Hailuo 2.3, from MiniMax, is the budget and speed pick. At roughly $0.025 per second it’s the cheapest serious video model in its class, and it turns clips around fast — exactly what you want when you’re testing many ideas or producing social content at volume.
The trade-off is precision: it offers less exact prompt control and a lower spec ceiling than premium engines like Kling 3.0 or Veo 3.1. Fine detail and complex direction are not its strengths.
The smart workflow is to draft with Hailuo — explore compositions and motion cheaply — then re-generate the keepers on a higher-end model when final quality matters. As a cost-capped drafting tool, little else competes.
Best for
- High-volume social video
- Quick drafts and concept tests
- Cost-capped pipelines
Pros & cons
Strengths
- Lowest cost per second in its class
- Fast generation for rapid iteration
- Great for high-volume drafting
Limitations
- Less exact prompt control than premium models
- Lower spec ceiling than Kling/Veo