Kling 4.0's API isn't open yet — what do you use instead? 4 video models you can integrate right now

Kling 4.0's API isn't open yet (for the release status and officially announced capabilities, see When will the Kling 4.0 API be available). If your project needs to ship now and you don't want to wait, the video models below can be called on HiAPI today, so you can pick one to start with based on the capabilities Kling 4.0 has teased.

What Kling 4.0 has teased, and who can do it now

Kling 4.0 tease	Usable alternative today	Status on HiAPI
Up to 30 seconds per clip	Seedance 2.5	4–30 seconds per clip, 720p at $0.204 per second
Up to 15 multimodal references	Seedance 2.5 reference-to-video	Up to 10 reference videos, 30 reference images, 10 reference audio clips
Up to 4K	Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0	Kling 3.0 4K at $0.479 per second; Seedance 2.0 ext pipeline 4K at $0.694 per second
Keyframe control	Kling 3.0 image-to-video, FLUX.3	Kling 3.0 supports first and last frames; FLUX.3 supports 1–10 keyframes
Audio-video sync	Kling 3.0 (sound), Seedance 2.5, Veo 3.1	All can generate native audio

Current HiAPI prices, checked October 15, 2026; no charge on failure.

Four alternatives you can integrate right away

Model	Clip length	Max resolution	Starting price	Best for
Kling 3.0 kling-3.0/*	3–15 seconds	4K	720p $0.10/sec	The closest option to Kling 4.0 — same company, can enable audio, can output 4K
Seedance 2.5 seedance-2.5/*	4–30 seconds	1080p	720p $0.204/sec	Long shots, lots of reference material
Veo 3.1 veo-3.1*/*	4, 6, 8 seconds	4K	Lite 720p silent $0.06/sec	Ad-grade image quality; the Lite version is good for drafts
FLUX.3 flux-3	5–20 seconds	1080p	Draft $0.09/sec	Multi-keyframe storyboards, video continuation

Two examples first

Kling 3.0 text-to-video, model page example, 5 seconds:

A lone red fox sprints across a windswept snowy ridge at golden hour, powder snow kicking up behind each stride, then leaps over a frozen creek in a graceful arc. Cinematic, dramatic side lighting, ultra-detailed fur, shallow depth of field, smooth motion.

Generate with this prompt → (5 seconds, 16:9)

kling-3.0/text-to-video model page example, 5 seconds. At 720p with sound off, that's $0.50.

Seedance 2.5 text-to-video, 8 seconds, with audio:

A barista in a small morning cafe pours steamed milk into a cup, drawing a latte art leaf.
The camera starts on her hands and slowly pulls back to reveal the counter and a sign on the wall that reads 'OPEN'.
Warm window light, realistic, smooth motion. Sound: milk steaming, cups clinking, quiet cafe chatter.

Generate with this prompt → (8 seconds, 720p)

seedance-2.5/text-to-video, 720p, 8 seconds, with audio, $1.632.

How to choose by need

• You just want Kling and will upgrade when 4.0 comes out: start with Kling 3.0. 720p with sound off for 5 seconds is $0.50; with sound on it's $0.715. For integration, see the Kling 3.0 API tutorial in Chinese.
• You want Kling 4.0-style 30-second long shots: use Seedance 2.5, up to 30 seconds per clip; at 720p, 30 seconds costs $6.12. For integration, see the Seedance 2.5 text-to-video API tutorial.
• You need lots of reference material to lock in characters and scenes: use Seedance 2.5 reference-to-video (billed by reference video duration + output duration), or Kling 3.0 Omni's reference-to-video.
• You need 4K final output: Kling 3.0 4K is $0.479 per second; Veo 3.1 and Seedance 2.0 can also output 4K.
• Tightest budget, just want to get the pipeline working: Veo 3.1 Lite 720p silent at $0.06 per second, or Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p at $0.0272 per second.

One codebase; switching to Kling 4.0 later only changes the model name

All video models on HiAPI go through the same POST /v1/tasks. Put the model name in config, and once Kling 4.0 opens you only change one line:

import os, time, uuid, requests

API = "https://api.hiapi.ai/v1/tasks"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['HIAPI_KEY']}"}
MODEL = os.environ.get("VIDEO_MODEL", "kling-3.0/text-to-video")  # Switch to the Kling 4.0 model name later


def generate(prompt: str, **params) -> str:
    r = requests.post(API, json={"model": MODEL, "input": {"prompt": prompt, **params}},
                      headers={**HEADERS, "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4())}, timeout=30)
    r.raise_for_status()
    task_id = r.json()["data"]["taskId"]
    while True:
        data = requests.get(f"{API}/{task_id}", headers=HEADERS, timeout=30).json()["data"]
        if data["status"] == "success":
            return data["output"][0]["url"]
        if data["status"] == "fail":
            raise RuntimeError(data.get("error"))
        time.sleep(10)


print(generate("Under a golden sunset, a red fox races across a snowy ridge, smooth tracking shot",
               duration=5, resolution="720p", aspect_ratio="16:9", sound=False))

The input parameters differ between models. For example, Seedance 2.5 doesn't have sound; it uses generate_audio. When switching models, check the respective tutorial.

FAQ

When will the Kling 4.0 API be available?

Kuaishou said the full version launches in October 2026, but it hasn't given a specific date or announced an API. For the latest status, see When will the Kling 4.0 API be available, and you can sign up for a launch reminder on the Kling 4.0 preview page.

How different are Kling 3.0 and Kling 4.0?

According to the official teaser, 4.0's main upgrades are clip length (30 seconds), number of keyframes (10), and number of references (15). Until 4.0 can be called, we can't compare these ourselves.

Which alternative is cheapest?

The lowest starting prices among these are Seedance 2.0 Mini (480p at $0.0272 per second) and Veo 3.1 Lite (720p silent at $0.06 per second). Kling 3.0 720p is $0.10 per second.

Try running one: go to the Kling 3.0 model page to generate the red fox clip.