Vidu

Vidu has carved out a real niche in the crowded AI video generator space by leaning hard into reference-based consistency — letting creators lock in characters, props, and scenes across multiple clips, which is a persistent pain point with competing text-to-video tools. Its anime and stylized animation output is a particular strength, and the template-driven approach to viral social formats (hugs, kisses, transformations) lowers the barrier for casual creators while the reference and first/last-frame controls give more serious users finer creative control. The free off-peak tier is generous enough to build a habit before paying, though speed and priority understandably favor paid credits, and like all generative video tools it still shows occasional inconsistency on complex or photorealistic prompts. Overall it's a capable, fast-moving entrant that holds its own against bigger-name video models, particularly for creators prioritizing character consistency and stylized output.