The cheapest AI video generators in 2026, by price per second and per usable clip

Cheapest right now

• Cheapest 480p

  $0.01/s

  Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast

  BytePlus ModelArk

  derived

  checked Nov 5, 2026

• Cheapest 720p

  $0.0206/s

  Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast

  BytePlus ModelArk

  derived

  checked Nov 5, 2026

• Cheapest 720p with audio

  $0.05/s

  Veo 3.1 Lite

  Vertex AI

  preview

  checked Nov 5, 2026

• Cheapest 1080p

  $0.025/s

  Veo 3.1 Lite

  Google AI / Flow - Google AI Pro

  derived

  checked Nov 5, 2026

The strip counts active and preview models, skips secondary-source prices and shows one plan tier per app model. Rows marked derived are computed from published tokens, units or credits (see the methodology).

The five cheapest APIs per second

1. Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast (BytePlus): $0.01/s at 480p. Only the 480p price is printed by BytePlus; the 720p and 1080p values ($0.0206/s, $0.049/s) are derived. It is an older generation than Seedance 2.x. Maximum 10 s.
2. Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite (xAI): $0.02/s at 480p, $0.03/s at 720p, text and image input, $0.01 per input image.
3. MiniMax H3 Lite: $0.025/s at 480p and $0.04/s at 768p.
4. LTX-2.3 Fast: $0.03/s at 720p, rising to $0.24/s at 4K, which is the cheapest 4K price listed here.
5. Veo 3.1 Lite (Vertex AI, preview): $0.03/s silent and $0.05/s with audio at 720p, $0.08/s at 1080p with audio. Up to 8 s.

Cheapest by resolution

Only active and preview models, cheapest first. Compare rows with the same resolution and audio setting.

480p

720p

720p with audio

1080p

Plan rows are derived from credits at a plan's credit value, and assume you use every credit. The full list, with filters, is on the prices page.

Cheapest per usable clip

Per-second price is not the cost of a clip you keep. The table prices one 8 s attempt and divides it by a 50% keeper rate, which is an assumption for illustration. Nobody publishes a keeper rate for these models, so set your own in the calculator.

Flow charges 10 credits per 8 s Lite clip at a Pro credit value of $0.02 (see Google Flow credits). The Google AI Plus plan at Google AI / Flow Google AI Plus: $4.99/month, 200 credits (checked Nov 5, 2026) gives 200 credits, which is 20 Lite clips a month at a $0.025 credit value; Pro gives 100.

Cheapest app plan

Entry plans differ in credit value. From the plan data:

• Google AI Plus (Google AI / Flow Google AI Plus: $4.99/month, 200 credits (checked Nov 5, 2026)): lowest paid monthly price among the plans tracked, 200 credits, 20 Veo 3.1 Lite clips of 8 s. Everyone also gets 50 free credits a day.
• Pika Starter (Pika Starter: $10.00/month, 900 credits (checked Nov 5, 2026)): Pika 2.5 at 720p is 20 credits per 5 s clip, about $0.22 per clip at the Starter credit value (derived).
• Luma Dream Machine Plus (Luma Dream Machine Plus: $30.00/month, 10,000 credits (checked Nov 5, 2026)): a 540p 5 s Ray3.2 clip is 50 credits, about $0.15 (derived).

Free tiers exist but have limits: see free AI video generators.

What this ranking does not tell you

• Quality is not ranked. A $0.01 clip and a $0.40 clip are not the same product, and the tracker publishes no ratings.
• Resolution matters. 480p is not 1080p. Silent output is cheaper than output with audio on Veo and Kling.
• Promos change the picture. fal.ai's MiniMax H3 Max promo ladder ends 2026-11-15 and returns to standard rates on 2026-11-16. Wan 3.0 shows a 30% discount on Alibaba's page but not the discounted price, so the list price is used.
• Legacy models are excluded. Wan 2.2 Plus at 480p is cheaper than most but legacy.
• Derived prices (Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast at 720p and 1080p, all plan rows) are calculations from published units.
• Extras such as upscaling, voice, and failed generations are not priced here. Alibaba states failed requests are free; check the others.