Merge vs Pika

Merge is an iOS app that turns a still photo and a reference motion video into an AI-generated motion video, with an optional style prompt. The site says generation takes under a minute. Listed creation types include AI dance videos, animated portraits, moving selfies and cinematic motion; output can reach 1080p. Users can save videos to their device or publish them to a community feed where people can browse and like them. Merge is listed for iPhone only and uses Apple Sign-In; Apple handles billing. Its free Starter plan includes 300 credits per month, Full HD videos and community feed access. Creator bills 1,000 credits per month and adds a priority generation queue, while Studio bills 3,000 credits per month and adds a top-priority queue. Selected photos are uploaded to temporary storage for generation and automatically deleted within about 48 hours. Merge lists English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Turkish and Russian.

Pika is a creative platform for generating and editing video, images, audio, speech, sound effects, music and soundtracks. Its video tools include text-to-video and image-to-video generation, video extension, color grading and soundtrack features; Video Studio can create clips up to 30 seconds long at resolutions up to 4K. Other tools cover image editing, character and image studios, and product shots. Pika is available on web and iOS, with API access. The free plan includes all models, two video generations, and two image and audio generations in parallel, with no watermark. It has no monthly credits and is limited to credit packs; commercial licensing, priority queue and early access to new models are excluded. Paid annual pricing starts at $8 a month, while monthly Starter costs $10 a month. Yearly billing saves 20% against monthly pricing. Monthly plan credits do not roll over, and top-up credits expire after 365 days. Plans can be canceled anytime, remain active through the billing period and are non-refundable. Pika serves ad creatives, editors, marketers and filmmakers.