Free tool · No sign-up
The Render Ledger
What a second of AI video actually costs: provider rates for 31 video models and 12 image models, read from each provider's own pricing page, plus the retry maths every other comparison leaves out.
- Models
- 43
- Priced tiers
- 113
- With audio
- 11
- Verified
- 2026-10-15
The number nobody publishes
Every AI video cost comparison quotes the same thing: the price of one generation. Nobody ships their first generation. You render, you look at it, you change something, you render again, and every attempt is billed in full whether you keep it or not.
cost of a finished shot = provider rate per second × seconds × attempts until usable
The third term is the one that decides your bill, and it is the one no pricing page mentions. We do not publish a hit rate for each model, because we have not measured one we could defend across the whole roster, and a made-up figure would be worse than none. The calculator below takes that number from you.
Work out your real bill
Set how many attempts it takes you to get a shot you keep. That number is yours, from your own experience. We do not publish one, because we have not measured a per-model figure we could stand over.
12 shots × 5s × 4 attempts
€25.43
960 credits
- Per usable shot
- €2.12
- Per usable second
- €0.424
- List price says
- €6.36
- Attempts you discard
- +€19.07
Studio credit cost at the Director pack rate, the lowest per-credit rate we sell.
Video models: cost per second
Provider cost is what the model provider charges, taken from their own pricing page. Credits are what a render costs in AI Video Studio, quoted at the model's default length; what a credit costs is on the pricing page.
| Model | Tier | Provider $/sec | Default | Credits | Audio | Max | Takes as input |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| happyhorse-1.1 | 720p | $0.14 | 5s | 42 | No | 15s | image, reference images |
| 1080p | $0.18 | 5s | 54 | ||||
| seedance-2.0 | 480p | $0.1345 | 5s | 41 | Yes | 15s | image, reference images |
| 720p | $0.3034 | 5s | 91 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.682 | 5s | 205 | ||||
| 4K | $1.56 | 5s | 469 | ||||
| seedance-2.5 | 480p | $0.2205 | 5s | 66 | Yes | 30s | image, reference images, video |
| 720p | $0.473 | 5s | 142 | ||||
| 1080p | $1.16 | 5s | 320 | ||||
| wan-2.6 | 720p | $0.1 | 5s | 25 | No | 15s | image, video, audio |
| 1080p | $0.15 | 5s | 38 | ||||
| wan-2.7 | 720p | $0.1 | 5s | 25 | No | 15s | image, reference images, video, audio |
| 1080p | $0.15 | 5s | 38 | ||||
| wan-3.0 | 480p | $0.05 | 5s | 13 | Yes | 30s | image, reference images, video, document |
| 720p | $0.1 | 5s | 25 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.2 | 5s | 50 | ||||
| wan-3.0-prime | 480p | $0.068 | 5s | 17 | Yes | 30s | image, reference images, video, document |
| 720p | $0.14 | 5s | 35 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.28 | 5s | 70 | ||||
| minimax-h3 | 768p | $0.06 | 5s | 20 | Yes | 15s | image, reference images, video |
| 2K | $0.13 | 5s | 33 | ||||
| 4K | $0.16 | 5s | 40 | ||||
| minimax-h3-max | 480p | $0.05 | 5s | 16 | No | 15s | image |
| 768p | $0.08 | 5s | 25 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.16 | 5s | 50 | ||||
| ltx-2.5-pro | 720p | $0.12 | 6s | 54 | Yes | 10s | image, camera moves |
| 1080p | $0.17 | 6s | 77 | ||||
| ltx-2.5-audio | Standard | $0.13 | source | 45 | No | image, audio | |
| ltx-2.5-audio-pro | Standard | $0.17 | source | 60 | No | image, audio | |
| gemini-omni-flash-1.1 | 360p | $0.0273 | 8s | 14 | Yes | 15s | image, reference images, video |
| 720p | $0.0819 | 8s | 48 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.1229 | 8s | 72 | ||||
| 4K | $0.2457 | 8s | 144 | ||||
| gemini-omni-flash-edit | 360p | $0.0273 | source | 9 | No | video | |
| 720p | $0.0819 | source | 30 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.1229 | source | 45 | ||||
| 4K | $0.2457 | source | 90 | ||||
| gemini-omni-flash-extend | 360p | $0.0273 | 8s | 14 | No | 10s | video |
| 720p | $0.0819 | 8s | 48 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.1229 | 8s | 72 | ||||
| 4K | $0.2457 | 8s | 144 | ||||
| gemini-omni-flash-upscale | 720p | $0.041 | source | 15 | No | video | |
| 1080p | $0.0819 | source | 30 | ||||
| 4K | $0.1638 | source | 60 | ||||
| vidu-q4 | 540p | $0.045 | 5s | 14 | No | 16s | image, reference images |
| 720p | $0.095 | 5s | 30 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.12 | 5s | 38 | ||||
| 2K | $0.19 | 5s | 60 | ||||
| 4K | $0.39 | 5s | 123 | ||||
| flux-3 | Draft | $0.06 | 5s | 18 | Yes | 20s | image, keyframes |
| 720p | $0.17 | 5s | 51 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.29 | 5s | 87 | ||||
| flux-3-extend | Draft | $0.12 | 5s | 36 | Yes | 20s | video |
| 720p | $0.41 | 5s | 123 | ||||
| 1080p | $0.53 | 5s | 159 | ||||
| flux-3-enhance | 1080p | $0.29 | 5s | 87 | No | text only | |
| flux-3-max | 720p | $0.17 | 5s | 51 | Yes | 20s | image, keyframes |
| 1080p | $0.29 | 5s | 87 | ||||
| ltx-2.3-reframe | 720p | $0.1 | source | 30 | No | video | |
| 1080p | $0.2 | source | 60 | ||||
| ltx-2.5-fast | 720p | $0.09 | 6s | 42 | Yes | 20s | image, camera moves |
| 1080p | $0.13 | 6s | 61 | ||||
| 1440p | $0.19 | 6s | 89 | ||||
| 4K | $0.3 | 6s | 140 | ||||
| pika-2.2 | 720p | $0.04 | 5s | 15 | No | 10s | image |
| 1080p | $0.09 | 5s | 34 | ||||
| pika-2.2-frames | 720p | $0.04 | 5s | 15 | No | 25s | image |
| 1080p | $0.06 | 5s | 23 | ||||
| veed-lipsync-v2 | Standard | $0.07 | source | 21 | No | video, audio | |
| kling-v4 | 720p | $0.157 | 5s | 55 | No | 30s | image, reference images |
| 1080p | $0.235 | 5s | 82 | ||||
| kling-v4-edit | 720p | $0.188 | source | 65 | No | reference images, video | |
| 1080p | $0.282 | source | 97 | ||||
| kling-v4-flash | 720p | $0.094 | 5s | 35 | No | 20s | image, reference images |
| kling-v4-flash-edit | 720p | $0.126 | source | 45 | No | reference images, video | |
| omnihuman-v2 | Standard | $0.105 | source | 38 | No | image, audio |
Image models: cost per image
| Model | Tier | Provider $/image | Credits | Batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| flux-2-pro | 1K | $0.03 | 3 | 1 |
| 2K | $0.09 | 6 | ||
| 4K | $0.24 | 15 | ||
| flux-2-max | 1K | $0.07 | 5 | 1 |
| 2K | $0.19 | 11 | ||
| seedream-5 | 1K | $0.035 | 3 | 6 |
| 2K | $0.035 | 3 | ||
| 4K | $0.035 | 3 | ||
| seedream-5-pro | 1K | $0.0675 | 5 | 6 |
| 2K | $0.135 | 10 | ||
| nano-banana-2 | 1K | $0.08 | 5 | 4 |
| 2K | $0.12 | 8 | ||
| 4K | $0.16 | 10 | ||
| nano-banana-2.1 | 1K | $0.079 | 4 | 4 |
| 2K | $0.098 | 5 | ||
| 4K | $0.173 | 10 | ||
| nano-banana-pro | 1K | $0.15 | 9 | 4 |
| 2K | $0.15 | 9 | ||
| 4K | $0.3 | 18 | ||
| gpt-image-2 | Standard | $0.07 | 5 | 4 |
| High | $0.2215 | 14 | ||
| gpt-image-2.5-flare | Standard | $0.0157 | 3 | 4 |
| High | $0.0552 | 5 | ||
| Ultra | $0.0962 | 8 | ||
| gpt-image-2.5-sunburst | Standard | $0.0157 | 3 | 4 |
| High | $0.0552 | 5 | ||
| Ultra | $0.0962 | 8 | ||
| gpt-image-2.6-flare | Draft | $0.0277 | 3 | 10 |
| Standard | $0.0465 | 4 | ||
| High | $0.0557 | 6 | ||
| Ultra | $0.0967 | 9 | ||
| Max | $0.2137 | 17 | ||
| gpt-image-2.6-sunburst | Draft | $0.0277 | 3 | 10 |
| Standard | $0.0465 | 4 | ||
| High | $0.0557 | 6 | ||
| Ultra | $0.0967 | 9 | ||
| Max | $0.2137 | 17 |
Questions
What does a second of AI video actually cost?
It depends on the model and quality tier, and it is almost never the number the provider advertises. Across the 31 video models listed here, published provider cost ranges from $0.0273 to $1.56 per second. The figure that matters is that number multiplied by how many attempts it takes you to get a shot you keep.
Why is the real cost higher than the advertised price?
Because you do not ship your first render. Every generation you discard is billed in full. If it takes four attempts to get a usable five-second shot, that shot cost four renders, not one. Most published cost comparisons quote a single generation and stop there, which is why their numbers look lower than your invoice.
Where do these prices come from?
Each figure is read from the provider's own published pricing page and dated in our source data, most recently verified 2026-10-15. Where a provider publishes a token formula rather than a per-second rate, we apply their formula and use the higher of the two when they disagree, so a figure here is never below what you could actually be charged.
Which AI video model is cheapest?
On published provider cost, gemini-omni-flash-1.1 at its 360p tier is the lowest per-render figure in this table ($0.0273 per second). Cheapest per render is not the same as cheapest per usable shot: a model that needs three attempts at a low rate can cost more than one that lands first time at a higher rate.
Which AI video models accept a starting image?
22 of the 31 video models here take a still image as a starting frame, which is how you get a consistent look across shots: generate the frame you want, then animate it. The table's last column lists every input channel each model accepts, including reference images, existing video, audio tracks and explicit camera-move controls.
Can I feed an existing video into these models?
Yes, 15 of them accept video input. Two kinds, billed differently: most take a clip as a REFERENCE alongside your prompt and still bill per second generated, while the dedicated transform tools (reframe, lipsync, audio-to-video) take their length from the source itself, so those show "source" in the Default column, because what you upload decides both the duration and the bill.
Do these prices include audio?
11 of the 31 video models here produce synchronised audio, either through a toggle or natively with no control to switch it off. Audio is included in the per-second rate on those models; there is no separate audio charge.
Render any of these without a subscription
Every model in this table is available in AI Video Studio on pay-as-you-go credits that never expire. Eligible new accounts get free credits topped up daily until their first pack.
Knowing the cost is half of it
This page tells you what a render costs. It cannot tell you which model will get your particular shot right first time. That takes having rendered it. The Shot Ledger is the companion to this table: the same shots rendered across models, with the frame each one produced beside the settings that made it.
Provider costs verified 2026-10-15 against each provider's published pricing. Providers reprice without notice; figures are accurate as at that date. The calculator's euro figures convert credits at the Director pack (€249 / 9,400 credits) rate, the lowest per-credit rate we sell; every other pack costs more per credit, so no figure here understates what you would pay. This page states published prices and documented endpoint capabilities only; it makes no claim about which model produces better results.