- MiniMax H3 is the AI model behind Hailuo 3.0, the video app from Chinese AI company MiniMax. It launched on 31 July 2026.
- It makes videos up to 15 seconds long at up to 2K resolution, with built-in stereo sound.
- It understands text, photos, video and audio together — for example, copy the camera move from one clip and a character from a photo, and sync them to a song.
- The easiest way to try it is the Hailuo AI website or app. Its weights are also public on Hugging Face, but running it yourself takes a powerful computer.
If you have searched for “MiniMax H3” or “Hailuo 3” recently, you are not alone — interest in the model jumped after its release this summer. Here is what it is, what it can do, how to try it and how it compares with the other big AI video tools, in plain language.
The facts below come from MiniMax’s own announcement and its Hugging Face page. We have not run our own tests.
What is MiniMax H3?
MiniMax is a Shanghai-based AI company. Its consumer video app is called Hailuo AI. H3 is the new model inside it, which the app brands as Hailuo 3.0. They are the same thing under two names, which is why you will see “MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 3.0)” everywhere.
MiniMax describes H3 as an “omni-modal” model. In everyday terms: most AI video tools take a text description and maybe one picture. H3 can take text, images, video clips and audio at the same time and combine them. MiniMax’s own example asks it to use the camera movement from one video, have the character from a picture sing, and match the vocals to an audio clip — all in one request.
What can it make?
- Clips up to 15 seconds long.
- Up to 2K resolution — sharper than the 720p or 1080p many tools default to.
- Native stereo sound. Speech, music and effects are generated together with the picture, not added afterwards.
- Several shots in one clip. MiniMax says H3 plans cuts between shots itself, so a clip can move from a wide shot to a close-up.
- Readable text and logos. MiniMax singles out “accurate text and brand rendering” — signs, labels and product names that don’t turn into gibberish, a common failure in AI video.
- Motion transfer. Give it a video of someone moving and it can apply that motion to a different character (MiniMax calls this V2V motion transfer).
How to try MiniMax H3
- Go to hailuoai.video or install the Hailuo AI app, and sign in.
- Pick the H3 / Hailuo 3.0 model when you create a video.
- Describe the scene in one or two plain sentences: who, where, what happens.
- Add references if you have them: a photo of the character, a clip showing the camera move, a voice recording or song.
- Choose the length and resolution, then generate. Start short to check the look before spending credits on a full 15-second 2K clip.
Plans and free credits on Hailuo change often, so check the app’s pricing page for what you get today rather than trusting a number from an old article.
Is it cheaper than other AI video tools?
MiniMax says so. Its announcement claims that at 2K, H3’s price per second is “less than a third of mainstream models”, and that at 768p it costs less than half of what mainstream models charge for 720p. That is the company’s own comparison, not an independent one, so treat it as a claim to check against the price shown in the app. Our AI video pricing comparison puts the per-second costs side by side.
Can you download it? (The “open weights” part)
Yes, and this is unusual. MiniMax has published H3’s model files on Hugging Face as MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-H3. It is a model of roughly 33 billion parameters (a rough measure of its size), released under MiniMax’s own community licence rather than a standard open-source one — read the licence before using it commercially. By 23 September 2026 Hugging Face showed it had been downloaded more than 3.6 million times.
For most people this changes nothing: a model this size needs a high-end graphics card and technical setup to run. The practical meaning is that other apps and websites can build on H3, so you may meet it inside tools that don’t mention MiniMax at all.
MiniMax H3 vs Seedance 2.5 and others
| MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 3.0) | Seedance 2.5 (ByteDance) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 31 July 2026 | 31 July 2026 |
| Longest clip | 15 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Top resolution (as announced) | 2K | Advertised as 4K; priced at 720p |
| Sound | Native stereo | Yes |
| Inputs | Text, images, video, audio | Up to 50 references (30 images, 10 videos, 10 audio) |
| Where to use it | Hailuo AI app and website | Dreamina (not the US at launch), Jimeng, Doubao |
| Downloadable weights | Yes, on Hugging Face | No |
In short: Seedance 2.5 wins on length; H3 wins on announced resolution and on openness, and it is not tied to Dreamina’s regional rollout. For the full field, including Google’s Veo and Kling, see the best AI video generators. If you mainly want to spend nothing, start with the best free AI video generators.
Things to be careful about
- Other people’s faces and voices. Making a video of a real person without their permission can break the law and the app’s rules. Use yourself, or people who have agreed.
- Your uploads leave your phone. Photos, clips and recordings you use as references go to MiniMax’s servers. Don’t upload anything private.
- AI videos can mislead. If you post one, say it is AI-made. Many platforms now require it.
Frequently asked questions
Is MiniMax H3 the same as Hailuo 3?
Yes. MiniMax H3 is the model’s technical name; Hailuo 3.0 is how it appears in the Hailuo AI app.
How long can a MiniMax H3 video be?
Up to 15 seconds per clip, at up to 2K resolution, according to MiniMax.
Does MiniMax H3 add sound?
Yes. It generates native stereo audio together with the video, including speech, music and effects.
Is MiniMax H3 open source?
Its weights are downloadable from Hugging Face, but under MiniMax’s own community licence, not a standard open-source licence. Read the licence before commercial use.
Is MiniMax H3 better than Seedance 2.5?
It depends on what you need. Seedance 2.5 makes longer clips (30 seconds versus 15). H3 offers higher announced resolution (2K), downloadable weights and wider availability through the Hailuo app.