What is MiniMax H3?
MiniMax H3 (also called Hailuo 3) is MiniMax's AI video model, launched on July 31, 2026. It generates clips with built-in audio from a text prompt or a starting image; the official API offers 768P and 2K, and the faster H3-Max variant, released with fal.ai, adds 480P. Open weights for the 768p base model followed on August 3, 2026. On Kensa it makes 5–15-second clips at 480P, 768P or 2K from 1.5 credits per second.
· Kensa publishes this page and sells access to MiniMax H3; we list other options even where they are cheaper or more generous. Kensa is not affiliated with MiniMax.
Key facts
MiniMax's own API offers more inputs and options than Kensa's browser version, so this table keeps official capabilities and what you get on Kensa in separate columns.
| Official (MiniMax) | On Kensa | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | MiniMax | — |
| Also known as | Hailuo 3, Hailuo H3, H3 (per Hailuo AI's FAQ) | — |
| Launched | July 31, 2026 | Live since October 4, 2026 |
| Variants | H3 (768P / 2K, 4–15 s); H3-Max (480P / 768P, 5–15 s) | H3-Max for 480P and 768P, the full H3 model for 2K |
| Resolution | 768P, 2K (H3); 480P, 768P (H3-Max) | 480P 704×480, 768P 1344×768, 2K 2560×1440 (paid plans) |
| Length | 4–15 s (H3), 5–15 s (H3-Max) | 5–15 s |
| Audio | Native stereo audio | Always on, included in the price |
| Inputs | Text, first frame, first + last frame, reference images, videos and audio (up to 9 images, 3 videos, 3 audio clips) | Text, or one first-frame image |
| Aspect ratios | Common ratios or adaptive (see MiniMax's API reference) | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 |
| Generation time | Not published | About 25 s (480P / 768P); about 3 min for a 5 s 2K clip |
| Price | $0.05 / $0.08 / $0.13 per second (480P / 768P / 2K) | 1.5 / 2.5 / 4 credits per second (480P / 768P / 2K) |
| Open weights | H3-Base (768p) on Hugging Face since August 3, 2026 | — |
| License (weights) | MiniMax H3 Community License | — |
H3 vs H3-Max
H3-Max is the faster H3 variant MiniMax released jointly with fal.ai; on MiniMax's API it stops at 768P, while the full H3 model goes to 2K.
On Kensa you pick a resolution, not a variant. 480P and 768P run on H3-Max and came back in about 25 seconds in our test generations; 2K runs on the full H3 model and took about 3 minutes for a 5-second clip. A 2K render is a new generation on a different model, not an upscale of a 768P draft.
Open weights and license
The weights are open but not open-source in the OSI sense: they ship under the MiniMax H3 Community License.
- •MiniMax published the weights on Hugging Face (MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-H3) on August 3, 2026. They cover H3-Base, which generates at 768p.
- •The license is royalty-free for products and services earning up to $20 million a year; above that, MiniMax requires written authorization.
- •The license excludes the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
- •Commercial products built on the weights must prominently display "MiniMax H3".
- •The 2K step (H3-Regenerate-2K) and the hosted input pre-processing system (H3-Context-IR) are available only through MiniMax's API.
- •MiniMax says its API is available globally; the regional exclusion applies to the weights. Hosted use (MiniMax's API, fal.ai, Replicate, Kensa) is governed by that service's terms.
How MiniMax H3 compares on Kensa
On Kensa, MiniMax H3 trades control for range: it is the only one of these three models that goes to 2K, while Veo 3.1 and Seedance 2.0 accept first and last frames and reference images.
| Model | Resolution | Length | Inputs | 8 s clip (credits) | 10 s clip (credits) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 | 480P, 768P, 2K (paid) | 5–15 s | Text, or one first-frame image | 12 / 20 / 32 (480P / 768P / 2K) | 15 / 25 / 40 (480P / 768P / 2K) |
| Veo 3.1 | 720p | 8 s | Text, image, first & last frame, reference images | 13 | Not available |
| Seedance 2.0 | 480p, 720p | 4–15 s | Text, image, first + last frame, reference images | 62 / 136 (480p / 720p) | 77 / 170 (480p / 720p) |
For a single 8-second clip Veo 3.1 costs 13 credits, against 20 for H3 at 768P; H3 is the one to pick for 480P drafts, clips other than 8 seconds or a 2K master. We don't rank visual quality: run the same prompt on both.
Use cases
- •Fast drafts with sound — 480P and 768P clips are ready in about 25 seconds with audio included, so you can try several prompts in a few minutes.
- •2K hero shots — Render the final shot at 2K (2560×1440) on a paid plan; a 10-second 2K clip costs 40 credits.
- •Animate a product photo — Upload one product photo as the first frame and describe the motion to turn it into a short ad or product reveal.
- •Vertical and square social clips — Make 9:16 clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts or 1:1 clips for feeds, 5 to 15 seconds long.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MiniMax H3?
MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 3) is MiniMax's AI video model, launched on July 31, 2026. It turns a text prompt or images into a video clip with native stereo audio. MiniMax's API offers it at 768P and 2K, and the faster H3-Max variant adds 480P. On Kensa it makes 5–15-second clips at 480P, 768P or 2K for 1.5, 2.5 or 4 credits per second.
Is MiniMax H3 the same as Hailuo 3?
Yes. Hailuo AI's own FAQ says MiniMax H3 is the official name and that creators also call it Hailuo 3, Hailuo H3 or simply H3. Hailuo AI is MiniMax's consumer app; the model itself is MiniMax H3.
What is the difference between MiniMax H3 and H3-Max?
H3-Max is the faster H3 variant MiniMax released jointly with fal.ai. On MiniMax's API it generates at 480P or 768P, while the full H3 model generates at 768P or 2K. On Kensa you pick a resolution, not a variant: 480P and 768P run on H3-Max and take about 25 seconds; 2K runs on the full H3 model and takes about 3 minutes for a 5-second clip.
Is MiniMax H3 open source?
Its weights are open, but it is not open source in the OSI sense. MiniMax released the H3-Base weights (768p) on Hugging Face on August 3, 2026 under the MiniMax H3 Community License, which is royalty-free below $20 million in yearly revenue, excludes the US, the EU, the UK and South Korea, and requires commercial products built on the weights to display "MiniMax H3". The 2K step is available only through MiniMax's API.
Where can I use MiniMax H3?
Through MiniMax's API and its Hailuo AI app, on developer platforms such as fal.ai and Replicate, and in multi-model web apps such as Kensa, which runs it in the browser with no API key. New Kensa accounts that sign up with Google get 15 free credits, valid for 72 hours: enough for one 6-second 768P clip. On Kensa, commercial use comes with Pro, Ultimate or the Premium pack. Every free route we verified is listed in our "Is MiniMax H3 free?" answer.
Sources (checked October 4, 2026)
Related Resources
Try MiniMax H3 on Kensa
New Google sign-ups get 15 free credits: one 6-second 768P clip with audio. 2K needs a paid plan from $9.90/month.
Try MiniMax H3