MiniMax H3 Max Review: Pricing, Polish Speech & Image-to-Video Test
MiniMax H3 Max leads the image-to-video rankings, costs less than Kling, and handles Polish speech flawlessly. We tested it head-to-head with the same photo.
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MiniMax is a Shanghai-based AI company behind the Hailuo video generator, H3 and H3 Max models, Speech synthesis, Music 3, and M3 language models. The spotlight today is on H3 Max: the fal.ai fine-tuned version of H3 leads the Artificial Analysis image-to-video ranking, and in our test with the same photo, it outperformed Kling, 15 times faster and cheaper. Below, we break down the names, versions, pricing, and how MiniMax handles Polish.
Status as of October 3, 2026
- Latest video model: MiniMax H3 (launched July 31, 2026) and its fal.ai fine-tuned version H3 Max (late August 2026), plus the cheaper H3 Max Turbo.
- Rankings: H3 Max is #1 in the Artificial Analysis image-to-video ranking (Elo 1195), regular H3 is #2 (1181).
- API pricing: H3 Max on fal.ai costs $0.048 per second in 768p until October 15 (40% off promotion), then $0.08. On OpenRouter: $0.08 (768p) or $0.05 (480p).
- Free tier: Hailuo gives you starter credits, and fal.ai offers five H3 Max generations daily after login.
- Polish: H3 Max spoke a Polish tongue-twister in our test without a single error.
- App: We couldn’t find a Hailuo app published by MiniMax in the Polish App Store - apps with “Hailuo” in the name have different publishers.
What is MiniMax
MiniMax is a Chinese company based in Shanghai, founded in 2021, which went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange in January 2026. It builds models across all major generative AI categories and sells them three ways: through its own apps, via its API, and through aggregator platforms like fal.ai, OpenRouter, and as of September 2026, Pika.
| Product | What it is | Latest version (Oct 3, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Hailuo AI | app and service for video and images (hailuoai.video) | MiniMax H3 |
| H3 / H3 Max | video models with audio | H3 Max, H3 Max Turbo |
| Hailuo 2.3 | older video model without audio | 2.3 and 2.3 Fast (October 2025) |
| MiniMax Speech | speech synthesis and voice cloning | Speech 2.8 |
| MiniMax Music | song generation | Music 3 (August 13, 2026, open weights) |
| MiniMax M | language models | M3 (June 1, 2026), M3.1-Flash-Preview (September 27, 2026) |
| MiniMax Agent, Talkie | task agent and character chat app | - |
In this guide, we focus on video. An older, detailed description of the Hailuo app itself and credit-based plans is in our article Hailuo AI and MiniMax H3.
Hailuo, H3, H3 Max: How They Connect
The names are confusing because MiniMax changed its naming scheme midway. Here’s how it looks in October 2026:
- Hailuo is the name of the app and older models (Hailuo 02, Hailuo 2.3).
- MiniMax H3 is the July 2026 model that the community calls “Hailuo 3.” On OpenRouter, it has the identifier minimax/hailuo-3.
- H3 Max is a version of H3 fine-tuned by the fal.ai team for better prompt adherence, aesthetics, and speed. According to fal, the model generates 5 seconds in 768p in 2.46 seconds. OpenRouter describes it as jointly released by MiniMax and fal.
- H3 Max Turbo is a faster version of H3 Max at half the price.
MiniMax Video Models Timeline
| Model | When | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| video-01 | Fall 2024 | first Hailuo model, 6 s, 720p |
| video-01-live, Director, Subject Reference | December 2024 - February 2025 | illustration animation, camera control, character from reference |
| Hailuo 02 | June 2025 | 1080p, better motion physics |
| Hailuo 2.3 and 2.3 Fast | October 2025 | 6 and 10 s, 768p and 1080p, no audio |
| MiniMax H3 | demo July 17, launch July 31, 2026 | 4-15 s, 768p or 2K, stereo audio, text, image, video and audio input |
| H3-Base (open weights) | August 2, 2026 | up to 768p, license excludes European Union among others |
| H3 Max | late August 2026 (fal.ai), September 1 (OpenRouter) | 5-15 s, 480p, 768p, 1080p, audio, first and last frame |
| H3 Max Turbo, Camera Controls, Lip Sync | September 2026 | faster version, camera control, lip sync with audio |
We’re citing dates for older models from publication dates in the fal.ai catalog, as MiniMax doesn’t maintain a single video release list.
How to Get Started Step by Step
- Easiest: Hailuo in browser. Go to hailuoai.video, log in with Google or email, and claim your starter credits. Choose Video, model H3, upload a photo or type a description.
- Free H3 Max: fal.ai playground. After logging into fal.ai, according to the model page, you can make five H3 Max generations daily, up to 15 seconds, with audio.
- Via API. If you want to automate, H3 and H3 Max are available on fal.ai (minimax/h3-max/image-to-video) and OpenRouter (minimax/hailuo-3-max). You pay per second of finished video.
- Prompting: describe motion, camera, and audio in English. H3 Max has a prompt expansion mode. In tests, we disable it to keep comparisons with other models fair.
- Watch out for fake apps. In the Polish App Store, apps under the Hailuo name are from other companies, for example “Hailuo Ai - Video Generation” from STIKLITA VILNIUS, UAB. These are not MiniMax products.
How Much Does MiniMax Hailuo Cost
The Hailuo app pricing doesn’t display without login, and on October 3, 2026, the subscription page didn’t show us amounts. We’re citing plans from independent compilations from July 2026 (same as in the Hailuo article), API prices from fal.ai and OpenRouter pricing pages as of October 3. All in USD, excluding VAT.
| Hailuo app plan | Price | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | starter pool, watermark, no commercial use |
| Standard | $7.99/month | 1000 |
| Pro | $24.99-27.99/month | 4500 |
| Master | $63.99/month | 10,000-10,500 |
| Max | $199.99/month | 20,000 |
| API model | Per second | 5 s clip |
|---|---|---|
| H3 Max, fal.ai, 768p (promo until Oct 15, 2026) | $0.048 | $0.24 |
| H3 Max, fal.ai, 768p (regular price) | $0.08 | $0.40 |
| H3 Max, fal.ai, 1080p (regular) | $0.16 | $0.80 |
| H3 Max, OpenRouter, 480p / 768p | $0.05 / $0.08 | $0.25 / $0.40 |
| H3 Max Turbo, fal.ai | half the price of H3 Max | - |
| H3, OpenRouter, 2K with audio | $0.13 | $0.65 |
| Hailuo 2.3, OpenRouter, 1080p | $0.0817 | 6 s clip: $0.49 |
For comparison, Kling 3.0 Pro without audio costs $0.112 per second on the same services, or $0.56 for 5 seconds. More about H3 Max itself, including where you’ll find it and how to configure it, in our article MiniMax H3 Max.
MiniMax in Polish
MiniMax doesn’t publish a list of speech languages for H3, so we tested it ourselves on September 28, 2026. We tested it in Polish. The Polish tongue-twister “W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie, a ja płacę trzydzieści dwa złote“ (In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle sounds in the reeds, and I’m paying thirty-two zlotys) was spoken by H3 Max without a single misrecognized word (faster-whisper large-v3), regular H3 with one error out of 12 words. Kling 3.0 in the same test confused 4 to 10 words.
There’s a catch: H3 has a “native” Polish accent in other languages too. It read English and German sentences in the same clip with a distinctly Polish pronunciation. For Polish dialogue, we’d take H3 or H3 Max; for English, Kling or Veo. Recordings are in the article Kling in Polish, and the full ranking with Polish speech in the article best AI for video creation, where H3 Max ranked 2nd out of 10 models (8.25/10).
Our Test: Image-to-Video, H3 Max vs Kling
On October 3, 2026, we gave H3 Max and Kling 3.0 Pro the same photo (a coffee cup in a Krakow cafe, generated with FLUX.3) and the same prompt: camera push-in, steam over coffee, blurred pedestrians, leaves in the wind, cup stationary. Both models via OpenRouter, 5 seconds, 16:9, one attempt.
| Parameter | MiniMax H3 Max | Kling 3.0 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0.40 | $0.56 |
| Time to download file | 17 s | 261 s |
| File resolution | 1344×768 | 1920×1076 |
| Prompt elements executed | 4 of 4 (camera weaker) | 2 of 4 (no steam or leaves) |
| Errors | one leaf looks stuck to the glass | pedestrians vanish in last second |
| Our rating | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 |
H3 Max won on prompt adherence and speed, Kling on file sharpness. The H3 Max audio track is very quiet (average -44 dB), though OpenRouter doesn’t list audio generation for this model. Pika and PixVerse were supposed to enter the same test, but on October 3 we couldn’t launch them through fal.ai. This is our assessment based on two clips.
MiniMax vs Competition
| Model | Image-to-video Elo (AA, with audio) | Price per minute per AA | Polish speech in our test | Speed in our test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 Max | 1195 (1st) | $4.80 | no errors | 17 s for 5 s clip |
| MiniMax H3 | 1181 (2nd) | $7.80 | 1 error in 12 words | 14-28 s |
| Gemini Omni Flash | 1178 (3rd) | $6.00 | no errors | 35-46 s |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | 1176 (4th) | $9.07 | 7 errors in 12 words | 143-146 s |
| Wan 3.0 | 1164 (6th) | $12.00 | 2 errors in 12 words | 154 s |
| Kling 3.0 Pro 1080p | 1055 (19th) | $20.16 | 10 errors in 12 words | 261 s |
Times are from our API requests on September 28 and October 3, Elo and prices from the Artificial Analysis ranking as of October 3, 2026. Descriptions of other models: Kling, Seedance, Wan, Veo 3, and a full comparison of generators in the article AI video generators.
Who Should Use MiniMax
- Yes: Polish spoken dialogue in clips - in our tests, H3 and H3 Max handled Polish speech best among models available via API.
- Yes: many quick iterations via API - H3 Max delivers clips in under 20 seconds and costs less than Kling or Veo.
- Yes: animating product photos and scenes when full prompt execution matters.
- No: you need 1080p or 4K straight from the model with sharp details - Kling or Veo deliver sharper images.
- No: you want to run H3 locally in the EU - the open weights license excludes the European Union.
- No: English or German narration with native pronunciation - H3 reads them with a Polish accent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MiniMax AI?
MiniMax is a Chinese AI company based in Shanghai, listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange since January 2026. It makes the Hailuo video generator (H3 models), Speech synthesis, Music 3, and M3 language models.
Is MiniMax H3 the same as Hailuo 3?
Yes, it’s the same model. MiniMax uses the name H3, while “Hailuo 3” is the community term and the identifier on OpenRouter.
Who made H3 Max?
H3 Max is a version of MiniMax’s open H3 model fine-tuned and served by fal.ai. OpenRouter describes it as jointly released by MiniMax and fal.
Is MiniMax Hailuo free?
Partially. A Hailuo account gets a pool of starter credits, with a watermark and no commercial use rights. According to fal.ai, you can run H3 Max free five times daily in their playground after logging in.
How much does MiniMax H3 Max cost?
On fal.ai, $0.048 per second in 768p until October 15, 2026, then $0.08. On OpenRouter: $0.08 per second in 768p and $0.05 in 480p. A 5-second clip costs $0.24 to $0.40.
Does MiniMax speak Polish?
Yes, and well. In our test, H3 Max spoke a Polish tongue-twister without error, and regular H3 with one error in 12 words.
MiniMax or Kling - which to choose?
MiniMax H3 Max if prompt adherence, Polish, and cost matter. Kling if you need motion control tools, multiple shots, and sharp 1080p or 4K output.
Where to download the Hailuo app?
On October 3, 2026, we couldn’t find a Hailuo app published by MiniMax in the Polish App Store. It’s safer to use hailuoai.video in a browser and avoid apps with similar names from other publishers.
Google · Your sourcesQuantslant higher in your Google - one clickAdd to preferred sources →Sources and Verification Date
Verified October 3, 2026. Hailuo app plans are from July 2026 compilations, as the official pricing requires login.
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