Most AI video pricing pages answer one narrow question: what a second of output costs. That number matters, but it is rarely what you end up paying. The cost of a shot you can actually post depends on how many attempts it takes, the resolution you render at, the clip lengths a model allows, and how a platform's credits convert back into dollars.
This guide uses list prices as of October 2026, each linked to the vendor or the named third-party page it came from. Where a figure is third-party or sources disagree, we say so. Recheck prices before you commit a budget. One disclosure: ClipSpeed's AI Creator offers several of the models below, so we have a stake in them.
Generation bills you for every new second. ClipSpeedAI's AI clipping works on video you already have: it finds the strongest moments in a video or livestream, cuts them to vertical 9:16, burns in captions and scores each clip.
Try ClipSpeedAI →These are the per-second rates we could trace to a source. For features rather than price, see our comparison of the best AI video generators in 2026.
| Model | Resolution | Price per second | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | 720p / 1080p | $0.05 / $0.08 | |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 720p / 1080p / 4K | $0.10 / $0.12 / $0.30 | |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | 720p / 1080p / 4K | $0.40 / $0.40 / $0.60 | |
| Kling 3.0 Turbo | 720p (Standard) / 1080p (Pro) | $0.112 / $0.14 | Kling, fal |
| Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash | 360p / 720p / 1080p / 4K | about $0.03 / $0.10 / $0.15 / $0.30 | Third party, citing Google |
| MiniMax H3 | 768p / 2K | $0.08 / $0.13 | Third party, reported |
| Seedance 2.0 (standard) | 720p / 1080p / 4K | about $0.30 / $0.76 / $1.54 | BytePlus docs (1080p and 4K: our math from its multipliers) |
| Seedance 2.5 on fal | 480p / 720p / 1080p | about $0.22 / $0.473 / $1.164 | fal |
| Seedance 2.5 on BytePlus | 480p / 720p | about $0.10 / $0.23 | Third-party calculation |
Four things in that table are easy to miss:
Two more: Veo 3.1 has no free tier on the Gemini API, and Sora 2 is gone. OpenAI took the app offline on April 26, 2026, and the API followed on September 24, 2026, per third-party reports.
Per-second rates hide a second rule: the clip lengths each model accepts. Veo 3.1 generates clips of 4, 6 or 8 seconds, and 1080p, 4K, reference images and extension all require 8 seconds. So the cheapest 1080p clip from Veo 3.1 Standard is 8 × $0.40 = $3.20, even if you need three seconds of it. Seedance 2.5 runs 4 to 30 seconds in one pass, and Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash makes 3 to 10 seconds per clip.
Here is a single 8-second clip at list price. The totals are our arithmetic.
| Model | 8 s at 720p | 8 s at 1080p |
|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.40 | $0.64 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.80 | $0.96 |
| Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash | about $0.80 | about $1.20 |
| Kling 3.0 Turbo | about $0.90 | $1.12 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | $3.20 | $3.20 |
| Seedance 2.5 on fal | about $3.78 | about $9.31 |
MiniMax H3 does not fit those columns: at its reported rates, 8 seconds costs $0.64 at 768p and $1.04 at 2K.
The per-clip number is the price of an attempt, not of a shot you can use. The same prompt gives a different result each run, and some come back with a garbled sign, a drifting face or a camera move you did not ask for. Google itself calls natural speech in short segments "an area of active development" for Veo, and notes that camera pans and scene cuts can break character consistency in Gemini Omni.
So budget with cost per usable shot:
cost per usable shot = cost per attempt × attempts per keeperThere is no reliable typical keep rate to quote: it depends on the model, the shot and your prompt. Measure your own. Run ten generations of a prompt you would really use, count the clips you would post, and divide. If one in four is usable, an 8-second 1080p Veo 3.1 Standard shot costs 4 × $3.20 = $12.80, and the same shot on Kling 3.0 Turbo costs 4 × $1.12 = $4.48.
Extensions add up the same way. Veo's Scene Extension, Seedance 2.5's multi-round extension and Gemini Omni's 10-second extensions (up to 40 seconds total) all make new footage, so assume every new second is billed. A 40-second Omni sequence is at least four generations, each of which can need a retry.
Many creator platforms sell credits instead of showing per-second prices. Higgsfield puts 50+ models behind one credit pool, and HeyGen prices Avatar V video at 48 credits per minute. One balance across many models is convenient, but it makes comparison harder, because a credit's dollar value depends on the plan or pack that bought it. Convert before you compare:
dollars per credit = plan or pack price ÷ credits included
dollars per second = dollars per credit × credits per generation ÷ seconds generatedThen run the retry math on top. Before buying a credit pack, find out:
A refund for a failed generation covers a job that errors out. A clip that renders fine but misses what you wanted is a retry, and retries are normal spend.
In ClipSpeed's AI Creator, Seedance 2.5, Kling 3.0 Turbo, MiniMax H3 Max, Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash sit side by side with Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Sunburst, all paid in ClipSpeed creation credits, so run the same conversion against our plans. Seedance 2.0 and base MiniMax H3 are not in the lineup. By job: Kling 3.0 Turbo for high-volume variants, Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash for quick edits, Seedance 2.5 for long single takes, Veo 3.1 for premium hero shots.
The monthly formula is the per-shot formula scaled up:
monthly cost = shorts per month × generated seconds per short
× attempts per keeper × price per secondTake one pattern: a generated hook, real footage for the rest. Thirty shorts a month, one 8-second generated shot in each, and an assumed three attempts per keeper gives 30 × 8 × 3 = 720 billed seconds. At October 2026 list prices:
| Model and resolution | Monthly cost (720 s) |
|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite, 720p | $36.00 |
| MiniMax H3, 768p (reported) | $57.60 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, 720p | $72.00 |
| Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, 720p | about $72.00 |
| Kling 3.0 Turbo, 720p | $80.64 |
| Seedance 2.5 on BytePlus, 720p (third-party calculation) | about $165.60 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard, 720p | $288.00 |
| Seedance 2.5 on fal, 720p | about $340.56 |
Three attempts per keeper is an assumption, not a measured rate. Halve your attempts and every row halves. At 1080p, the Seedance 2.5 on fal row rises to about $838, while Veo 3.1 Standard stays at $288.
Fully generated shorts change the shape of the budget. Four 30-second shorts at two attempts each is 240 billed seconds. Seedance 2.5 is the only model in the table that makes 30 seconds in one pass: about $113.52 at 720p on fal, or about $279.36 at 1080p.
Many creator tools are flat subscriptions, where one more export costs nothing. Generation is different: every run spends real money, and an idea that fails costs the same as one that works.
That matters more once an AI assistant can call generation tools for you. Through MCP, an assistant like Claude can start real jobs from a chat. "Keep going until it looks right" is a loop with no fixed number of iterations, and every iteration is billed.
Approval-before-spend splits the job in two: the tool quotes a price, and a person approves it before anything runs. ClipSpeed Create MCP, in early access, works this way. Every generation is quoted, and it runs only after the account owner approves it on a signed-in ClipSpeed page. The assistant can request a generation, but it cannot approve the spend. More on this in our guide to generating AI video from Claude and ChatGPT.
If you connect a raw API key to an agent or script instead, build the guardrails yourself:
Every number above is the cost of footage that did not exist before. If you need short clips of something you already filmed, like a podcast or a stream, there is no per-second generation meter. We compare the two approaches in AI video generation vs AI clipping and break down clipping prices in how much AI clipping software costs.
Many creators will use both: clipped long-form as the base, with a generated hook where real footage does not exist. Budget them separately.
As of October 2026, an 8-second clip at 720p or 1080p costs from $0.40 to about $9.31 at list price across the models we compared, depending on the model, the resolution and where you buy it. That is the price of one attempt. Multiply by the attempts you actually need, account for minimum clip lengths and extensions, and convert credits back into dollars before comparing.
Three habits keep a budget intact: measure your own keep rate, draft on cheap tiers and finish once, and never let a tool or assistant spend without a quoted price and a human approval. If most of what you post comes from footage you already have, start with clipping and save generation for shots you cannot film.
How much does AI video generation cost per second in 2026?
It depends on the model, the resolution and where you buy it. As of October 2026, Veo 3.1 costs $0.05 to $0.60 a second on the Gemini API depending on tier and resolution, Kling 3.0 Turbo costs $0.112 a second at 720p and $0.14 at 1080p, and Seedance 2.5 on fal costs about $0.22 at 480p, $0.473 at 720p and $1.164 at 1080p. All three of those prices include audio.
Why is my AI video bill higher than the per-second price suggests?
Because the per-second price is the cost of one attempt. Retries, minimum clip lengths (Veo 3.1 requires 8-second clips for 1080p and 4K), higher resolutions and extensions all add billed seconds. Budget with cost per usable shot: cost per attempt multiplied by attempts per keeper, using a keep rate you have measured yourself.
Are AI video credits cheaper than paying an API per second?
It depends on the plan, so convert before you compare. Divide the plan or pack price by the credits included to get dollars per credit, multiply by the credits a generation costs, and divide by the seconds it produces. Also check whether failed generations are refunded, whether credits expire, and whether higher resolution or audio costs extra credits.
How much should I budget for a month of AI-generated shorts?
Use shorts per month × generated seconds per short × attempts per keeper × price per second. For 30 shorts with one 8-second generated shot each and an assumed three attempts per keeper (720 billed seconds), October 2026 list prices give $36 on Veo 3.1 Lite at 720p, $80.64 on Kling 3.0 Turbo at 720p and about $340.56 on Seedance 2.5 at 720p via fal. Replace the assumption with your own measured keep rate.
Does native audio cost extra in AI video generation?
Not on the three price lists we could confirm. As of October 2026, Google's Veo 3.1 prices include audio, Kling lists its 3.0 Turbo rates with native audio, and fal charges nothing extra for audio on Seedance 2.5. Check the page you are billed from, because hosts set their own prices.
Is Sora 2 still a cheaper option?
No. Sora 2 is discontinued. OpenAI took the app offline on April 26, 2026, and the API followed on September 24, 2026, according to third-party reports. Build your budget around models that are still available.
How does ClipSpeed charge for AI video generation?
Generations in ClipSpeed's AI Creator use ClipSpeed creation credits, so convert them to dollars per second as described above; current plans are on the pricing page. AI Creator puts Seedance 2.5, Kling 3.0 Turbo, MiniMax H3 Max, Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash side by side for video, plus Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Sunburst for images. Through ClipSpeed Create MCP, which is in early access, every generation is quoted first and runs only after the account owner approves it on a signed-in ClipSpeed page.
Published by ClipSpeedAI · AI video generation and AI clipping in one place — create with Seedance, Veo, Kling and Nano Banana, then cut it into captioned shorts.