March 2026 has been the most chaotic month in AI video history. Sora shut down on March 24th. Seedance 2.0 started rolling out March 26th. And the leaderboard reshuffled completely. Here's where everything actually stands right now.
The Rankings (Artificial Analysis Arena, March 2026)
Seedance 2.0 from ByteDance tops the leaderboard with an Elo of 1,269. Kling 3.0 from Kuaishou sits at 1,248. Runway Gen-4.5 is close behind at 1,247. Below them, Veo 3.1 and Grok Imagine round out the top five. These are the models that matter.
Seedance 2.0 (ByteDance)
The highest-ranked model, period. Seedance 2.0 is a unified multimodal architecture that accepts text, image, audio, and video inputs. It outputs native 2K resolution and runs 30% faster than version 1.5.
The catch: it's only available in select markets through CapCut - Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico. No US or European access yet. If you can get credits, the output quality is unmatched.
ByteDance used Seedance for the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala - the first major public production powered by AI video.
Kling 3.0 (Kuaishou)
Released February 5, 2026. The most practical choice for studios worldwide because it has global API access at $0.075 per second (roughly $4.50 per minute).
What's new in 3.0: native 4K at 60fps, synchronized audio generation, Motion Control (extract motion from reference videos and apply to static images), professional camera controls (pan, tilt, zoom, dolly, rack focus), 16-bit HDR support, and a 7-in-1 multi-modal editor.
This is what most professional studios are using as their primary generation tool right now.
Google Veo 3.1
The first mainstream model with true 4K output at 3840x2160 and 60fps. Veo 3.1 also generates native audio - conversations, sound effects, and music. Available through the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI.
Combined with Google's Nano Banana 2 for image generation and Gemini for text understanding, Google has the strongest integrated pipeline of any provider.
Grok Imagine 1.0 (xAI)
Launched February 2026. Generated 1.245 billion videos in its first 30 days. Grok supports multi-image input (up to 7 reference images), video extension up to 30 seconds, and video story creation (announced March 25, 2026).
Currently outputs at 720p - lower resolution than competitors, but the speed and accessibility through the X platform make it valuable for rapid prototyping.
Runway Gen-4.5
Elo 1,247 - essentially tied with Kling 3.0. Runway excels at physics simulation, temporal consistency, and precise controllability. The company raised $315M in February 2026 at a $5.3B valuation and is pushing into world models and robotics.
For pure cinematic quality, Runway remains the Western standard. Their Gen-4.5 handles text-to-video and image-to-video in 2-10 second clips with superior physics and motion.
Hailuo 2.3 (MiniMax)
Enhanced dynamic expressions, improved physics, better character movement fluidity, and new stylization options (anime, illustration, ink wash, game CG). Near-photorealistic lighting with natural shadow and color transitions.
Sora - The Shutdown
OpenAI shut down the Sora app on March 24, 2026, just six months after launch. The reason: $15M daily inference costs against $2.1M in lifetime revenue. Downloads had dropped 75% from their November peak. The Disney deal ($1B planned investment) was cancelled.
The Sora API remains accessible for now, but the consumer app is dead. A replacement model called "Spud" is reportedly in development.
What Studios Actually Use
The studios listed on StudioList don't rely on a single model. The typical professional stack in March 2026:
Primary generation: Kling 3.0 (global access, 4K, audio) or Seedance 2.0 (if you have access)
Image generation: Midjourney V8 Alpha and Nano Banana 2
Image refinement: Photoshop with Generative Fill
Open source workflows: ComfyUI with Wan 2.2 or LTX-2.3
Post-production: DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro
Cost Comparison Table (March 2026)
| Model | Per Second | Max Resolution | Max Length | Audio | Entry Plan | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.0 | ~$0.14 | 2K | 10s | No | ~$10/mo (China only) | Highest quality output |
| Kling 3.0 | $0.08-0.17 | 4K @ 60fps | 10s | Yes (+33% cost) | $10-15/mo (660 credits) | Best all-rounder, global access |
| Runway Gen-4.5 | ~$0.12/credit | 2K | 10s | No | $15/mo (625 credits) | Physics, consistency |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.15 | 720p | 8s | Yes | $8/mo (AI Plus) | Quick drafts with audio |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | $0.40 | 1080p | 8s | Yes | $22/mo (AI Pro) | Production with audio |
| Grok Imagine | ~$0.05 | 720p | 30s | Yes | $8-16/mo (X Premium) | Rapid prototyping, long clips |
| Hailuo 2.3 | ~$0.25-0.40 | 1080p | 6s | No | $15/mo (1,000 credits) | Stylization, character motion |
| Luma Ray3 | ~$0.20-0.40 | 1080p | 10s | No | $10/mo (3,200 credits) | Creative experimentation |
| Midjourney V8 | N/A (images) | 2K native | N/A | N/A | $10/mo | Concept art, storyboarding |
Important notes: Per-second costs are approximate and vary by mode, resolution, and whether audio is enabled. Most platforms use credit systems where the effective cost depends on your plan tier. Iterating on a single usable clip typically requires 5-20+ generations, so multiply these costs accordingly for real project budgets.
The gap between models is narrowing. The gap between studios that know how to use them and those that don't is widening.