What is the cheapest AI video generator?
If you can use an API, Google's Veo 3.1 Lite is the cheapest major model we found at $0.05 a second at 720p, or about $0.50 for 10 seconds[1]. Without code, the cheapest paid routes cost roughly $0.60 to $0.80 per 10-second 720p clip on low-tier subscriptions such as Luma Plus, Pika or Dreamina Basic, and the truly free options are daily credit allowances[3][4][8].
Cheapest per clip, and what you must spend first
Price per second only tells half the story. The other half is the minimum you have to pay before you can make anything: a monthly plan, a prepaid pack, or nothing. This table ranks options by the cost of a 10-second 720p clip, our arithmetic from each provider's published price, assuming you use all the credits you pay for.
| Option | 10 s at 720p | Minimum spend | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite, Gemini API[1] | $0.50 | Pay as you go, no free tier[1] | Clips are 4 to 8 s[2]; no reference images[2] |
| Luma Ray3.2 on Plus[3] | about $0.60 | $30 a month[3] | Monthly plan |
| Wan 3.0 on Pika[4] | about $0.73 | $10 a month[4] | No commercial licence below Creator[4] |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini, BytePlus[5] | about $0.76 | Resource pack from 21 USD, expires in 90 days[6] | API only |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast in Dreamina Basic[8] | about $0.79 | USD 1.50 first month, then 15.00[9] | Watermark removal is a paid benefit[9] |
| MiniMax-H3, MiniMax API[11] | $0.80 (768P) | Pay as you go | API only |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, Gemini API[1] | $1.00 | Pay as you go | Clips up to 8 s |
| Cast, Standard 10 s | about $1.10 at the Starter rate | None: first 5 s video free, packs from $4.99 | 9:16 only, 15 s max |
| Runway Gen-4.5 on Standard[12] | about $2.88 | $15 a month[12] | Resolution not stated |
The per-second detail behind these numbers, including 1080p prices, is on how much AI video costs per second.
Is cheaper worse?
Often, in specific and predictable ways. Check these before you pick on price alone:
- Fewer controls. Veo 3.1 Lite does not take reference images, while Veo 3.1 and Fast take up to three[2]. Without references, keeping a character's face the same across clips is much harder.
- Lower resolution caps. Seedance 2.0 Fast and Mini only output 480p or 720p; full Seedance 2.0 goes to 1080p and 4K[7].
- A lighter tier. BytePlus itself positions Seedance 2.0 as highest quality, 2.0 Fast as the cost and speed balance, and 2.0 Mini as best cost performance[7].
- Re-rolls. The real price is per usable clip, not per attempt. In our own work, a better-written prompt that works first time saved more than switching to a cheaper model; we render one take at a time and fix the prompt instead of batching spares. Our prompt builder helps you get there.
What about free credits?
For a handful of clips, free allowances beat any paid price. Dreamina gives free daily credits[10]; Google Flow gives 50 credits a day, though non-subscribers may not be able to generate video at peak hours[14]; Krea's Free plan gives 100 compute units a day[15]. Expect watermarks on some free output. The full list, with what each allowance actually buys, is on free credits on AI video generators. If you have a capable GPU, the open-weight Wan2.2 models are free to run under Apache 2.0[17].
Where Cast fits
- You want no subscription and no minimum spend: one free 5-second video, then one-time packs from $4.99 (450 credits).
- You want character videos where the price per video is shown before you generate, and failed renders are refunded.
Where it does not:
- Lowest possible cost per second at volume: an API such as Veo 3.1 Lite or Seedance 2.0 Mini is cheaper[1][5].
- Horizontal video, 4K or clips longer than 15 seconds.
- Animating your own photo: Cast characters are drawn from a text description.
People also ask
- What is the cheapest AI video generator per video?
- Among published prices we found, Veo 3.1 Lite on the Gemini API at $0.05 a second at 720p[1], so about $0.40 for its longest 8-second clip[2].
- What is the cheapest AI video app with no subscription?
- Pay-as-you-go routes avoid monthly fees: API providers bill per second, and Cast sells one-time credit packs from $4.99 with the first 5-second video free.
- Is there an unlimited free AI video generator?
- Not among the tools we checked. Free tiers are daily or one-time allowances, for example Viggle's 5 free videos a day[16] or Runway's 125 one-time credits[12]. See unlimited free AI video generator.
Sources
Claims about other companies come from their own pages, read on the date shown. Products and prices change; check the link for the current version.
- Google: Gemini API pricing (read )
- Google: Veo on the Gemini API (read )
- Luma AI: pricing (read )
- Pika: pricing (read )
- BytePlus ModelArk: model pricing (read )
- BytePlus ModelArk: Seedance resource pack rules (read )
- BytePlus ModelArk: Seedance 2.0 (read )
- Dreamina: Seedance 2.0 (read )
- Dreamina: pricing (read )
- Dreamina: home page (read )
- MiniMax: API pricing overview (read )
- Runway: pricing (read )
- Runway Help: Free plan details (read )
- Google Flow Help: credits (read )
- Krea: pricing (read )
- Viggle AI: pricing (read )
- Wan2.2 on GitHub (read )
Related answers
- How much does AI video cost per second in 2026?
- How many free credits do AI video generators give?
- Why is AI video generation so expensive?
- Is there an unlimited free AI video generator?
- How much does Seedance cost per video?
Part of the Cast answers library (Prices and costs).
Updated