Cheapest AI video generator in 2026: price per second ranked

The cheapest AI video generator at list price, checked October 29, 2026, is Veo 3.1 Lite on Google Vertex AI at 720p, $0.03 a second, and the same pair at 1080p, $0.05 a second. That is $0.90 and $1.50 for 30 seconds of footage. With audio on, the cheapest rates are $0.05 at 720p and $0.08 at 1080p.

This ranks every pay as you go per second row in our price list by list price. It compares prices, not output quality, because we have not benchmarked quality. A low rate also says little about what a finished video costs, which the later sections cover.

Which is the cheapest AI video API at 720p?

The table keeps the cheapest audio setting for each model and provider pair, so check the audio column before you compare two rows. Some rows above carry a deprecation notice from the provider (Veo 3.1 Lite on fal.ai). Check the source page before you build on them.

Which is the cheapest AI video generator at 1080p?

Moving from the cheapest 720p rate to the cheapest 1080p rate raises the price per second from $0.03 to $0.05. If you only need a vertical Reel, 720p is often enough to judge a shot, so draft there and render only the winner at 1080p. The video model picker filters this by your brief.

How much does native audio add to the price per second?

The tables above show the cheapest setting, which is often audio off. If you need sound from the model, rank by audio on rates instead.

Where a provider bills audio separately, the extra is real money. Across the pairs above it runs from $0.45 to $0.90 on a 30 second video. If you plan to add a voiceover or music in your editor anyway, the audio off rate is the one to compare.

Why is the cheapest per second not the cheapest per video?

A rate per second assumes every second you pay for ends up in the final video. It rarely does. Four things move the real number.

• Retakes. You pay for every attempt, kept or not. If it takes 3 tries to get a usable clip, the cost is 3 times the sticker price. A model that is twice as expensive and right the first time can win.
• Maximum clip length. A model limited to short clips needs several generations for one video. You pay for each clip, and you must keep the character and setting consistent across the joins.
• Audio billed separately. Some providers list audio on and off as two prices. The cheapest row may be silent.
• Subscription credits that expire. Kling 3.0 Standard at 720p on Higgsfield comes to $0.069 a second only if every credit is used, and $0.137 a second at half use. Pay as you go for the same model is $0.084 on fal.ai. Hailuo 2.3 Fast at 1080p on Higgsfield comes to $0.057 a second only if every credit is used, and $0.114 a second at half use. Pay as you go for the same model is $0.055 on Sume. Higgsfield's pricing page says credits expire at the end of each cycle, so a quiet month still costs the full plan. The Higgsfield breakdown works through it.

How much does a 30 second video cost with retakes and stitching?

Veo 3.1 Lite on fal.ai has the lowest rate in this set at $0.03 a second, but its 8 second limit means 4 clips and 3 joins for a 30 second video. Seedance 2.5 on Sume costs $0.231 a second, which is $6.94 for 30 seconds, but it makes the whole video in 1 generation, so there are no joins and one clip to retake. Per second pricing hides this trade. See the 30 second Reel cost breakdown and the Reel budget planner to model your own retake rate.

What is the cheapest AI video generator by need?

• Cheapest at 720p: Veo 3.1 Lite on Google Vertex AI, $0.03 a second (audio off), $0.90 for 30 seconds.
• Cheapest at 1080p: Veo 3.1 Lite on Google Vertex AI, $0.05 a second, $1.50 for 30 seconds.
• Cheapest with native audio: Veo 3.1 Lite on Google Vertex AI at 720p, $0.05 a second, and Veo 3.1 Lite on Google Vertex AI at 1080p, $0.08 a second.
• Cheapest single clip of 30 seconds at 720p: Wan 3.0 on wiro.ai, $0.10 a second, $3.00 for the full 30 seconds in one generation.
• Cheapest single clip of 30 seconds at 1080p: Wan 3.0 on wiro.ai, $0.20 a second, $6.00 for the full 30 seconds in one generation.
• Cheapest single clip of 15 seconds or more at 720p: Seedance 2.0 Mini on wiro.ai, $0.075 a second.
• Cheapest single clip of 15 seconds or more at 1080p: Kling 3.0 Pro on fal.ai, $0.112 a second.

For a single model compared across hosts, see the cheapest way to run Kling 3.0. For a side by side of three popular models, see Veo 3.1 vs Kling 3.0 vs Seedance 2.0. Seedance 2.5 is covered in Seedance 2.5 vs Seedance 2.0.

How to spend less whichever model you pick

1. Draft at 720p. Move to 1080p only for the shot you keep.
2. Approve a still frame first. Image to video lets you fix the composition before you pay for motion.
3. Compare providers. The same model can cost very different amounts on different hosts, so check the pair, not just the model.
4. Count the clips. Divide 30 seconds by the model's longest clip and multiply the retake risk.

Raytake is a Mac app that makes short videos through a chat with an AI assistant. It shows each model's price before it runs and asks you to approve still frames before paying for video, so retakes happen at the cheap end.