free balance covers about two Gen-4.5 clips. Gen-3 Alpha, which this page listed in March, no longer appears on Runway's pricing page at all.

What you get for free:

• About 2 five-second Gen-4.5 clips (or more on cheaper models)
• Access to Runway's editing and generation interface
• 5 GB of asset storage

Strengths: Runway now hosts third-party models alongside its own — Gen-4.5, Aleph 2.0, Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0 and Nano Banana Pro are all listed — and the 10-second-plus professional toolset is the same one paid users work in.

Limitations: One-time credits that run out after two clips. Watermark-free output is a paid feature (the Standard plan lists "no watermarks"). Whether every model is open to free accounts is not spelled out.

Best for: Professionals evaluating Runway's editing and generation workflow before subscribing.

HeyGen — Best Free Avatar Video

Free offer: 3 free videos per month, no credit card required

HeyGen's free plan improved since March: instead of a single video, free accounts now get three videos a month, each up to one minute long, using the Avatar IV model with 500+ stock avatars and one custom avatar. HeyGen states explicitly that no credit card is required.

What you get for free:

• 3 avatar videos per month, up to 1 minute each
• Avatar IV, 500+ stock avatars, 1 custom avatar, 30+ languages

Strengths: A completely different output type from the generative tools above — scripted, lip-synced presenters — and the monthly refresh means you can keep testing.

Limitations: Watermarked; watermark removal starts on the Creator plan. Not a generative scene tool — output is limited to talking-head format.

Best for: Business users evaluating AI presenters for training, marketing or explainer videos.

What Happened to Sora (ChatGPT)?

Sora was on this list in March 2026 as a limited free option inside ChatGPT. It is no longer available: OpenAI's help center says "The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026", its Sora 2 announcement page now reads "As of April 26, 2026, the Sora product is no longer available", and the Sora API was scheduled to be discontinued on September 24, 2026. Former users can only export their content (at sora.chatgpt.com/sunset). Because there is no free Sora video generation to test anymore, we removed it from the comparison. If you came here looking for a Sora replacement, see our Sora 2 alternatives guide.

Which Free Tier Should You Choose?

If you want one high-quality generative clip to judge a frontier model: Kensa. The 15 signup credits cover one 8-second Veo 3.1 clip at zero cost (up to 720p), or one 10-second Grok Image Video clip if length matters more — use them within 72 hours of signing up. Sign up here.

If you want Kling specifically: Kling's own free plan still exists, but it is watermarked, capped below 1080p and its credit amount is not published. To run Kling 3 (image-to-video: upload a starting frame) without a Kling membership, Kensa's Basic plan works out to about $1.06 per 5-second 720p clip.

If you want watermark-free output and don't mind paying per clip: Pika. The free plan has no monthly credits, but credit packs work on it and free output carries no watermark (no commercial license, though).

If images are your main job and video is occasional: Leonardo AI. 150 tokens a day is the most generous ongoing allowance here.

If you want to test a professional editing suite: Runway. Two Gen-4.5 clips is enough to see the workflow.

If you need a talking-head presenter: HeyGen. Three one-minute avatar videos a month, no card required.

What Happens After Free Credits Run Out

Every platform wants you to subscribe. Here is what the cheapest paid plans cost as of September 2026:

Kensa's Basic plan puts Kling 3 (image-to-video: upload a starting frame), Veo 3.1 and Seedance 2.0 on one credit balance and unlocks 1080p on the cheapest subscription. Pika's paid plans are watermark-free, but its commercial license starts on Creator. Runway's Standard plan is the entry point to Gen-4.5 without a watermark. See the full Kensa pricing page for details.

Tips for Maximizing Free Credits

1. Plan your prompt before generating. Free credits are limited — do not spend them on vague prompts. Write detailed descriptions with specific style, lighting and motion instructions.
2. Know which models fit the budget. On Kensa, Veo 3.1 is a flat 13 credits for 8 seconds, while Seedance 1.5 Pro at 480p is 2 credits per second — a 4-second clip costs 8 credits, so shorter is cheaper on per-second models.
3. Use image-to-video when possible. A starting image gives the model better guidance, which means fewer wasted generations. Kensa supports image-to-video on every model.
4. Compare across platforms. Sign up for two or three free tiers and run the same prompt on each before spending money.

Final Take

The free-tier landscape got tighter in 2026: the Sora app was discontinued, Pika's free plan dropped monthly credits in favour of paid credit packs, Kling's official pages describe daily login credits only for subscribers "during the event", and Runway's free credits now buy about two clips of its newest model. It is still enough to make an informed choice without paying. For a single high-quality generative clip, Kensa's 15 free credits on Veo 3.1 remain the best introduction; for ongoing free usage, Leonardo's daily tokens and HeyGen's three monthly videos are the ones that keep giving. Most serious users will eventually need a paid plan, but the free tiers let you decide which platform deserves your money.

Sources

External facts were checked on September 16, 2026, and Kling, Pika and Sora again on September 26, 2026, against the official pages below. Kensa figures come from Kensa's billing configuration and generation code (signup credits and who receives them, 72-hour expiry, per-model credit costs, plan prices, the free-tier 720p limit).

• Kensa plans and credits: kensa.cc/pricing — verified 2026-09-26
• Kling free (Basic) plan features, Standard plan price and credits, credit validity FAQ: Kling membership plans; daily login credits, purchase price, premium-only functions: Kling AI Credits Policy — verified 2026-09-26
• Pika Free, Starter and Creator plans, credit packs, per-clip credit costs, watermark and commercial license: pika.art/pricing — verified 2026-09-26 (monthly-billing prices unless noted); legacy Basic plan: old.pika.art/pricing and Pika Help Center — verified 2026-09-26
• Leonardo AI free tier of 150 daily tokens: Leonardo help center — Tokens FAQ and Token usage — verified 2026-09-16; leonardo.ai/pricing could not be fetched
• Runway free plan (125 one-time credits), Standard plan, Gen-4.5 credit cost, model list: runway.com/pricing — verified 2026-09-16
• HeyGen free plan (3 videos/month, 1 minute, no credit card) and Creator plan: heygen.com/pricing — verified 2026-09-16
• Sora web and app discontinued April 26, 2026; Sora API scheduled for discontinuation September 24, 2026: OpenAI Help Center — What to know about the Sora discontinuation and openai.com/index/sora-2 — verified 2026-09-26