Hour One

Is Hour One still usable?

Hour One is no longer an independent AI video platform that can be purchased through registration. In May 2025, Wix announced its acquisition of Hour One, integrating its technologies for generating media, 3D rendering, and personalized videos into Wix’s AI product portfolio.

Following the acquisition, the independent platform of Hour One gradually ceased to provide services to external users; the original website and app interfaces no longer allow new users to register, log in, or subscribe.

Therefore, the information available online, which states that Hour One offers a free trial, a Lite version for $30 per month, and a Business version for $112 per month, is historical data and should not be considered as the current options available for purchase. Existing customers who still have their projects or contracts should contact the original service provider or Wix directly to discuss issues related to data export, account closure, and permissions.

New users should choose alternative products that are still in operation.

What is Hour One?

Hour One was an AI-powered video generator designed for corporate training, marketing, sales support, and internal communication. Users would enter scripts or prompts, or import materials from PowerPoint, Word, and PDF files; the system would then automatically create the necessary scenes, select virtual presenters, voices, templates, and media assets, and finally generate videos with narration and subtitles.

Its feature is not the ability to create movie scenes freely, but rather the capacity to produce large quantities of voiced content using realistic digital avatars, studio-style templates, and brand-specific elements. Typical uses include onboarding new employees, safety training, product explanations, company announcements, news broadcasts, sales presentations, and multilingual courses.

Service shutdown and Wix’s acquisition timeline

May 2025: Wix completes the acquisition

According to a official statement from Wix, Hour One’s generative AI media technology can be used to create large quantities of personalized, studio-quality videos and interactive content on a scale. Its cloud-based architecture combines generative AI capabilities with 3D rendering. The Hour One team and its technology have been integrated into Wix, rather than continuing to develop under their original brand.

After the acquisition: The independent platform is phased out gradually.

Since then, the dedicated entry point for Hour One’s independent products has ceased to provide stable service; the public pricing information as well as the options for new users to make purchases are no longer available. The current access issues cannot be attributed to normal geographical restrictions or brief maintenance periods. Given the changes that have taken place in the product after the acquisition, this tool should be labeled as “no longer offering independent services,” rather than “the official website is temporarily unavailable.”

Current status

• It cannot be confirmed that there are valid registration and payment options available for new users.
• The original Lite, Business, and Enterprise plans cannot be used as part of the current quote.
• The original help center may still be indexed by search engines, but its content is primarily intended to provide information on previous features;
• The Hour One technology may continue to be used in Wix’s products, but this does not mean that the Hour One platform will resume operations.
• Any third-party website claiming to sell Hour One accounts or lifetime subscriptions should be verified carefully.

Core historical functions of Hour One

1. Generating digital human videos from text and prompts

Users can paste scripts and select virtual hosts, voices, and templates; the system then generates video footage based on the text. Script Wizard was used for expanding, abbreviating, changing the tone, and reorganizing paragraphs, while Video Wizard helps to create a draft video quickly from a given theme or material.

Such processes are suitable for corporate content with a stable structure, but AI-generated scripts may contain factual errors, excessive generalizations, or statements that do not comply with internal policies. Compliance training, medical, legal, financial matters, and product commitments still need to be reviewed by professionals.

2. Convert PowerPoint to video

Hour One allows PPT files to be imported from the dashboard, the slides are converted into video scenes, and digital avatars along with narration are added to each page. The official documentation indicates that different subscription plans have different limits on the number of pages that can be imported: 6 pages for the free version, 10 pages for Lite, and 15 pages for Business.

The file size limit was once 20MB, and the original PPT animations were not retained intact upon import.

After importing, it is still necessary to check the fonts, animations, charts, notes, and page order. Traditional presentations are converted into videos with page-by-page narration; usually, the pace of such videos is slow. It is therefore necessary to rewrite the narration in a more conversational style and reduce the amount of text displayed on the screen.

3. Converting Word, PDF, and scripts to video

The platform can extract text from Word or PDF files, automatically divide the content into different sections, and select the appropriate layout and elements. In previous versions, the number of characters in the text imported from documents was limited to around 3250.

Users can also directly paste ready-made scripts to have the system generate a video draft that can be further edited.

Automatic extraction does not necessarily retain tables, footnotes, citations, and exceptions. When converting policy documents and SOPs into training videos, it is necessary to maintain version numbers and have the person in charge of the content verify each step of the process.

4. AI virtual hosts

Hour One once provided over 100 realistic digital avatars of various ages, appearances, and ethnicities, along with gestures, different studio settings, and a range of aspect ratios. These avatars are suitable for quickly creating generic voiceovers, but they are not equivalent to real experts, employees, or brand ambassadors; they cannot be used to fabricate recommendations or mislead the audience.

5. Custom digital avatars

The platform used to offer Webcam Avatar, Studio Avatar, as well as more advanced customized options. The webcam version allowed for the quick creation of a digital avatar of the upper body, with a resolution of up to 720p.

Enterprise-level studio avatars require standardized recording and training, and the production process can take around 30 working days.

To use a custom avatar, explicit permission from the individual in question is required, along with clear specifications regarding the scope of use, ownership of the account, procedures to be followed in case of departure, and methods for deleting it. After Hour One ceased operating, whether it is still possible to access, export, or delete the existing avatars shall be determined in accordance with the existing contracts and the responses provided by the service provider.

6. Multilingual voice and video localization

The website’s history page once stated that there were over 100 avatars available, as well as support for more than 200 languages and dialects. Users can change the voice used, adjust the pronunciation, and create different language versions of the same script.

Business once offered Translation Wizard for training and market communication on a global scale.

The number of languages includes regional accents and various pronunciations; not all languages have the same degree of naturalness. Terms, numbers, abbreviations, brand names, and legal texts must be listened to segment by segment and reviewed by native speakers, and subtitle translation cannot replace professional localization.

7. Sound cloning

The historical documentation indicates that voice cloning is primarily intended for Enterprise users. For standard cloning, it is necessary to submit 3 to 4 minutes of clear audio or several recordings of around 60 seconds each, and the processing time is approximately 1 to 2 business days;

The higher-tier Premium Voice Clone service requires handling through the Customer Success team.

Cloning of voices should only be done with the authorization of the owners of those voices. It must not be used to impersonate managers, customers, public figures, or to release sensitive statements without prior approval.

8. Templates, Brands, and Team Collaboration

Lite offered 2D templates, 1080p downloads, and watermark removal; Business added 3D and advanced templates, brand kits, logos, collaborative workspaces, as well as more viewing accounts.

Enterprise is aimed at providing organizational permissions, brand customization, dedicated support, and identity logging.

The advantage of this templated approach is consistent visual design and rapid updates, but it can also lead to a homogenized appearance among different courses. Companies should establish standards for intros, subtitles, colors, fonts, logos, as well as guidelines for accessible subtitles, rather than relying solely on default templates.

9. Personalized and batch videos

Hour One once allowed for the bulk creation of videos with different names, companies, or versions of information, using variables and data, for purposes such as sales outreach, customer success management, and internal communication. For large-scale personalization, it was necessary to verify data fields, missing values, pronunciation, privacy permissions, and the recipients of the videos, in order to prevent other customers’ information from appearing in those videos.

10. API and enterprise integration

Enterprise’s previous versions offered APIs for programmatically creating videos, querying tasks, and integrating content workflows; it also provided SAML or SSO solutions, user permissions, as well as customer success support. Since the platform is no longer in operation independently, the old APIs are no longer available, and new developments should not be carried out based on the historical documentation.

Historical output rules

The historical documentation indicates that the free trial version allows for a maximum resolution of 720p, while the Lite and Business versions have a default maximum resolution of 1080p; the Enterprise version supports 4K. The resulting video can be downloaded in MP4, MOV, or WebM format.

The system renders in the cloud; the task can continue even after the browser is closed, and a notification is sent once it is completed.

The script text for each scene was limited to 500 characters; the authorities recommend keeping the duration of each video at around 2 to 3 minutes. Common image and video formats are supported for uploading, with a file size limit of 200MB. Video footage is converted and delivered at 25 FPS.

These are all rules from before the service was discontinued, and they no longer constitute any service commitments that are valid today.

Hour One historical prices

Before ceasing its independent operations, Hour One charged based on the number of video minutes used per month. The common public prices during that final phase are as follows; however, these prices are no longer available for purchase, and they are only used to verify old bills and compare alternative products.

• Free Trial: $0; it offered a total of 3 minutes of video in 720p resolution, with watermarks included in the output.
• Lite: 30 dollars per month; when paid annually the cost is 24 dollars per month. This plan includes 10 minutes of usage per month, 1080p resolution, watermark removal, 2D templates, and access to one editor.
• Business: $112 per month; the annual subscription rate was once $96 per month. It offers package options of 20, 30, or 40 minutes per month, as well as advanced templates, brand kits, translation services, and team collaboration features.
• Enterprise: Custom quotes; offerings include unlimited or a large number of minutes, Cinematic Avatar, API, SAML/SSO, role-based access control, and a dedicated customer success manager.

Some later pages and third-party snapshots showed prices starting at around $25, indicating that the product’s package options had been adjusted several times. Since there is no official pricing page that can be verified at present, none of those old prices should be labeled as the \"current price,\" nor should they be used to prompt users to make payments.

Is Hour One open source?

The Hour One platform, digital avatar models, 3D rendering systems, and video editors are not open-source software. Its official GitHub repository contains only a few public or derived repositories, which cannot be used to deploy the full Hour One platform; nor can they restore the original digital avatars and API functions once the service is stopped.

What should the original user do?

• Save locally downloaded finished videos, subtitles, scripts, PPTs, and source materials;
• Organize contracts, invoices, data processing agreements, as well as documents related to authorization for use of images or voices;
• Confirm the account details and the status of project retention or deletion with the original service provider or Wix;
• Do not mistake old help pages that are still accessible for a restoration of the platform;
• Before migrating, list the avatar, language, template, image quality, team, API, and compliance requirements;
• Do not submit payments or identity information again to unofficial reselling pages.

How to choose a replacement for Hour One?

Corporate training and SCORM

When courses, quizzes, branches, and LMS delivery are required, it is advisable to compare products such as Colossyan and Elai.io, which are still in operation and offer training workflows. Pay special attention to aspects such as SCORM compatibility, feedback on quiz results, subtitles, accessibility features, and administrator permissions.

Universal digital humans and video translation

When needing realistic avatars, voice cloning, multilingual translation, and marketing videos, options such as HeyGen, Synthesia, and D-ID can be considered. When making a choice, it is important to test the lip movements, pronunciation in the target language, the quality of translation, the number of minutes included in the package, and any commercial licensing terms, rather than focusing only on the number of avatars available.

Converting PPTs and documents to videos

If the original workflow relies on PPT, PDF files, and automatic page splitting, it is necessary to thoroughly test the import capabilities of Elai.io, Synthesia, or Colossyan, taking into account factors such as speaker notes, font styles, animations, charts, page limits, and the cost associated with re-rendering.

Batch API generation

When it is necessary to generate personalized videos in bulk from CRM, LMS, or data tables, it is advisable to choose a platform that provides publicly available API documentation, allows the creation of test keys, and specifies clear rules regarding pricing and concurrency limits. It is also important to take into account aspects such as callbacks, template variables, data retention, retry options in case of failures, and avatar authorization.

Hour One usage tutorial

Complete a basic task.

1. Specify the presentation topic, objectives, duration, and number of pages;
2. Import reliable data into Hour One and remove any irrelevant or sensitive information;
3. To create video of a digital avatar using text and prompts, it is necessary to first develop an outline rather than going straight to the final version.
4. Select templates, illustrations, and visual hierarchy through PowerPoint to convert to video;
5. Check each page for numbers, citations, charts, font sizes, and layout;
6. Perform a full-screen preview before exporting in the desired format;

Create reusable professional workflows

1. Create brand templates, title hierarchies, and a library of common pages;
2. The sequence for creating digital human videos from fixed text and prompts, as well as for converting PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, PDF files, and scripts into videos;
3. Specify one key point per page and control the text density;
4. Assign the review of facts, visuals, and presentation logic to respective responsible persons;
5. Test fonts, animations, and proportions on different devices;
6. Save the source files, versions, and records of final approval;

Who were the ideal users for Hour One?

• Companies that quickly convert training materials and PPTs into digital voiceover videos;
• International teams that require multilingual employees for communication and product explanation;
• The department responsible for creating unified news releases and marketing content for the brand;
• A platform that enables the bulk creation of personalized videos using variables or APIs;
• Organizations that do not have a filming team but need to continuously produce explanatory videos.

Historical advantages

• A combination of realistic digital humans and studio-style templates;
• It supports various types of content inputs such as text, PPT, Word, and PDF;
• Offers multilingual voice, translation, and voice cloning;
• It offers comprehensive brand kits, team collaboration tools, personalization options, as well as enterprise API support;
• The rule of deducting minutes based on the number of seconds in a video was more flexible than rounding to whole minutes.

Current restrictions and risks

• The biggest limitation of HourOne is no longer its functions or price, but rather the discontinuation of its standalone product.
• The historical pages on the official website, the help documents, review articles, and search summaries may still exist, but they do not prove that the account functionality, rendering capabilities, download options, API access, or support services are still available.
• New users should not upload identification documents, video recordings of themselves, audio samples, corporate documents, or payment information to the HourOne platform, where identity verification is not possible.
• The original user should also not rely on cloud-based projects as the only form of backup; they need to verify the status of their data and permissions as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I access the Hour One official website?

Hour One was acquired by Wix, and the independent platform ceased operating as a result. Currently, the official website and the application interface do not allow new users to register or make purchases, so this situation should not be considered a simple temporary malfunction.

Is it still possible to register for Hour One?

At present, there is no verifiable official process for new user registration and settlement; therefore it should be considered that registration is not possible. When you see a button for third-party registration, do not proceed with payment or upload any real-person-related materials.

How much is Hour One?

There is no current price available for purchase. The common pricing options that were in use before the service was discontinued were Free Trial, Lite at $30 per month, Business at $112 per month, and Enterprise with a customized quote; these amounts are provided only for historical reference.

Who acquired Hour One?

In May 2025, Wix announced the acquisition of Hour One; its generative media and 3D rendering technologies are used to enhance Wix’s capabilities in creating AI-generated content.

Does Hour One’s technology still exist?

The relevant teams and technologies may continue to be used in Wix’s products, but the standalone video platform under the Hour One brand has ceased to operate; the two should not be confused with one another.

Does Hour One have an API?

Before it was discontinued, the Enterprise solution provided APIs, but those old APIs are no longer available. For new projects, it is necessary to choose an alternative platform that still offers documentation, keys, and information on service status.

Is Hour One open source?

It is not open source. The few repositories available on the official GitHub cannot be used to deploy the digital avatar video platform, nor can they replace the cloud services that are no longer in use.