ToolRankBest AI video tools for $20 a month or less
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →
The short answer
Every tool here has a paid plan listed at $20 a month or less on its vendor's pricing page. Runway comes first: leading video models with clear credit-based plans and mobile apps. The cheapest verified paid plan here is Pika Starter ($10/month ($8 annual)). 7 of the 9 have a free plan we could confirm. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page, checked 16 Oct 2026.
Ranked shortlist
- Runway: Leading video models with clear credit-based plans and mobile apps. Plan: Standard: $12/month annual ($15 monthly)
625 credits/month - Synthesia: AI avatar video platform for training and corporate videos in 140+ languages. Plan: Starter: $18/month yearly or $29 monthly
1 editor, 3 guests, no watermark - Pika: Text- and image-to-video generator with effects for short social clips. Plan: Starter: $10/month ($8 annual)
900 credits/month, no commercial license - Hedra: Generates talking-character videos from an image and audio. Plan: Entry paid: $20/month billed monthly
2,000 credits/month - OpusClip: Turns long videos into short vertical clips automatically. Plan: Starter: $15/month
No watermark, YouTube auto-import - Descript (video): Edit video by editing its transcript. Plan: Hobbyist: $16/month annual or $24 monthly
10 media hours, 400 AI credits, 1080p - Invideo AI: Generates full videos with script, stock media and voiceover from a prompt. Plan: Starter: $10/seat/month billed annually
400 credits/seat/month, Agent Two Lite only - LTX Studio: Lightricks' storyboard-to-video production tool built on LTX models. Plan: Lite: $12/month yearly ($144) or $15 monthly
8,000 credits/month - Topaz Video: Desktop AI upscaling, denoising and frame interpolation for video. Plan: Topaz for Web - Video: $19/month promo ($29 list)
Order follows ToolRank’s editorial ranking in Video & Animation, filtered to tools that fit this page. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.
Side by side
| Rank | Tool | Relevant plan | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Main limitation | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Runway | Standard: $12/month annual ($15 monthly) 625 credits/month | $12/month (Standard, billed annually; $15 monthly) | 125 one-time credits, 5GB storage | Creators and studios producing AI video | Free plan is 125 one-time credits; video seconds per plan are limited. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #2 | Synthesia | Starter: $18/month yearly or $29 monthly 1 editor, 3 guests, no watermark | $18/month (Starter, billed yearly; $29 monthly) | Basic: 10 minutes of video/month, 500 credits, Synthesia watermark | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #3 | Pika | Starter: $10/month ($8 annual) 900 credits/month, no commercial license | $8/month (Starter, annual; $10 monthly) | Free: $0, no monthly credits (credit packs only), 2 parallel video generations | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #4 | Hedra | Entry paid: $20/month billed monthly 2,000 credits/month | $20/month (billed monthly) | Free plan, no credit card (per pricing page title) | Talking-character videos from images and audio | Credits limit output | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #5 | OpusClip | Starter: $15/month No watermark, YouTube auto-import | $15/month (Starter) | Free: watermarked clips, 3-day export window, 9:16 only | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #6 | Descript (video) | Hobbyist: $16/month annual or $24 monthly 10 media hours, 400 AI credits, 1080p | $16/month (Hobbyist, annual; $24 monthly) | Free: 60 media minutes/month, 720p export, 5GB storage | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #7 | Invideo AI | Starter: $10/seat/month billed annually 400 credits/seat/month, Agent Two Lite only | $10/seat/month (Starter, billed annually; shown as 50% off $20) | ✕ None listed | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #8 | LTX Studio | Lite: $12/month yearly ($144) or $15 monthly 8,000 credits/month | $12/month (Lite, billed yearly $144; $15 monthly) | Free: $0 forever, 800 one-time credits | Storyboarding and AI video production | Free credits are one-time, not monthly | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #9 | Topaz Video | Topaz for Web - Video: $19/month promo ($29 list) | $19/month (Topaz for Web - Video, promo; $29 list) | ✕ None listed | Upscaling and restoring video | Commercial use limited to orgs under $1M revenue on these plans | 16 Oct 2026 |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.
Who should pick which
Pick Runway for creators and studios producing AI video (Standard: $12/month annual ($15 monthly)); think twice if you need long-form video on a small budget. Synthesia (Starter: $18/month yearly or $29 monthly): AI avatar video platform for training and corporate videos in 140+ languages. Pika (Starter: $10/month ($8 annual)): Text- and image-to-video generator with effects for short social clips. Pick Hedra for talking-character videos from images and audio (Entry paid: $20/month billed monthly). Watch out: credits limit output. OpusClip (Starter: $15/month): Turns long videos into short vertical clips automatically. Descript (video) (Hobbyist: $16/month annual or $24 monthly): Edit video by editing its transcript. Invideo AI (Starter: $10/seat/month billed annually): Generates full videos with script, stock media and voiceover from a prompt.
FAQ
Which of these is cheapest?
Pika Starter ($10/month ($8 annual)) is the lowest paid price we verified on this list (https://pika.art/pricing, checked 16 Oct 2026). Check the vendor page for tax, billing period and usage limits.
Which of these have a free plan?
Runway: 125 one-time credits, 5GB storage; Synthesia: Basic: 10 minutes of video/month, 500 credits, Synthesia watermark; Pika: Free: $0, no monthly credits (credit packs only), 2 parallel video generations; Hedra: Free plan, no credit card (per pricing page title); OpusClip: Free: watermarked clips, 3-day export window, 9:16 only; Descript (video): Free: 60 media minutes/month, 720p export, 5GB storage; LTX Studio: Free: $0 forever, 800 one-time credits.
How were these tools chosen?
They are the tools in ToolRank's rankings with a verified paid plan at or below $20/month (USD), confirmed on the vendor's own website on 16 Oct 2026. Tools we could not verify are left out rather than guessed, and anything unconfirmed is marked Not yet verified.
Sources
- Runway: Runway pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Synthesia: Synthesia pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Pika: Pika pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Hedra: Hedra pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- OpusClip: OpusClip pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Descript (video): Descript (video) pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Invideo AI: Invideo AI pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- LTX Studio: LTX Studio pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Topaz Video: Topaz Video pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
Related comparisons
Profiles: Runway · Synthesia · Pika · Hedra · OpusClip · Descript (video) · Invideo AI · LTX Studio · Topaz Video
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