Pika 2.5 - Sharper visuals ยท smoother motion ยท live now

AI Video Generation,
reimagined for creators.

Pika Labs turns text, images, audio, and existing footage into cinematic, social-ready video using a model built from the ground up. Animate, swap, lip-sync, extend, and transform - without leaving your browser.

๐Ÿš€ Try Pika Free Explore Tools
7
Model Versions
25s
Pikaframes Max
1080p
HD Output
3ร—
Faster w/ Turbo
What is Pika

A creative studio powered by its own video model.

Pika is an AI-native video platform that transforms simple inputs a sentence, a still image, a short clip, an audio track into dynamic, expressive video. The team has built a proprietary video model from scratch, designed to be fast, flexible, and unmistakably creative.

Whether you are prototyping a concept, animating a memory, or producing social-first content, Pika gives you the controls to direct AI like a co-creator. Pikaframes for transitions, Pikaswaps for object replacement, Pikadditions for inserts, Pikaffects for surreal transformations, and Pikaformance for talking-face lip-sync all in one workspace.

Available on web and iOS, with a free tier to get started.

Abstract cinematic visualization
What's New

Latest from Pika Labs.

Four releases reshaping how creators interact with AI video โ€” from real-time agents to a living digital twin you can take across the internet.

PikaStream 1.0 - real-time AI video chat
New ยท Real-Time
PikaStream 1.0 ยท Beta

Real-time video chat for any AI agent.

A breakthrough model that brings visual and vocal presence to your AI.

PikaStream 1.0 lets agents respond live โ€” preserving memory and personality across calls while adapting in real time to tone, context, and conversational cues. Pair it with a Pika AI Self and your AI can execute agentic tasks during the call, turning passive chats into action-driven collaboration.

  • Live face & voice presence for any agent
  • Persistent memory across conversations
  • Tone & context-aware adaptation
  • Agentic task execution during calls
Pika AI Selves โ€” your living digital twin
Now Available
Pika AI Selves ยท pika.me

A living extension of you.

Persistent. Portable. Multi-modal.

Build a personal AI Self trained on your personality, voice, memories, and appearance. Multi-modal across text, voice, image, and video โ€” your Self can chat, create content, scale your presence, draft work, and travel with you across the internet.

  • Personal companion & brand extension
  • 24/7 reply across DMs & messages
  • Content creation in your voice & likeness
  • Free during early beta
Slack Telegram WhatsApp Discord Signal iMessage Google Chat
Pika AI Powers โ€” creative video toolkit
Toolkit
Pika AI Powers

Smarter editing, styling & effects.

The creative toolkit on top of every Pika model.

Pika Powers is the layer that turns generated clips into polished, expressive, on-brand video. Edit individual scenes, apply unique style presets, and stack eye-catching effects โ€” turning quick AI drafts into dynamic, finished short-form content.

  • Scene-level edit controls
  • Curated style presets
  • Stackable visual effects
  • Works with every Pika model
Pikaformance โ€” audio-driven talking video
Model
Pikaformance Model

Hyper-real performances from a still image.

Add an image, drop in audio, watch the face come alive.

Pikaformance turns any portrait into an expressive talking video in near real time. Lips, eyes, and micro-expressions sync to your audio โ€” perfect for AI presenters, music clips, brand mascots, meme reactions, and short-form hooks. Fully audio-driven, no animation skills required.

  • Audio-driven lip-sync & expression
  • Up to 30 seconds per clip
  • 3 credits per second of audio
  • Supports portraits, avatars & mascots
Earn While You Sleep

Make money from your Pika AI Self agent.

Pika reframed the economics of personal AI. Instead of paying to run an agent, your AI Self earns tokens redeemable for real cash every time someone interacts with it. Build it once. Let it work for you 24/7.

Tokens redeemable for cash

Your agent works for you, in every sense of the phrase.

Every time someone chats with your agent, uses one of its skills, or requests a photo through it, you earn tokens. Pika handles the transactions internally and converts tokens into cash once you hit the payout threshold.

A creator with a sharp niche say, social-media strategy, video editing, or fashion advice can spin up a specialized AI Self, share its profile link, and turn passive interest into recurring earnings without lifting a finger.

Agent Earnings
Live
$ 124.50
4,328 tokens โ†‘ 18% this week
Recent Activity
๐Ÿ’ฌ
Chat session
+12
โšก
Autoedit skill used
+25
๐Ÿ“ธ
Photo request
+5
๐ŸŽ™
Voice call ยท 3 min
+18
๐Ÿ“Š
PPT skill โ€” slide deck
+30
01

Conversations earn tokens

Every chat someone has with your agent โ€” text, voice, or live video via PikaStream โ€” generates tokens. The richer the conversation, the bigger the reward.

+ Per chat
02

Skills get paid

Autoedit, Sticker Gen, PPT Skill, Real-Time Video Chat, Google Suite connections โ€” each time your agent's skill is used by someone else, your wallet ticks up.

+ Per skill use
03

Photo requests pay

When users request a photo through your agent โ€” a styled portrait, a scene, a custom image โ€” that's another token-generating interaction routed back to you.

+ Per request
i

Status note. Pika has indicated they are currently recalibrating the monetization and earning features to make sure your Pika Agent is the best creative partner it can be. They expect to re-introduce earning features in the future. The mechanics described above reflect Pika's announced design โ€” confirm current availability inside pika.me before you build a strategy around earnings.

Model Lineup

Every version, every era of Pika.

From the foundational Pika 1.0 to the latest Pika 2.5, each release expanded what AI video can be โ€” longer durations, higher fidelity, smarter motion, and tools you cannot find anywhere else.

Latest ยท Pika 2.5

Sharper visuals. Smoother motion. Faster turnarounds.

Pika 2.5 is the upgraded video engine, delivering more reliable styles from every prompt and stronger character consistency. Built for fast short-form work โ€” TikToks, Reels, YouTube Shorts, product teasers, ads โ€” with deeper image-reference integration so you can guide scenes visually instead of writing endless prompts.

  • Stronger character & style consistency
  • Better camera motion & control
  • Image-reference guidance for scene look
  • Optimized Turbo speed for iteration
Pika 2.2

Pikaframes & 1080p HD.

Frame-to-frame animation with up to 10-second generations at full HD. The release that introduced keyframe-style control to AI video.

Pika Turbo

Speed first.

Generates 3ร— faster while using 7ร— fewer credits. The everyday driver for high-volume creators.

Pika 2.1

Cinematic polish.

Stable generations, fewer retries, and smoother camera motion for film-grade short clips.

Pika 2.0

Scene Ingredients.

Stitch your own characters, props, and backgrounds into custom AI-generated scenes.

Pika 1.5

The Pikaffects era.

Crush, melt, inflate, explode, or cake-ify anything. Surreal physics meets cinematic camera work.

Pika 1.0

Where it began.

The first public model: text-to-video, image-to-video, and a UI that put AI cinema in anyone's hands.

The Toolkit

Tools that change how video gets made.

Each Pika tool tackles a specific creative problem โ€” animation, replacement, insertion, scene-building, transformation, or live performance. Use them on their own or stack them together.

Pikaframes

Upload a start frame and an end frame; Pika animates everything in between. Smooth, AI-generated transitions for storytelling, concept visuals, and short-form social content โ€” no animation skills required.

Frame-to-frame Up to 25s 1080p Try Pikaframes

Pikaformance

Turn any portrait into a talking video. Drop in audio and Pika syncs lips, eyes, and expression in seconds. Perfect for VTuber-style avatars, brand mascots, meme reactions, music clips, and AI presenters โ€” fully audio-driven.

Audio-driven Lip-sync Up to 30s Try Pikaformance

Pikaswaps

AI-powered video inpainting. Replace, erase, or modify any object in a clip while preserving the original motion, lighting, and perspective. Ideal for re-imagining footage or fixing on-set mistakes without rotoscoping.

Object replacement Lighting-aware Real footage Try Pikaswaps

Pikadditions

Drop new objects, characters, or creatures into existing video while keeping the original audio and motion intact. Pika handles motion-tracking, lighting, and depth automatically โ€” great for VFX shots and surprise visual gags.

Insert anything Audio preserved Realistic depth Try Pikadditions

Pikascenes

Generate brand-new scenes from a written prompt or source image. Combine multiple ingredients โ€” characters, props, environments โ€” into a single coherent shot, all rendered by Pika's scene composer.

Text-to-scene Multi-input Custom worlds Try Pikascenes

Pikaffects

Crush, inflate, melt, explode, squish, or cake-ify any object on screen. Pika's signature playful effects engine, built for content that stops the scroll. One-click presets, instant results.

Surreal physics One-click Social-ready Try Pikaffects

Pikatwists

Reshape motion, change poses, or alter character actions inside an existing video while leaving the rest of the scene untouched. Direction without re-shooting โ€” remix without rebuilding.

Pose control Targeted edits Scene-safe Try Pikatwists

Pika Selfies

Transform a single selfie into a stylized, social-ready AI video. Playful concepts, time-travel poses, and trend-friendly looks built around your face. The fastest way to turn an everyday photo into a share.

Single-photo Stylized Social-first Try Selfies
Built For

For anyone who needs video, fast.

Pika is designed for high-impact short-form video โ€” without the complexity of professional editing software.

๐ŸŽฅ

Creators & Influencers

TikToks, Reels, Shorts, and stories with cinematic shots and trend-ready visuals.

๐Ÿ“ฃ

Marketers & Brands

Product teasers, ad concepts, animated banners, and logo reveals to test campaigns fast.

๐Ÿ“š

Educators & Coaches

Explainer clips, course intros, and concept demos using AI presenters and animation.

๐ŸŽฎ

Game Devs & Artists

Animate concept art, mood scenes, and stylized shorts to explore worlds in minutes.

๐Ÿš€

Founders & Startups

Launch videos, pitch visuals, and product mockups โ€” without a studio or production crew.

Four Ways In

Start from anything.

Pika accepts the input you have. Type a prompt, upload a still image, feed it existing video, or drop in audio for a talking-face performance.

01

Text โ†’ Video

Describe a scene in plain language. Pika interprets the prompt and renders motion, lighting, and atmosphere from scratch.

02

Image โ†’ Video

Upload a photo, painting, or drawing. Pika animates the still โ€” adding camera movement and depth so it feels alive.

03

Video โ†’ Video

Feed Pika existing footage and transform it. Restyle, swap individual elements, or extend duration without re-shooting.

04

Audio โ†’ Performance

Drop in audio and a portrait. Pikaformance produces a lip-synced talking-face video with expression and reaction.

The Workflow

From idea to share, in four steps.

A simple loop that produces consistently better videos. Most creators tighten it into muscle memory after a few attempts.

Step 01

Start with a clear goal

Decide platform, mood, and whether you need a consistent person or product before opening Pika.

Step 02

Generate short drafts first

Make 5-second drafts before committing to longer clips. Save credits and surface the strongest direction.

Step 03

Change one thing at a time

Lighting, camera, action, or style โ€” adjust a single variable per generation to learn what moves the result.

Step 04

Save your prompt template

When you nail a look, save the prompt formula. Reuse it as a base for future videos in the same series.

Prompt Library

Templates that just work.

Copy, paste, swap the bracketed pieces for your subject. These structures consistently produce clean results across Pika 2.5.

Template 01

Cinematic Realism

A [subject] [action] in [setting], cinematic lighting, realistic motion, shallow depth of field, film look, slow camera push-in.
Template 02

Stylized / Anime

A [subject] [action] in [setting], anime style, clean outlines, vivid colors, smooth motion, gentle camera pan.
Template 03

Product Ad Shot

A clean product shot of [product] on a minimal background, studio lighting, subtle camera movement, premium commercial style.
Template 04

Travel Reel Scene

A cinematic shot of [place], golden hour lighting, smooth motion, drone-like camera glide, high detail, natural colors.
Avoid The Pitfalls

Common mistakes, simple fixes.

Most "bad" Pika results trace back to a handful of predictable problems. Here is the fix list.

i

Scene looks messy or random

Reduce the number of objects, specify "clean background" or "minimal scene", and focus on one subject and one action.

i

Motion feels strange

Choose simpler actions โ€” walking, turning, smiling. Avoid fighting, exploding, or many-person shots until you understand the model.

i

Faces look off

Use image-to-video with a high-quality portrait. Keep lighting consistent, avoid extreme angles, don't cover the mouth.

i

Result doesn't match prompt

Add 1โ€“2 specific cues like camera move and style. Remove conflicting style words. Try a shorter prompt with clearer intent.

Tool Comparison

How Pika stacks up against the field.

The 2026 AI video market has matured fast. Each tool has a sharp strength โ€” Pika's is short-form, social-first creative work with specialized editing tools (Pikaformance, Pikaffects, Pikaswaps). Here is how the major models compare on the dimensions creators ask about most.

Tool Standout Strength Max Length Max Resolution Native Lip-Sync Free Tier Paid From
Pika 2.5 Pika Labs
Effects, swaps & lip-sync for social-first short video 25s ยท Pikaframes 1080p Pikaformance 150 cr / mo $8 / mo
Runway Gen-4 Runway
Cinematic control, motion brush, reference-driven consistency ~10s 4K (upscale) โ€” add-on Limited trial $15 / mo
Sora 2 OpenAI ยท winding down
Photoreal physics, complex scenes โ€” but availability ending ~60s 1080p native audio Via ChatGPT $20 / mo
Luma Dream Machine Luma AI
Fast image-to-video, cinematic motion, generous free tier ~10s 1080p โ€” 30 gens / mo $10 / mo
Kling 3.0 Kuaishou
Long-form clips, anatomically accurate human motion 2 min 4K ยท 60fps 5 languages 66 daily cr $8 / mo
Google Veo 3.1 Google DeepMind
Strongest all-rounder ยท prompt adherence + native audio ~8s 4K native native audio Via Gemini $20 / mo
HeyGen HeyGen
Avatar-first ยท talking heads, localization, training video 5 min+ 1080p 50+ languages 1 min / mo $24 / mo
i

Pricing and capabilities change frequently in this category. Numbers reflect early-2026 entry pricing (annual billing where applicable) and are approximate โ€” always verify on each tool's official site before subscribing. Sora's web and app experiences are scheduled for discontinuation in April 2026; the API follows in September.

Pick Pika when

You ship social-first short video

TikToks, Reels, Shorts, ads. The Pikaffects, Pikaswaps, and Pikaformance toolkit produces scroll-stoppers no other model packages this cleanly.

Pick Runway / Veo when

You need cinematic polish

Client deliverables, brand films, agency work. Runway's motion brush and Veo's prompt adherence justify the price for production-grade output.

Pick Kling when

You need length or motion

Two-minute runs, sports, dance, complex human action. Strong cinematic visuals at competitive credit pricing โ€” verify regional access first.

Pricing

Plans for every kind of creator.

Pika runs on a credit system โ€” every plan refreshes monthly. Annual billing brings the per-month cost down. Extra credits never expire on paid tiers.

Basic
$0
Free forever
  • 150 credits / month
  • Core AI models
  • Watermark-free downloads
  • Web & mobile access
Start Free
Standard
$8
per month, billed yearly
  • 700 credits / month
  • All models incl. Turbo & Pro
  • Faster generation
  • Commercial use rights
Choose Standard
Pro
$28
per month, billed yearly
  • 2,300 credits / month
  • Priority new features
  • Accelerated speed
  • 1080p Pro Mode
Choose Pro
Fancy
$76
per month, billed yearly
  • 6,000 credits / month
  • Maximum generation speed
  • All platform features
  • Best for studios
Choose Fancy

Credit costs at a glance

Cost varies by tool, resolution, and duration. Draft short clips first to save credits โ€” then commit to longer or higher-resolution finals.

Tool Quality & Duration Notes Credits
Text-to-Video / Image-to-Video 480p ยท 5s Fast iteration 12 Free
Text-to-Video / Image-to-Video 1080p ยท 10s Final exports 80 Paid
Pikaframes 480p ยท 5s Frame-to-frame 12 Free
Pikaframes 1080p ยท 25s Long premium clips 200 Paid
Pikascenes 1080p ยท 10s Multi-input scenes 100 Paid
Pikadditions / Pikaswaps Turbo 720p ยท 5s Object editing 10 Free
Pikaffects Image-to-Video ยท 5s Surreal transforms 15 Free
Pikaformance 720p ยท per second of audio Lip-sync / talking face 3 / sec Free
FAQ

Questions, answered.

What exactly is Pika and how does it work? +
Pika is a video generation platform built on a proprietary AI video model developed in-house. Feed it a prompt, image, audio, or video, and it produces a new clip โ€” animating, modifying, lip-syncing, or transforming based on your direction.
Is Pika free to use? +
Yes โ€” there's a free tier with limited monthly credits so you can try the core models. For consistent daily generation, higher resolutions, and commercial use, most creators move to a paid plan.
What is Pikaformance? +
Pikaformance is Pika's talking-face model. Upload an image, drop in audio, and Pika animates lips, eyes, and expressions in sync with your sound. Built for VTubers, brand mascots, meme reactions, and AI presenters.
Can I use Pika videos for commercial projects? +
Standard, Pro, and Fancy subscriptions include commercial-use rights. Basic (free) tier is limited to non-commercial work. Always check the current Terms of Service inside your account for the latest details.
How long can my videos be? +
Pika 2.2 and 2.5 generate clips up to 10 seconds for text-to-video, image-to-video, and Pikascenes. Pikaframes extends up to 25 seconds at 720p or 1080p. Earlier models are fixed at 5 seconds per generation.
What aspect ratios are supported? +
Pika supports seven ratios โ€” 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5, 5:4, 3:2, and 2:3 โ€” so you can target YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms without cropping.
How do I write a strong prompt? +
Use the structure: subject + action + setting + style + camera move. Be specific. Add cinematic keywords like "slow camera push-in" or "shallow depth of field". Use negative prompts for elements to exclude. Keep one subject per clip.
Can Pika keep the same character across videos? +
Image-to-video meaningfully improves consistency, but a perfect identity lock is not guaranteed. Reuse the same base image and similar prompt structures across clips for the strongest match.
Can I remove the Pika watermark? +
Pro and Fancy users download videos without watermarks. Anything shared directly from Pika still includes a watermark for consistency on public surfaces. Always pick "Final Export" rather than preview for clean downloads.
Is there an API? +
A public API is in active development. Pika is partnering selectively with developers and teams. Third-party platforms like fal.ai already expose Pika models for production use, with text-to-video, image-to-video, Pikaframes, and Pikascenes endpoints.
How does Pika compare to Runway and Sora? +
Pika is typically preferred for fast, effects-driven short-form work โ€” TikToks, Reels, Shorts, ads. Runway leans toward a broader creative-suite workflow. Sora produces longer, ultra-realistic cinematic clips. Choice depends on use case and budget.
Web only, or is there a mobile app? +
Both. Pika is available on the web, on iOS through the App Store, and on Android via Google Play. Account, generations, and credits sync across every device.
Get Started

Make your first Pika video.

Free to try, no credit card required. Generate, remix, and ship video that feels nothing like the last AI clip you saw.

๐Ÿš€ Try Pika Free Read the Docs