An open source AI video generator is a video model whose code, and sometimes weights, you can download and run on your own hardware. The code licence and the weights licence are often different, and some weights limit commercial use or exclude whole regions, so read the model card before using any clip in business or client work.
The usual misreading is that an Apache badge on a video model's repo means you can use its videos however you like. On most of these projects, that badge covers the code that runs the model, not the trained model itself. The weights often sit under a second licence, and that second licence is the one that decides whether you can use the output commercially, or use it at all where you live.
So this page puts the two licences side by side. Here are eight open video models and projects, in no particular order, with nothing crowned, because the right one depends on what you'll do with the footage and where your business is based.
Code licence versus weights licence, side by side
| Tool | Code licence | Weights licence |
|---|---|---|
| AnimateDiff | Apache-2.0 | Not checked; base image models carry their own licences |
| CogVideoX | Apache-2.0 | Research use free; commercial use needs registration and has a cap |
| HunyuanVideo | Tencent Hunyuan Community Licence (custom) | Same custom licence; doesn't apply in the EU, UK or South Korea |
| LTX-Video | Apache-2.0 | Separate LTX community licence, with a commercial licensing page |
| Mochi 1 | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 per its model card |
| Open-Sora | Apache-2.0 | Not checked; read the model card before commercial use |
| Stable Video Diffusion (Stability generative-models) | MIT | Separate files in a model licences folder; not checked |
| Wan2.1 | Apache-2.0 | Apache 2.0, with use restrictions on harmful content |
Where the table says not checked, it means exactly that: the weights terms weren't confirmed for this page, so read the model card or licence file yourself before using the output for anything beyond experiments.
What each licence lets a business do
Permissive code and weights
Wan2.1 and Mochi 1 show Apache terms on both the code and the weights. The Wan model card adds use restrictions on harmful content, which is worth reading, but otherwise these two give the plainest route to commercial use on this list.
Open code, restricted weights
CogVideoX has Apache-2.0 code, but its model licence says the weights are free for academic research, while commercial use needs a registration for a basic commercial licence and comes with a monthly visit cap before you have to contact the team. LTX-Video puts its weights under a separate LTX community licence and points to a commercial licensing page. The Stability repository holding Stable Video Diffusion is MIT for code, with weights governed by separate files in a model licences folder.
A custom licence with territory limits
HunyuanVideo ships code and weights under Tencent's own community licence, and that licence says it doesn't apply in the European Union, the United Kingdom or South Korea. If you're based in any of those, one of the best-known open video models isn't legally open to you. Very large products also need a separate licence from Tencent.
Add-ons and projects with unchecked weights
Open-Sora is a community project with Apache-2.0 code; its weights licence wasn't checked for this page. AnimateDiff is an add-on that animates Stable Diffusion image models, so the licence on whichever image model you pair it with matters as much as its own Apache code, and its weights terms weren't checked either.
The hardware the repos don't hand you
None of these projects comes with compute. Video generation wants a strong GPU, and for the larger models that usually means a high-end card or rented cloud GPUs. Free code isn't free of effort: you'll install Python environments, download large weight files and wait for renders. If you've never set up a local AI model, start with the smallest one you can find and build up.
Eight open video models, in no particular order
AnimateDiff
Best for: People already running Stable Diffusion image models who want to add motion, bearing in mind clip quality depends on the base model you pair it with.
CogVideoX
Best for: Teams wanting text-to-video and image-to-video models with separate code and model licence files, who'll register before any commercial use of the weights.
HunyuanVideo
Best for: Builders outside the EU, UK and South Korea wanting a large open video model with weights and inference code shipped together under one custom licence.
LTX-Video
Best for: Developers testing a text-to-video and image-to-video model whose newer versions live in a separate repo, so they'll check which version they're installing.
Mochi 1
Best for: Anyone wanting one of the plainest licence pictures here, with Apache-2.0 on both the code and the model card, from a smaller lab.
Open-Sora
Best for: Researchers and hobbyists following a community effort to reproduce Sora-style generation in the open, reading the weights terms before any business use.
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Stable Video Diffusion (Stability generative-models)
Best for: Image-to-video experiments inside a wider generative models repo, where code and weights sit under different terms you'll want to read first.
Wan2.1
Best for: Creators and developers wanting a full open model family with text-to-video and image-to-video modes, and weights on Hugging Face under Apache terms.
Plain advice before you render anything for a client
Pick on licence first and quality second. If you're making footage for clients or ads, start with a model whose code and weights are both under permissive terms, and keep a copy of the model card you relied on, dated, with your project files. If you're in the UK or EU, rule out anything whose licence excludes your region before you spend a weekend installing it.
If you don't have the hardware or the patience for local setup, a hosted tool will be quicker, and our guides to image-to-video AI tools and alternatives to the big hosted video generators cover that side. You can tidy the results in one of these free AI video editors for small businesses.
A note on rights in the footage you make
The model licence is only one layer. If you start from a photo, a voice or a person's likeness, you need the right to use that material too, and a clip that looks like a real person or a known brand can cause trouble whatever the model licence says. Use your own source images, get written permission from anyone recognisable, and label AI-generated footage where your platform or client asks for it.
Do you make an open source AI video model or tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use open source AI video models commercially?
Sometimes. Check the weights licence, not just the code licence. A couple of models here show permissive terms on both, others need a commercial registration or a separate licence, and one excludes the EU, UK and South Korea entirely.
What's the difference between a code licence and a weights licence?
The code licence covers the software that loads and runs the model. The weights licence covers the trained model itself. They're often different, and the weights licence usually decides what you can do with the output.
Do I need a GPU to run an open source video generator?
In practice, yes. Video models are heavy, so you'll want a strong graphics card or rented cloud GPUs. The repos provide code and weights, not the hardware.
Can I use these models in the UK or EU?
Most of them, but not all. One major model's licence says it doesn't apply in the European Union, the United Kingdom or South Korea, so read each licence for territory limits before you start.
Are open source video models as good as hosted tools?
Some project teams claim strong benchmark results, but quality varies with the model, your prompts and your hardware. Hosted tools are usually quicker to get good results from; open models give you control and privacy.
Where do I find a model's weights licence?
Look for a model card on the hosting page, a MODEL_LICENSE file in the repo, or a licences folder. If you can't find one, treat commercial use as not cleared until you've confirmed it.
