Comparison · Video models
MiniMax H3 vs Kling 3.0
MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 03) or Kling 3.0? 2K with stereo versus 4K with dialogue, references, speech and the per-second price gap, based on catalog data.
Specs side by side
| MiniMax H3 | Kling 3.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | MiniMax | Kuaishou |
| Type | Video | Video |
| Modes | text-to-video image-to-video first-last-frame reference-to-video | text-to-video image-to-video first-last-frame reference-to-video |
| Released | 2026-07 | 2026-02 |
| Duration | 4-15 s | 3-15 s |
| Resolutions | 768p, 2K | 720p, 1080p, 4K |
| Aspect ratios | 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, adaptive | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 |
| Reference images | up to 9 | up to 2 |
| Reference videos | up to 3 | - |
| Frames | first and last frame | first and last frame |
| Audio | native audio | native audio, on/off switch |
| Prompt length | up to 7,000 chars | up to 2,500 chars |
Price per unit and per clip
| Model | Variant | Rate | 5 s clip | 10 s clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 | 768p | $0.161 / s | $0.804 | $1.61 |
| 2K | $0.261 / s | $1.30 | $2.61 | |
| Kling 3.0 | 720p | $0.169 / s | $0.847 | $1.69 |
| 1080p | $0.218 / s | $1.09 | $2.18 | |
| 4K | $0.811 / s | $4.05 | $8.11 |
Prices exclude taxes and are charged from your prepaid USD balance. Kling 3.0: options such as audio or pro mode cost more - Studio and estimated_cost show the exact amount before you run. Failed generations cost nothing.
MiniMax H3 is also released as Hailuo 03. Pick MiniMax H3 when you want a 2K shot with audio included in the price, or when you work from references for a character, its motion or its voice. Pick Kling 3.0 for 4K, English dialogue with lip sync and the cheapest silent shots. With audio on, H3 at 2K costs less per second than Kling at 1080p.
Key differences
- Resolution. MiniMax H3 offers 768P (1344x768) and 2K (2560x1440). Kling 3.0 offers 720p, 1080p and 4K.
- Audio. H3 always generates a stereo track that you describe in the prompt, at no extra cost. Kling generates dialogue with lip sync only when you set
generate_audio, at a higher rate. - References. H3 takes up to 9 images, 3 clips and 3 audio tracks. Kling takes 2 images plus a first and last frame. Both support start-end frames.
- Length and ratios. H3 does 4-15 s in 7 ratios (including 21:9, 4:3 and 1:1); Kling does 3-15 s in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1.
- Prompt. 7,000 characters in H3, 2,500 in Kling.
- Speech. In my test with a Polish tongue twister, H3 got one word of twelve wrong and Kling 3.0 Pro ten. In English Kling was clean, while H3 read English with a noticeable Polish accent (test, in Polish).
When to pick MiniMax H3
- 2K footage for YouTube with a stereo track already in the file.
- The same character and voice across several shots, from image and audio references.
- Motion copied from a reference clip.
- Dialogue in Polish, where H3 did far better than Kling in my test.
When to pick Kling 3.0
- 4K shots.
- Shots shorter than 4 s, since Kling starts at 3 seconds.
- English dialogue with lip sync.
- Silent 720p B-roll when sound is added in the edit.
Cost in practice
Compared with audio on both sides, H3 is cheaper: Kling at 1080p with audio costs about 1.25 times as much per second as H3 at 2K, and Kling 720p with audio about 1.5 times as much as H3 at 768P. Without audio, Kling 720p costs about the same as H3 768P (around 5% more), and Kling 1080p is about 1.2 times cheaper than H3 at 2K. There is no contest at 4K, since H3 does not offer it. H3 extras: reference images six to nine and the seconds of reference clips are billed on top, while reference audio is free. In Kling, audio is the extra. Rates: from $0.161 per second and from $0.169 per second; everything else on /pricing.
In my video model ranking H3 returned a 5 s clip in 14-28 s on another provider, but its coffee shot was weaker (the cup looked translucent). More on each: MiniMax H3 (Hailuo) API and Kling 3.0 API pricing.
FAQ
MiniMax H3 or Kling 3.0: which is better?
For 2K with sound and reference-driven characters, MiniMax H3. For 4K and lip-synced English dialogue, Kling 3.0. Run one test clip of your scene before committing to a batch.
How much does a 10 s 2K clip cost in MiniMax H3?
Ten times the 2K rate; from $0.161 per second is the default rate, which is the 2K one. Audio is included.
Does MiniMax H3 do 4K?
No. Its top tier is 2K (2560x1440). In this pair only Kling 3.0 has 4K.
Which one accepts more references?
MiniMax H3: up to 9 images, 3 clips and 3 audio tracks. Kling 3.0 takes 2 reference images.
Vendor examples
MiniMax H3
Kling 3.0
Official examples from the model vendors, not our generations.