Pika logo
FreemiumBy Pika Labs

Pika

Stanford startup $135M (val $470-700M), 16.4M users. Pika 2.5: text-to-video 10-sec 1080p. Pikaframes (keyframes), Pikaswaps (character swap), Pikaffects. Free: 80-150 credits/month.

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Description

Pika

What is Pika?

Pika (Pika Labs) is an AI text-to-video platform founded in April 2023 by former Stanford PhD students. With $135M in funding (valuation $470M-700M) and 16.4M+ users, Pika focuses on accessibility and ease of use for creating professional videos from text prompts, images, or videos.
Pika 2.5 (2025) offers ultra-realistic generations, better physics, and 10-sec videos in 1080p.

Main Models

Pika 2.5 (2025)

Latest upgrade with significant improvements:
  • Ultra-realistic generations: Improved photorealism
  • Enhanced physics: More natural movement and physics
  • Unmatched prompt adherence: Follows prompts precisely
  • Sharper motion: Cleaner movement
  • Better camera control: Improved camera control
  • Stronger character/style consistency: Visual coherence
  • Deeper image integration: Image integration

Pika 2.2 (February 2025)

Major update with key features:
  • Pikaframes: Keyframe transitions 1-10 seconds
  • 10-second videos: 1080p resolution (double vs 5-sec previous)
  • Extended video lengths: Greater flexibility
  • Improved quality: Cleaner generations

Pika 2.0 (December 2024)

  • Scene Ingredients: Combine/add images to videos
  • Enhanced video rendering
  • Improved cinematic effects
  • Unlimited videos (5 days free at launch)

Pika 1.5 (October 2024)

  • Pikaffects: Improved special effects
  • Advanced camera techniques
  • Better human features rendering
  • Improved physics

Pika 1.0 (November 2023)

  • First major web launch (previously Discord)
  • Text-to-video, image-to-video, video-to-video
  • Multiple styles: 3D animation, anime, cinematic

Key Features

Pikaframes (Pika 2.2)

Revolutionary keyframe transition system:
  • Upload first and last frame
  • Pika generates seamless transition between them
  • Duration: 1-10 seconds
  • Full control over storytelling
  • Perfect for cinematic sequences

Pikaswaps (February 2025)

AI-powered video inpainting:
  • Swap objects/characters in videos
  • Only need 1 reference image
  • Text prompts or reference images
  • Instant character swapping
  • VFX-level simple editing

Pikadditions (February 2025)

Add elements to videos:
  • Insert objects, animals, people
  • Automatic color/lighting matching
  • Seamless integration
  • Perfect for branded visuals

Pikaffects

Creative special effects:
  • Inflate: Expand objects
  • Melt: Melt
  • Explode: Explosion
  • Squish: Crush
  • Deflate: Deflate
  • Crumble: Crumble
  • Dissolve: Dissolve
  • Ta-da: Surprise productions
  • Cake-ify: Decorate like cake

Pikatwists (March 2025)

  • Add dramatic twist endings
  • Enhance storytelling flexibility
  • Creative motion effects with 1 click

Regional Editing

  • Modify specific areas of video
  • AI-generated elements
  • Frame interpolation
  • Precise customization

Core Capabilities

Text-to-Video:
  • Generate videos from descriptions
  • Multiple styles: 3D, anime, cinematic, realistic
  • 1-10 seconds in 1080p
Image-to-Video:
  • Animate static images
  • Camera movements
  • Bring static content to life
Video-to-Video:
  • Transform video styles
  • Extend video length
  • Expand canvas/aspect ratio
  • Edit moving objects
Advanced Camera Controls:
  • Zoom, pan, tilt
  • Cinematic movements
  • Professional-grade control
Sound & Lip Sync:
  • Sound effects generation
  • Native lip sync tool
  • Audio-driven video generation

Pricing

Free Plan

  • 80-150 monthly credits
  • Access Pika 1.5 (limited)
  • Basic features
  • Watermarks
  • Community access

Standard/Starter Plan

  • $8/month (with annual billing)
  • 700 monthly credits
  • Access Pika 1.5 & 1.0
  • Priority queue
  • Faster generations
  • No watermarks

Plus Plan (reported)

  • Pricing not clearly specified
  • More monthly credits
  • Enhanced features

Fancy/Pro Plan

  • $76/month
  • Unlimited monthly video calls (reported as 6,000 credits)
  • Access all models (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.2, 2.5)
  • Priority processing
  • Commercial use rights
  • Advanced features

Credit Consumption

Varies by feature and quality:
  • Basic generations: 5-10 credits
  • Advanced 2.2 generations: 35-100 credits (depends on specs)
  • Higher resolution/longer duration: More credits

Company

Founded: April 2023
HQ: Palo Alto, California (San Francisco)
Founders:
  • Demi Guo (CEO, 27 years) - Ex-Stanford AI PhD
  • Chenlin Meng (CTO) - Ex-Stanford AI PhD, aspiring animator
Funding:
  • Pre-seed/Seed: $20M (Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross lead)
  • Series A: $35M (Nov 2023) - Lightspeed Venture Partners lead
  • Series B: $80M (Jun 2024) - Spark Capital lead
  • Total: $135-141M
Valuation: $470M (Jun 2024) → up to $700M (2025 reports)
Investors: Spark Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greycroft, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Elad Gil, Adam D'Angelo (Quora), Andrej Karpathy, Jared Leto, Clem Delangue, Craig Kallman, Alex Chung
Team: 9-26 employees (ex-Google, Meta, Uber AI researchers)
Users: 16.4M+ across apps (500K+ initial), millions videos/week
Community: 11M+ users, Discord integration

Use Cases

Social Media Content:
  • TikTok, Instagram Reels
  • YouTube Shorts
  • Viral short-form content
  • Scroll-stopping visuals
Marketing & Advertising:
  • Product teasers
  • Promotional videos
  • Brand campaigns
  • Ad creatives
Content Creation:
  • Rapid prototyping
  • Concept visualization
  • Storyboarding
  • Creative experimentation
Professional Use:
  • Film professionals
  • VFX projects
  • Cinematic sequences
  • Client presentations
Education:
  • Explainer videos
  • E-learning modules
  • Tutorial content
  • Educational visuals
Entertainment:
  • Short films
  • Creative animations
  • Meme animation
  • Artistic visuals
Corporate:
  • Training videos
  • Presentations
  • Client-facing materials

Advantages

Accessibility focus: Easier than Runway/competitors
User-friendly interface: Simple, intuitive
Fast generation: 15 seconds in some cases
Pikaframes: Unique keyframe transitions control
10-second 1080p: Doubled from 5-sec previous
Pikaffects: Unique creative effects
Pikaswaps: Instant character/object swapping
Generous free tier: 80-150 credits/month
Well-funded: $135M, valuation $470M-700M
16.4M+ users: Massive community
Multiple styles: 3D, anime, cinematic, realistic
Commercial use: In paid plans
Active development: Constant updates

Limitations

Video length: Max 10 seconds (vs competitors with more)
Quality variability: Inconsistent results sometimes
Credit system: Confusing, consumes quickly
Watermarks: On free plan
No phone/live chat support: Only Discord/email
OpenAI Sora: Superior in capabilities (but not public)
Learning curve: Prompt engineering necessary
No advanced editing: Fewer features than Runway full suite

Key Features

Pika 2.5: ultra-realistic, enhanced physics, prompt adherence

Pikaframes: keyframe transitions 1-10 sec, storytelling control

10-second 1080p videos (double vs previous 5-sec)

Pikaswaps: swap characters/objects with 1 image

Pikadditions: insert objects with auto color/lighting match

Pikaffects: Inflate, Melt, Explode, Squish, Deflate, etc.

Pikatwists: dramatic twist endings with 1 click

Regional Editing: modify specific areas

Text-to-video: multiple styles (3D, anime, cinematic)

Image-to-video: animate static images

Video-to-video: transform styles, extend length

Advanced camera controls: zoom, pan, tilt

Sound effects generation + native lip sync

Audio-driven video generation

Free plan: 80-150 credits/month

Discord community: 11M+ users

Commercial use rights (paid plans)

Fast generation: up to 15 seconds

Multiple aspect ratios

Extend videos + expand canvas

Use Cases

Social media: TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts

Product teasers and promotional videos

Marketing campaigns and ad creatives

Cinematic VFX projects

Visual rapid prototyping

Concept art and storyboarding

Educational explainer videos

E-learning modules

Short films and animations

Meme animation

Corporate training videos

Client presentations

Brand campaigns

Creative experimentation

Film professional workflows

Scroll-stopping social content

Viral short-form content

Tutorial content

Artistic visuals

Character swapping for content

Information

Company

Pika Labs

Website

pika.art

User Reviews

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