AI video generator pricing only becomes comparable after you fix the output specification. For this guide, the reference clip is 720p and 5 seconds long. On that basis, published or calculated costs run from about $0.29 per clip for Pika Standard to about $3.52 for SeedVideo AI Lite on monthly billing. Several services cannot be reduced to one honest number because they do not publish the credits used by a specific model. Those entries are marked N/A rather than estimated. Subscription prices alone are a poor shortcut: a $10 plan can cost less per finished clip than a $50 plan, while a more expensive plan may include longer clips, audio, higher resolution, commercial rights, or enough concurrency to save hours. The table below uses prices visible on official pages on August 28, 2026.
Last verified: August 28, 2026.
TL;DR
- Compare the same resolution, duration, model, and billing interval.
- SeedVideo AI's monthly 720p, 5-second Seedance 2.5 cost works out to about $3.52 on Lite, $2.25 on Pro, and $1.75 on Premium before retries.
- Pika Standard works out to about $0.29 for a 720p, 5-second Pika 2.5 clip. Runway Standard is about $0.60 for a 5-second Gen-4 Turbo clip.
- Kling does not publish the model-level credit charge needed for an honest clip calculation, so its per-video figure is N/A.
- Free plans are mostly evaluation allowances. Check resolution, watermark, model access, and commercial rights before treating free credits as production capacity.
Quick Answer
The cheapest plan is not automatically the cheapest workflow. Start with the clip you actually make, then divide the plan's monthly credits by the credits required for that clip. Divide the monthly fee by the resulting number of clips. If a service does not publish either part of that calculation, keep the result as N/A.
SeedVideo AI pricing page screenshot captured on August 28, 2026, showing monthly plan prices and credit allowances.
AI video generator pricing comparison
The reference cost uses a 720p, 5-second text-to-video clip where the official page publishes enough data to calculate it. Hailuo lists 768p rather than 720p, so its figure uses the closest published tier and is labeled accordingly. Luma's reference uses Ray3.14 because its official credit table publishes a 720p, 5-second rate. Promotional and annual prices are separated from standard monthly billing.
| Tool | Reference purchase | Included usage | Reference clip calculation | Free access | Highest relevant published output | Commercial-use wording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeedVideo AI | Lite $19.90, Pro $49.90, Premium $139.90 monthly | 130, 400, 1,200 credits | Seedance 2.5 720p, 5s costs 23, 18, or 15 credits by plan: about $3.52, $2.25, or $1.75 per clip | Signup credits; eligible entry models and up to 720p | Seedance 2.5 up to 1080p on eligible plans | Paid plan cards state commercial use; verify the selected tier |
| Runway | Standard $15 monthly or $12 per month billed yearly | 625 credits per month | Gen-4 Turbo uses 5 credits per second: 25 credits and about $0.60 per 5s clip on monthly Standard | 125 one-time credits | 720p generation for the reference model, plus 4K upscaling on Standard | Check the current terms for the project and account type |
| Pika | Standard $10 monthly or $8 per month billed yearly | 700 credits per month | Pika 2.5 720p, 5s uses 20 credits: 35 clips and about $0.29 each on monthly Standard | 80 credits each month, 480p, image-to-video only | 1080p on paid Pika 2.5 tiers | The pricing page states commercial use and watermark-free downloads |
| Kling AI | Standard $10 monthly before temporary offers | 660 credits per month | N/A. The membership page gives credits and their dollar equivalent but not the model-level charge for a 720p, 5s clip | Basic tier; monthly clip allowance is not stated on the page | Paid tiers list 1080p and 4K video generation | Paid memberships state that generated content is available for commercial use |
| Hailuo AI | Standard $14.99 monthly or $8.40 per month billed yearly | 1,000 credits per month | The official page lists MiniMax H3 768p at $0.059 per second on Standard: about $0.30 for 5s | One-time trial credits, limited to Hailuo models | H3 at 768p or 2K, depending on the plan and setting | Confirm the paid-service terms for the chosen output |
| Luma | Individual plans start around $30 monthly with 10,000 credits | 10,000 credits on the referenced plan | Ray3.14 720p, 5s uses 100 credits: about $0.30 per clip at $30 per month | Trial access is available; current limits depend on the app | Up to 1080p generation, with higher-end output options by mode | Commercial rights depend on the current paid plan |
| Wan via Alibaba Cloud | API usage, no monthly creative subscription required | Pay by output second | Wan 2.6 text-to-video is $0.10 per second at 720p in the international service: $0.50 for 5s | 50 output seconds for eligible new Model Studio users, valid for 90 days | 1080p published at $0.15 per second | Governed by Alibaba Cloud service terms |
| Sora | No current consumer video plan | N/A | N/A | No active web or app generation service | N/A | Sora web and app ended April 26, 2026; the API is scheduled to end September 24, 2026 |
Why monthly price is the wrong comparison
Monthly fees hide three different billing systems.
Credit subscriptions
Runway, Pika, Kling, Hailuo, Luma, and SeedVideo AI give an account a recurring credit balance. The number printed on the plan card has no shared meaning. Pika 2.5 uses 20 Pika credits for the reference clip. Runway Gen-4 Turbo uses 25 Runway credits. Seedance 2.5 uses a different rate again. A balance of 1,000 credits is not comparable across services.
Fixed or relaxed generation
Some plans describe a mode as unlimited but attach a slower queue, an eligible-model list, or a fast-credit allowance. Luma and Hailuo both publish plan-specific unlimited or relaxed benefits for selected modes. These can be useful for exploration, but the unrestricted label does not mean every model, resolution, and queue is included.
API usage
Alibaba Cloud publishes Wan prices by output second. Runway also sells API credits separately from its creative workspace. API billing is easier to model because cost scales with output, but it does not include the same workspace, asset library, plan support, or consumer editing tools.
The cost-per-video formula
Use this calculation for any credit subscription:
credits per clip = duration in seconds × credits per second
clips per month = monthly credits ÷ credits per clip
cost per clip = monthly fee ÷ clips per month
If the provider charges a flat amount per generation, replace the first line with that amount. Keep the output settings fixed. Do not compare a 480p draft on one platform with a 1080p result with audio on another.
SeedVideo AI cost per 720p, 5-second video
SeedVideo AI pricing lists the current monthly prices, annual offer, credits, concurrency, plan discounts, watermarks, and commercial-use access. The Seedance 2.5 model page covers the model's supported workflows and output limits.
Seedance 2.5 uses a base rate of 5 credits per second at 720p. A 5-second clip costs 25 credits before the plan discount. Lite applies a 10% credit discount and charges 23 credits after rounding. Pro charges 18 credits after its 30% discount. Premium charges 15 credits after its 40% discount.
| SeedVideo AI plan | Monthly fee | Monthly credits | Credits per 720p, 5s clip | Complete clips | Cost per clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite monthly | $19.90 | 130 | 23 | 5 | about $3.52 |
| Pro monthly | $49.90 | 400 | 18 | 22 | about $2.25 |
| Premium monthly | $139.90 | 1,200 | 15 | 80 | about $1.75 |
| Lite yearly offer, monthly equivalent | $9.90 | 130 | 23 | 5 | about $1.75 |
| Pro yearly offer, monthly equivalent | $24.90 | 400 | 18 | 22 | about $1.12 |
| Premium yearly offer, monthly equivalent | $69.90 | 1,200 | 15 | 80 | about $0.87 |
The annual figures use the limited-time 50% pricing displayed on August 28, 2026. Treat that offer as temporary. Taxes are also excluded.
Current SeedVideo AI generator controls with Seedance 2.5, 720p, and 5 seconds selected before submission.
You can check the displayed credit charge before submitting in the AI text-to-video generator. This matters when you add reference video, change resolution, extend duration, or use a mode with a different rate.
How competitor costs were calculated
Runway
Runway's Standard plan is $15 monthly and includes 625 credits. Gen-4 Turbo is listed at 5 credits per second, so the 5-second reference clip uses 25 credits. That produces 25 whole clips and a $0.60 subscription cost per clip. Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits per second and would cost about $1.50 per 5-second clip on the same plan.
Runway Creative plan screenshot captured on August 28, 2026, with annual-equivalent prices and monthly credit allowances.
Pika
Pika Standard is $10 monthly with 700 credits. Pika 2.5 text-to-video and image-to-video use 20 credits for 720p at 5 seconds. The plan therefore covers 35 reference clips, or about $0.29 each. Pika's free Basic tier includes 80 monthly credits but restricts Pika 2.5 to 480p image-to-video. Its page states watermark-free downloads and commercial use.
Pika pricing screenshot captured on August 28, 2026, showing annual-equivalent plan prices and monthly video credits.
Kling AI
Kling's current monthly Standard plan lists 660 credits for $10 before promotional discounts. It also gives a dollar equivalent per 100 credits. The page does not publish the credit charge for a specific 720p, 5-second Kling 3.0 generation. That missing denominator makes a per-video figure impossible to verify from the public pricing page, so the table uses N/A.
Hailuo AI
Hailuo publishes a direct per-second estimate for MiniMax H3. Standard lists 768p at $0.059 per second and 2K at $0.101 per second. The closest tier to the reference clip is 768p, which is about $0.30 for 5 seconds.
Luma
Luma's official Ray credit table lists 100 credits for a 720p, 5-second Ray3.14 text-to-video or image-to-video generation. With 10,000 credits on the referenced $30 individual plan, the arithmetic is 100 clips and about $0.30 each.
Wan
Alibaba Cloud's international Wan 2.6 text-to-video price is $0.10 per second at 720p and $0.15 per second at 1080p. The 720p reference is therefore $0.50 for 5 seconds.
Sora
OpenAI's official discontinuation notice says the Sora web and app experiences ended on April 26, 2026. The Sora API is scheduled to end on September 24, 2026. A current long-term consumer cost per Sora clip is therefore not a useful planning number.
Four costs the plan card does not show
Resolution and duration
Resolution can multiply the credit charge. Luma's published Ray3.14 rate rises from 100 credits at 720p to 400 credits at 1080p for the same 5-second clip. Wan 2.6 moves from $0.10 to $0.15 per second between 720p and 1080p. A cost comparison without resolution is incomplete.
Retries and discarded takes
The first result is rarely the final result. If one usable clip requires four generations, multiply the table figure by four. A $0.30 generation becomes a $1.20 usable shot before editing. Track the acceptance rate for your own prompts instead of assuming one generation per deliverable.
Queue capacity
Concurrency changes labor cost. SeedVideo AI lists 1 concurrent generation on Lite, 4 on Pro, and 8 on Premium. A team producing several variations can spend less per clip on a cheaper plan and still lose money waiting for a single queue.
Watermarks and commercial rights
A free result may be technically complete but unusable in client work. Pika explicitly lists watermark-free downloads and commercial use on its current plans. Runway Standard lists no watermarks. Other services tie rights or export conditions to plan terms. Check the exact tier before delivery.
Best for and not best for
| Tool | Best for | Not best for |
|---|---|---|
| SeedVideo AI | Teams that want several video models, plan discounts, and one credit balance | Buyers choosing only by the lowest short-clip price |
| Runway | Creators who want a mature workspace, editing tools, and several current models | A simple low-cost subscription for one basic reference model |
| Pika | Low-cost short clips and a clearly published 720p credit rate | Long-form production that needs broader editing and reference workflows |
| Kling AI | Kling-specific generation, 4K access on paid plans, and strong plan volume | Public cost-per-clip analysis, because model credit charges are not exposed on the plan page |
| Hailuo AI | MiniMax H3 users who want direct per-second estimates and 2K options | A strict 720p comparison, since the closest published tier is 768p |
| Luma | Ray workflows with clear resolution-based credits and higher-end output controls | Teams that want identical plan and API credits |
| Wan API | Developers who prefer per-second billing and regional deployment choices | Creators who want a consumer workspace included with the price |
| Sora | Existing API users completing migration before shutdown | New annual workflows or long-term production planning |
For a broader model and workflow comparison, see the 2026 AI video generator guide. If the immediate question is how far signup credits go, the Seedance free-use guide covers the entry models and practical limits.
A practical buying workflow
- Write down the output you deliver most often, including model, duration, resolution, audio, and input type.
- Find the provider's exact credit charge for that output. If the public page does not provide it, ask support or keep the cost as N/A.
- Calculate whole clips per month. Do not round up.
- Multiply by your observed retry rate. Four attempts per accepted shot means the working cost is four times the generation cost.
- Check watermark, commercial rights, credit expiry, concurrency, and whether annual pricing is promotional.
- Use a free allowance for one representative prompt before committing to a longer billing period.
That process gives you a production budget instead of a plan-card comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI video generator is cheapest per video in 2026?
For the 720p, 5-second reference used here, Pika Standard is about $0.29 per clip on monthly billing. Hailuo's closest 768p tier is about $0.30, Luma's referenced plan is about $0.30, Wan 2.6 international text-to-video is $0.50, and Runway Gen-4 Turbo on Standard is about $0.60. These are different models with different features, so the lowest arithmetic cost is not a quality verdict.
How do I calculate AI video cost per clip?
Multiply the duration by the credit rate, divide monthly credits by the resulting clip cost, then divide the monthly fee by the number of whole clips. Add retries separately. For direct per-second API billing, multiply the seconds by the published dollar rate.
Are free AI video generators really free?
They usually provide a test allowance rather than unlimited production. Runway gives 125 one-time credits. Pika gives 80 monthly credits with 480p image-to-video limits. Hailuo offers one-time trial credits. Wan provides an eligible new-user quota for a limited activation window. Model access, watermark rules, and commercial rights still apply.
Do AI video credits roll over?
It depends on the provider and tier. Runway Standard and Pro reset monthly, while Max can roll over up to one month. Pika allows purchased extra credits to roll over. SeedVideo AI shows plan-specific credit validity. Check the current terms before buying more capacity than you can use.
Is annual billing always cheaper?
The displayed monthly equivalent is usually lower, but an annual plan is only cheaper if you use the service consistently. Promotions can expire, credits may reset, and your preferred model may change. Calculate the annual commitment against your expected accepted clips, not the maximum number of generations.
Choose by your real workload
Fix one reference clip, calculate the cost, then test it with your own prompt. If you need several models in one workspace, review the current SeedVideo AI plans and compare the plan discount, concurrency, output limits, and commercial-use terms alongside the dollar figure.
