How Much Does AI Video Generation Cost in 2026? Price-Per-Second of Every Major Model

Key Findings (2026)

We normalized the public list prices of every major AI video model to a single metric — cost per second of generated 1080p video — to answer the question creators and teams actually ask: what does AI video really cost? The headline: prices range from about $0.01 per second (Hailuo, Seedance) to about $0.10 per second (Sora 2 Pro, Veo 3.1), a 10x spread for output that, to a casual viewer, often looks similar.

Two costs are easy to miss. First, the subscription floor: Sora 2 is gated behind ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or Pro ($200/month), Veo 3 behind Gemini Advanced ($19.99/month), and Runway behind a $95/month Pro tier — so your first clip can cost $20-$200 even if the per-second rate looks low. Second, audio: Veo 3.1 bundles synchronized audio into every clip, which is why it sits at the top of the per-second range while video-only models like Kling come in 2-3x cheaper.

• Cheapest professional-grade: Hailuo (MiniMax) and Seedance (ByteDance) at ~$0.01/second
• Most expensive mainstream: Sora 2 Pro and Veo 3.1 at ~$0.06-$0.10/second
• Price spread across models: roughly 10x on API rates ($0.01 to $0.10 per second)
• A finished 1-minute video costs ~$0.60 (Hailuo) to ~$6 (Sora 2 Pro / Veo) in raw generation
• Subscription floors: ChatGPT Plus $20/mo, ChatGPT Pro $200/mo, Gemini Advanced $19.99/mo, Runway Pro $95/mo
• Aggregators (e.g. Mobbi) cut per-clip cost 30-50% by removing the subscription floor and using volume rates

Methodology

All figures are derived from publicly listed 2026 pricing (API rates, subscription tiers, and credit bundles) as of June 2026, normalized to an approximate cost per second of 1080p video. Where a model bills per clip, we divided by clip length (a Sora 2 clip is 5 seconds; a Veo 3 clip is 8 seconds). Where a model bills in credits, we converted credits to dollars at the published bundle rate. Ranges reflect resolution, model variant (standard vs fast or pro), and volume discounts.

These are generation costs, not retail subscription prices — a $20/month plan that caps you at a handful of clips has a very different effective cost per second than pay-as-you-go API access. We call out the subscription floor separately because it is the number that surprises most first-time buyers. Prices change frequently in this category; treat these as directional, and check each provider page (linked below) for the current rate.

AI Video Cost Per Second — Every Major Model (Cheapest to Priciest)

The list below ranks the major models by approximate cost per second of generated video at 1080p, on direct or API list rates. The subscription floor is the minimum monthly spend to access the model on its official platform; aggregators remove that floor with credit-based, pay-only-for-what-you-use pricing.

• Hailuo (MiniMax) — ~$0.01/sec · sub-2-minute renders · cheapest professional-grade, best for concept testing and social
• Seedance (ByteDance) — ~$0.01-$0.02/sec · best $/second, 50-70% cheaper than Sora 2 · great for ad-creative volume
• Veo 3.1 Fast — ~$0.0125/sec (~$0.10 per 8s, 720p) · Google quality at a budget rate
• Sora 2 standard — ~$0.02-$0.04/sec (~$0.10-$0.20 per 5s, 720p) via the OpenAI API
• Kling 3.0 — ~$0.03/sec in bulk (volume rates to ~$0.015/sec) · multi-shot scenes + native audio
• Runway Gen-4 — ~$0.05-$0.12/sec (Turbo cheaper; pay-as-you-go up to ~$0.27/sec) · $95/mo Pro floor
• Veo 3.1 standard — ~$0.06/sec (~$0.50 per 8s, 1080p) · includes synchronized audio in every clip
• Sora 2 Pro — ~$0.06-$0.10/sec (~$0.30-$0.50 per 5s, 1080p) · highest-fidelity, slowest; $200/mo ChatGPT Pro or enterprise from $5,000/mo

The Three Pricing Models: Subscription vs Credits vs API

AI video is sold three ways, and the right one depends entirely on your volume. Subscriptions (ChatGPT Plus or Pro for Sora, Gemini Advanced for Veo, Runway Pro) bundle a monthly allowance — predictable, but you pay the floor whether you generate one clip or hundreds, and overage is capped. Best for steady, daily users on a single model.

Per-generation API billing (the OpenAI Sora API, Google Vertex AI for Veo) charges only for what you render with no monthly minimum — the cheapest option at low volume, but it requires developer setup, an approved account, and commercial-use terms. Credit-based aggregators sit in between: one balance spends across many models, no subscription floor, and volume rates that typically land 30-50% below direct API pricing — the lowest-friction path for creators who switch models per project.

• Subscription — predictable, but you pay the floor ($20-$200/mo) even for a few clips
• API (pay-per-generation) — cheapest at low volume; needs developer setup and approval
• Credits (aggregator) — one balance across models, no floor, ~30-50% below API rates

Budget, Mid-Range, and Premium Tiers

Grouping the models by cost tier makes the trade-off clear. The budget tier (Hailuo, Seedance, Veo 3.1 Fast) is built for volume: testing dozens of prompt variations, social content, and storyboards where speed and price matter more than maximum fidelity. The mid tier (Sora 2 standard, Kling 3.0) is the sweet spot for most production work — strong quality, multi-shot capability, and reasonable per-second cost.

The premium tier (Sora 2 Pro, Veo 3.1 with audio) is for hero shots and final deliverables where every frame counts and the 3-6x cost premium is justified by the result. A common professional workflow uses the budget tier to iterate, then spends premium credits only on the final, approved prompt — cutting total project cost dramatically.

• Budget (~$0.01-$0.0125/sec): Hailuo, Seedance, Veo 3.1 Fast — iterate and test at volume
• Mid-range (~$0.02-$0.04/sec): Sora 2 standard, Kling 3.0 — everyday production
• Premium (~$0.06-$0.10/sec): Sora 2 Pro, Veo 3.1 — hero shots and final deliverables

The Hidden Costs Most Comparisons Miss

Per-second rates do not capture the full bill. Free tiers usually add a watermark and cap resolution, so free often means free for drafts only. Several credit systems expire unused credits monthly, so a bundle you do not fully use is effectively a higher per-clip cost. Render time is a cost too: Sora 2 Pro can take 15-30 minutes per clip, while Hailuo finishes in under two minutes — at scale, that wait is real money in lost iteration speed.

The biggest hidden cost is the subscription floor when your usage is low. If you need ten clips a month, a $200/month ChatGPT Pro plan works out to $20 per clip — far more than the $0.30-$0.50 the same Sora 2 Pro clip costs on pay-as-you-go or aggregator credits. Always divide your real monthly volume into the plan price to get your true cost per clip.

• Free-tier watermarks and resolution caps — free is usually draft-only
• Credit expiry — unused monthly credits can inflate your real per-clip cost
• Render time — 15-30 min (Sora 2 Pro) vs under 2 min (Hailuo) is an iteration-speed cost
• Subscription floors at low volume — ten clips on a $200/mo plan is $20/clip

How to Cut Your AI Video Costs

The single biggest lever is matching the model to the job instead of paying premium rates for everything. Use a cheap, fast model (Hailuo, Seedance) to lock the prompt, composition, and timing, then spend premium credits (Sora 2 Pro, Veo 3.1) only on the final render. That one habit routinely cuts project cost by more than half, because most of your generations are throwaway iterations.

The second lever is avoiding subscription floors you do not fully use. Aggregator platforms like Mobbi expose Sora 2, Veo 3.1, Kling, Hailuo, Seedance and 30+ other models on a single credit balance — no per-model subscription, roughly 30-50% below direct API rates, and free daily credits to start. You switch models per shot from one canvas, pay only for what you render, and skip managing separate accounts and billing for each provider. For developers, the Renderful API offers the same models at the lowest per-call rate.

• Iterate on cheap models, render finals on premium — often more than 50% project savings
• Skip subscription floors you do not max out — use pay-as-you-go or credits instead
• Use one aggregator balance across models (Mobbi) — no per-model subscription, free daily credits
• Compare current rates on each provider page before committing to a plan