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What is a Virtual Machine? 3 Types of Virtual Hostings

What is a Virtual Machine? 3 Types of Virtual Hostings
Hostman Team
Technical writer
Infrastructure

Want to know everything about the virtual machines? Read the article to find out. We'll discuss how virtual machine works, tell about all types of server virtualization and give links to the best virtual machine hosts.

Simply put, a virtual machine or VM is a simulation of a computer inside another computer. It is an artificial programmable environment that makes it possible to imitate a fully functional operating system on top of the one already installed on your device.

They are mostly used by developers who have to deal with different workspaces based on different software platforms and test their projects using a variety of tools that are not always cross-platform. Also, VM’s are popular among enthusiasts who are eager to try out specific Linux distributives.

How does a virtual machine work

Typically, you have a host machine and a guest machine. A host machine is a computer whose hardware will be used as a basis for virtual “devices”. The guest machine is an artificial computer that takes part of the real hardware and ties it together as a structure to run the operating system. 

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You can create several guest machines and run them on one host. For instance, installing Ubuntu Linux and Windows 10 on an Apple computer and using it in parallel as you would do with two real devices. They are less powerful and a bit restricted in their capabilities but in essence not really different from actual computers.

How to use personal virtual machines

There are several ways to launch a VM on your hardware. Usually, it resembles installing a special application (VMWare or Parallels Desktop) and choosing an operating system to download on it. A bit of mouse clicking without any hassle. Simple as that.

The interfaces of such apps are quite user-friendly so you won’t struggle even if you have no experience of working with virtual machines. If you know how to install OS on a real device then you know how to do it with a virtual one. Moreover, they all have great documentation which will help to get things done right.

Pros and cons of the virtual machines

The biggest advantage of VMs is the opportunity to work with an isolated operating system without sacrificing the one you already have installed.

It means that you have the essence of another PC without actually buying another PC. Furthermore, it is easy to deploy. Just a few clicks and the new virtual machine is ready to use. No USB sticks, no rebooting, no hard disk partitioning, no time-consuming setting up, or other frustrating things to worry about.

What you will have to sacrifice is performance. Virtual machines tend to be slower than real computers. Even if you have a reasonably powerful PC with 32Gb of RAM and an 8-core chip, you won’t be able to use all its potential, and artificial devices will struggle to perform some tasks.

Best apps to create Virtual machines on different OSes

If you want to run virtual machines on Linux, we would recommend you try out the cross-platform and the open-source application VirtualBox. It was created by Oracle.. This app is free and runs really well on Linux-based OSes. As an alternative, you might consider an app called Boxes created by the developers of Gnome Desktop and Gnome OS.

For those of you who consider yoursleves a Mac-person, we’d recommend an application called Parallels Desktop. It is native, the most advanced and performant virtual machine on Mac with features like quick OS-install. But it is a bit pricey. As an alternative, you might want to install VirtualBox.

Windows users usually prefer VMware Workstation. It is one of the most powerful solutions to quickly create and maintain functional and reliable virtual machines. It uses all the underlying Windows technologies to achieve the best performance for guest OSes. It is the best virtual machine for Windows 10 and if you don’t want to pay you can use a restricted free version called VMware Player that will be enough to install some Linux distributions and try them out.

Server-side virtual machines

When we talk about server-side virtualization, we usually mean a huge set of technologies and practices that help engineers decompose complex infrastructures, make them secure, make them more reliable, and much more cost effective to use on a large scale in today’s IT industry.

Normally, server virtualization implies techs used by a business. And there are many ways people at large corporations utilize virtualization. Creating a large number of tools to simplify a variety of tasks and create brand new tools based on virtualization technologies.

And there are many engineers around the globe who have spoken about this. Like Matthew Portnoy, author of a book called Virtualization Essentials, who once said:

«Virtualization in computing often refers to the abstraction of some physical component into a logical object. By virtualizing an object, you can obtain some greater measure of utility from the resource the object provides. For example, Virtual LANs (local area networks), or VLANs, provide greater network performance and improved manageability by being separated from the physical hardware».

Pros and cons of server virtualization

Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using a virtual machine on a server.

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The main thing which should be considered an advantage of virtual machines on servers is the price of such technology. It helps to make hosting websites, databases, and web applications cheaper. Create artificial networks and subsystems. Additionally, it helps developers around the world to deploy their project in a few quick clicks without ordering real hardware and spending time configuring it.

Speaking of cons we must say that there are few disadvantages of virtual machines. The most noticeable drawbacks are:

  • lack of security (as with some types of virtualization)

  • and lack of performance (while using options with modest payment plans)

What can be virtualized?

Virtualization is a broad term that can be defined in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of a given type of virtualization. That’s why you often stumble upon titles like “Application virtualization”, “Storage virtualization”, etc.

Some sources claim that you can only find five types of virtualization, while others believe there are seven. We will discuss just four that are used most regularly (and are closely connected with the term VM) and explain the difference between different types of virtualization in general.

Application

Small virtual machine representing a single product encapsulated with its dependencies. You can create a virtual copy of an app installed on the remote PC and use it as if it was installed on your device. Some types of application-level virtualization make it possible to use only the hardware of the host machine, but some utilize the resources of both guest and host computers.

Storage

This type of virtualization helps businesses around the world to store massive amounts of data and home users to divide hard drives into virtual sections for personal convenience.

Yep, when you partition off the disk you are virtualizing storage making it easier to isolate files from each other but physically they exist on the same hardware.

Large companies do the opposite. They bind thousands of real disks into one massive virtual one.

OS

We already discussed this type of virtualization at the beginning of the article. OS simulation implies using virtual machines on the server to create digital workspaces.

Virtual machines installed on top of the remote machine can be considered a platform to develop applications on and test them out. Furthermore, such virtualization is popular among webmasters and server administrators who use VMs on the servers for maximum control.

Network

You’ve probably heard of this one. Virtual private networks (or VPN’s) are often used in enterprise areas and sometimes by generic customers for more specific purposes.

Virtual networks help large companies create private webspace inside the internet. This private network is accessible via special software and makes it possible for team members to live across multiple continents but work together as if the whole party were sitting inside one office using the local network.

Furthermore, a VPN is used to imitate the webspace of different countries, so users can access websites and applications that are not available in the country they live in.

Types of server virtualization

Above, we’ve peeped into what things can be virtualized. Below, we will talk about different types of virtualization. Most specialists divide them into three groups (but you may find more on the web). All imply specific relationships between the hardware of the host machine (a real one) and the software of the guest machine (a virtual one). So, it is important to pinpoint that when we speak about virtualization types, we don’t touch on the technological realization of things.

Full virtualization

The first type is the easiest to understand. Full virtualization means creating some kind of virtual machine that uses the real hardware of the host machine exclusively and at the same time becomes completely isolated from it. This kind of virtualization makes the process of creating and maintaining VMs more compatible and portable. It is easier to launch a fully functional OS on top of the host using full virtualization. But at the same time, this type of virtualization is less performant than its modern alternatives like para or OS-level technics widely used today.

OS-level virtualization (containerization)

This kind of virtualization is useful when you need to create instances of an operating system or certain applications within an already running OS. It provides administrators with the tools that allow the quick deployment of many containers (OSes or apps), scale them, port, copy, reorganize, etc.

But at the same time, containerization in some cases makes the whole platform less secure and stable (but it is not true in the case of Docker, for example).

Para-virtualization

When virtual machines are controlled via an application called hypervisor, they are called para-virtualized. It means that they use a specific layer of software between the RAM, CPU and software of the guest OS. This layer helps them to get the necessary part of the hardware to launch the OS and apps and run them smoothly.

Virtualization technologies

It is time to discuss more specific essences like real applications and sets of tools that are used in the virtualization area to create VMs on different host systems.

These software products are quite similar to the ones we reviewed above but they were created precisely for the use of administrators and developers who run VMs on remote servers. We will review four popular solutions used by hosting providers to virtualize fully-fledged OSes on the machines in their data centers.

ESXi

ESXi is a hypervisor developed by VMWare, one of the pioneers in the industry of creating and configuring VMs. What makes ESXi popular is the opportunity to install a virtual machine right on top of the real hardware, neutralizing the software layer between the hypervisor and the host machine. Because of its approach ESXi easily becomes one of the quickest and performant technologies to work with even though it has some disadvantages because of used technics. ESXi brings a user-friendly graphical interface to manipulate the VMS and advanced mechanisms that allow administrators of guest systems to deploy identical systems on other hardware platforms easily without any delays and glitches.

OpenVZ

OpenVZ is a technology that demonstrates how OS-level virtualization could work. The biggest advantage of OpenVZ is the ability to create many cheap Linux-based virtual workspaces with the capabilities of real servers but there are too many drawbacks you will encounter using this software:

  • It can incorrectly distribute resources between many virtual machines.

  • It makes it impossible for users to have any impact on the core of the system.

  • It only supports Linux and there’s no way to use any other OS.

  • It is not as secure as most of the concurrent software products.

Xen

Xen is a cross-platform hypervisor that is also an open-source project. Xen is absolutely free, it is compact and easy to install on any Linux distributive or FreeBSD.

The biggest advantage of Xen is the ability to use para-virtualization. That is why most VMs built with Xen run much faster and demonstrate impressive reliability. Speaking of disadvantages we might consider the lack of a graphical interface and not so the user-friendly interface to control the VMs. It can be quite hard to cope with Xen especially if you’re a novice in this area.

KVM

KVM is a technology built into the Linux kernel. One of the most powerful and functional platforms to date. It allows every VM hosted on the computer to have its own kernel. Because of the layer of technologies that lie in the foundation of KVM, it is possible to create VMs that are performant, isolated, secure, and not really restricted in terms of functionality. Even though KVM is based on Linux it is possible to launch Windows as a guest operating system.

Types of virtual hostings

Described technologies are used to create and support hosting products. Servers with virtualization are the most prevalent option now and they are extremely important for hosting providers because they simultaneously lower the price of the servers and raise the performance of cloud computing solutions.

At the moment, we have three hosting categories that you can use as a platform for your applications.

Shared hosting

The cheapest way to host a website on the web. Renting shared hosting you get access to containers launched inside a Linux-based operating system that generally works as a small bit of storage on the SSD also used by tenants using the same host as you. It is possible to deploy a fully functional static website using shared hosting as a platform, but you should be ready to deal with all the caveats that OpenVZ technology brings such as a not infrequent lack of hardware resources to run the deployed project smoothly.

VPS/VDS

Virtual Private Servers are mostly created using technologies like KVM. They are independent and isolated OSes inside the host machine. VPSes can provide users with all the benefits of a KVM such as an opportunity to deploy dynamic web applications, store massive databases, install and use Windows Server as a digital workspace, etc.

One of the reasons why VDSes became extremely popular is the price. It costs much less than a dedicated server but provides almost identical capabilities that you would usually expect from a real computer. KVM-based virtual machines even make it possible to influence the kernel of the OS.

Cloud computing

A modern solution that ideally suits projects of any size and complexity. The biggest plus of cloud-based systems is scalability. You can gradually make it grow with the functionality of your app and the audience that uses it.

Cloud hosting is a network of computers around the world developed using the most advanced technologies available. That’s why it is the most performant and secure way to create any virtualized products (workspaces, VPNs, digital data storage, etc.).

How to choose virtual machine hosting?

The choice depends on the demands of your project. You can use the cheapest option to deploy a static site but if you want something more powerful and useful you’ll have to get over to VDS or a cloud-based solution.

Also, we strongly recommend paying for the hosting because cheap virtual machine hosting providers exist but free ones are mostly run by crooks. It might also be dangerous to host any project on free hosting.

Best virtual machine hosts

  1. Digital Ocean — one of the most popular hosting providers that offer reliable machines for any use. Well-balanced in terms of price and functionality. A good choice for experienced developers and administrators. 
  2. Netlify — easy to use hosting that can automatically convert GitHub projects into running applications. 
  3. Hostman — an advanced alternative to Netlify that not only offers an opportunity to deploy apps using GitHub and GitLab repositories but also provides customers with a set of pre-made servers. 
  4. InMotion — a powerful VPS host that can boast 99.99% uptime. It works almost 24/7 without interruptions so your project will be accessible to your customers most of the time. 
  5. IONOS — the cheapest web hosting for virtual machines that makes it possible to create your own VM for just $1. 

Here it is. Now you know how virtualization works, why you need to install a virtual machine and how to do this. We recommend trying out demo versions of apps like VMware and Parallels to decide which one will become your go-to solution. If you’re trying to find the best server to host a VM you might want to read our article about the 8 best VPS hosts.

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What Are NVMe RAID Arrays?

Computer performance in any segment often comes down to the speed of reading and writing data from storage devices. This is one of the main reasons for the widespread transition to SSD drives, which offer speeds at least 3 to 5 times higher than HDDs. Partly because of this, devices such as RAID arrays began to appear. They allowed building relatively fast systems, even using outdated hard drives. And this is not the only advantage of RAID technology. Its second key function is increasing the reliability of the data storage subsystem, including the ability to preserve information even in the event of a hardware failure of one of the drives. In practice, these capabilities are often combined. Consumer systems usually represent a "simple combining" of a pair of drives into a single cluster to increase speed or consolidate their capacity. What Is a RAID Array? The term RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. The technology allows combining several storage devices into a single logical unit. Depending on the type of RAID array, the user gets improved fault tolerance, increased performance, or both. Its configuration in technical environments is called the RAID level. There are four common types (marked by numbers): RAID 0 — involves striping data across disks during reading and writing, resulting in nearly double the speed compared to a single drive. Fault tolerance does not increase; this is only about improved performance. RAID 1 — mirrors disks, doubling fault tolerance. However, it does not affect data transfer speeds. In case of a disk failure, the system remains operational, and after replacing the disk, the mirror is restored. RAID 5 — a combined option with striping for reading/writing and parity data for fault tolerance. Requires at least 3 drives. It offers higher read speeds and safety, but slightly slower write speeds. RAID 10 — a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1. It includes a number of disks divisible by 4. The first pair of drives is striped and mirrored onto the second pair, creating a single array with high performance and fault tolerance. RAID arrays are created from either SSDs or HDDs. It is preferable to use identical models from the same manufacturer, though formally, there are no strict restrictions. For data centers or large server enterprises, these recommendations are usually followed because it is more cost-effective to buy bulk identical drives for equipping computers and creating a spare pool for technical failures. When upgrading, often the entire block is replaced to reset its lifecycle. There are two ways to create a RAID array. The first involves installing special drivers (software). In this case, it is managed by the operating system. The second involves installing a dedicated hardware controller card. Such chips have long been integrated into motherboards, even for home use, but the CPU still controls them. The optimal choice is to use external controllers that handle most functions in hardware. Types of RAID Controllers Typically, a modular RAID controller connects to a free PCI-E slot. It includes its own cache memory used for temporarily storing data being read or written. It operates under its own microcontroller, and the cards may include backup power sources (BBU, Battery Backup Unit) or flash memory with supercapacitors. Linux Software RAID On Linux, the mdadm utility can create and manage software RAID arrays of most common levels. Requires permanently connected drives (internal or always-attached). Consumes some CPU cycles, but modern CPUs handle this overhead easily for most workloads. Status and configuration are accessible via /proc/mdstat and mdadm commands. Example creation of a RAID 1 array: mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/nvme1n1 /dev/nvme2n1 The result is a single block device /dev/md0 that abstracts the underlying drives. Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) Intel VROC is a firmware-assisted NVMe RAID solution built into Intel Xeon Scalable platforms. It requires a VROC license key to unlock RAID functionality beyond RAID 0 and works with Intel Volume Management Device (VMD) technology for NVMe hot-swap capability. As of 2025, supported OS/platforms include: Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025 RHEL 7.3–9.x, SLES 12 SP3–15 SP6, Ubuntu 18.04–24.04 LTS VMware ESXi 7.0 U3 and 8.x (ESXi 9.0 planned) The RAID levels are 0, 1, 10 with standard license, while premium license also adds RAID 5 (RAID 6 not supported). Notes: Supported drive count varies by platform (commonly up to 32+ drives on modern Xeons). Arrays are created in UEFI BIOS Setup Utility under VROC/VMD menus. Linux mdadm can manage but not create VROC arrays—initial setup must be done in BIOS. Windows uses the Intel VROC GUI or CLI tools. Broadcom/LSI MegaRAID 9460-8i Now let's look at a fully hardware NVMe RAID controller—a PCI-Express x8 card supporting up to 8 drives with SAS/SATA ports.  We should note that while the 9460-8i is still supported it is considered legacy. The Broadcom MegaRAID 9600 series with PCIe 4.0 is the recommended choice for new high-performance NVMe deployments. Features of the NVMe MegaRAID 9460-8i controller: NVMe support is limited to drives connected through SAS-based U.2/U.3 backplanes or tri-mode expanders—not direct PCIe lanes like VROC. Presents RAID volumes to the OS as single logical devices (member drives are hidden). Typically configured once during initial server provisioning using the UEFI RAID BIOS, Broadcom MegaRAID Storage Manager (MSM), or storcli CLI. NVMe RAID Performance Metrics The use of NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) technology is justified by the increased bandwidth provided by the standard PCIe interface. It leverages all the advantages of solid-state drives, since RAID arrays are increasingly built from SSDs. For example, the data transfer protocol operates similarly to high-performance processor architectures (parallel paths, low latency, etc.). NVMe supports up to 64,000 queues, each with a depth of 64,000 entries, whereas the outdated AHCI technology can only send 32 commands per queue. Previous-generation controllers’ drivers used long cycles with a 6-microsecond latency. NVMe uses short cycles with only 2.8 microseconds latency—a significant factor in performance improvement. The following metrics are commonly compared: IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second)—the number of input/output operations per second. Average and maximum latency—the host response time to operation requests. System throughput—the speed of sequential read/write. These metrics are “synthetic” because in real-world use, they rarely appear in pure form. However, they serve well for testing and comparing different controllers by running specialized programs. It is best to evaluate equipment built on similar technology since RAID 0 on SSDs is always faster than on HDDs, even without NVMe, due to hardware differences alone. Conclusion Choosing between software and hardware platforms usually boils down to some recommendations. For a RAID array made from two drives, the first option (software RAID) is sufficient. More complex systems should definitely be built on external controllers. For large arrays or mission-critical workloads, use dedicated hardware RAID or firmware-assisted RAID like Intel VROC for better performance and resilience. For new enterprise NVMe deployments, look into modern PCIe 4.0/5.0 hardware RAID controllers or direct CPU-attached solutions with VMD/VROC, avoiding older legacy cards unless required for compatibility.
20 August 2025 · 6 min to read
Infrastructure

Top 11 AI Video Generation Tools: Review and Feature Comparison

After OpenAI's successful debut in 2022, AI tools rapidly entered everyday life.  When we talk about text generation, ChatGPT comes to mind. When it comes to image generation, we think of Midjourney. Then there are Gemini, DALL-E, Claude, Stable Diffusion, and many other leading models in the field. But what comes to mind when it comes to video generation? Or at least, what should come to mind? That’s exactly what we’ll discuss in this article. 1. Kling Kling is a Chinese AI video generation tool developed by Kuaishou in 2024. It is one of the best video generation AI tools on the market, ideal for marketers, bloggers, and large teams who need to produce high-quality videos quickly. Kling's standout feature is its balanced blend of cinematic aesthetics and flexible settings—you can get hyper-realistic or stylized clips. The model processes both text prompts and static images, turning them into dynamic, high-quality videos—up to 10 seconds long, FullHD resolution (1080p), and 30 FPS. Naturally, the best features are available only on paid plans. The service supports complex camera behavior for expressive angles: panning, tilting, and zooming. You can also set keyframes (start and end) to generate video in between them. There's also an "extension" function to prolong an already generated video up to 3 minutes. Additionally, the model supports lip-syncing—synchronizing mouth movement with speech. The interface is intuitive, though slightly overloaded. It’s easy to get the hang of but can occasionally be confusing.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $3/month) Resolution up to 720p up to 1080p Duration up to 5 sec up to 10 sec Generations up to 6 per day from 18 per month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no up to 3 minutes Extra Features no yes Note: On the free plan, Kling allows about 10x more generations per month than the paid plan. However, those videos are shorter and lower quality. The free quota is added on top of the paid quota. 2. Hailuo AI Hailuo AI is a Chinese AI video generator developed by MiniMax in 2024. It offers a simple and flexible toolkit for creating content on the go, from marketing clips to social media stories. In just minutes, it can turn a text or static image into a high-quality, albeit short, video, significantly cutting down the time and resources needed for traditional video production. Hailuo AI focuses on quickly generating short videos (up to 6 seconds at 25 FPS) based on text descriptions or static images. The resolution maxes out at 720p. While these limitations are acceptable for fast marketing tasks, they can be a dealbreaker for serious projects. You can combine text and image inputs for more control over the video story. In addition to full camera control (angle, zoom, pan), Hailuo AI reduces random motion noise and maintains character appearance across scenes. The interface is both simple and flexible, allowing cinematic effects without a steep learning curve. It also offers an API for integration into external apps. Ideal for quick short-form videos like animated teasers and promo clips. For longer, more complex videos, you’ll need something else.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $14/month) Resolution up to 720p up to 720p Duration up to 6 sec up to 6 sec Generations up to 90/month from 130/month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no up to 2 minutes Extra Features no yes Note: There’s also progressive pricing based on generation volume. From $1 for 70 credits, enough for a couple of generations. 3. Fliki Fliki is an American AI video generator created by Fliki in 2021. It’s an all-in-one platform combining various AI modules for generating presentations, audio, and video. Fliki specializes in automatically turning any text format (article, script, website URL, PDF/PPT) into a video with realistic voiceovers (2,000+ voices, 100+ dialects) and animated avatars (70+ characters). You can even clone your voice and dub videos in 80+ languages. Fliki also gives access to millions of stock images, video clips, stickers, and music for rapid video creation. Unlike services that render each frame from scratch, Fliki assembles clips, slideshows, presets, and transitions into a cohesive video. Final length can be up to 30 minutes. Runs in-browser with no downloads needed. Just enter your text, select a voice, add media, and you’ll get a professional video with voiceover and subtitles in minutes. Its broad feature set in a simple package makes it suitable for small teams and large enterprises alike. Paired with classic editing tools, Fliki’s potential is immense.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $28/month) Resolution up to 720p up to 1080p Duration up to 5 min (8 sec scenes) up to 30 min (8 sec scenes) Generations up to 5 min/month from 180 min/month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no no Extra Features no yes Paid plans also unlock thousands of voices and dialects, millions of premium images, videos, sounds, and access to Fliki’s API. 4. Dream Machine Dream Machine is an American AI video generator created by Luma AI in 2024. It specializes in generating short videos from text prompts or static images, making it easy to produce dynamic clips with natural movement and cinematic composition—no editing expertise needed. Users can describe or show what they want, and Dream Machine generates fluid, natural videos. Default output is 5–10 seconds at 1080p and 24 FPS. You can adjust aspect ratio, animation style, motion intensity, and transition smoothness. Dream Machine supports keyframe-based generation (start and end image), has an intuitive minimalist interface, and offers an API for integration. It’s not suitable for long, complex videos. But for fast marketing and ad content, it’s a top pick.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $9/month) Resolution up to 720p up to 1080p Duration up to 10 sec up to 10 sec Generations up to 30/month from 120/month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no up to 4K Extension no up to 30 sec Extra Features no yes 5. Runway Runway is an American AI video platform developed by Runway AI in 2018. It's a full-fledged cloud platform for generating and storing high-quality cinematic media. Runway is both powerful and easy to use. It excels at quickly creating short clips, experimenting with visual styles, and automating parts of the creative process. It can generate videos with outstanding photorealism and character motion consistency. It's one of the most advanced commercial tools for video generation. You can create clips from text or images, restyle existing footage, or edit content. By default, videos are 720p, 24 FPS, and 5 or 10 seconds long. However, you can upscale to 4K and extend to 40 seconds. Runway offers several models: Gen-2, Gen-3 Alpha, Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, Gen-4. The latest (Gen-4) allows for deep control over generation: aspect ratio, camera behavior, style prompts, and more.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $9/month) Resolution up to 720p up to 720p (4K upscale) Duration 5 or 10 sec 5 or 10 sec Generations up to 5/month from 25/month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no up to 4K Extension no up to 20 sec Extra Features no yes Note: Paid plans include up to 100 GB of cloud storage, while free users get only 5 GB. 6. PixVerse PixVerse is a Chinese AI video generation model developed by AISphere in 2023. Thanks to a wide range of tools, PixVerse can transform text descriptions, images, and video clips into short but vivid videos — from anime and comics to 3D animation and hyperrealism. PixVerse wraps numerous generation parameters in an extremely user-friendly interface: source photos and videos, aspect ratio, camera movement, styling, transitions, sound effects, voiceover, and more. The output videos are 5 to 8 seconds long, with resolutions up to 1080p at 20 frames per second. Naturally, videos can be upscaled and extended. You can also upload an already finished video and additionally stylize it using the neural network — add visual effects, voiceover, or extend the duration. As expected in such a powerful service, an API is also available—any external app can perform automatic video generation. On the PixVerse homepage, you’ll find numerous examples of generated videos along with their original prompts. Anyone can use them as a base for their own projects or simply see the model’s capabilities in action.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $10/month) Resolution up to 540p up to 720p Duration 5 or 8 seconds 5 or 8 seconds Generations up to 20 per month from 40 per month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling up to 4K up to 4K Extension no no Extra Features no yes 7. Genmo Genmo is another AI model for video, launched in 2022. In essence, Genmo is the simplest possible service for turning text descriptions into short video clips with minimal configuration options. As simple as you can imagine—which is both good and bad. On one hand, Genmo’s entry barrier is extremely low—even someone with no experience can create a video. On the other hand, the service is hardly suitable for complex projects due to the lack of control over generation. The neural network is based on the open-source Mochi model and has many limitations: it only uses text descriptions, and video resolution is capped at 480p with a fixed duration of 5 seconds at 30 fps. Although generated videos contain visual artifacts (flickering or shifting geometry and colors) that reveal the use of AI, they still look coherent and interesting — good enough for visualizing ideas and concepts. The user interface is extremely minimalistic—a prompt input field on the homepage followed by the best generations from the past day with their corresponding prompts. It's important to understand that AI models that don't use images or video as input require more specificity in prompts—clear descriptions of visuals, environments, and details.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $10/month) Resolution up to 480p up to 480p Duration 5 seconds 5 seconds Generations up to 30 per month from 80 per month Faster Generation up to 2 per day from 8 per day Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no up to 12 seconds Extra Features no yes 8. Sora Sora is a neural network created by OpenAI in 2024. Based on detailed text descriptions, Sora can generate images and videos with the highest level of detail. It’s a model whose output can easily be mistaken for real photos or videos. It’s significant that Sora was developed by OpenAI, a global leader in generative AI and the company behind ChatGPT and DALL·E. Sora’s interface follows the design system used across OpenAI products—sleek black theme and minimal elements. A small sidebar is on the left, a grid of popular user-generated content in the center, and a prompt field with configuration options at the bottom. Sora-generated videos have photo-realistic detail, whether hyperrealistic or animated, almost nothing gives away the AI origin. The quality and imagination in the visuals are astounding. The videos can be up to 20 seconds long, 1080p resolution, and 30 fps—significantly more than most competitors. Sora unifies all video configuration into the prompt itself—the real power of the model lies in the quality of your description. The better the prompt, the better the result. Thus, generating video with Sora becomes a constant game of tweaking prompts, words, and phrasing. Sora can definitely be considered one of the most advanced AI models for generating images and video.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $20/month) Resolution – up to 1080p Duration – up to 20 seconds Generations – from 50 per month Faster Generation – yes Watermarks – no Upscaling – no Extension – no Extra Features – yes The free plan in Sora does not allow video generation at all—only image generation, limited to 3 per day. 9. Pika Pika is another AI-powered video creation service, launched in 2023. The platform is easy to use and designed for everyday users who are not experts in video editing or neural networks. Its primary use case is modifying existing video footage: adding transitions, virtual characters, changing a person’s appearance, and more. Still, Pika can also generate videos from scratch. Pika’s features are standard for AI video services: generation from text, from images, or between two frames (start and end). Maximum resolution is 1080p. Frame rate is 24 fps. Video duration is up to 10 seconds. Styles can vary—from cartoony to cinematic. In short, Pika is a simple and convenient tool for quickly creating videos from text or images without powerful hardware. It’s especially useful for prototyping, social media, marketing, and advertising.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $10/month) Resolution up to 1080p up to 1080p Duration up to 10 seconds up to 10 seconds Generations up to 16 per month from 70 per month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no no Extra Features no yes Pika’s free plan has generation limits—you can create videos, but in small quantities. The standard paid plan increases your generation limits and unlocks newer model versions, but does not remove watermarks. The professional plan removes all limitations, provides access to advanced tools, speeds up generation, and removes watermarks from final videos. 10. Veo Veo is a video generation model developed in 2024 by DeepMind, a Google-owned company. There are several ways to access the model: Via Google Labs tools — VideoFX or VertexAI Through Google AI Studio Veo can be considered a full-fledged tool for creating high-quality, hyperrealistic clips indistinguishable from real footage. Of course, it also supports animation. Veo generates videos at 720p resolution, 24 fps, and up to 8 seconds long. In private developer previews, 1080p resolution and 4K upscaling are available—but not yet public. It accepts both text prompts and still images as input. For the latter, the neural network preserves the original composition and color palette. Most importantly, Veo supports various cinematic effects: time-lapse, panorama, slow-mo, and many more—with flexible parameter control. Veo ensures excellent consistency, stability, and smooth motion. Every video generated includes a SynthID digital watermark, invisible to the human eye or ear—a tool developed by Google to help detect AI-generated media. Thus, any image, video, or audio can be scanned using SynthID to verify AI generation. Veo also pays attention to small details—hair movement, fabric fluttering, atmospheric behavior, and more. As they say, the devil is in the details.   Free Plan Paid Plans Resolution up to 720p up to 720p Duration up to 8 seconds up to 8 seconds Generations up to 30 per month from 50 per month Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no no Extra Features no yes Like most Google cloud services, Veo uses pay-as-you-go pricing—$0.50 per second or $30 per minute of generated video. So, a standard 10-second clip will cost $5—cheap for professionals, pricey for casual users. 11. Vidu Vidu is a Chinese AI model developed in 2024 by ShengShu AI in collaboration with Tsinghua University.  Vidu generates smooth, dynamic, and cohesive video clips, both realistic and animated. It can also add AI-generated audio tracks to videos. Vidu can accurately simulate the physical world, creating videos with developed characters, seamless transitions, and logical event chronology. The platform offers three main tools: generation from text, from images, and from videos. Additional tools include an AI voiceover generator and a collection of templates. Maximum video resolution is 1080p. Max duration is 8 seconds. Frame rate is up to 24 fps. The model is based on a "Universal Vision Transformer" (U-ViT) architecture, which processes text, image, and video inputs simultaneously to create coherent video sequences. This ensures object consistency throughout the video. For professionals and studios, Vidu is a powerful tool with great potential; for beginners, it’s an easy gateway into generative video.   Free Plan Paid Plans (from $8/month) Resolution up to 1080p up to 1080p Duration up to 8 seconds up to 8 seconds Generations up to 40 per month unlimited Faster Generation no yes Watermarks yes no Upscaling no no Extension no up to 16 seconds Extra Features no yes Which AI to choose? The vast majority of AI video generation services have similar video parameters: resolution from 720p to 1080p, durations of 5 to 10 seconds, and frame rates around 24 fps. Almost all can generate video based on text prompts, images, or video inputs. Differences in output results are usually minor—video styles and presence of visual artifacts revealing the AI.  The choice largely depends on your input and goals: text descriptions, images, or existing video. Some AI models offer higher detail than others. Always check the sample videos shown on service homepages. And keep in mind: video is a much more complex data format than text. Unlike LLMs, completely free AI video generation tools don’t exist as training the models and powering generation requires significant resources. That said, most services offer a low-tier paid plan that removes major limitations. Name Max Duration Max Resolution Max FPS Starting Price Kling 10 seconds 1080p 30 fps $3/month Hailuo AI 6 seconds 720p 25 fps $14/month Fliki 30 minutes 1080p 30 fps $28/month Dream Machine 10 seconds 1080p 24 fps $9/month Runway 10 seconds 720p 24 fps $15/month PixVerse 8 seconds 1080p 20 fps $10/month Genmo 5 seconds 480p 30 fps $10/month Sora 20 seconds 1080p 30 fps $20/month Pika 10 seconds 1080p 24 fps $10/month Veo 8 seconds 720p 24 fps $0.50/sec Vidu 8 seconds 1080p 24 fps $8/month
08 August 2025 · 15 min to read
Infrastructure

How Perplexity AI Works

In today's article, we will take a detailed look at the Perplexity AI neural network: we'll explore how it works, how to use it, how it differs from its main competitor ChatGPT, and what opportunities it offers for everyday use. What is Perplexity AI?  Perplexity AI is an artificial intelligence-based platform that combines the functionality of a chatbot and a search engine. The service's architecture is based on the use of large language models (LLMs). When developing Perplexity AI, the creators aimed to provide an alternative to traditional search engines that could help users find accurate and meaningful answers to complex and ambiguous questions. What Does Perplexity AI Do?  As previously mentioned, Perplexity is built on large language models. The supported models include Sonar, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4.1, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Grok 3 Beta, and o1-mini. With access to multiple models, the neural network can generate accurate and comprehensive answers to user queries in real time. A key feature of Perplexity is its ability to analyze user queries while simultaneously gathering information from the internet in real time and generating responses with a list of all sources used. You can view sources not only for the entire generated text but also for individual sentences or even specific words. The Perplexity workflow includes: Query analysis: once the user submits a prompt (text request), the neural network analyzes its context and content using built-in language models. Data search: information is retrieved from the internet. The search includes not only articles and text-based data but also videos, social media posts, and user comments. Priority is given to authoritative sources. Response generation: the collected and processed information is compiled into a single response with citations and source links. Perplexity uses different data models to ensure the response is as accurate and reliable as possible. Additional functionality (if needed): in Copilot and Deep Research modes, the system refines queries further to deliver more accurate and relevant answers. Step-by-Step Guide: How to Use Perplexity AI  Let's explore how to use the neural network in practice. We'll start with the interface and its basic functions, then move on to using prompts to evaluate the results. Go to the official website of Perplexity AI. You will see the home page. By default, the interface will be in English. To view available interface languages or switch them, click on the language at the bottom of the page. The left-hand panel includes the following elements: New Thread button (plus icon) – allows you to start a new conversation or query. In Perplexity, a Thread is a separate message chain that is not connected to previous queries. Useful for asking about new topics. Home button – takes you back to the home page at any time. Discover – lets you view and customize a news blog with trending topics. Users can choose their interests and get fresh, relevant content. Spaces – used for creating and organizing workspaces to group conversations and uploaded files by topics or projects. The query interface includes: Search mode – the default mode where the AI analyzes the query and generates an answer in real time. Research mode – used for deep analysis and information gathering. It offers a more in-depth report with comprehensive source analysis. This mode takes a bit more time. Model selection – lets you choose one of eight supported AI models. In the free plan, only Auto mode is available, where Perplexity selects the best model based on the query. Source selection – you can choose from Web (all sources), Academic (scientific sources only), or Social (social media and informal sources). File attachments – Perplexity supports uploading files with your query. For example, you can upload a file with Python code to find errors. Supported formats include text files, PDFs, and images (JPEG, PNG). You can upload files from local devices, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Dictation mode – allows you to create queries via voice input. Submission is still manual. Voice mode – enables full voice interaction. You can dictate your query and receive voice responses. Unlike Dictation, Voice mode supports hands-free interaction. Using Text Prompts  Let's test how Perplexity AI handles user prompts.  We'll start with text-based queries and create several different prompts. The first one will test how the neural network handles a complex scientific topic. First prompt: I'm writing a scientific paper. Write a text on 'Differential Equations.' The text should cover basic first-order differential equations and partial differential equations. The style should be academic. As shown in the screenshot, the AI began by explaining what differential equations are. Then, following the prompt structure, it provided a breakdown of first-order and partial differential equations, complete with equations. Perplexity provides a list of sources used, which are shown in the Sources tab.  If the query includes a practical task (e.g., solving a math problem, writing a program), the AI uses technical sources and lists them in the Tasks section. The text is accompanied by numbered source links. Clicking a number opens the relevant page. On the right, a context menu appears, breaking down the highlighted text and showing each part's source.  You can reuse the AI's response to create a new query. Select a paragraph, sentence, or word, and click Add to follow-up. The selected fragment will be added to the new prompt field. Second prompt: What is a passive source? Give real-world examples and advice for beginners. This prompt tests how the AI provides practical advice.  As per the prompt, the AI also generated a block of beginner tips. As shown in the screenshots, Perplexity provided detailed examples and actionable advice, completing the task effectively. Using Files in Queries Next, we'll test file handling. We create a text file with Python code containing an intentional error (printed instead of print): print("\nNumbers from 1 to 5:") for i in range(1, 6):   printed(i, end=" ") We save the file as .txt (other extensions like .py or .js aren't supported due to security policies). Now we ask the AI to find and fix the error.  Image Search  Perplexity AI can both generate and search for images online using text prompts. Let’s search for an image online.  Prompt: Find an image of rainy London. There should be a telephone booth in the foreground and Big Ben in the background. As shown in the screenshot, the AI found a bunch of relevant images. To view more results, go to the Images tab. Comparing Perplexity AI vs ChatGPT  Perplexity AI's main competitor is ChatGPT. Below is a comparison table of their key features: Feature Perplexity AI ChatGPT Primary Purpose General-purpose tool for various tasks. Suitable for text creation, math problems, academic and educational content. Same as Perplexity: versatile use including text generation, coding, etc. Built-in Modes Search, Research Search, Reason, Deep Research Free Access Yes, but limited: auto model selection only; max 3 file uploads/day Yes, with limits: restricted use of GPT-4o, o4-mini, and deep research mode Paid Plans One plan: Pro at $20/month Four plans: Plus ($20/mo), Pro ($200/mo), Team ($25/mo billed annually), Enterprise (custom pricing) Mobile App Yes (iOS and Android) Yes (iOS and Android) Desktop App Yes (Windows and macOS) Yes (Windows and macOS) Hidden Features of Perplexity AI  Although it may appear similar to competitors, Perplexity has unique features that enhance the user experience: Financial Data Analysis: built-in tools for viewing stock quotes and financial reports, with data from Financial Modeling Prep. YouTube Video Summaries: the AI can summarize videos, regardless of language. Focus Mode: restricts search to academic papers or specific websites for faster, more targeted results. Advantages  Key strengths of Perplexity AI include: Real-time data sourcing for up-to-date answers. Convenient source tracking and citation. File upload support in queries. Built-in financial data analysis tools. Two work modes: Search and Research. The Research mode provides deeper, more detailed answers. Integrated voice assistant for prompts and conversations. Image generation and image search features. Built-in YouTube video summarization. Disadvantages  Like any neural network, Perplexity AI has its drawbacks: Free plan limitations. Prompt-dependent accuracy: for complex scientific/technical topics, even with many sources, it can sometimes give inaccurate responses. Conclusion  In this review, we examined Perplexity AI—a powerful tool built on large language models. It is well-suited for a wide range of tasks and stands out due to its advanced source-handling features and personalized approach.
07 August 2025 · 8 min to read

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