SkyReels V4: Benchmarks, API Pricing, and Getting Started

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Continuously updated. Current as of October 11, 2026.

SkyReels V4 is an integrated video-and-audio generative model from Chinese lab Skywork AI (a Kunlun Tech subsidiary). In March 2026, it held the #1 spot on Artificial Analysis’s text-to-video with audio leaderboard. Today, it ranks 9th in text-to-video (1074 Elo) and 17th in image-to-video (1070 Elo). It produces 3-15 second clips at up to 1080p, accepts text, images, video clips, masks, and audio as inputs, and provides targeted video editing capabilities such as swapping objects, backgrounds, lighting conditions, and art styles. Official API pricing ranges from $0.08 to $0.35 per second, with AA estimating the end-to-end standard cost at $21 per minute.

What Is SkyReels V4?

SkyReels is the flagship video generation line from Skywork AI, a division of Chinese tech firm Kunlun Tech. Earlier releases focused on talking avatars and virtual presenters with open weights. V4 marks a major pivot into a comprehensive multimodal video-and-audio foundation model that generates, extends, and edits footage in a single unified architecture. According to the technical paper:

• Dual-stream architecture: One stream synthesizes video frames while a parallel stream generates time-synchronized audio, guided by a shared multimodal LLM-based text encoder.
• Flexible inputs: Supports text prompts, still images, video sequences, spatial masks, and audio tracks in arbitrary combinations.
• Output specs: Up to 1080p resolution at 32 frames per second, spanning 3 to 15 seconds (5 seconds by default), with multi-shot narrative capabilities in a single generation.
• Video-to-video editing: Supports object replacement, color shifts, material changes, background replacement, watermark removal, camera motion adjustments, and day-to-night lighting transformations.

Watch out for copycat domains: URLs such as skyreels-v4.org, skyreelsv4.net, and skyreelsv4.app are third-party lookalikes not affiliated with Skywork. The only official hub is skyreels.ai.

Artificial Analysis Leaderboard Performance

Because Artificial Analysis updated its ranking methodology across leaderboards, absolute Elo numbers from March cannot be compared directly with October; relative positions tell the real story. SkyReels V4 dropped from #1 to #9 primarily because all eight models currently ranked above it launched in March 2026 or later.

SkyReels V4 takes the #1 spot in Text to Video With Audio in the Artificial Analysis Video Arena, surpassing Kling 3.0 and Veo 3.1!

- Artificial Analysis (@ArtificialAnlys) March 18, 2026

Leaderboard snapshot recorded from AA-Video-T2V v2.0 on October 11, 2026. Crucially, the rivals SkyReels V4 overtook back in March - Kling 3.0 and Veo 3.1 - remain lower on the board.

Chart scale starts at 1,000 Elo (Veo 3.1 falls below the baseline).

SkyReels V4 API Pricing

The official API operates on prepaid credit packs: $1 buys 100 credits, valid for 12 months, with no refunds. Official rates checked October 11, 2026:

Dollar calculations reflect the standard base rate before volume top-up bonuses. At 35 credits per second, a full minute of 1080p generation works out to exactly $21.00, aligning with the figures published on Artificial Analysis.

• Practical example: A 5-second clip at 1080p Std costs 175 credits ($1.75); rendering the same 5-second clip at 480p Fast costs $0.40.
• The $30 Starter bundle delivers roughly 94 seconds of 1080p Std footage or up to 412 seconds of 480p Fast generation.
• Third-party aggregators: WaveSpeedAI and Runware list baseline rates matching the official API; ModelsLab charges slightly more ($0.42/s at 1080p).

Source: SkyReels API Pricing. Web subscription pricing within Creative Studio requires an active account to view and is omitted here. Compare broader market rates in our guide to how much AI video generation costs per second.

Capabilities and Examples

The standout feature of V4 is precise video-to-video transformation. Skywork’s research paper highlights several distinct editing scenarios: transferring human body motion onto a character still image, swapping a live bison for an elk, placing a masked subject in front of a new backdrop, modifying chair materials, and seamlessly turning a daytime clip into nighttime. They also shared three multi-shot and reference-guided demos. We break down the prompts and settings in our guide to SkyReels V4: 8 real-world examples.

How to Get Started with SkyReels V4

1. Web UI (no coding): Navigate to skyreels.ai and open Creative Studio. Subscription tiers and rendering credits become visible after creating an account.
2. Via API: Head to the SkyReels API Platform, sign up, buy the $30 Starter credit pack, and create a key under the API Keys tab.
3. Pick your model mode: Use Fast for prompt testing and concept iteration, then switch to Std for production-grade master clips. Start at 480p or 720p; 1080p Std costs 2.5x more than 720p.
4. For video editing tasks, upload your source clip and provide a bounding mask if you want targeted replacement. Reference your source assets directly in your prompt text using @video_1 or @image_1 syntax.
5. Alternatively, access V4 through Runware or WaveSpeedAI if you already have operational accounts with those providers at similar rates.

Language and Audio Capabilities

Skywork has not published a formal breakdown of supported spoken languages or localized text rendering accuracy. Because V4 is not yet deployed on our regular multi-model gateways, we have not performed controlled benchmarking on non-English dialogue or non-Latin typography. The web interface and developer documentation are published in English. If your workflow hinges on clean foreign-language dialogue, models that have explicitly demonstrated strong multilingual speech - such as Wan 3.0, FLUX 3 Video, and MiniMax H3 Max - remain safer bets for now.

SkyReels V4 vs the Competition

For side-by-side output comparisons, see our deep dive on SkyReels V4 vs Seedance 2.0 vs Kling 3.0. You can also explore our broader coverage of the best AI video generators and our curated AI video leaderboard rankings.

Who Should Use SkyReels V4?

• Video editors and post-production studios: Ideal for swapping objects, backgrounds, weather, time of day, and stylistic treatments on pre-existing footage using targeted masks.
• Character animators and VFX artists: Well-suited for re-targeting motion capture sequences onto photo assets and applying facial performances to target heads.
• Developers: Clean API access with accessible $30 entry tiers and multi-provider availability on Runware and WaveSpeedAI.
• Not ideal for raw text-to-video quality: Ranked #9 globally, sitting behind newer heavyweight models launched over the summer of 2026.
• Not ideal for complex multilingual dubbing: Broader non-English conversational audio has yet to be comprehensively verified.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does SkyReels V4 cost?

Official pricing starts at $0.08 per second (480p Fast) up to $0.35 per second (1080p Std) for text-to-video and image-to-video. Video-to-video modifications run up to $0.625 per second at 1080p. The minimum initial API credit package is $30.

Can I use SkyReels V4 for free?

There is no free tier available via the official API. Third-party landing pages advertising “SkyReels V4 Free” are unrelated sites and should be approached with caution.

Are the model weights for SkyReels V4 open-source?

No. While Skywork AI open-sourced earlier avatar models under the SkyReels banner, V4 is a proprietary release available solely via cloud APIs and web services.

Why did SkyReels V4 drop from #1 to #9?

Between March and October 2026, eight major next-gen video models launched: Wan 3.0, Utopai X, Seedance 2.5, MiniMax H3 and H3 Max, FLUX 3, Seedance 2.0 (re-evaluated), and Gemini Omni Flash 1.1. SkyReels V4 still outperforms Kling 3.0 and Veo 3.1.

What is the maximum clip duration for SkyReels V4?

Generations range from 3 to 15 seconds (5 seconds default) at 480p, 720p, or 1080p resolution at 32 frames per second.

Which third-party platforms host SkyReels V4 via API?

You can access the model via Runware, WaveSpeedAI, and ModelsLab. It is not currently offered on OpenRouter, fal.ai, or reAPI.

Related Articles

• What SkyReels V4 Can Do: 8 Examples with Prompts
• SkyReels V4 vs Seedance 2.0 vs Kling 3.0
• AI Video Arena Leaderboard

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