AI Video Tools 2026: Veo, Runway, Kling, Pika (Sora Sunsets)

AI video generation has evolved between 2024 and 2026 at a pace comparable to image AI. We have entered an era where you can generate realistic videos of several to a dozen seconds simply by feeding in text or images. However, services differ in pricing, maximum length, commercial-use terms, and Japanese-language support, making it surprisingly hard to pick the right one. This article provides an in-depth comparison of Google DeepMind's Veo, Runway, Kuaishou Technology's Kling AI, and Pika, based on official information confirmable as of May 2026. We also organize migration options away from OpenAI Sora, whose API is scheduled for shutdown in September 2026.

[Important notice] OpenAI Sora is being discontinued. According to OpenAI's official Help Center, the consumer version of Sora was officially announced for shutdown on March 24, 2026, and the web app and iOS app ended service on April 26, 2026. Furthermore, the Sora API is scheduled to end on September 24, 2026. We do not recommend newly adopting Sora into business operations. In this article, we focus on Google Veo, Runway, and Kling AI as the realistic migration candidates from Sora (source: OpenAI Help Center, "What to know about the Sora discontinuation").

What Is AI Video Generation: 2026 Snapshot

AI video generation refers to AI models that produce video clips of several seconds to several tens of seconds from a text prompt or reference image. Since OpenAI announced Sora in early 2024 and made waves, Google, Runway, Kuaishou, Pika, and others have released high-quality models. Today, 1080p to 4K-class footage, native audio output, and reference-image-based character consistency are becoming standard. Meanwhile, Sora itself—the original spark—is being shut down in 2026, and the field's leadership has shifted to Google Veo, Runway, Kling AI, and Pika.

Generated length is still typically "5 to 10 seconds per clip, up to about 20 seconds at most." Long-form content is produced by stitching multiple clips with "Extend" or "Storyboard" features. Pricing typically takes two forms: subscription (flat monthly) and API/credit-based (metered by generated seconds and resolution).

Major AI Video Generators Compared (May 2026)

The table below is compiled from each service's official pages and announcements. Prices reflect official information as of May 2026; yen-denominated equivalents shift with currency, region, and tax. Always confirm the latest figures and conditions on each official page.

* Prices and specs reflect public official information as of May 2026. This space sees frequent plan revisions and new model releases, so always confirm the latest details on each official site before signing up.

Strengths and Best-Fit Use Cases per Service

Sora (OpenAI): scheduled to end in September 2026

Sora was OpenAI's video generation AI offered within the ChatGPT ecosystem. From its 2024 announcement through Sora 2 in 2025, it was widely treated as the reference for "narrative, photorealistic footage." It earned praise for physical-law consistency, multi-person motion, and natural camera work. However, per OpenAI's official Help Center, the consumer version was announced for shutdown on March 24, 2026, the web and iOS apps stopped on April 26, and the API is scheduled to end on September 24. Even if you were considering Sora for short ads or concept films, new adoption is not advisable at this point.

The most realistic migration target from Sora is Google Veo (Veo 3 / 3.1). It comes closest to Sora in cinematic photorealism, physics consistency, and camera-control range, and it scales from consumer plans (Google AI Pro / Ultra) up to enterprise use on Vertex AI—covering individuals to corporate adoption. Combined with Vertex AI's upscaling, final deliverables can reach 4K-equivalent resolution.

The other axis is Runway Gen-4 / Gen-4.5. Runway's strength is the depth of its production workflow—timeline editing, lip sync, upscaling—so the "finishing as a film" that Sora users were used to can be completed within the platform. Runway also lets you use Veo, Kling, and other third-party models on the same platform, which suits teams that do not want to commit to a single Sora replacement just yet.

Google Veo (Google DeepMind): high resolution and enterprise integration

Veo is the video generation model developed by Google DeepMind. Its strength is the breadth of usage forms, ranging from consumer plans (Google AI Pro / Google AI Ultra) to enterprise use via the Gemini API and Vertex AI. The Veo 3.1 family released in 2026 has announced improved consistency through reference images and native vertical-video support, suiting corporate use cases that demand quality—ads, presentation footage, product films.

On resolution, native generation reaches up to 1080p, and 4K is achievable via Vertex AI's upscaling capability (reference: Google Cloud Blog, "Veo 3.1 Lite and a new Veo upscaling capability on Vertex AI"). On Vertex AI, billing is metered by generated seconds, with volume discounts and enterprise contracts available. Japanese UI and Japanese prompts are supported, lowering the bar for Japan-based teams.

Runway: optimized for the video creator's workflow

Runway (Runway AI, Inc.) is one of the earliest commercially available AI video platforms. In addition to its own Gen-4 / Gen-4 Turbo / Gen-4.5 models, the platform also lets users access Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 Pro and other third-party models. Runway offers tiered plans (Free / Standard / Pro / Unlimited / Enterprise) and pairs generation with editing features—timeline, lip sync, Act-Two, upscaling—which is the differentiator versus other services.

Runway fits naturally into specialist video production workflows, suiting music videos, promo videos, short films, and TV-CM source material. Note that videos generated on the Free plan are not allowed for commercial use, so business work should always run on Standard or above—or a team plan that meets the conditions.

Kling AI (Kuaishou Technology): character consistency and human portrayal

Kling AI is a video generation AI developed by Kuaishou Technology, the Chinese video platform giant. From its initial release, it has been highly rated for consistency in human motion, expression, and clothing. From 2025 to 2026, models have evolved through Kling 2.0 / 2.1 / 3.0. The latest generation announces character-fixing via reference images, resolution up to 4K-class, and longer video lengths.

Pricing as of May 2026 is a four-tier structure: Free, Standard $5.99/month, Pro $29.99/month, Premier $54.99/month (official: klingai.com). It suits character-centric creative work for social media—looped anime-style character clips, anthropomorphic product shorts, fashion films with moving subjects. Commercial use is supported on paid plans, while the free plan is restricted to personal, non-commercial use.

Pika: short-form social and lightweight creative

Pika, from Pika Labs, is a video generation service known for clear operation and a light UI. The Pika 2.5 generation comes with a strong set of compositing and replacement-style editing features—Pikaframes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists—matching cases where you want to mass-produce short videos for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

The Free plan has limits: non-commercial use, 480p, and watermarks. Moving up to Standard (about $8/month annual) or higher unlocks watermark removal, all resolutions, and commercial use. For marketers wanting to test short-form social material at low cost, Pika is an easy entry point.

Reading Commercial-Use Licenses: 4 Must-Check Points Before Signing

"Commercial use OK" for AI video generation is in fact a wide-ranging phrase. Plan tier, output ownership, third-party material handling, and regional restrictions interact, so always verify the four points below in the official terms.

1. Commercial use by plan: Many services treat the free plan as "personal, non-commercial only," with commercial use unlocked from paid plans. Runway and Pika are typical examples.
2. Output rights ownership: Confirm whether the rights to generated video belong to the user or whether the service retains some license. Watch out for clauses on secondary use as training data.
3. Third-party material and likenesses: Outputs that mimic real people, brands, or characters remain the user's responsibility for portrait, trademark, and copyright concerns even on commercially licensed plans.
4. Region and industry restrictions: Finance, medical, political ads, and election-related uses may be restricted by terms. Some overseas services have plans that cannot be used from Japan due to provider-country restrictions.

Rather than "we tested it free and we liked it, so we will use it in production," always re-read the terms for the actual production plan and model. The way commercial use applies to AI image generation is also explained in detail in our Guide to Commercial Use of AI Image Generation.

Recommendations by Use Case

Short-form social (TikTok / Reels / Shorts)

To produce a high volume of clips at low cost, the paid plans of Pika or Kling AI are first candidates. They suit cases where you turn out 5–10 second vertical clips from template-style prompts. Veo's vertical-video support is also an option.

Presentation footage and internal videos

If high resolution and Japanese UI matter, Google Veo (Google AI Pro / Ultra, or Vertex AI) is well balanced. It works well for chaining short cuts as inserts in presentations, with the option to elevate the final delivery to 4K-equivalent via Vertex AI upscaling.

Prototypes, storyboards, promo videos

If creative range and editing depth matter, Runway is a strong choice. Beyond the Gen-4 family, you can run Veo and Kling on the same platform, comparing and combining in one place.

Narrative, cinematic short films

For cases that prize camera work and physics consistency, Sora used to be the first candidate. With Sora's shutdown, the realistic answer is to migrate to Google Veo or Runway Gen-4 / Gen-4.5. Veo is strong on photorealistic cinematic expression and high resolution; Runway is strong on completing the production end-to-end including the editing workflow.

Character-centric short dramas and music videos

If character and person consistency is the top priority, Kling AI. Reference images keep the character fixed across multiple cuts, fitting fashion, cosmetics, and short-form character-IP projects.

Tips for Japanese Prompts: Writing for Video AI

Compared to text and image AI, video generation AI requires prompt design that is conscious of the time axis. Using the template below as a baseline reduces output variance.

• Scene: location, time of day, weather, light (e.g., early morning Ginza, post-rain asphalt, side light).
• Subject: age range, clothing, expression, pose (avoid real-person proper names).
• Camera: shot type (close-up, wide, overhead), motion (pan, dolly-in, handheld), lens feel (wide, telephoto, bokeh).
• Motion: subject's actions and pacing (turning slowly, sprinting through, setting down a glass).
• Style: photorealistic, cinematic, anime-style, retro film, etc.
• Negative elements: things to avoid (garbled text, deformed hands, excessive effects).

Most models understand Japanese prompts reasonably well, but film-domain terms like "cinematic" or "shallow focus" tend to be more stable in English. Building the structure in Japanese while leaving specialist terms in English—a hybrid approach—is the most practical in business use. The latest 2026 trends in generative AI are summarized separately in Generative AI Trends 2026.

Adoption Cautions: Copyright, Likeness, and Deepfakes

Copyright and neighboring rights

How copyright applies to AI-generated video output varies by country and service. In Japan, "the presence of human creative contribution" is treated as a key factor, and the rights status of videos produced solely by automatic generation from prompts is not yet fully settled. In practice, internal guidelines need to bridge "the scope authorized by the service's terms" and "the latest interpretation of Japanese law."

Portrait and publicity rights

Generating a "look-alike" of real celebrities, talent, or company affiliates—even on commercially licensed plans—can amount to violation of portrait or publicity rights. When employees or customers appear, getting separate consent for the AI-generated reproduction is the safer path.

Deepfakes and disclosure obligations

Videos that put words in someone's mouth, synthetic audio, and political-context use are increasingly being regulated as deepfakes worldwide. In Japan as well, generative outputs in elections, finance, and healthcare carry heightened legal risk if they could mislead, and operational rules such as AI-generated credits and watermark preservation are recommended.

Third-party brands and character IP

Outputs that include famous characters or brand logos leave IP infringement liability with the user, even on commercially licensed plans. The realistic operation is "even if the terms allow it, run a separate review on whether the asset is publishable." For text-model comparisons in AI, see also ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini Compared.

Mihata's Support: Helping SMEs Adopt Video AI

At Mihata (mihata.jp), we are an AI x web specialist consultancy supporting Japanese SMEs through video-AI adoption. Concretely, we provide one-stop support for service selection by use case and budget, drafting internal guidelines, sorting commercial-use and copyright considerations, designing short-form social workflows, and combining generated material with web production. We also handle Sora-migration target selection and prompt-asset porting, so even at the "I do not know which AI to start with" or "I do not have the bandwidth to read the terms" stage, please feel free to reach out.

Conclusion: 2026 Video AI Is About "Picking the Right Tool for the Job"

As of May 2026, AI video generation has moved out of the phase of "pick a single all-purpose service" and into "use two or three services, each for what they are best at." Cinematic photorealism is best served by Google Veo or the Runway Gen-3 family as Sora replacements; corporate high-resolution material by Google Veo; production with editing workflow by Runway; people and characters by Kling AI; high-volume social shorts by Pika. Each has its niche, so trying multiple from the start is, in the end, the shortest path.

Pricing, maximum length, and commercial-use terms are revised frequently. As OpenAI Sora shows, even an industry-leading service can be slated for shutdown within a few years. Numbers in this article are a snapshot from May 2026—always verify on each vendor's official page before production rollout. At Mihata, we partner with you on selecting and operating video generation AI, taking your business stage and legal policies into account. Please reach out from the very first step.