How much does an AI video cost per second?

As of mid-2026, hosted AI video generation costs between roughly $0.04 and $0.50 per second depending on the model: budget tiers like Vidu, Wan 2.6 and Runway Gen-4 Turbo sit around $0.04–0.05/s, mid-tier options like Sora 2 and Kling 3.0 around $0.10/s, and premium tiers like Veo 3.1 Standard and Sora 2 Pro from $0.30 to $0.50 per second.

Why do real AI video costs exceed the listed price?

Because of retakes. Most creators generate each shot 1.5 to 3 times before keeping one, so real spend is the listed per-second rate multiplied by your retake ratio. This calculator includes a x1.5 retry buffer by default.

PRICES VERIFIED · JULY 2026

REC · 00:00:00:00 · COST PER USABLE SECOND

AI video cost calculator for real project budgets

Q: How much does a 10-second Sora 2 clip cost?

At OpenAI's rate of $0.10 per second, a 10-second Sora 2 clip costs $1.00 — or about $1.50 including a typical retake. Sora 2 Pro at 1024p costs $5.00 per 10-second clip before retries.

Compare Sora, Veo, Runway, Kling and budget models by cost per usable second. ClipBudget turns confusing per-second, credit and subscription pricing into practical estimates with retakes included.

Calculate a project Compare models View price tracker

ClipBudget dashboard showing AI video cost per usable second — Original ClipBudget dashboard visual — no vendor logos used.

Real output from the models we price

Generated by us — not stock. This is what your budget buys.

SORA 2

Sora 2Cinematic atmosphere KLING 3.0

Dramatic caped figure beside a marble column at dusk, generated with Kling 3.0 Turbo

Kling 3.0Character & costume SEEDANCE 2.0

Seedance 2.0Motion clip MIDJOURNEY

Stylised portrait of a woman with flowing white hair, generated with Midjourney

MidjourneyPortrait detail MIDJOURNEY

MidjourneyVideo motion LORA

Anime-style character on a bright beach, generated with a custom LoRA

Custom LoRAAnime style

11 models tracked Official source links Retakes included No paid rankings

InputSeconds + scenes

Budget real project length, not a single demo clip.

MethodList price × retakes

Use low, medium, high or strict client-work multipliers.

OutputUsable cost

See raw cost, retake cost and equivalent cost per minute.

Start from a project type

Model

Total footage — 10 seconds

Resolution

Number of clips / scenes

Retake profile — how often shots fail

"Cost per usable second" is an estimate: list price × your chosen retake profile. It reflects that most generations aren't keepers — it is not a measured or guaranteed figure. List prices are verified; the multiplier is your assumption to set.

Independence note: ClipBudget is focused on traffic and trust first. Outbound tool links point to official product or pricing pages where useful; no vendor can pay to appear cheaper, rank higher, or change a verdict. See our editorial policy.

Why AI video costs are so confusing

Every vendor prices differently: OpenAI bills Sora 2 per second, Runway sells credits at $0.01 each, Kling mixes cheap subscriptions with a pricier API, and Google runs three Veo tiers. Comparing them means converting everything to one honest metric — dollars per second of finished video. That's what this site does, with sources listed in the methodology.

The second thing nobody tells you: the listed price is not what you'll pay. Generation is probabilistic — hands glitch, physics breaks, lip-sync drifts. Most creators keep one out of every 1.5 to 3 generations, which is why the retry buffer above is on by default.

Deep dives per model

Sora 2 pricingOpenAI's flagship video model with synced audio, billed per second via API.from $0.10/s Veo 3.1 pricingGoogle's top model: native audio and best-in-class lip-sync, priced accordingly.from $0.05/s Gen-4.5 pricingBenchmark-leading quality inside the industry's best creative toolset.from $0.05/s Kling 3.0 pricingStandout character consistency and multi-minute clips at a mid-range price.from $0.042/s Seedance 2.0 pricingTop-5 benchmark quality with fast generation, priced by resolution.from $0.065/s Wan 2.6 pricingThe budget floor of the hosted market — and open-source if you have the GPU.from $0.05/s

Choose your AI video budget path

These pages are built around high-intent searches: calculator, comparison, best tool for a use case, and price verification.

CalculatorAI video cost calculatorEstimate a project with model, resolution, length and retake assumptions.Open calculator → ComparisonAI video generator comparisonCompare Sora, Veo, Runway, Kling and cheaper models by use case.Compare models → DirectoryOfficial AI video tool linksJump to official pricing, docs and ClipBudget cost pages.Open directory → ReportAI video cost reportA single overview of price ranges, retake risk and budget planning.Read report → Use caseBest for YouTube ShortsPick tools for short-form output, hooks, captions and repeated variants.See picks → AgencyAgency budget calculatorPlan client budgets with generation cost, retakes, margin and revisions.Plan agency work →

Get the monthly AI video price report

One useful email a month: price changes, new model pages, cheapest workflows and practical budget examples.

Free. No spam. Independent price tracking only.

Verify prices at the source

ClipBudget does the comparable math, but serious budgets should always check current vendor docs before production.

OpenAISora pricing docs →

GoogleVeo / Vertex AI pricing →

RunwayRunway credit docs →

KlingKling official site →

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 10-second Sora 2 clip cost?

At $0.10 per second, a 10-second clip costs $1.00 — about $1.50 with a typical retake. Sora 2 Pro at 1024p is $5.00 per clip before retries. Full breakdown on the Sora 2 pricing page.

What's the cheapest way to make a 1-minute AI video?

Stitch short clips from a budget tier — Vidu, Wan 2.6 or Gen-4 Turbo run roughly $2.40–$3.00 per raw minute — and add voiceover separately. A premium model with native audio can cost $24+ per minute before retries. See the 60-second breakdown.

Do subscription plans beat API pricing?

At high volume, usually yes — Kling's Standard plan works out near $0.04/s versus $0.10/s on its API. The break-even math is in the pricing guide.