Name: Pika
Brand: Pika

Question 1

Does Pika actually cost money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pika charges for ongoing use. The cheapest paid plan is Standard at $10.00 per month on monthly billing. Higher tiers unlock more generations, higher resolutions, or API access. A free tier is offered, but it caps output count, resolution, or commercial use, so ongoing production work generally requires a paid plan. All plan prices on this page were verified by hand against Pika&rsquo;s pricing page, most recently in May 2026. For the per-generation cost of a specific model at a specific resolution and volume, use the Scopeful calculator below. Last verified May 2026.

Question 2

How much does Pika cost per month?

Accepted Answer

Pika&rsquo;s cheapest paid plan is Standard at $10.00 per month. Larger plans in the table above unlock more credits, more generations, higher resolution tiers, or API access depending on the tier. Most Pika plans also offer an annual billing option that lowers the effective monthly cost; the full plan table shows the monthly and annual price side by side. The plan price is the subscription cost, not the cost per generation. The per-generation cost depends on which model and resolution you choose and how many generations you run, and the Scopeful calculator on this page gives you the exact figure for any combination. Last verified May 2026.

Question 3

Does Pika have a free tier?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pika offers a free tier, typically with caps on output count, resolution, generation length, or commercial use rights. The exact caps vary by model and are listed in the plan table on this page. The free tier is best for evaluation, short trials, and low-volume use. If you are running a production workload past the cap, the cheapest paid plan starts at the price shown in the plan table. For a side-by-side breakdown of what the free tier includes versus the cheapest paid plan, use the Scopeful calculator on this page. Last verified May 2026.

Question 4

What is Pika&rsquo;s official pricing in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Pika&rsquo;s official pricing is published at https://pika.art/pricing. Scopeful mirrors the official plan prices on this page and adds the per-generation cost in real US dollars, which the official page does not show. The official page lists subscription tiers and credit allotments; this page lists the same tiers, the same credit allotments, and the per-generation USD figure for every model. The numbers on this page were verified by hand, most recently in May 2026. For the official feature comparison and any promotional credits or annual discounts, follow the link to https://pika.art/pricing. For the per-generation cost, use the Scopeful calculator on this page. Last verified May 2026.

Question 5

How do Pika&rsquo;s credits work?

Accepted Answer

Pika uses a credit allotment on most paid plans. The Standard plan, for example, includes 700 credits per month. Each generation consumes a fixed number of credits that depends on the model and resolution, so a simple text-to-image at 1K may cost a small number of credits, while a high-resolution video generation can consume hundreds. Unused credits may roll over on some tiers and expire on others, so check the plan details before relying on credit carryover. The Scopeful calculator on this page converts credits to a real US dollar figure for any model + resolution + volume combination, so you can see the per-generation cost in advance. Representative figures from the calculator: $0.1714 per Pika 2.5 480p second, $0.1714 per Pikaframes 480p second. Last verified May 2026.

Question 6

Does Pika offer an annual discount?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Standard plan drops from $10.00/month on monthly billing to an annual-equivalent of $8.00/month, about 20% off. The discount is offered in exchange for paying the full year up front, so it only makes sense if you are confident you will use the plan for the full term. Other tiers on Pika may offer a different annual discount, so check the full plan table on this page for the per-tier annual and monthly prices side by side. If you want to estimate your annual cost for a specific workload, the Scopeful calculator lets you enter the model, resolution, and volume and returns a real dollar figure for any plan. Last verified May 2026.

Question 7

Does Pika offer API access?

Accepted Answer

No. Pika is UI-only (web). API access is the most cost-efficient way to run Pika at volume, since per-call pricing is usually lower than the equivalent credit cost on a subscription. Most Pika plans still gate API access to specific tiers, so check the plan table on this page to see which tier unlocks it. For an apples-to-apples cost comparison between the API and the subscription, use the Scopeful calculator on this page, which prices both the subscription plan and the per-call API for the same model and volume. Last verified May 2026.

Question 8

What is the cheapest way to run Pika at 100 seconds per month?

Accepted Answer

The cheapest verified per-second figure on Pika, calculated by Scopeful from the reference plan rate and the model's credit cost, is $0.1714 for Pika 2.5 480p second. That is the floor for that specific model and resolution. The plan that unlocks it, and the volume at which it stays the cheapest option, depends on the workload: the cheapest plan is not always the cheapest per-second once you account for monthly credit allotments and overage rates. For a 100-seconds-per-month workload, the Scopeful calculator on this page returns the exact per-second cost across every plan that covers it, plus the total monthly bill. Pricing was verified by hand, most recently in May 2026; re-verify before you commit. Last verified May 2026.

Question 9

How does Pika's pricing compare to MiniMax on the Pika 2.5 480p second workload?

Accepted Answer

For comparable subscription access, Pika starts at $10.00 per month, while MiniMax starts at $5.00 per month. The plan-floor numbers are the entry point, not the per-generation cost: the cheaper entry plan is not always the cheaper tool once you account for credit allotments, included generations, and per-call API rates. The fairest comparison is per-output, not per-subscription, and that is what the Scopeful calculator on this page returns. For the Pika 2.5 480p second workload, Pika and MiniMax both produce a per-image or per-second figure calculated by Scopeful from the same reference plan rate, so the comparison is apples-to-apples. Pricing was verified by hand, most recently in May 2026; re-verify before you commit. Last verified May 2026.

	Type	Resolution
Pika Pikaswaps · Pika Labs	Video	480p	✓Available
Pika Pikaswaps · Pika Labs	Video	720p	✓Available
Pika Pikaswaps · Pika Labs	Video	1080p	✓Available
Pika Pikadditions · Pika Labs	Video	480p	✓Available
Pika Pikadditions · Pika Labs	Video	720p	✓Available
Pika Pikadditions · Pika Labs	Video	1080p	✓Available
Pikascenes · Pika Labs	Video	480p	✓Available
Pikascenes · Pika Labs	Video	720p	✓Available

Pika

Subscription tiers

Model pricing

Use Pika with the Scopeful CLI agent

Strengths and weaknesses

Frequently asked about Pika

Tools like Pika