Pika

What Pika does

Pika (operated by Mellis, Inc.) is a Palo Alto-based generative AI video platform founded in April 2023 by Stanford AI Lab PhD researchers Demi Guo (CEO) and Chenlin Meng. The company builds a proprietary video foundation model trained from scratch in-house (current generation Pika 2.5, alongside 2.2, 2.1, 2.0, 1.5, and Turbo), exposed through text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video generation with multimodal inputs spanning text, image, video, and audio. Differentiated features include Pikaffects (physics-defying effects like squish, melt, cake-ify), Pikaframes (keyframe-conditioned generation up to 25 seconds), Pikaswaps/Pikadditions/Pikatwists (object and action editing), Pikaformance (audio-synced facial animation), and AI Selves (autonomous AI digital clones), with the underlying model architecture treated as proprietary trade secret.

Name

Pika

Legal name

Mellis, Inc.

Website

https://pika.art

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pika (Mellis, Inc.) is a generative AI video platform that lets creators, marketers, SMBs, and developers produce videos from text, image, video, and audio prompts via proprietary in-house video foundation models, distributed through web, iOS, Discord, API, and Adobe Firefly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Generative AI Video Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator-Centric Short-Form Video Platforms (MPACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social, Community & Creator Platform Feeds (HDAAAGAD), Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG)

Keywords

• AI video generation
• Text-to-video platform
• Generative video models
• AI video editing
• Video foundation models

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription plans: Tiered subscription with monthly, weekly, and yearly billing options. Four plans (Basic free, Standard $8/mo, Pro $28/mo, Fancy $76/mo) that auto-renew. Each plan includes a fixed monthly video credit allocation (80 to 6,000 credits) with commercial use rights from Standard tier upward.
2. Credit top-up purchases: Pay-as-you-go credit packs on top of subscription base for additional video generations beyond the monthly allowance. Credit packs ($10 for 375, $20 for 750, $30 for 1,125 credits) that never expire, providing a secondary usage-based revenue layer.
3. AI Self monetization profit share: Pika retains a profit share of revenue generated through user-monetized AI Selves, with users retaining ownership of their AI Self and associated likeness data. Identity verification through third-party payment provider is required for payouts.
4. Pika API revenue: API access to Pika's video models distributed through Fal.ai, allowing developers and partners to embed Pika generation capabilities in third-party products. Commercial API usage monetizes model access at scale.
5. Freemium tier: Free Basic plan with 80 monthly credits and limited 480p output acts as a top-of-funnel acquisition channel that converts users into paid Standard, Pro, or Fancy tiers requiring commercial use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pika is a generative AI video platform that lets users create videos from text prompts, images, or existing videos using proprietary video foundation models (currently Pika 2.5). It offers text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video generation, plus a suite of creative effects (Pikaffects, Pikaframes, Pikascenes, Pikadditions, Pikaswaps, Pikatwists), audio-synced lip-sync via Pikaformance, and an AI Selves agent product for autonomous digital clones. Access is provided via a self-serve web app, iOS mobile app, Discord, a public API through Fal.ai, and an OEM integration inside Adobe Firefly, with freemium and tiered paid subscriptions.

Product overview

Pika (operated by Mellis, Inc.) is a generative AI video platform that combines proprietary video foundation models with a suite of integrated creative tools, agents, and effects modules. At its core is the latest Pika 2.5 video model, alongside a family of models (Pika 2.2, 2.1, 2.0, 1.5, and Turbo) that power text-to-video and image-to-video generation. The platform extends its capabilities through specialized editing features including Pikaffects (reality-bending effects like squish, melt, cake-ify), Pikascenes (scene composition), Pikadditions (insert elements into videos), Pikaswaps (replace objects in videos), Pikatwists (change video endings via prompt), and Pikaframes (keyframe-driven generation up to 25 seconds). Pika Agent / AI Selves enable autonomous AI agents that operate across the platform and on third-party platforms like X and Discord, while Pika MCP extends Pika's creative skills to any external agent via Model Context Protocol. Pikaformance adds audio-synced facial expression generation, and AI Trendmaker helps users ride viral video trends. The platform is accessible via web (pika.art), iOS mobile app, Discord, and a public API distributed through Fal.ai, with subscription tiers ranging from Free to Fancy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Selves: A Pika platform product launched in February 2026 that lets users create autonomous AI digital clones of themselves using selfies, voice recordings, and personality responses that can operate across messaging platforms and social media.

Products and services

• Pika Video Generation Platform (Pika Web App) Core AI video generation platform offering text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video capabilities through proprietary video foundation models (currently Pika 2.5), accessible via web, with tiered subscriptions from free Basic to Fancy. For creators, marketers, SMBs, and enterprise users globally.
• Pika iOS Mobile App (Pikaffects by Pika) Native iOS application bringing Pika's AI video creation capabilities, including Pikaffects one-tap effects, to mobile devices via the Apple App Store, with subscriptions managed through Apple ID and account sync to web.
• Pika API (via Fal.ai) Public API exposing Pika's video models to developers, distributed exclusively through Fal.ai, enabling programmatic integration of Pika's video generation capabilities into third-party applications with usage-based billing.
• AI Selves / Pika Agent Autonomous AI agent platform that lets users create digital clones from their own likeness, voice, and personality; the agent operates across messaging platforms (X, Discord) and can perform tasks, evolve with interaction, and be monetized by users who retain ownership of their AI Self data.
• Pika MCP (Model Context Protocol Integration)

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability11 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship distribution partner, mid-tier creative partner, core distribution partner, core vendor, mid-tier technology partner, core sign-in integration and core sign-in and community integration.

• Adobeflagship distribution partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 28 October 2025Pika's video models are integrated as a partner AI model inside Adobe Firefly, announced at Adobe MAX on October 28, 2025. Pika is accessible alongside OpenAI, Google, Black Forest Labs, Topaz Labs, ElevenLabs, and Runway via a single Adobe subscription, with both web and Firefly mobile (iOS/Android) access.
• Ceiling Train / Josh Cohenmid-tier creative partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2025Pika partnered with production company Ceiling Train, directed by Josh Cohen, to produce the retro-futuristic 'AI Selves' launch infomercial that trended on X for two consecutive days.
• Fal.aicore distribution partnerTechnology or IntegrationExclusive API distribution partner for Pika. Hosts all Pika API endpoints and provides serverless infrastructure for developers to integrate Pika's video models into third-party products.
• Stripecore vendorTechnology or IntegrationPika uses Stripe as its third-party payment service provider for subscription billing, card acceptance, settlement, payouts (including AI Self monetization identity verification), and related payment services.
• ElevenLabsmid-tier technology partnerTechnology or IntegrationPika offers text-to-video generation with AI lip-syncing capabilities through a partnership with ElevenLabs, enabling audio-visual synchronization on generated videos.
• Googlecore sign-in integrationTechnology or IntegrationSingle sign-on integration allowing users to create and log into their Pika account using Google authentication.
• Facebookcore sign-in integrationTechnology or IntegrationSingle sign-on integration allowing users to create and log into their Pika account using Facebook authentication.
• Discordcore sign-in and community integrationTechnology or IntegrationSingle sign-on integration allowing users to create and log into their Pika account using Discord authentication; Discord also serves as the original launch and ongoing community platform for Pika.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Runway: Runway is a generative AI video platform offering text-to-video, image-to-video, and editing tools (Gen-3, Gen-4) to creators and enterprises. It is the most direct competitor to Pika in target market, pricing tiers, and use cases, and is also a partner model inside Adobe Firefly.
• Luma AI: Luma AI builds generative video models (Dream Machine, Ray) for text-to-video and image-to-video, directly competing with Pika in the same creator and prosumer segment. It also targets enterprise via API and is a frequent head-to-head benchmark in generative video quality comparisons.
• HeyGen: HeyGen is an AI video generation platform focused on avatar-based and multilingual video content for marketing and enterprise use cases. It overlaps with Pika's enterprise and marketer segments and is pursuing AI Selves-style personalization with its Avatar product.
• Synthesia: Synthesia is an enterprise AI video platform specializing in AI-generated avatar videos for corporate training, communications, and marketing. It competes with Pika's enterprise tier and overlaps with Pika's audio-synced facial animation capabilities through Pikaformance and ElevenLabs integration.
• Stability AI: Stability AI develops open-source generative media models including Stable Video Diffusion, directly competing with Pika's core video foundation model. Its open-weight distribution model pressures pricing across the category and overlaps with Pika's developer/API motion.

Emerging players

• Midjourney: Midjourney is a leading generative AI image platform with a strong creator brand that is expanding into video generation. It overlaps with Pika in the high-end creator segment and represents a likely future head-to-head competitor as its video model matures.
• Lightricks: Lightricks is a mobile-first creative AI company (Facetune, Videoleap) that has expanded into generative AI video and photo tools. It targets creators and SMBs similar to Pika's primary segments and represents a relevant comparable in the consumer-creator funnel.

Broad incumbents

• OpenAI (Sora): OpenAI's Sora is a flagship text-to-video model bundled into ChatGPT and the OpenAI API, with effectively unlimited compute and the broadest consumer/enterprise distribution in the category. Sora is a structural threat to Pika's quality and pricing position and also a co-listed partner model inside Adobe Firefly.
• Google DeepMind (Veo): Google's Veo is a text-to-video model distributed through Gemini, Vertex AI, and Adobe Firefly. With hyperscaler compute and Google's enterprise footprint, Veo competes with Pika across both consumer reach and enterprise API contracts.
• Adobe: Adobe is both Pika's flagship distribution partner (Adobe Firefly) and a broad incumbent in creative software with its own generative video roadmap inside Premiere Pro and Firefly Video. It competes with Pika indirectly through Creative Cloud bundles and directly controls partner economics inside Firefly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pika_labs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pika_labs
• Facebookfacebook.com/pikalabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pika-labs
• Instagraminstagram.com/pika_labs
• TikToktiktok.com/@pika_labs

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pika