Aggregators: one API, many models, some margin

What aggregators sell

fal.ai, Replicate, kie.ai, CometAPI and friends put many video models behind one credential, one bill, one SDK. Some pass through official per-second rates at parity and earn on volume; others run their own tariffs — occasionally below official pricing (via batch arrangements or unofficial routes), often above it for convenience.

When the margin is worth paying

• Multi-model pipelines: if your workflow routes shots across three vendors, one integration genuinely saves engineering weeks.
• Model shopping: testing five models through one account beats five signups and five minimum spends.
• Models without direct access in your region or without self-serve APIs.

When direct wins

Single-model production at volume: every point of margin compounds, and official channels give you the real rate limits, the real SLA and unambiguous commercial licensing. The deep-discount aggregators (50%+ below official) deserve extra diligence — unusually cheap access to a premium model has a reason, and 'unofficial route with unclear terms' is the common one. Fine for experiments; think twice for client deliverables.

Practical rule: prototype on an aggregator, produce on whichever channel is cheapest for your one main model — that's usually direct.