---
title: Select the right video generation model by use case, cost, and output quality
impact: HIGH
impactDescription: "Wrong model selection wastes budget on unsuitable outputs or misses capabilities like multi-shot, audio sync, or character consistency"
tags: video, generation, kling, sora, veo, runway, model-selection
---

## Video Generation Model Selection

Choose the right video generation provider based on use case, quality needs, and budget.

**Model comparison (February 2026):**

| Model | Max Duration | Resolution | Native Audio | Multi-Shot | Character Consistency | Best For |
|-------|-------------|------------|-------------|------------|----------------------|----------|
| **Kling 3.0/O3** | 15s | 4K/60fps | Yes (multi-speaker) | Yes (6 shots) | Excellent (3+ chars) | Social content, IP, ads |
| **Sora 2** | 60s | 1080p | Yes | No | Moderate | Narrative, storytelling |
| **Veo 3.1** | 8s | 4K | Yes | No | Good | Cinematic B-roll, polished explainers |
| **Runway Gen-4.5** | 10s | 4K | Limited | No | Excellent (Act-Two) | Professional filmmaking |
| **Wan 2.6** | varies | 1080p | No | No | Good | Open-source, brand narrative |
| **Pika 2.5** | 5s | 1080p | Limited | No | Low | Viral effects, social |

**Incorrect — using Sora for high-volume social content:**
```python
# Wrong: Sora is expensive and slow for volume work
# $1+ per video, 300-600s generation time
result = openai.videos.generate(
    model="sora-2",
    prompt="Product showcase with character",
    duration=10,
)
# Better: Use Kling 3.0 Standard — $0.20/video, 60-90s, character elements
```

**Correct — matching model to use case:**
```python
# Social/ads volume → Kling 3.0 (cheap, fast, character consistent)
# Narrative film → Sora 2 (realism, cause-and-effect, 60s duration)
# Cinematic B-roll → Veo 3.1 (camera control, polished motion)
# Professional VFX → Runway Gen-4.5 (Act-Two motion transfer)
# Self-hosted/private → Wan 2.6 or LTX-2 (open-source)
```

**Pricing comparison (5s video, standard mode):**

| Provider | Kling 3.0 | Sora 2 | Veo 3.1 | Runway Gen-4.5 | LTX 2.0 | Wan 2.5 |
|----------|-----------|--------|---------|----------------|---------|---------|
| Official API | ~$0.20 | ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) | Google AI Pro ($29/mo) | From $12/mo | — | — |
| fal.ai | $0.07/s ($0.14 w/audio) | Available | $0.40/s | — | Available | $0.05/s |
| Third-party (PiAPI, Segmind) | $0.20-$0.96 | — | — | — | — | — |

**Selection guide:**

| Scenario | Recommendation |
|----------|----------------|
| Character consistency across shots | Kling 3.0 (Character Elements 3.0, 3+ chars) |
| Realistic narrative storytelling | Sora 2 (best cause-and-effect coherence) |
| Cinematic B-roll / product shots | Veo 3.1 (best camera control + motion) |
| Professional VFX / motion capture | Runway Gen-4.5 (Act-Two motion transfer) |
| High-volume social content | Kling 3.0 Standard (cheapest, 60-90s gen) |
| Open-source / self-hosted | Wan 2.6 or LTX-2 |
| Lip-sync / avatar | Kling 3.0 (native lip-sync API) |

**Key rules:**
- Kling 3.0 has two variants: **V3** (standard generation) and **O3** (AI Director — better scene composition and physics)
- Native audio generation doubles credit cost on Kling — disable `sound: false` for silent clips
- Sora 2 is region-restricted (US/Canada primarily) — check availability before committing
- Runway Gen-4.5 has no third-party API access — must use Runway's own API
- Video generation is async — always implement polling or callback patterns for task status
