api.video vs Pika Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

api.video Pika
Starts at Custom $8/mo
Number of plans 2 4
Free plan
Free trial
Pricing model usage-based hybrid

Pay as you go

$0/mo
  • 100 Upload API calls/min
  • 200 Write API calls/min
  • 500 Read API calls/min
  • Audit Logs (up to 5 days)
  • No isolated storage
  • No security review
  • 99.999%
  • Public Terms
  • Credit Card, Apple Pay, SEPA (on request), Monthly Billing

Enterprise plan

Custom
  • 200 Upload API calls/min
  • 1000 Write API calls/min
  • 2500 Read API calls/min
  • Audit Logs (up to 60 days) & Domain Referrer
  • Isolated storage
  • Security Reviews
  • 99.999% + SLA credits
  • Signed MSA, SLA, DPA
  • Wire Transfer, Annual Billing, Payment schedules

Basic

$0/mo
  • 80 monthly video credits
  • Access to Pika 2.5 (480p only), Pikascenes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists, Pikaffects Image-to-Video only

Standard

$8/mo
  • 700 monthly video credits
  • Access to Pika 2.5 (all resolutions), Pikaframes, Pikascenes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists, all Pikaffects
  • Fast generations
  • Purchase more roll over video credits

Pro

Popular
$28/mo
  • 2300 monthly video credits
  • Access to Pika 2.5 (all resolutions), Pikaframes, Pikascenes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists, all Pikaffects
  • Faster generations
  • Purchase more roll over video credits
  • Download videos with no watermark
  • Commercial use

Fancy

$76/mo
  • 6000 monthly video credits
  • Access to Pika 2.5 (all resolutions), Pikaframes, Pikascenes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists, all Pikaffects
  • Fastest generations
  • Purchase more roll over video credits
  • Download videos with no watermark
  • Commercial use

api.video vs Pika FAQ

Which one is cheaper?
One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
Can I use either one for free?
Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
How do they charge?
Different approach here. api.video uses usage-based pricing, while Pika goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
Which one is a better deal?
Depends on what you need. api.video: Free encoding is the hook that makes them look cheap compared to competitors who meter every processing step, but the real cost lives in storage and delivery at scale. They're positioned to win developers and startups who want to test video infrastructure without upfront commitment, then grow into heavier usage.

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