Hailuo 2.3, from MiniMax, was the budget and speed pick of early 2026. MiniMax’s official price list now files it under “Legacy Models”: Hailuo 2.3 Fast costs $0.19 per 6-second 768P clip and $0.33 at 1080P, and the standard model $0.28 and $0.49 — about $0.032–0.082 per second. It still turns clips around fast, which suits testing many ideas or producing social content at volume, but MiniMax’s newer MiniMax H3 ranks far higher on Artificial Analysis at $0.08 per second (768p).
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