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Best AI video generators in 2026: what each one really costs to run

Data checked 2026-07-25. Prices and limits below come from our own live integration, not from vendor marketing pages.

Most "best AI video generator" lists compare marketing claims. This one compares 18 models we run in production — so the cost per shot, the legal durations and the resolution ceilings are things we hit ourselves, not things we read.

How these numbers were produced

Cost is the real credit charge on Tovaki, computed with the same formula our billing runs (`compute_generation_credits`). The number in the table is what a shot actually deducts — not a list price.

Duration and resolution come from our integration contract, which we built by calling each vendor's API until it rejected us. Where a vendor's marketing claims a tier its endpoint would not serve, we list what the endpoint served.

Native audio is flagged only where our integration notes record an audio path we wired and tested.

What this page deliberately does not do: rank output quality. We have not run a controlled side-by-side evaluation with a fixed prompt and blind scoring, so any ranking we published would be an opinion dressed as a measurement. Generate the same prompt on two models and judge for yourself — every model below is one dropdown apart.

All 18 video models, cheapest first

Each model is priced at its own shortest available shot — not every model has a 5-second tier (Veo runs 4/6/8s, Hailuo 6/10s), so a flat "5-second price" would be quoting a length those models cannot produce. The per-second column is the comparable figure. Sorted cheapest per second first.

ModelBuilt byShortest shot · 720pShortest shot · 1080pCredits/sec @720pMax resolutionDurationsNative audio
Seedance 1.5 Pro · AudioByteDance5s → 205s → 4041080p5–10sYes
Wan 2.1 TurboAlibaba5s → 255720p5s
Kling 2.6Kuaishou5s → 305s → 5061080p5 / 10sYes
Kling 2.5 TurboKuaishou5s → 305s → 5061080p5 / 10s
Seedance 1.0 ProByteDance5s → 355s → 7571080p5–10s
Hailuo 2.3MiniMax6s → 488720p6 / 10s
Veo 3.1 LiteGoogle4s → 324s → 4881080p4 / 6 / 8sYes
Hailuo 02MiniMax6s → 488720p6 / 10s
Seedance 2.0 MiniByteDance5s → 5010720p5–10s
Kling v3Kuaishou5s → 605s → 80121080p5 / 10sYes
Kling 3.0 OmniKuaishou3s → 363s → 48124k3–12sYes
Kling O1Kuaishou5s → 605s → 80121080p5 / 10s
Wan 2.6Alibaba5s → 605s → 100121080p5 / 10 / 15sYes
Wan 2.7Alibaba5s → 605s → 100121080p5 / 10 / 15s
Veo 3.1 FastGoogle4s → 604s → 72154k4 / 6 / 8s
Seedance 2.0 FastByteDance5s → 8016720p5–10s
Seedance 2.0ByteDance5s → 1005s → 250204k5–10s
Veo 3.1Google4s → 2324s → 232584k4 / 6 / 8sYes

A dash in the audio column means our integration notes do not record an audio path for that model — it is not a claim that the vendor lacks one. A dash under 1080p means that model's endpoint does not serve a 1080p tier to us. One more thing worth being explicit about: these models can produce sound with the picture, but our video generation has no audio switch yet — every submission goes out with audio off, so what you get today is a silent clip. For a soundtrack, upload your own and mix it in the composite node.

Which AI video generator is cheapest?

Seedance 1.5 Pro · Audio (ByteDance) at 4 credits per second — 20 credits for its shortest shot of 5s. That is the lowest per-second cost in the catalogue. Check the durations column before planning around it: a low per-second rate on a model with only short tiers still caps how much you get in one shot.

Which is cheapest at 1080p?

Seedance 1.5 Pro · Audio, at 8 credits per finished second at 1080p. Worth knowing — these charge exactly the same per second at 1080p as at 720p: Veo 3.1. The steepest step up in the table is 2.5× (Seedance 2.0), so the cheapest 720p model is often not the cheapest 1080p model.

Which models can output 4K?

4 of them: Kling 3.0 Omni, Veo 3.1 Fast, Seedance 2.0, Veo 3.1. Everything else tops out below 4K on the endpoints available to us.

Which generate sound, not just picture?

7 models have a native audio path wired in our integration: Seedance 1.5 Pro · Audio, Kling 2.6, Veo 3.1 Lite, Kling v3, Kling 3.0 Omni, Wan 2.6, Veo 3.1. Native audio means the model produces the soundtrack together with the picture, rather than you dubbing it afterwards.

Which supports the longest single shot?

Wan 2.6, Wan 2.7, at 15 seconds in one generation. Longer films are built by generating several shots and cutting them together, which is what the canvas is for.

Platforms, not models

The comparisons above are between models. If you are comparing platforms, we keep a separate page per competitor with their pricing read off their own pricing page, plus an explicit list of what we refuse to compare.

Tovaki vs CreatifyTovaki vs HiggsfieldTovaki vs Pollo AI

FAQ

How current is this?

The 18 models and their rates were checked on 2026-07-25. Model catalogues move fast; each model's own page carries its live rate and is the one to trust if the two ever disagree.

Why is there no winner?

Because "best" depends on the shot. A dialogue scene needs native audio; a product loop needs resolution; a 60-shot drama needs the lowest per-second cost. The table gives you the axes so you can pick per shot — which is also how the product works, since the model is chosen per shot rather than per account.

What is the cheapest way to test a model?

Generate one 5-second 720p shot. On the cheapest model in the table, Seedance 1.5 Pro · Audio, that is 20 credits. Running the same prompt across two or three models costs less than most monthly subscriptions.

Do I need a separate subscription per model?

No. One Tovaki subscription covers every model in the table; you spend credits per shot and switch models between shots inside the same film.

Every model above is in one subscription.
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Best AI video generators in 2026 — real credit costs and tested limits · Tovaki