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What an AI short drama costs

Figures checked 2026-07-25

Short answer: generating with the drama agent costs 60 credits per finished minute (from $0.75). Below is where that number comes from, and what the same minute costs if you cut it yourself on the canvas instead.

What the drama agent actually runs

When you press generate, the pipeline is fixed: Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast · Test · 480p · 5-second clips. The drama workbench has no model picker today, so this cost does not change with model choice.

Video modelSeedance 1.0 Pro Fast · Test
Clip spec5s · 480p
Credits per clip5
Per finished minute12 clips = 60 credits
In dollars (per minute)$0.75 – $0.81
Reference still per episode5 credits (Seedream 5)

This is not the cheapest tier or a recommended setup — it is what the code currently hardcodes. To use another model you take the canvas route described in the second table. Failed and timed-out generations are refunded automatically.

A whole series

The rate above multiplied out, including one reference still per episode.

SizeClips per episodeVideo creditsStill creditsTotal creditsIn dollars
10 episodes × 1 min each1260050650$8.08 – $8.82
30 episodes × 1 min each1218001501950$24.25 – $26.46
60 episodes × 1 min each1236003003900$48.51 – $52.93
30 episodes × 2 min each2436001503750$46.64 – $50.89

Generation only. Joining clips and exporting run in your own browser and cost no extra credits.

If you cut it on the canvas instead (this route does let you pick a model)

The canvas is a separate route: you cut the shots and choose a model per shot. Below is what a full minute at 720p costs on each of the 18 available video models — none of these are selectable in the drama workbench; they are here so you can compare the two routes.

ModelLongest tierCredits per clipClips per minuteCredits per minuteIn dollars
Seedance 1.5 Pro · Audio10s406240$2.99 – $3.26
Wan 2.1 Turbo5s2512300$3.73 – $4.07
Kling 2.610s606360$4.48 – $4.89
Kling 2.5 Turbo10s606360$4.48 – $4.89
Seedance 1.0 Pro10s706420$5.22 – $5.70
Hailuo 2.310s806480$5.97 – $6.51
Hailuo 0210s806480$5.97 – $6.51
Veo 3.1 Lite8s648512$6.37 – $6.95
Seedance 2.0 Mini10s1006600$7.46 – $8.14
Kling v310s1206720$8.96 – $9.77
Kling 3.0 Omni12s1445720$8.96 – $9.77
Kling O110s1206720$8.96 – $9.77
Wan 2.615s1804720$8.96 – $9.77
Wan 2.715s1804720$8.96 – $9.77
Seedance 2.0 Fast10s1606960$11.94 – $13.03
Veo 3.1 Fast8s1208960$11.94 – $13.03
Seedance 2.010s20061200$14.93 – $16.29
Veo 3.18s46483712$46.17 – $50.38

Each model fills the minute with its longest legal tier — the cheapest way to reach a minute on that model, and the same rule for all of them. Veo only runs 4/6/8s and Hailuo 6/10s, so "a 5-second clip" is not a safe assumption. No quality ranking here: we have not run a controlled evaluation, so we do not claim one model looks better than another.

Where these numbers come from

Credits come from a mirror of this site's billing function — the same formula that debits you — pinned cell by cell against a 1258-cell matrix of real charges. The table shows what a generation actually deducts, not a list price.

Durations snap to each model's legal tiers using the same rule as the backend: ask for a length a model doesn't offer and it rounds up to the nearest tier and bills that tier.

Dollars convert at real plan prices: $0.0124 – $0.0136 per credit across the monthly tiers (annual is lower). The low end of each range is the cheapest monthly tier.

Not included: your own time, re-generations after edits, third-party music or voice. Nor any vendor procurement cost — that is not ours to publish.

FAQ

So what does an AI short drama cost per minute?

60 credits per finished minute with the drama agent (from $0.75). The pipeline is fixed at Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast · Test / 480p / 5-second clips, twelve clips to the minute.

Can I switch models inside the drama flow?

Not today. The drama workbench has no model picker and the pipeline is fixed to Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast · Test. To use another model you cut the shots yourself on the canvas.

How much do models differ per minute on the canvas?

Filling a minute at 720p ranges from 240 to 3712 credits. The spread comes from per-second rates and each vendor's legal duration tiers — it is not a judgement about quality.

Do failed generations still cost credits?

No. Failures and timeouts are refunded automatically and the refund is recorded in the ledger.

Want to run your own episode count?
See all model ratesOpen the drama workbench
AI short drama cost per minute · Tovaki