Pika

Overview

Pika is an AI video generation platform founded in 2023 out of Stanford, focused on short, playful social-first video. The current model is Pika 2.5, with signature features like Pikaffects (one-click viral effects) and Scene Ingredients (composite a single video from multiple reference images). It's popular with TikTok and Instagram Reels creators.

Current Model: Pika 2.5

Handles both text-to-video and image-to-video, up to 10 seconds at 1080p
Pikaffects: one-click special effects like Inflate, Melt, Explode, Cake-ify
Scene Ingredients: composite a video from separate person, background, and object reference images — AI green screen
Available in both the web app and the iOS app, and it also powers Pikaframes, Pika's keyframe-style workflow for longer clips

Key Features

1. Pikaffects (Viral Effects)

Turn any video or frame into a playful effect — balloon inflation, melting, explosion, cake-ification. Shareable social content in seconds.

2. Scene Ingredients

Upload separate reference images for person, background, and object, and Pika composites them into one coherent video. AI-powered green screen with no green screen.

3. Lip Sync

Upload a face image and an audio clip to generate a talking-head video with synchronized lip movements — good enough for social content.

4. Pikaframes / Pikascenes / Pikadditions / Pikaswaps / Pikatwists

A rich set of short-form editing tools: frame tweaks, scene composition, element addition, swaps, and creative twists.

Pricing

There are four tiers, and the headline prices reflect annual billing — paying monthly costs roughly 20% more.

Plan	Monthly	Annual (per month)	Credits
Free	$0	—	80/mo
Standard	$10	$8	700/mo
Pro	$35	$28	2,300/mo
Fancy	$95	$76	6,000/mo

Credit guideline for a 5-second Pika 2.5 generation: 12 credits at 480p, 20 at 720p, 40 at 1080p. Subscription credits reset monthly; separately purchased add-on credits roll over.