The best apps to turn a photo into a video on iPhone (2026)
You have a photo on your iPhone and you want it to move: a portrait that smiles and turns, a pet that runs, a product that spins, or you dancing to a trend you have never learned. A lot of apps promise this. Here are the ones worth installing in 2026, ranked.
Disclosure: Dora is made by us, the team behind this blog. We put it first and explain why below. Everything about the other apps comes from their own App Store listings, checked in October 2026.
Quick ranking
| # | App | Best for | How it charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dora | Top video models in one app, Motion Control, iPhone and web | Paid plan, see pricing |
| 2 | Kling AI | Long, high resolution clips from one model family | Monthly plans or credit packs |
| 3 | PowerDirector | Photo to video inside a full video editor | Subscription |
| 4 | Viggle AI | Putting yourself into meme and dance templates | Free daily tier, paid plans and credits |
| 5 | Revive (Reface) | Face animation, singing photos, AI hugs | Weekly or lifetime plans |
| 6 | Photo Revive | Old family photos, restoration plus animation | Weekly or yearly plans, or credits |
| 7 | Vivix | Simple photo to video, lip sync, transitions | Subscription and credit packs |
| 8 | Vidifier | Short 3 to 7 second clips with Camera Lock | Purchases and credit packs |
1. Dora: the best photo to video app on iPhone
Dora is an AI video generator that puts many of the leading video models in one app, from Google, Kuaishou, ByteDance and others. You upload a photo, describe the motion, and get a video back in about 2 minutes. Here is why we rank it first:
- Many top models, one app. Most apps on this list run one model, or hide which one they use. Dora lets you pick the model for the job and try the same photo on several. See the full lineup on the models page.
- Photo to video that keeps the face. Start from your own photo, a selfie, a product shot or a picture you generated, and animate it with a prompt. Step by step: how to animate a photo.
- Motion Control. Upload a short reference clip, such as a dance or a gesture, and Dora moves the person in your photo exactly that way. It is how most AI dance videos are made: how to make an AI dance video.
- iPhone and web. Dora is on the App Store and at doravideo.com, so you can also work from a laptop when you are making several videos at once.
- No watermark on paid plans. The files are yours to post or sell with.
- You see the cost before you spend. Every model shows what it costs before you tap Generate.
Worth knowing: Dora has no free tier. You need a plan to generate. Current plans are on the pricing page.
2. Kling AI
Kling AI is the official app for Kuaishou's Kling models. Its listing promises text and image to video up to 15 seconds in native 1080p or 4K, with Video Extension up to 3 minutes, plus image generation and a community feed. It charges through monthly plans or one-off credit packs. Pick it if you only want Kling and long clips. If you want to compare Kling against other models on the same photo, that is what Dora is for.
3. PowerDirector
CyberLink's PowerDirector is a full mobile video editor that has added AI: image to video ("powered by Kling, Google Veo, PixVerse and more", per its listing), text to video and script to narrated video. It is sold by subscription. Best if you want to animate a photo and then cut it into a longer edit in the same app.
4. Viggle AI
Viggle is built for memes: put your photo into a dance, a sports moment or a movie scene from thousands of templates. Its listing offers a free tier with a few daily generations, then weekly, monthly or yearly plans plus extra credits. Great for trends, less suited to custom scenes you describe yourself.
5. Revive (Reface)
Revive from Reface animates faces: photos that sing, AI hug videos, dancing photos and effects. It sells weekly and lifetime plans, with some packs sold separately. Good for fun face animations; it is not a general video generator.
6. Photo Revive
Photo Revive (Hong Kong Lavish Limited) combines old photo restoration and colorization with photo, text and voice to video and over 800 templates. It charges weekly or yearly plans, or credits. Choose it for family memories and restoration.
7. Vivix
Vivix is a small, newer app: text to video, photo to video, talking avatars with lip sync, transitions between two images and background fusion. It uses a subscription plus credit packs, and has only a handful of ratings so far.
8. Vidifier
Vidifier focuses on one thing: upload a photo, describe the motion and get a 3, 5 or 7 second clip at up to 720p, with a Camera Lock option to reduce drift. Credit packs are sold in app. Fine for quick experiments, limited for social video.
How to choose
- You want the best possible result from one photo: use an app that lets you try several models, then keep the best take. That is Dora.
- You want dance or meme templates: Viggle, or Dora's Motion Control with your own reference clip.
- You want to edit a full video around the clip: PowerDirector or CapCut.
- You want to restore old family photos: Photo Revive.
More rankings: best AI video generator apps for iPhone and best AI video apps for TikTok and Reels.