AI Video Cost per Second: 10 Models Ranked by Credits

AI video on Hyperdream costs from 2 to 9 credits a second at each model's default size (checked 10 November 2026). MiniMax H3 is the cheapest at 2 credits a second and Seedance 2.0 the dearest at 9. Size moves the price as much as the model does, and re-rolls move it more than either.

Key takeaways

• Cheapest: MiniMax H3, 2 credits a second, open to every account.
• Next: MiniMax H3 Max and Gemini Omni 1.2 at 3, then Kling O3 Pro at 4.
• Dearest: Seedance 2.5 at 7 and Seedance 2.0 at 9.
• What a month buys: the Creator plan's 1,000 credits render 500 seconds on MiniMax H3 or 111 on Seedance 2.0.
• The multiplier most sums miss: our client films took 1.8 to 4.4 video renders per finished shot.

Which AI video model is cheapest per second?

Ranked by the list rate on /models, read 10 November 2026. The rate is for each model's default size.

List rates are rounded up to a whole credit, so a real clip often costs a little less than the table. The exact price shows before you render.

This page counts in credits. For money, start from your plan: Starter is $29 a month for 390 credits, Creator $49 for 1,000, Pro $99 for 2,000 and Business $199 for 4,000 (checked on /pricing, 10 November 2026).

How much does size change the price?

A lot. The same model costs several times more at its largest size than at its smallest. These are approximate prices for a 10-second clip at each size, worked out from the live model list on 10 November 2026.

A dash means the model does not offer that size. Kling O3 Pro lists one rate and no sizes. Both Seedance models stop at 8 seconds below the Business plan, so read their rows as a rate, not as a clip you can make on every plan.

Two cells have no "about" because we can check them against real charges. In our project records from November 2026, a 10-second Gemini Omni 1.2 clip cost 24 credits at 720p and 72 credits in 4K. The other cells are our arithmetic from the list and have not each been checked against a charge.

Two things stand out. Gemini Omni 1.2 at 360p is the cheapest moving draft, at under 1 credit a second. And both Seedance models cost more than twice as much at 1080p as at 720p.

How many seconds of video does each plan buy?

Divide the plan's monthly credits by the list rate. These are rendered seconds, before any re-rolls and before anything else you spend credits on.

A new account gets 20 credits once. That is 10 seconds on MiniMax H3.

Plan credits last two months, so an unused month carries into the next one and then ends.

How many of those seconds end up in the film?

Fewer. You render some shots more than once before one is right. Divide the rendered seconds by your renders per finished shot.

Our three client films, from their project records:

A worked example. Creator's 1,000 credits render 333 seconds on Gemini Omni 1.2. At 2.1 renders per shot that is about 158 finished seconds. At 4.4 it is about 75.

The 4.4 is not as bad as it looks, because of how that ad was made. It ran 24 tries at 720p for 379 credits, then one 4K render of each shot for 309 credits, and all 7 finals were kept. Drafting small and finishing large is the cheapest habit we know.

Video is also not the whole bill. Counting stills, reference sheets, voice, music and tools, those three films cost 8.3, 13.6 and 19.6 credits per finished second. The sums are in the cost of an approved AI film.

What else is priced by the second?

Tools that work on video you already have (checked 10 November 2026):

Is the cheapest model the right pick?

Not always. The cheap models have limits.

• MiniMax H3 takes no reference pictures. To hold a character you draw the first frame with the sheet, then render from that frame.
• Gemini Omni 1.2 makes two shapes only, 16:9 and 9:16.
• MiniMax H3 Max takes up to 9 reference pictures and opens on Starter. It is the first model on the plan ladder that takes reference pictures.

The dear ones earn their rate in places: Seedance 2.0 makes a multi-shot sequence from one prompt. The full table is in AI video models compared, and one head-to-head is in Kling 4.0 vs Seedance 2.5.

A simple rule: try the idea on the cheapest model that can do the shot, at the smallest size. Spend the higher rate once, on the take you keep.

How do you see the price before you render?

1. In Create, pick Video and open the model picker. Each model shows its price.
2. Set the length and the size.
3. Read the price, then press Generate. A failed or blocked render refunds its credits.
4. In Director, each step shows its cost in Agent mode. Plan mode proposes a change and waits, and spends nothing.

Where is another route cheaper?

• One model, bought from its maker. If you only ever use one model, its maker's own app or API may charge less per raw second. We did not compare, so we give no figure.
• Lots of throwaway clips. A tool with a free daily allowance suits that better than a 20-credit start. Google Flow, for one, lists 50 credits a day for people with no subscription (read 10 November 2026).
• A long film on a tight budget. Work out the whole sum first, re-rolls included. The per-second rate alone will mislead you.

How we checked

Rates, plans, lengths and sound were read on 10 November 2026 from /models, /pricing and the live model list. The size table is our arithmetic from that list, rounded up to a whole credit. Only the two Gemini Omni 1.2 cells were checked against real charges. We could not confirm whether switching sound off changes the price on the five models where it is optional. Render counts come from three project records. Staff can change prices at any time, so check /models before you budget.