Magic Hour alternative Elyum, pay only for keeps

You preview every render for free and only spend credits when you keep a take.

Only on Elyum · Keep what you love. Every render is a free preview; keep it to pay, kill it for a full refund.
Try Elyum freeSee pricing

Our algorithm may grant you 100 free credits · no card required

Real Seedance 2.5 output · untouched
Real Seedance 2.5 output, rendered on Elyum, untouched. Prompt: “Macro slow motion: a hummingbird hovers at a red trumpet flower, iridescent feathers shimmering, dew drops scattering, soft green garden bokeh.”
Magic Hour from$19EGP 1,016/mo
Elyum from$9EGP 481/mo · Free plan
Bad renders on Magic HourNo stated refund
Bad renders on ElyumKill for a full refund
Facts verified2026-09-07

Magic Hour is a browser-based AI video, image, and audio studio with 100+ tools and a REST API. The company (Magic Hour AI, Inc., US, 2023, Y Combinator-backed) aggregates other people's models: ByteDance Seedance, Google Veo, Kling, MiniMax, Nano Banana, Seedream, GPT Image, Flux variants. Magic Hour's models page is the catalog. Every plan can use every tool. You pay for credits, a resolution cap (1024px on Creator, 1472px on Pro, 4K on Business), and queue priority. Product Hunt sits at 4.9/5 from 28 reviews. Reviewers praise face swap under motion and difficult angles.

The bill is opaque. OutlierKit's Magic Hour review called out confusing credit usage and pricing. Per-model cost is often undisclosed until generation. Seedance 2.0 lists price as TBD. Creator is $19EGP 1,016/mo ($12EGP 642/mo yearly) for 144,000 credits a year. Pro is $39EGP 2,085/mo for 300,000. Business is $99EGP 5,293/mo for 840,000. Each credit is 0.25 cents. Free video and audio may include a watermark. Magic Hour's failed-generation refund terms are not published here. Ai Resource reported the site crashed on a free face-swap trial.

We charge 1 credit as $0.01EGP 0.53 and we only bill a KEEP. Plans: Free (up to 100 credits once if our algorithm grants them, no card), then $9EGP 481, $29EGP 1,550, $69EGP 3,689 on the pricing page. Each job returns a free preview take. KEEP it and credits leave. KILL it and the refund is automatic. Failures cost nothing. Free is capped at one kill a month; Plus, Pro, and Ultra kill without a meter. The Seedance 2.5 page lists 1080p at 56 credits/second (15s = 384 credits = $3.84EGP 205). Downloads are watermark-free. Commercial use is included.

Skip Elyum if you need Magic Hour's lip sync, face swap, or character replacement, or if you want a timeline editor, stock footage, avatars, a mobile app, team seats, or a community feed. We do not have those.

Why people switch from Magic Hour

  • Pay only when you KEEP

    Every render comes back as a free take. Credits move only on KEEP. KILL refunds the rest. A failed generation is never charged. Magic Hour's policy for a bad or failed render is not published, so a dud there is an unknown cost.

  • Dollar prices, not TBD

    OutlierKit flagged Magic Hour's credit structure. Seedance 2.0 is TBD on Magic Hour. Kling 3.0 on Elyum is 23 credits/second: 5s = 115 credits = $0.70EGP 37 to $1.15EGP 61, 15s = 345 credits = $2.10EGP 112 to $3.45EGP 184, on the Kling 3.0 page.

  • Wan 3.0 and Grok Imagine

    As of the 2026-09-07 check, Magic Hour listed Wan 2.2 and Wan-Animate, not Wan 3.0, and did not list Grok Imagine 1.5. Both are in the models catalog on Elyum, on the same balance as Veo 3.1.

  • Starts at $9EGP 481, not $19EGP 1,016

    Magic Hour Creator is $19EGP 1,016/mo ($12EGP 642/mo yearly). Elyum Plus is $9EGP 481/mo. Free is up to 100 credits once (our algorithm may grant them) with no card. Magic Hour free video and audio may carry a watermark; third-party sites report 400 starter credits that the official pricing page does not itemize.

  • MCP and REST, one studio

    Magic Hour's API is usage-based and separate from the web subscription. Elyum jobs run from the browser or from Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor via the MCP docs and the REST API docs.

  • Listed ~20% under the anchors

    Elyum list prices already sit about 20% under Higgsfield, OpenArt, and Runway. If Magic Hour is the wrong comparison, the Higgsfield alternative is the sibling page.

Where Magic Hour still wins

  • 100+ tools, not just generates

    Magic Hour bundles face swap, lip sync, character replacement, and voice tools. Elyum is a model studio. If those utilities are the job, staying is rational.

  • Every tool on every plan

    Magic Hour does not gate tools by tier. You pay for credits, resolution (1024px / 1472px / 4K), and queue priority. That is simpler if you bounce between lip sync and Veo in one week.

  • 4K Business exports, yearly pools

    Business is $99EGP 5,293/mo ($66EGP 3,528/mo yearly) with 840,000 credits/year and 4K exports. Elyum has no team seats and no plan defined only as a resolution cap.

  • A larger first-party API claim

    Magic Hour cites 3.8M+ videos generated and 99.9% API uptime on its own marketing page. Independent Trustpilot volume is thin, so treat that figure as first-party.

Magic Hour vs Elyum, side by side

What mattersMagic HourElyum
Starting paid price$19EGP 1,016/mo Creator ($12EGP 642/mo yearly)$9EGP 481/mo Plus; Pro $29EGP 1,550/mo; Ultra $69EGP 3,689/mo
Free tierYes. Third-party reviews report 400 starter credits, no stated expiry; official pricing page does not itemize them. Free video/audio may be watermarked.up to 100 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card. One kill per month on Free.
Bad or failed renderNot publishedFailed jobs not charged. KILL refunds a rejected take (1/month on Free; unlimited on paid).
Watermark on paidNoneNone on kept takes
Frontier models listed hereOffers Seedance 2.5, Seedance 2.0, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana Pro, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Seedream 5 Pro, MiniMax H3, GPT Image 2. No Wan 3.0, no Grok Imagine 1.5.Same nine. Also Wan 3.0, Grok Imagine 1.5, FLUX 2. One credit balance.
Commercial usePaid plans, per Terms of Service. Free tier not fully specified.Included on kept takes
API and agentsREST API, usage-based, billed apart from the web plan. Official SDKs. Claims 99.9% uptime.REST API and MCP from Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor.
Face swap, lip sync, tools100+ tools including face swap, lip sync, character replacement, voice.Not offered. No timeline editor, stock, avatars, or mobile app.
Max export resolutionCreator 1024px; Pro 1472px; Business 4K. Some models (GPT Image 2) up to 4K.Per model. Veo 3.1 up to 4K; Seedance 2.5 up to 1080p.
Credit unit and packs0.25 cents/credit. Packs: $10EGP 535/4,000, $30EGP 1,604/12,000, $80EGP 4,277/32,000, $160EGP 8,554/64,000 ($1EGP 53 = 400 credits). Annual pools on paid plans.1 credit = $0.01EGP 0.53 at the base rate and as little as $0.0061EGP 0.33 on Ultra, billed yearly. Monthly plans plus top-ups. Pro/Ultra: fair-use unlimited on selected image models.

Magic Hour facts from its own pricing and help pages plus independent reviews, verified 2026-09-07 (sources at the end). Elyum numbers are computed from the live rate card.

What it actually costs

Magic Hour's pricing page lists Creator at $19EGP 1,016/mo or $12EGP 642/mo yearly (144,000 credits/year, 1024px, no watermark), Pro at $39EGP 2,085/mo or $25EGP 1,336/mo yearly (300,000 credits/year, 1472px), and Business at $99EGP 5,293/mo or $66EGP 3,528/mo yearly (840,000 credits/year, 4K). Credits are 0.25 cents each. Pay-as-you-go packs run $10EGP 535 for 4,000 credits up to $160EGP 8,554 for 64,000, a flat $1EGP 53 = 400 credits. Third-party writeups treat those plan credits as annual allocations, not a fresh monthly pile.

Elyum plans are monthly and public per model. Free is up to 100 credits once (our algorithm may grant them). Plus is $9EGP 481, Pro $29EGP 1,550, Ultra $69EGP 3,689. 1 credit equals $0.01EGP 0.53 at the base rate and as little as $0.0061EGP 0.33 on Ultra, billed yearly. Pro and Ultra include fair-use unlimited image generation on selected image models (Nano Banana 2 unlimited sits on Ultra). There is no resolution gate by plan. Side-by-side rates for one model live on the Seedance 2.5 comparison.

Worked example. Seedance 2.5 at 1080p is 56 credits/second. A 5-second clip is 280 credits ($1.71EGP 91 to $2.80EGP 150). A 15-second clip is 840 credits ($5.12EGP 274 to $8.40EGP 449). You preview at $0EGP 0. KEEP spends $3.84EGP 205. KILL spends $0EGP 0 on paid plans. Magic Hour does not publish a matching Seedance 2.5 dollar figure here; its Seedance 2.0 page lists price as TBD.

Magic Hour planMonthlyYearly (per month)Credits
Free$0EGP 0$0EGP 0400 starter credits (per third-party sources), no stated expiry · watermarked
Creator$19EGP 1,016$12EGP 642144,000 credits/year
Pro$39EGP 2,085$25EGP 1,336300,000 credits/year
Business$99EGP 5,293$66EGP 3,528840,000 credits/year
Elyum Plus / Pro / Ultra$9EGP 481 / $29EGP 1,550 / $69EGP 3,689n/aOne balance, all 50+ models, previews free

Same models, priced on Elyum

Models Magic Hour also offers, with Elyum's live price for the shortest common take. Each model page compares its price on every platform.

A giant ginger cat swats a monster in a harbour, filmed on a phone from a rooftopSeedance 2.5 price on every platformSharpest realism, native audio, up to 30 references — also edits clipsfrom 70 credits / 5s on ElyumTwo cooks fight in a restaurant kitchen with a wok lid and a pizza paddleSeedance 2.0 price on every platformStrong realism, 9 images and 3 clips — also edits clipsfrom 55 credits / 5s on ElyumFour images: a phone-flash diner photo, a handwritten whiteboard, a collectible figure and a handheld console (image 1 of 4)Nano Banana 2 price on every platformFast, sharp, keeps people and products exactly themselvesfrom 4 credits on ElyumNano Banana Pro example: Lettering in architectureNano Banana Pro price on every platformBest 4K images, near-perfect textfrom 8 credits on ElyumA baseball fan catches a foul ball bare-handed without spilling his beerKling 3.0 price on every platformStrong, physical motion up to 15 sfrom 115 credits / 5s on ElyumA sample Veo 3.1 renderVeo 3.1 price on every platformCinematic, native audio, speaks your dialoguefrom 190 credits / 5s on ElyumA sample Seedream 5 Pro renderSeedream 5 Pro price on every platformConsistent people, logical scenesfrom 7 credits on ElyumA sample MiniMax H3 renderMiniMax H3 price on every platformThe H3 look up to 4K, from text, a frame or referencesfrom 45 credits / 5s on ElyumA sample GPT Image 2 renderGPT Image 2 price on every platformNear-perfect text, strong instruction followingfrom 11 credits on Elyum

What the models look like on Elyum

Seedance 2.0Aerial drone shot: a turquoise ocean wave curls and breaks over black volcanic sand, white foam drawing swirling patterns, bright daylight.
Nano Banana 2 render on Elyum
Nano Banana 2Studio product photograph: a transparent vivid orange glass chair on a seamless white cyclorama, soft shadows, catalog lighting.

Why generate with Elyum?

  • Pay only for what you keep. Kill a take and every credit comes back.
  • 50+ video, image and audio models on one balance.
  • Rates about 20% under comparable platforms, and the cut is already in the price.
  • Kept files download clean and full quality, no watermark, commercial use included.
  • Works from the studio, or from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor via MCP.
  • Free plan, our algorithm may grant you 100 credits, no card required.

Moving from Magic Hour

  1. Download the watermark-free files you already paid for on Magic Hour. Note model, resolution, and duration so you can match them.
  2. Create an Elyum Free account (up to 100 credits if our algorithm grants them, no card). Paid kills are unlimited; Free allows one kill a month.
  3. Open the same model you used on Magic Hour, for example Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, or Seedance 2.0, from the models catalog.
  4. Run a preview. KEEP a take to download a clean commercial file, or KILL it for a refund.
  5. If you called Magic Hour's REST API, move that traffic to Elyum's MCP server or REST API when you are ready.

Magic Hour questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Elyum cheaper than Magic Hour?
On the door, yes: Plus is $9EGP 481/mo versus Magic Hour Creator at $19EGP 1,016/mo ($12EGP 642/mo yearly). A 15s Seedance 2.5 1080p KEEP is $5.12EGP 274 to $8.40EGP 449 on Elyum. Magic Hour sells credits at 0.25 cents and packs at $1EGP 53 = 400 credits, but Seedance 2.0 is TBD there, so a clip-for-clip winner is not published.
Does Elyum have the same models as Magic Hour?
For the shared set, yes: Seedance 2.5 and 2.0, Nano Banana 2 and Pro, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Seedream 5 Pro, MiniMax H3, GPT Image 2. Magic Hour also lists Sora 2, LTX 2.3, Wan 2.2, Wan-Animate, Flux 2 Klein, and others this page does not price. Elyum lists Wan 3.0 and Grok Imagine 1.5, which Magic Hour did not show on its models page as of the 2026-09-07 check.
What happens to a bad render on Elyum vs Magic Hour?
On Elyum a failed generation is never charged. If the video comes back and you dislike it, KILL refunds it (one kill a month on Free; freely on paid). Magic Hour's failed-generation policy is not published in the research for this page, so this page does not invent one.
Can I use Magic Hour and Elyum together?
Yes. Keep Magic Hour for face swap, lip sync, and character replacement. Run preview-first generations on Elyum. Nothing in either product requires an exclusive relationship.
Does Magic Hour watermark paid exports?
No. Magic Hour's paid plans are watermark-free. Free video and audio outputs may include a watermark, per Magic Hour's pricing page. Elyum kept takes have no watermark.
Is there a Magic Hour free plan?
Yes. Magic Hour has a free tier with basic features and, per third-party reviews, 400 starter credits with no stated expiry. The official pricing page does not itemize that number. Elyum Free is up to 100 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card.
Does Elyum have face swap or lip sync?
No. Those are Magic Hour strengths (100+ tools). Elyum does not offer face swap, lip sync, avatars, a timeline editor, or a mobile app.
Facts checked 2026-09-07

Magic Hour pricing, policies and model availability on this page come from these sources. If something changed since, tell us and we will re-verify.

  1. Magic Hour Pricing (accessed 2026-09-07)
  2. AI Models — Video, Image Generation & Editing | Magic Hour (accessed 2026-09-07)
  3. Seedance 2.0 AI Video Generator - Pricing & Specs | Magic Hour (accessed 2026-09-07)
  4. Veo 3.1 AI Video Generator - Pricing & Specs | Magic Hour (accessed 2026-09-07)
  5. Kling 3.0 AI Video Generator - Pricing & Specs | Magic Hour (accessed 2026-09-07)
  6. Magic Hour AI: Official Facts, Tools & Sources (accessed 2026-09-07)
  7. Magic Hour Review – Cost, Use Cases & Alternatives [2026] (accessed 2026-09-07)
  8. Magic Hour AI Review 2026: Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons - Ai Resource (accessed 2026-09-07)
  9. Magic Hour Reviews (2026) | Product Hunt (accessed 2026-09-07)

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Create everything. Keep the best.

The models you use on Magic Hour, plus the ones it doesn't have, on one balance. Every render is a free preview.

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