Hailuo 2.3 vs Kling 3.0: Which Video Generation API Should You Use in 2026?

Both Hailuo 2.3 and Kling 3.0 are tested and live on HiAPI, and both run on the same POST /v1/tasks async API, so switching between them is a one-line change to the model ID. But they are built around opposite ideas of what a video request should be. Hailuo 2.3 gives you three fields and a flat price. Kling 3.0 gives you resolution, aspect ratio, duration, and audio controls, billed per second. This guide compares the two on live HiAPI pricing and the current input schema, then gives you a plain rule for which to call.

All prices below are the current public rates from the HiAPI /api/pricing endpoint, verified for this article. The embedded clips are existing model previews, not renders of the exact starter prompts shown.

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The short version

• Need a plain 6- or 10-second clip at a predictable, low price and the simplest possible request? Use Hailuo 2.3.
• Need synced audio, 4K, a specific aspect ratio, or a duration that isn't exactly 6 or 10 seconds? Use Kling 3.0.

That is the whole decision. Everything below is the pricing math and schema detail behind it.

Side-by-side

Every row above is from the current input schema and pricing on HiAPI; neither model is "better" across the board. Hailuo 2.3's whole design is to remove knobs; Kling 3.0's is to give them to you.

Pricing: what a real clip actually costs

Hailuo 2.3 is the only one of the two priced per clip instead of per second, and there is no resolution or audio surcharge because there is no resolution or audio control. A clip is a flat $0.40 for 6 seconds or $0.80 for 10 seconds, full stop.

Kling 3.0 is priced per second and the rate depends on resolution and whether you turn audio on:

Put side by side on the two clip lengths Hailuo supports, the pattern is clear:

For a plain 6- or 10-second clip with no sound, Hailuo 2.3 is cheaper than Kling 3.0 at every resolution tier, including Kling's cheapest 720p. So the Kling premium is never about getting a basic clip for less. You pay it to buy things Hailuo cannot produce at all: synced audio, 4K (at $0.479 per second, a 6-second clip is $2.87), a chosen aspect ratio, or any duration other than 6 or 10 seconds.

If you want Kling's flexibility at a lower per-second rate for high-volume work, the family also includes a speed tier, kling-3.0-turbo, at $0.13 (720p) and $0.16 (1080p) per second — tuned for throughput rather than the base model's lowest unit price.

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Schema: how the two requests differ

Hailuo 2.3 has three input fields and the simplest contract of any video model on the platform:

{
  "model": "hailuo-2.3/text-to-video",
  "input": {
    "prompt": "A kung fu master practicing forms in heavy rain, water droplets scattering in slow motion, smooth natural motion",
    "duration": "6",
    "prompt_optimizer": true
  }
}

One thing that bites people: duration is a string — "6" or "10", not the integer 6. Sending a number returns a 400. There is no resolution, aspect ratio, or audio field to set, by design.

Kling 3.0 has five input fields and expects you to make choices:

{
  "model": "kling-3.0/text-to-video",
  "input": {
    "prompt": "Drone shot pushing through a neon night market at dusk, vendors calling out, crowd noise rising",
    "duration": 10,
    "resolution": "1080p",
    "aspect_ratio": "9:16",
    "sound": true
  }
}

Here duration is an integer (3–15, default 5), resolution is 720p/1080p/4K (default 1080p), and aspect_ratio is 16:9/9:16/1:1 (default 16:9). Audio is sound, a boolean that is off by default — omit it and you get a fully silent track, not a quiet one, and you pay the cheaper silent rate. Turn it on only when you need it.

When to choose each

Choose Hailuo 2.3 when:

• You want a predictable per-clip budget without tracking resolution or audio tiers.
• A 6- or 10-second clip is exactly what you need.
• You are generating at volume and want the simplest request with the fewest ways to get billing wrong.
• The job is a silent motion clip — Hailuo is known for natural motion physics, which is what its slow-motion rain example leans on.

Choose Kling 3.0 when:

• You need synced audio in the same call instead of adding a separate text-to-speech pass.
• You need 4K, or a vertical 9:16 / square 1:1 frame for a specific placement.
• Your clip length isn't 6 or 10 seconds — anything from 3 to 15 seconds.
• You want to dial resolution and audio independently to hit a budget per second.

Call both from one API

Both models run on HiAPI's unified async task API: submit with POST /v1/tasks, poll GET /v1/tasks/{id} until data.status is success or fail, then read the type: "video" entry in data.output and download its url before expireAt (Unix seconds). Because both go through the same endpoint with the same auth, testing them head to head on the same prompt is a matter of swapping the model ID and adjusting the handful of fields above — you can run a 6-second Hailuo clip and a 6-second Kling clip from one key in a couple of minutes and compare the output and the bill directly.

FAQ

Is Hailuo 2.3 or Kling 3.0 cheaper? For a plain 6- or 10-second clip with no audio, Hailuo 2.3 is cheaper — $0.40 or $0.80 flat, less than Kling 3.0 at any resolution tier. Kling costs more because it adds audio, 4K, aspect-ratio control, and flexible duration that Hailuo doesn't offer.

Does Hailuo 2.3 support audio? No. There is no sound parameter. If you need synced audio generated with the video, use Kling 3.0 and set sound: true (it is off by default).

Can I make an 8-second clip? Not with Hailuo 2.3 — it only accepts "6" or "10". Kling 3.0 accepts any integer duration from 3 to 15 seconds.

Why does my Hailuo 2.3 request fail with a 400 on duration? duration must be a string ("6" or "10"), not the integer 6. Quote the value and the request validates.

Can I switch between them with one API key? Yes. Both run on POST /v1/tasks with the same Bearer auth. Swap the model ID and adjust the input fields — Hailuo takes three, Kling takes five.

Related reading

• MiniMax H3 API vs Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0, and Hailuo 2.3 — if you also want MiniMax H3 and Seedance 2.0 in the mix.
• Kling 3.0 vs Veo 3.1: Pricing, Specs, and Which to Choose
• Hailuo 2.3 API Pricing
• Kling 3.0 API Pricing

Ready to compare them yourself? Grab a key from the HiAPI dashboard and run the same prompt through both — the schemas are small enough that a side-by-side test takes minutes.