MiniMax H3 and Hailuo

MiniMax H3 is the strongest open weights video model, so it is the one to pick if you want to run video generation on your own GPU. H3 Max is its faster, cheaper variant and ranks first for video editing on Design Arena. On the API, H3 Max at 480P (0.05 USD/second) is a cheap way to draft. Count your retries, though: one creator found H3 cost more than Seedance 2.5 once failed takes were included.

At a glanceCopy Anchor Link

Prices checked on 15 Oct 2026.

The Hailuo web plan table comes from an FAQ that still mentions Hailuo 01 and 02, so it may predate H3. How many credits H3 costs on Hailuo web is not confirmed. The MiniMax API gives no free credits.

Hailuo web plans (from the pricing page FAQ)Copy Anchor Link

• Paid plans download without a watermark. Buying credits alone does not remove it.
• Purchased credits expire after 1 year.
• No refund if you cancel in the middle of a period.

Open weightsCopy Anchor Link

Creators run H3 locally on an RTX 4090 or 5090, and community variants such as FastH3 already exist (community reports). You still need the hardware, and the 2K regeneration module is not in the open release, so 2K output may not be available locally.

Best forCopy Anchor Link

From community reports:

• Editing a clip. H3 Max ranks first for video editing on Design Arena (Elo 1373) and is rated best on price and speed there.
• Lip sync to your own voice track. One organic tester found H3 Max easier than Seedance for audio guided lip sync.
• Motion and scale. Big movement and large scenes come out strong.
• Local work. Open weights mean you pay for hardware and power, not credits.

Weak atCopy Anchor Link

• Blurry middle frames. Detail can soften in the middle of a clip (organic report). MiniMax itself says visual detail can still be improved.
• Consistency. One organic tester called results "all over the place", slow and expensive for the quality.
• Total cost. A drama maker found H3's total cost far higher than Seedance 2.5 once retries were counted.
• Understanding mixed inputs. MiniMax says multimodal understanding has "significant room to improve".

How to prompt itCopy Anchor Link

Camera commandsCopy Anchor Link

Put camera commands in square brackets right after the part they apply to, for example [pan], [zoom] or [static]. On Hailuo 02 and 2.3, community guides also use [Push in], [Pan left], [Tilt up], [Tracking shot] and [Static shot]. Keep to 1 or 2 commands per shot.

ReferencesCopy Anchor Link

There is no @ syntax. Name references in plain words: "reference images 1 and 2", "reference video 1".

Aspect ratioCopy Anchor Link

• Text to video needs an explicit aspect ratio.
• Image to video always follows the image's ratio.

Prompt helperCopy Anchor Link

The H3 Context IR endpoint on the API returns an improved prompt without making a video. Use it to check how MiniMax reads your prompt before you pay for a clip. Prompts can be up to 7,000 characters.

MiniMax does not document a negative prompt or a dialogue format for H3.

Example promptsCopy Anchor Link

A product shot with one camera command:

A matte black wireless earbud case on wet slate [Push in], the lid slowly opens,
a soft blue light glows inside, water drops catch the rim light. Dark studio,
macro lens, shallow depth of field. Ends with the case fully open and still.

A large scale scene:

A herd of water buffalo crosses a flooded rice field at sunrise [Tracking shot],
a boy in a conical hat rides on the lead buffalo, spray rising around their legs.
Golden backlight, mist over the water. Sound: splashing, distant birds.

A reference to video shot:

The girl from reference images 1 and 2 walks through the night market from reference image 3,
stops at a fruit stall and picks up a mango [static].
Warm string lights, busy crowd in soft focus behind her.

Lip sync to your own voice (attach the voice as reference audio 1):

The man from reference image 1 speaks to the camera, in sync with reference audio 1.
Medium close up, eye level [static]. Plain grey wall behind him, soft window light. Small natural head movements.

Settings that save creditsCopy Anchor Link

• Draft on H3 Max at 480P (0.05 USD/second), then render the keeper on H3.
• Generate at 768P and upscale only the keeper. Regeneration to 2K costs 0.05 USD/second, while generating at 2K costs 0.13 USD/second for every take.
• Keep image references to 5. The first 5 images are free on the API, then 0.04 USD each. Audio inputs are free.
• Check the prompt with Context IR before paying for a clip.
• Failed or moderated videos are not charged on the API.
• Run it locally if you already own an RTX 4090 or 5090.

Known issuesCopy Anchor Link

SourcesCopy Anchor Link

• MiniMax H3 announcement
• MiniMax H3 open source news
• MiniMax video generation docs
• MiniMax pay as you go pricing
• Hailuo pricing