How do AI video credits work?
Credits are an app's own currency: you buy or are given a balance, and each video spends credits according to the model, resolution and length you choose. To know what a video really costs, divide the plan price by its credits and multiply by the credits one clip uses; for example, Runway's Gen-4.5 uses 12 credits a second, so a 10-second clip costs 120 credits[1].
How many credits is one video?
There is no standard. Each app sets its own rate per model, and usually per second or per clip:
| App | How credits are spent | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Runway[1] | Per second, by model | Gen-4.5: 12 credits a second, 60 for 5 s |
| Pika[3] | Per clip, by model and resolution | 5 s at 720p: 122 credits on Seedance 2.5, 33 on Wan 3.0 |
| Luma[4] | Per 5 s or per second, by model and resolution | Ray3.2: 100 credits per 5 s at 720p, 400 at 1080p[4] |
| Google Flow[5] | Per generation, by model and plan | Veo 3.1 Fast: 20 credits (10 on Ultra); Quality: 100[5] |
| Hedra[6] | Per second | Character-3: about 3 to 6 credits a second |
| D-ID[7] | Per 15 seconds | One credit is worth up to 15 seconds of video |
| Cast | Per video, by tier and length | Standard 5 s: 52 credits; 10 s: 99; 15 s: 146 |
Watch for rounding. D-ID rounds each video's length up to the nearest 15 seconds when it deducts minutes[8], so a 16-second video uses as much as a 30-second one. Google notes that one Flow request may produce two generations[5].
Turning credits into dollars
- Dollars per credit = plan price ÷ credits in the plan. Pika Starter is $10 for 900 credits[3], about 1.1 cents a credit.
- Dollars per clip = dollars per credit × credits the clip uses. A 5-second 720p Seedance 2.5 clip on Pika is 122 credits[3], about $1.36.
- Divide by the seconds for a per-second price you can compare with API prices: about $0.27 a second in that example.
Do this for the model you will actually use; the same plan can be cheap on one model and dear on another. Our cost-per-second table has done it for the major apps. On Cast, a 5-second Standard video's 52 credits come to about $0.58 at the Starter pack rate and $0.47 at the Studio rate.
Do credits expire, and are failed videos refunded?
- Monthly plan credits usually expire. Google Flow's monthly credits do not roll over[5]; D-ID's minutes renew monthly and unused minutes become void[8]. Runway Max is an exception with one month of rollover[2].
- Cancelling can wipe them. HeyGen says unused credits do not carry over after you cancel and drop to Free[9].
- One-time grants can last. Runway's 125 free credits do not expire, but they never renew[2].
- Prepaid API packs have deadlines too. BytePlus Seedance resource packs expire 90 days after purchase and cannot be refunded[10].
- Failures. Model providers generally do not bill failed jobs: BytePlus charges only for successful videos, including when moderation blocks one[11]. Apps differ; check before you rely on it. Cast refunds failed renders automatically, and gives up on and refunds any render still pending after two hours.
Why apps use credits instead of dollars
Every model and resolution costs a different amount per second, so one in-app currency lets an app price all of them on one balance, take payment up front, and change rates when model prices change. The downside for you is that credits hide the real price. Before you buy, convert one typical clip into dollars and check whether unused credits expire. If you only make a few videos, a one-time pack or free daily allowance usually beats a monthly plan; see free credits on AI video generators.
Where Cast fits
- You want the credit price shown on the button before you generate, with failed renders refunded automatically.
- You want one-time packs instead of a subscription: 450 credits for $4.99, 1,500 for $14.99 or 4,400 for $39.99.
Where it does not:
- Pay-per-second API billing for automated pipelines: Cast prices whole videos of 5, 10 and 15 seconds.
- Using one balance across many video models: Cast offers two tiers, Seedance 2.0 Fast and Seedance 2.5.
People also ask
- How many credits does a 10-second AI video cost?
- It depends on the app and model. Runway's Gen-4.5 uses 120 credits for 10 seconds[1]. A 10-second Standard video on Cast is 99 credits. Convert to dollars to compare.
- Do AI video credits expire?
- Monthly plan credits usually do: Google Flow's do not roll over[5], and HeyGen's do not carry over after cancelling[9]. One-time grants such as Runway's free credits may not expire[2].
- Are failed AI videos refunded?
- On BytePlus, failed and moderated jobs are not charged[11]. In apps it varies; Cast refunds failed renders automatically.
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.
- Runway Help: how do credits work (read )
- Runway: pricing (read )
- Pika: pricing (read )
- Luma AI: pricing (read )
- Google Flow Help: credits (read )
- Hedra: plans (in-app plan copy) (read )
- D-ID: FAQs (read )
- D-ID: Studio pricing (read )
- HeyGen: pricing (read )
- BytePlus ModelArk: Seedance resource pack rules (read )
- BytePlus ModelArk: model pricing (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 Runway AI free?
- What is the cheapest AI video generator?
Part of the Cast answers library (Prices and costs).
Updated