# Magic Hour MCP vs Vidu API

> Magic Hour MCP scores 50.7 (D) to Vidu's 40.2 (E) for video generation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-vidu
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-vidu.md (~3,750 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Magic Hour MCP scores 50.7 (D) on agent readiness against Vidu API's 40.2 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Vidu API leads on payments & pricing. Both do video generation.

- Magic Hour MCP: grade D, 50.7/100, rank #1053 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/magic-hour-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/magic-hour-mcp.json
- Vidu API: grade E, 40.2/100, rank #1324 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vidu.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vidu.json
- Best video generation for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/video-generation/index.md
- All 183 video comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/video-generation/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Magic Hour MCP (D)

Good for: Agents making short-form video and images, from talking photos and ads to lip-synced translations, on a credit plan.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 48
- Security & auth, 45 against 28
- Maintenance & community, 75 against 57
- Transparency & trust, 58 against 46

Watch for: About 160 KB of tool definitions

### Vidu API (E)

Good for: Batch jobs that can wait for off-peak prices and want reference-to-video or start-end frames with sound.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 20 against 15

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: No llms.txt, OpenAPI file or error-code reference


## Why the edge

### Schema & documentation: Magic Hour MCP +34

- Magic Hour MCP (82): All 50 tools read from tools/list with JSON Schema inputs and 29 enums, built from Magic Hour's OpenAPI specification (25). llms.txt (10). Long descriptions with a get_workflow_guide tool for choosing between them (17 of 20). Typed inputs with enums and no free-form objects (15). Worked examples; error responses not documented (5 of 15). Dated changelog with entries on 3 to 5 November 2026 (10 of 15, product changelog rather than MCP versions). 25 + 10 + 17 + 15 + 5 + 10 = 82.
- Vidu API (48): No OpenAPI file (0). No llms.txt or Markdown copies, though the HTML reference pages render without a browser (0). The image-to-video reference says what each model family is for (Q3 for synced audio and storyboards, Q2 for speed and quality, Q1 for clarity) (15). Typed parameters with model lists, per-model duration ranges (1 to 16 seconds on Q3), resolution options and defaults, though one `model` field carries nine values whose valid durations differ (13). We found no error-code reference, and examples rest on the listing's check (5). A dated update log, latest entry 15 September 2026 (15).

### Maintenance & community: Magic Hour MCP +18

- Magic Hour MCP (75): Changelog entries on 3, 4 and 5 November 2026 (30). More than three dated entries in 90 days (20). Changelog and support; issues on the public MCP repository not read (10 of 25). Registry entry io.github.magichourhq/magic-hour (0.1.1, 4 November) (15). No package health read (0). 30 + 20 + 10 + 15 + 0 = 75. Registry presence read from Anchor Terminal's own daily import of the official MCP registry (/api/v1/registry.json, 6 November 2026), not the registry's API.
- Vidu API (57): Model reading. The update log's latest entry, on 15 September 2026, adds the S2-Avatar real-time interactive model and the S2-Editing real-time editing model. viduq3-mix and other reference models arrived on 13 April (30). Q1 and Q2 stay callable, no removals found, no policy (10). Dated update page and support by email (12). No official SDK. A hosted MCP server is live, but the stdio package was last released on 24 June 2025 (5). The MCP repository has 5 stars and no recent release (0).

### Security & auth: Magic Hour MCP +17

- Magic Hour MCP (45): API keys as Bearer tokens or OAuth through the Claude and ChatGPT connectors (20 of 30). Destructive deletes are annotated; no read-only key (8 of 20). Tools return generated media, not third-party text (10). No audit log found (0). No security.txt or certifications found; face and voice tools come with policy limits in the terms (7 of 20). 20 + 8 + 10 + 0 + 7 = 45.
- Vidu API (28): Model reading of the checklist (credential, training, retention, operator visibility, programme). One API key sent as `Authorization: Token`, no scopes found (20). The terms (effective 23 January 2025) let ShengShu examine, record, copy and use inputs and outputs for operational and other purposes, and don't rule out training (0). No retention period or deletion call found (0). Task list for per-task visibility, no audit log (8). No security.txt, bug bounty or certification found (0).

### Transparency & trust: Magic Hour MCP +12

- Magic Hour MCP (58): Closed service under terms naming Magic Hour AI, Inc., revised 3 October 2026 (15). The privacy policy says prompts, uploads and outputs aren't sold or used to train models, for free and paid accounts, and MCP requests are handled the same way; retention periods aren't given (20 of 30). No deprecation policy found (5 of 20). Subprocessors not read (10 of 20, model providers named in tool docs). 15 + 20 + 5 + 10 = 50.
- Vidu API (46): Closed models under terms with ShengShu AI HK Limited and Hong Kong law. The terms don't restrict commercial use and forbid removing the AI-generated label, but don't say who owns the output (12). The terms let ShengShu record and use inputs and outputs for operational and other purposes, with no retention periods, and we didn't read the privacy policy against them (5). No deprecation policy (0). No subprocessor list or data locations found (0).

### Payments & pricing: Vidu API +5

- Magic Hour MCP (15): No machine payment protocol (0). Plan and credit-pack prices public, per-tool credit costs not read (10). 400 sign-up credits with no card, but API access sits on paid plans (5 of 20). A person signs up for a key in a browser (0). Tool discovery is open, but calls need a key (0). 0 + 10 + 5 + 0 = 15.
- Vidu API (20): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Credit prices per second are published at $0.005 a credit, Q3 Turbo at 7 to 13 credits a second, with off-peak at about half (20). No free credits published (0). A person signs up and buys credits (0).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Magic Hour MCP | Vidu API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 35 | 35 | even |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 48 | Magic Hour MCP +34 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 55 | even |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 28 | Magic Hour MCP +17 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 15 | 20 | Vidu API +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 57 | Magic Hour MCP +18 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 46 | Magic Hour MCP +12 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **50.7 · D** | **40.2 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Magic Hour MCP | Vidu API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | Model API |
| Vendor | Magic Hour AI, Inc. | ShengShu Technology |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.magichour.ai/` | `https://api.vidu.com/ent/v2` |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Tools exposed | 50 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| MCP registry | `io.github.magichourhq/magic-hour` | not listed |
| Last release | none | 2026-09-15 |
| Terms last updated | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | none | 5 stars, 25 PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |

## How the scores have moved

### Magic Hour MCP

No score change since it was listed.

### Vidu API

- no change on 29 October 2026: new evidence
- no change on 27 October 2026: checklist
- -0.2 on 8 October 2026: checklist

## Verdicts

**Magic Hour MCP.** Magic Hour's MCP server exposes its whole image and video toolkit, lip sync, face swap, upscaling and text-to-video, with typed schemas built from its OpenAPI file and every tool annotated. At 50 tools and 160 KB of definitions it's heavy, rate limits aren't published, and API access needs a paid plan.

**Vidu API.** Q3 Turbo from $0.035 a second at 540p, about half that off-peak. No llms.txt, OpenAPI file or error-code reference.

## Before you call either

### Magic Hour MCP

1. Call get_workflow_guide first to pick the right tool
2. Use the wait_for_* tools instead of polling project status yourself
3. Check credits with get_account_info before long video jobs
4. Only swap faces or voices of people who consented

### Vidu API

1. Send `Authorization: Token $VIDU_API_KEY`. The scheme is Token, not Bearer
2. POST the task, then poll the Get Creation endpoint by task id or set `callback_url`
3. Set `off_peak` only for jobs that can wait up to 48 hours. It roughly halves the credit rate
4. Set `audio` to true for dialogue and sound on Q3. It's off by default
5. Keep the AI-generated label on outputs. The terms forbid removing it

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Magic Hour MCP or Vidu API?

Magic Hour MCP scores 50.7 (D) on agent readiness against Vidu API's 40.2 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Vidu API leads on payments & pricing.

### Do Magic Hour MCP and Vidu API need an API key?

Magic Hour MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Vidu API needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Magic Hour MCP and Vidu API without installing anything?

Yes. Magic Hour MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.magichour.ai/ and Vidu API at https://api.vidu.com/ent/v2.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-vidu.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-vidu.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "magic-hour-mcp", "b": "vidu"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare magic-hour-mcp vidu`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/magic-hour-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vidu.json

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp