WAN 3.0: Thirty Seconds, Two Price Rails

WAN 3.0 is not a scored drop. Alibaba did not publish a comparison table. The change you can hold is length: 30 seconds in one pass, up from 15 on WAN 2.7 at fal, plus documents as input. Audio already rode along on 2.7. Prime is a second price rail for speed, about 40 percent more per second, with no public quality column next to it.

Alibaba Tongyi Lab (wanvideo) shipped the family from Wan 2.1 through 2.7, and now 3.0. We date the catalog and API writeup to August 24, 2026 (fal publishedAt), when both wan-v3.0 and wan-v3.0-prime showed up. An Alibaba Cloud community post describing Model Studio landed earlier in August. The numbers that matter here are seconds and dollars.

At a Glance

• Catalog: wan-v3.0 / wan-v3.0-prime
• Org: Alibaba Tongyi Lab (wanvideo)
• Date: August 24, 2026 (fal)
• Modes: text-to-video, image-to-video, reference-to-video
• Duration: 2–30s, or smart duration
• Resolution: 480p / 720p / 1080p (1080p default)
• Audio: on by default, same pass
• 3.0 fal: $0.05 / $0.10 / $0.20 per second
• Prime fal: $0.068 / $0.14 / $0.28 per second
• Thinking: off by default; required for document/web refs
• Weights: no 3.0 open drop (Wan 2.2 is the last Apache flagship)
• Provider in catalog: fal. First-party also on Alibaba Cloud Model Studio.

What's New

Thirty seconds in one pass. That is the generation bump vs 2.7 (2–15s on fal). One-take camera language can hold for a scene instead of a shot.

Documents and pages

First in the family to read PPT/PDF/DOC/XLS and a public URL (with thinking on). fal reference caps: up to 10 images, 5 video clips totalling 15s at 16fps+, and 5 audio tracks totalling 15s. With thinking, one document or public web page.

Prime

Same family, accelerated generation, higher list. Not a documented quality SKU. About 1.4× the 3.0 per-second rate on fal.

What is continuity, not invention

Audio in the same pass, on by default, already existed on WAN 2.7 on fal. Instruction-style video editing carried forward from 2.7 (Alibaba's claim: modify visuals, plot, or dialogue without a full regen). The 3.0 deltas that are real: 30s (from 15), a 480p tier, document/web input, and thinking mode.

Pricing

Pricing on fal is per second of generated video, same across the three 3.0 endpoints (text, image, reference). Subject to change.

Iterate at 480p ($1.50 for 30s on 3.0), finish at 1080p ($6.00 for 30s). Prime at 30s 1080p is $8.40. fal notes rates can change. Alibaba Cloud Model Studio's 3.0 list matches the 3.0 column ($0.05 / $0.10 / $0.20). Prime is a fal accelerated SKU; there is no Model Studio Prime id in this writeup.

Duration

Set 2–30 seconds, or leave length unset for smart duration. Alibaba also describes video extension on first-party Model Studio (continue a story). We do not claim we measured stitch quality.

Aspect ratios on fal: adaptive, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16. Image-to-video accepts an optional end frame.

How to Call It

On fal: alibaba/wan-3.0/text-to-video, alibaba/wan-3.0/image-to-video, alibaba/wan-3.0/reference-to-video. Prime swaps in wan-3.0-prime on the same three paths.

• Prompt expansion on by default. Disable to save about 20–60s; quality likely drops.
• Thinking off unless you need documents or a public web page.
• Audio true unless you want silence.

Not listed on OpenRouter or Replicate as of this writeup. Catalog provider is fal. First-party availability also exists on Alibaba Cloud Model Studio.

When to Use It

Good fit: 15–30s single-pass spots, 9:16 feed, reference-heavy character or product work, shops already on WAN 2.7 that need the extra 15 seconds.

Prefer 3.0 over Prime when you can wait and the 40 percent surcharge is just speed. Prefer 2.7 if 15s is enough and you already have prompts there. Draft at 480p, finish at 1080p.

Caveats

• No public benches. Alibaba did not ship a comparison table. This post invents none.
• Vendor limitations: Alibaba notes audio texture and on-screen text rendering are still improving.
• API-only. No confirmed 3.0 open-weight drop. Wan 2.2 remains the last Apache flagship.
• Prime quality vs 3.0 is unverified. The surcharge is sold as speed.
• Catalog is fal, not DashScope. First-party Model Studio exists separately.

Outlook

The post ages when Alibaba publishes a bench card, a 3.0 weight drop, or a first-party Prime. Until then the story is 30 seconds and two price rails.

Sources: fal Wan 3 page, fal WAN 3.0 text-to-video, fal WAN 3.0 Prime text-to-video, and the Alibaba Cloud community Wan3.0 post.