Wan 2.1 vs Hunyuan Video: AI Video Generation Comparison

Choosing the right AI video generation model can be challenging with so many options available. This comprehensive comparison examines Wan 2.1, Hunyuan Video, and Sora to help you determine which model best suits your creative needs.

We'll walk you through setup, performance benchmarks, and real-world results using both local and cloud GPU configurations.

🚀 Getting Started With ComfyUI Through Promptus Studio Comfy

Before diving into specific video models, it's important to understand your platform options.

While you can work directly with the open-source ComfyUI framework, Promptus Studio Comfy (PSC) stands out as one of the leading platforms that builds upon ComfyUI's foundation.

Promptus is a browser-based, cloud-powered visual AI platform that provides:

• An accessible interface for ComfyUI workflows through CosyFlows (a no-code interface)
• Real-time collaboration
• Built-in access to advanced models like Gemini Flash, HiDream, and Hunyuan3D

It also integrates with Discord and offers workflow publishing, making it popular among both creative teams and solo creators who want to leverage ComfyUI's power without technical complexity.

Promptus Studio Comfy represents how many users prefer to interact with ComfyUI today — combining the flexibility of the open-source ComfyUI ecosystem with intuitive, drag-and-drop workflows and advanced AI model access including Stable Diffusion, GPT-4o, and Gemini.

It supports multi-modal generation across text, image, and video, and utilizes distributed GPU compute for faster rendering and high-resolution outputs.

Whether users are crafting branded visuals, animated stories, or concept art pipelines, PSC demonstrates how ComfyUI's modular framework can be made accessible to studios, agencies, and visual storytellers who need flexibility, speed, and quality at scale.

For those working directly with ComfyUI, you'll need to update your installation first. Ensure you're running the latest version with PyTorch 2.4 or higher for optimal video model performance.

🎞️ Setting Up Hunyuan Video Model

Hunyuan Video supports both text-to-video and image-to-video generation. The setup requires specific model files, but you don't need to download everything at once.

• The essential files (green designation) cover both generation types and use smaller quantized Q8_0 models that maintain nearly identical quality while reducing VRAM requirements.
• For VRAM optimization, consider the optional LavaLamaFP8Scaled text encoder model file.
• The original larger model files (blue designation) are available if you have sufficient VRAM capacity.

File placement follows standard ComfyUI structure—place downloaded files in their appropriate model folders. The workflow includes a gguf unit loader, with an optional standard diffusion model loader that can be activated using CTRL+B.

🔧 Testing Parameters for Hunyuan Video:

• Standard: 20 steps
• Frame rate: 24 FPS
• Length: 49 frames (2 seconds + 1 frame)
• Resolution adjustments may be needed based on local GPU capabilities

📈 For Higher Quality Results:

• Steps: 30
• Length: 121 frames (5 seconds + 1 frame)
• Resolution: 480p and 720p

The image-to-video workflow adds nodes for image input and utilizes the LavaLlama3 ClipVision model.

🎥 Configuring Wan 2.1 Video Model

Wan 2.1 offers another excellent approach to video generation with a simpler workflow structure.

• Similar to Hunyuan, the essential files (green) handle both text-to-video and image-to-video generation using Q8_0 quantized models.
• The orange Q8_0 file specifically supports 720p image-to-video generation but requires higher GPU performance.
• Original large model files (blue) are available as optional downloads.

📊 Key Wan 2.1 Specifications:

• Frame rate: 16 FPS
• Test length: 33 frames (2 seconds + 1 frame)
• Includes negative prompt functionality
• Steps: 20 for testing, 30 for high quality
• High-quality length: 81 frames (5 seconds)

The workflow supports both diffusion model loading options and includes ClipVisionH model integration for image-to-video functionality.

📈 Performance Analysis and Results

🖥️ Local GPU Performance (AMD RX 6800, 16GB VRAM):

• Wan 2.1 generation time: ~400 seconds
• Hunyuan Video: ~700 seconds (required --cpu-vae parameter)

Cloud GPU Testing

• L4 GPUs for 480p videos
• L40s GPUs for 720p videos (to reduce processing time)

Generation Time Comparison

• 480p videos: 25–37 minutes on L4 GPU
• 720p videos: faster on L40s GPU
• Wan 2.1 requires roughly double the generation time of Hunyuan Video when normalized to equivalent frame rates

File Size Analysis

• Hunyuan Text2Video (24 FPS): Smaller files than Wan 2.1 (16 FPS)
• Hunyuan Image2Video: Larger file sizes
• Sora (30 FPS): Similar to Wan 2.1 file sizes
• Average size per frame: Hunyuan Image2Video and Wan models generate the largest files

Quality Assessment Results 🧪

480p Text-to-Video:

• Both portrait and fast-movement scenarios showed distinct characteristics.
• Wan 2.1: Superior movement quality
• Hunyuan Video: Preferred image styling for many users

720p Comparison (Including Sora):

• Results exceeded expectations in some areas and showed limits in others
• Hunyuan: Strong image style appeal
• Wan 2.1: Continued strength in movement quality
• Sora: Underperformed in certain scenarios

🖼️ Image-to-Video Performance:

• Wan 2.1: Particularly impressive
• Source images generated using Flux showed excellent conversion
• Movement quality remained Wan 2.1's strongest advantage

⚙️ Optimization Recommendations

For improved generation times while maintaining quality:

• Reduce steps to 20 for initial testing
• Start with 2–3 second durations
• Expected generation time: 10–15 minutes for Wan 2.1

Consider 720p model usage with:

• 20 steps
• 3–4 second duration
• Powerful cloud GPU configuration

➡️ This provides an optimal balance between quality and generation efficiency.

🧭 Choosing Your Platform

Whether you work directly with ComfyUI or through Promptus Studio Comfy depends on your workflow preferences and technical requirements.

Promptus offers streamlined access to these powerful video generation models without complex setup requirements.

You can sign up for Promptus at https://www.promptus.ai and choose between:

• Promptus Web
• Promptus App

✅ Conclusion

Both Wan 2.1 and Hunyuan Video offer compelling advantages for different use cases:

• Wan 2.1: Excels in movement quality and image-to-video conversion
• Hunyuan Video: Provides faster generation and appealing image styles

Your choice depends on:

• Generation speed vs. movement quality
• Whether you prefer working with direct ComfyUI implementation or through accessible platforms like Promptus Studio Comfy

This comparison reveals that newer doesn’t always mean better—each model serves specific creative needs.

Testing both models with your content will provide the best guidance for your video generation projects.

Consider starting with cloud GPU testing through platforms like Promptus to evaluate performance before committing to local hardware investments ⚡.