Veo

Veo is Google DeepMind's video generation model, and the reason a Google AI subscription doubles as a video tool. Veo 3.1 produces 4K and 1080p footage with native synchronised audio, in landscape or native portrait, from inside the Gemini app, Google Flow and Vertex AI.

What is Veo?

Veo is Google's text-to-video and image-to-video family. Veo 3.1, released in October 2025 and substantially expanded through early 2026, generates video at 4K and 1080p, supports both 16:9 landscape and native 9:16 portrait, and adds 4K upscaling — the portrait support in particular made it far more useful for social work. Veo 3.1 Lite followed as Google's most cost-effective video model for high-volume generation. It is worth being clear about what has not happened: despite a great deal of speculation online, Google has not announced or released a Veo 4. At I/O 2026 on 19 May, it instead introduced Gemini Omni, a unified multimodal creation platform combining text, image, audio and video with conversational editing; the first shipping model, Gemini Omni Flash, went live across the Gemini app, YouTube Shorts and Google Flow, with Vertex AI access following.

Key Features

• 4K and 1080p output: With 4K upscaling available on existing generations.
• Native synchronised audio: Dialogue, effects and ambience generated with the video rather than added afterwards.
• Portrait and landscape: Native 9:16 alongside 16:9, which matters for short-form social.
• Veo 3.1 Lite: A cheaper model for volume work where flagship quality is not required.
• Distribution: Available in the Gemini app, Google Flow for filmmaking workflows, and via Vertex AI and the Gemini API.

Who Should Use Veo?

Veo makes the most sense for people already paying for a Google AI plan — video generation is bundled rather than metered separately, which is a meaningful cost advantage over subscribing to Runway or Kling on top. It suits social creators (native portrait), marketers who need synchronised audio, and filmmakers using Google Flow. Developers get metered per-second access through Vertex AI, with Veo 3.1 Lite for volume. If your workflow needs timeline editing, masking and object removal around the generation, Runway remains the stronger platform.

Pricing

Veo is included in the Gemini app on paid Google AI plans: Google AI Pro at $19.99/month and Google AI Ultra at $99.99 or $199.99/month, with a small free daily quota for everyone else. Developer access is metered per second of generated video through Vertex AI and the Gemini API, where Veo 3.1 Lite is the cost-effective option. It is also available inside Google Flow, Google's filmmaking tool. Feature availability and quotas vary by country and plan.

Pros and Cons

Bottom Line

Veo 3.1 is the best-value video model in the market for anyone already inside Google's ecosystem, because you are not paying twice. The quality is competitive with Runway and Kling, native audio and portrait support are genuinely useful, and Veo 3.1 Lite handles volume. Do not wait for Veo 4 — Google's next move was Gemini Omni, not a Veo successor.