# What is the best AI video generator for TikTok and YouTube Shorts?

**Short answer:** Choose one that composes natively in 9:16 rather than cropping a widescreen render, keeps your characters consistent across posts, and has a per-second price you can sustain at your posting rate. For stories, a tool with episodes and references; for one-off clips, any good vertical-capable model.

URL: https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/best-ai-video-generator-for-tiktok-and-youtube-shorts
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Why native 9:16 matters

Cropping a 16:9 frame to 9:16 at the same height keeps only about 32% of its width, so faces drift out of frame. Generate vertical from the start: every reference, storyboard frame and clip composed for a phone.

Google lists portrait (9:16) video among Veo 3.1's features, alongside reference images and first-and-last-frame generation. (Source: Google AI for Developers, Veo 3.1 documentation, https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/veo, checked 2026-10-18)

Topview: Drama Studio takes a script or novel, builds reusable characters, locations and props, and makes shot-by-shot storyboards; Single Episode and Series modes; 9:16 recommended. (Source: Topview, https://www.topview.ai/drama-studio, checked 2026-10-17)

Runway: A microdrama use-case page describes vertical episodes with a recurring cast, title cards, cold opens and cliffhangers. (Source: Runway, https://runway.com/use-cases/microdramas, checked 2026-10-17)

## What a posting schedule costs

Short-form channels post often, so price per second matters more than for a single film. At list prices one 30-second vertical clip, posted daily for a month, costs:

30 seconds a day for 30 days, list prices:

| Model | Per post | Per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p | $3.64 | $109.32 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast 720p | $2.88 | $86.40 |
| Kling 3.0 Standard | $3.78 | $113.40 |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | $7.29 | $218.64 |

Model prices on this page are Atlas Cloud list prices quoted 2026-10-17 with its free /calculate endpoint, as published in our [AI video price index](https://arc.katechon.technology/ai-video-price-index). (Source: Atlas Cloud model catalog and /calculate list prices, https://www.atlascloud.ai/models, checked 2026-10-17)

## Pick by what you post

- **Serialized stories with recurring characters:** a tool with episodes and reusable references, such as Topview's Drama Studio or Arc.
- **Product clips and UGC-style ads:** Topview, with avatars and product-link import.
- **Single striking clips:** Veo 3.1 with native audio, or any model you like through an app.
- **High-volume episodes on a budget:** Seedance 2.0 Mini, which rendered most of our vertical series, including [High Note](https://arc.katechon.technology/films/high-note).

Runway entry price: Free (125 one-time credits); Standard $15/month. (Source: Runway, https://runway.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-17)

Topview entry price: Plus $24/month (promotional; list $36). (Source: Topview, https://www.topview.ai/pricing, checked 2026-10-17)

## Platform rules still apply

Each platform has its own labelling and monetization rules for AI-generated video. See our answers on [YouTube monetization](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/can-you-monetize-ai-videos-on-youtube) and [publishing an AI drama on TikTok](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-publish-an-ai-short-drama-on-tiktok).

## Where Katechon Arc fits

Arc renders 9:16 or 16:9 per project, composed natively, keeps a cast consistent across episodes, and exports each finished episode for you to post.

Arc does not post to TikTok, Instagram or YouTube for you, has no avatar library and no free plan.

## People also ask

### What aspect ratio should AI videos for TikTok be?

9:16 vertical. Generate in 9:16 rather than cropping a 16:9 render, which keeps only about a third of the frame's width.

## Related answers

- [Should an AI drama be vertical (9:16) or horizontal (16:9)?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/vertical-or-horizontal-for-ai-drama): Vertical 9:16 for short dramas watched in phone feeds and short-drama apps; horizontal 16:9 for films and long-form YouTube.
- [What is the best AI video generator for short dramas?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/best-ai-video-generator-for-short-dramas): There is no single best one: pick by how you work.
- [How do you publish an AI short drama on TikTok?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-publish-an-ai-short-drama-on-tiktok): Two routes: post episodes or trailers to your own account, or submit the whole series to TikTok's short-drama programme, Drama Center,…
- [How do you start an AI YouTube channel?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-start-an-ai-youtube-channel): Pick one kind of original story you can make repeatedly, produce it with a consistent cast and look, publish on a steady schedule with…
- [What is the cheapest AI video generator?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/what-is-the-cheapest-ai-video-generator): By list price per second, the cheapest model we track is Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.050 per second at 720p (2026-10-17), followed by PixVerse V6…

## Sources

- Google AI for Developers, Veo 3.1 documentation: [ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/veo](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/veo), checked 2026-10-18
- Topview: [www.topview.ai/drama-studio](https://www.topview.ai/drama-studio), checked 2026-10-17
- Runway: [runway.com/use-cases/microdramas](https://runway.com/use-cases/microdramas), checked 2026-10-17
- Atlas Cloud model catalog and /calculate list prices: [www.atlascloud.ai/models](https://www.atlascloud.ai/models), checked 2026-10-17
- Runway: [runway.com/pricing](https://runway.com/pricing), checked 2026-10-17
- Topview: [www.topview.ai/pricing](https://www.topview.ai/pricing), checked 2026-10-17