The useful question is not which model is best, it is which model to point at the shot in front of you. Models in 2026 are close enough on general quality that the differences that matter are specific: physical behaviour, motion control, audio in the same pass, and how long you wait. This is the routing table we actually use.
TL;DR
- Exploring an idea: Gemini Omni Flash, 135 credits per 8s, median 39 seconds to generate
- Controlled camera or subject motion: Kling v3 Standard, 86 credits per 5s with audio
- A physical event (falling, pouring, colliding): Seedance 2.5, 157 credits per 5s
- One hero shot that carries a campaign: Veo 3.1 Standard, 448 credits per 8s with audio
- Volume and drafts: Wan 3.0 at 480p, 24 credits per 5s
- A single take longer than 10 seconds: Wan 3.0, up to 30 seconds in one generation
The routing table
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate. Times are medians from our own production jobs, with sample sizes stated below:
| Shot type | Model | Credits | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blocking a composition | Wan 3.0 480p | 24 | Cheapest look at whether the frame works |
| Fast exploration, many tries | Gemini Omni Flash | 135 (8s) | 39s median, audio included |
| Dialogue or ambient sound | Gemini Omni Flash | 135 (8s) | Audio generated by default |
| Deliberate camera move | Kling v3 Standard | 86 (5s) | Most directable motion at this price |
| Silent clip for a music edit | Kling v3 Standard | 57 (5s) | A third cheaper than the audio tier |
| Weight, momentum, liquid | Seedance 2.5 | 157 (5s) | Physical behaviour lands in fewer tries |
| Product label must stay exact | Seedance 2.5 | 157 (5s) | Holds fine detail through motion |
| Hero shot, cinematic ceiling | Veo 3.1 Standard | 448 (8s) | Best single-shot look, price to match |
| Hero shot on a budget | Veo 3.1 Fast | 168 (8s) | Most of the look, a third of the cost |
| Long single take, 10 to 30s | Wan 3.0 | 34 (Prime, 5s) to 203 (Prime, 30s) | Only route to a long continuous shot |
| Character speaking to camera | OmniHuman or Higgsfield Standard | varies | Presenter work, not scene work |
| Per-second billing, short cuts | Runway Gen-4 Turbo | 8 per second | 5s costs 40 |
The three rules behind the table
Iterate cheap, commit once. Most of the distance between a bad clip and a good one is prompt and framing, not model capability. A model you can try eight times beats a better model you can try twice. This is why Gemini Omni Flash earns its place on speed rather than quality: at a 39-second median against Kling's 143 and Seedance's 234, it fits more attempts into a working session.
Measured on our own jobs: Gemini Omni Flash median 39s and p90 52s over 70 jobs; Kling video generation median 143s and p90 199s over 58 jobs; Seedance median 234s and p90 531s over 36 jobs. Modest samples, consistent direction.
Pay for the specific thing you need. Seedance costs 83 percent more than Kling and the advantage is narrow: physics. For a slow push-in on a static subject you are paying the premium for something you will not see. For a shot where an object falls and settles, you are buying fewer retries.
Audio is a price dimension. Several models bill separately for sound, and several include it. If your edit has a music bed anyway, the silent tier is correct and cheaper. If the audio is part of the performance, a model that generates both in one pass holds sync in a way a separate pass cannot.
The shots no model handles well
Worth knowing before you spend credits trying:
- Hands doing something specific. Improving, still the most common failure.
- Text inside the frame. Generate the plate, add type in the edit.
- More than two people interacting. Bodies pass through each other.
- Exact brand geometry. A logo will be nearly right, which is worse than absent. Composite the real asset.
- A named real person. Do not, and most tools will not let you.
When the answer is a camera
Route it away from every model on this list when the shot is a real person whose credibility is the point: testimonials, founder stories, case studies, recruitment. A phone and two minutes beats any of these, costs nothing, and carries no consent question.
FAQ
What is the single best model if I only learn one? Kling v3 Standard. Good motion control, audio included, moderate price, and it covers most briefs.
Which model is fastest? Gemini Omni Flash on our measured jobs, by roughly 3.5x over Kling.
Is the most expensive model the best? For a single hero shot, Veo 3.1 Standard is genuinely the quality ceiling. For everything else it is the wrong tool, because you cannot iterate at 448 credits a try.
Route the shot, do not pick a favourite. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited, and generation is paid from $19/month.