At 1080p with sound, Google lists Veo 3.1 at $0.40 per second, Veo 3.1 Fast at $0.12 and Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.08 on Vertex AI. A 30 second video is 4 clips of 8 seconds, so 32 billed seconds: $12.80 on full Veo, $3.84 on Fast and $2.56 on Lite. This article lines up the three tiers using Google's documentation and the rates in our price list, checked 2026-10-31.
How much does Veo 3.1 cost per second?
The three tiers bill per second of video and price sound separately. Turning audio off lowers the rate on all of them. At 720p with sound the rates are $0.05 for Lite, $0.10 for Fast and $0.40 for full Veo 3.1. With sound off they are $0.03, $0.08 and $0.20.
| Tier and resolution | Vertex AI, audio on | Vertex AI, audio off | fal.ai, audio on / off | 32 s on Vertex, audio on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite 720p | $0.05 | $0.03 | $0.05 / $0.03 | $1.60 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite 1080p | $0.08 | $0.05 | $0.08 / $0.05 | $2.56 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast 720p | $0.10 | $0.08 | $0.15 / $0.10 | $3.20 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast 1080p | $0.12 | $0.10 | $0.15 / $0.10 | $3.84 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast 4K | $0.30 | $0.25 | $0.35 / $0.30 | $9.60 |
| Veo 3.1 720p | $0.40 | $0.20 | $0.40 / $0.20 | $12.80 |
| Veo 3.1 1080p | $0.40 | $0.20 | $0.40 / $0.20 | $12.80 |
| Veo 3.1 4K | $0.60 | $0.40 | $0.60 / $0.40 | $19.20 |
Providers do not always match, so compare the Vertex AI and fal columns, for example on Fast. fal lists its Lite endpoint at the same rates as Vertex AI. At 1080p with sound, full Veo 3.1 costs 5.0 times what Lite does at the cheapest rates in our list, so the tier matters more than the provider.
Veo 3.1 Fast vs Veo 3.1: what actually differs?
| Veo 3.1 | Veo 3.1 Fast | Veo 3.1 Lite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model ID | veo-3.1-generate-001 | veo-3.1-fast-generate-001 | veo-3.1-lite-generate-001 |
| Stage | General availability | General availability | Preview (April 2, 2026) |
| Output resolution | 720p, 1080p, 4K | 720p, 1080p | 720p, 1080p |
| Clip length | 4, 6 or 8 seconds | 4, 6 or 8 seconds | 4, 6 or 8 seconds |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16, 16:9 | 9:16, 16:9 | 9:16, 16:9 |
| Built in audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| First and last frame to video | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reference images | Yes (8 seconds only) | Yes | Not supported |
| Video extension | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos per prompt, at most | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Fast and full Veo 3.1 document the same clip lengths, aspect ratios, audio, first and last frame, reference images and extension. The differences on Google's page are resolution (4K is listed for the full model only) and price. Quality is not something the page measures, and we have not benchmarked it, so we do not claim one looks better. Test your own prompt on both.
What is Veo 3.1 Lite and what does it leave out?
Lite is the cheapest tier. Google released it in preview on April 2, 2026. It keeps 4, 6 and 8 second clips, 9:16 and 16:9, built in audio, first and last frame, and video extension. Two limits show up in the documentation. It tops out at 1080p, and its page lists reference images as not supported. The same page also marks image input as not supported in the modality row while listing image to video as a capability, so test image input before you build a workflow on it.
If your plan depends on keeping one character across shots with reference images, Lite is not the tier for it. If you only need text prompts or a start frame at 720p or 1080p, it covers the documented basics at a fraction of the price.
How much does a 30 second video cost on each tier?
Veo 3.1 makes clips of at most 8 seconds, so a 30 second video needs 4 clips and bills 32 seconds. The table uses the cheapest sound-on 1080p rate from any provider in our list.
| Tier | Cheapest per second | Sold at that price by | Highest per second | 32 seconds at cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.08 | fal.ai, Sume, Google Vertex AI, Replicate | $0.08 (fal.ai) | $2.56 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.12 | wiro.ai, Google Vertex AI | $0.15 (fal.ai) | $3.84 |
| Veo 3.1 | $0.40 | fal.ai, wiro.ai, Sume, Google Vertex AI | $0.40 (fal.ai) | $12.80 |
For more models and providers, use the video model pricing tool, or compare against other families in Veo 3.1 vs Kling 3.0 vs Seedance 2.0. To price a whole Reel, the Reel budget planner does the clip math, and how much a 30 second AI Reel costs shows the wider range.
Which Veo 3.1 tier should you pick?
- Lite for drafts, prompt testing and text-only shots. It is the cheapest at both 720p and 1080p and covers first and last frame and extension. It has no reference images and is still in preview.
- Fast when you want reference images at a lower price than full Veo. It sits between the two on price and matches full Veo on the documented features, up to 1080p.
- Full Veo 3.1 for the final render, and the only tier where Google's model page lists 4K. It is also the one to use when you want the highest tier available for a shot that has to ship.
Draft on Lite, then render on Veo: what does it cost?
Most of the money in AI video goes to tries that get thrown away. A cheaper tier for those tries changes the total. The table assumes 4 discarded full length drafts followed by one keeper, all with sound.
| Workflow | What you pay for | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 only | 5 full length tries at 1080p, $12.80 each | $64.00 |
| Lite drafts, Veo 3.1 final | 4 Lite drafts at 720p, $1.60 each, then one Veo 3.1 render at 1080p, $12.80 | $19.20 |
| Lite drafts, Fast final | 4 Lite drafts at 720p, then one Veo 3.1 Fast render at 1080p, $3.84 | $10.24 |
The Lite then Veo 3.1 route costs $19.20 against $64.00 for five full Veo tries, about 70 percent less. One caution: a Lite draft is a different model, so the same prompt will not give identical frames on Veo. Use drafts to check the prompt, camera move and pacing, then expect the final to look different. Approving a still frame first, as in Raytake, can narrow that gap because the final is animated from an image you already accepted.
Are these Veo 3.1 models still available?
Check before you build. Google says the Veo 3.1 preview models in the Gemini API, including Lite, shut down on October 22, 2026, and points to Gemini Omni Flash or the generally available models on Google Cloud. The Google Cloud page lists a retirement date of November 17, 2026 or later for full Veo 3.1 and Fast, and no retirement date for Lite. fal lists its Veo 3.1 endpoints as deprecated on November 17, 2026.
Where Raytake fits
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 the cheap tries happen on images and the paid render happens once. See Raytake pricing for the app itself.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Veo 3.1 cost per second?
- On Vertex AI at 1080p with sound, Veo 3.1 is $0.40 per second, Veo 3.1 Fast is $0.12 and Veo 3.1 Lite is $0.08. With sound off they are $0.20, $0.10 and $0.05. Checked 2026-10-31.
- What is the difference between Veo 3.1 Fast and Veo 3.1?
- On Google's documentation the two share clip lengths, aspect ratios, audio, first and last frame, reference images and extension. Full Veo 3.1 lists 4K output, Fast stops at 1080p, and Fast costs $0.12 per second at 1080p with sound against $0.40. We do not rank output quality.
- What is Veo 3.1 Lite?
- Veo 3.1 Lite is the cheapest Veo 3.1 tier, released in preview on April 2, 2026. It makes 4, 6 or 8 second clips up to 1080p with audio, and costs $0.05 per second at 720p with sound. Its page lists reference images as not supported.
- How much does a 30 second Veo 3.1 video cost?
- Veo 3.1 clips are at most 8 seconds, so you need 4 clips and pay for 32 seconds. At 1080p with sound on Vertex AI that is $12.80 on Veo 3.1, $3.84 on Fast and $2.56 on Lite.
- Does Veo 3.1 support 4K and vertical video?
- Google lists 4K output for Veo 3.1 only, at $0.60 per second with sound on Vertex AI. All three tiers support 9:16 and 16:9. Fast and Lite stop at 1080p on Google's model page, although some price lists also show a Fast 4K rate.
