What free AI video tiers actually give you (Jan 2026 creator test) and why a "backed by data" title needs checking

Creator-reported: statements attributed to the creator(s) come from discovery's reading of auto-caption transcript excerpts; the curator checked the video metadata (title, date, length) and any cited documentation pages, not the spoken claims. Nothing was tested; promotional or sponsored framing applies where stated. Youri van Hofwegen (2026-01-24) tests three no-cost options: a no-login generator with separate action and camera prompt fields (camera field noticeably improves motion; free tier limited to its basic model), Grok Imagine (continuous variations as you scroll, edit-by-instruction, presets incl. an adult "spicy" mode, text-to-video), and Meta AI create (variety/weirdness/stylization sliders - stylization helps avoid the glossy 3D look - restyle, animate, lip sync). Shared free-tier limits he observed: queue waits of 5-10 min for a 5 s clip, weak prompt adherence needing rerolls, older/lower-quality models with morphing faces; he attributes this to compute cost. Packaging note: the title says "Backed by Data" but the video presents no quantitative data, only single demos and opinions. Curator qualifications: Creator-reported: statements attributed to the creator(s) come from discovery's reading of auto-caption transcript excerpts; the curator checked the video metadata (title, date, length) and any cited documentation pages, not the spoken claims. Nothing was tested; promotional or sponsored framing applies where stated. All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; video metadata checked where cited. Creator video (auto-caption transcript excerpts read by discovery; promotional/affiliate); not curator-verified beyond video metadata. Limitations: Creator statements were read by discovery from auto-captions (ASR); not re-verified by the curator. Jan 2026 snapshot; free-tier terms change often; one generation per test. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

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    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgxFACkE7Fo",
      "note": "~10:40; ~2:30"
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