AI video cost calculator: price per usable clip by model

An AI video cost calculator turns a price per second into the cost of a clip you will actually use. This page prices the three things that move the total: retries, audio and input video.

Prices below are Runway API rates, checked on 26 October 2026. Runway is one reseller of many models (see the Runway pricing guide). Other apps and the model makers' own APIs price differently, so use these as one consistent yardstick.

How do you calculate AI video cost per clip?

AI video cost per usable clip is the clip's price multiplied by the number of tries it takes to get one keeper.

1. Find the rate for your model, resolution and audio setting. On Runway, one credit costs $0.01. To compare other apps, use the credits converter.
2. Multiply by clip length in seconds. That is the cost of one generation.
3. Add any input or reference video charge, if the model bills for it.
4. Apply minimum charges, rounding and discounts.
5. Multiply by tries per keeper. If you keep one take in three, that is 3.

Written out: cost per usable clip = billed cost per attempt x tries per keeper, where one attempt is output seconds x output rate plus billable input seconds x input rate.

What does a 10-second AI video cost on each model?

These Runway rates put a 10-second clip between $0.50 and $3.00 per try, as of 26 October 2026. The table also shows the cost of one usable clip at one to four tries per keeper. Veo 3.1 runs 4, 6 or 8 seconds per Runway's Veo guide, so its rows show a 10-second equivalent for comparison. A real 8-second Veo 3.1 clip with audio costs $3.20, and $1.20 on Fast.

Kling 4.0 is 20% off through 30 November 2026 UTC. Runway rounds the list price up, takes 20% off, then rounds up again, so a 10-second 720p clip costs 126 credits ($1.26) during the promotion. From 1 December 2026 the list price applies.

Does audio change the price of an AI video?

Audio changes the price on some models and not on others. On Runway, it is the model that decides.

Compare models on the same audio setting. A silent Veo 3.1 clip looks cheap next to a Kling 3.0 clip with audio, but the audio version of Veo costs twice as much.

What does reference or input video cost?

Reference video adds a second per-second charge on Seedance 2.5 and Kling 4.0, and Runway bills it on top of the output.

• Seedance 2.5: 720p is 30 credits per second of output plus 15 credits per second of input or reference video. Combined input video is capped at 30 seconds. Reference images and audio are free. Every generation has an 80-credit minimum ($0.80).
• Kling 4.0: With an input video, 720p list price is 9.4 credits per second of output plus 9.4 credits per second of input. Input is billed at the greater of total input length and output length.
• Seedance 2.5 draft mode: A draft preview bills at the 480p rate. Enhancing it to 1080p is a second charge at the 1080p rate.

A 10-second Seedance 2.5 clip at 720p that copies motion from a 10-second reference costs 450 credits ($4.50) per try, not $3.00. A 10-second Kling 4.0 clip with a 10-second reference costs 188 credits ($1.88) at list price per try.

How many retries should an AI video budget include?

Plan for more than one try per keeper, then replace the guess with your own count. This page has no measured keeper rate for these models, so use the ten-generation test below.

Runway's pricing page does not say whether failed generations are charged or refunded. Its failure guide splits failures into safety rejections, which it says not to retry, and INTERNAL.BAD_OUTPUT failures, which it says may succeed after prompt fixes. A clip that finishes but looks wrong is a normal billed generation.

To get your own number, run ten generations on the model and prompt style you plan to use. Count the ones you would publish. Divide ten by that count. Six keepers in ten is 1.67 tries per keeper.

Worked example: a batch of 20 usable clips

Twenty usable 10-second clips with audio cost $26.00 at list price on Kling 3.0 Standard, and $78.00 if you keep one take in three.

• Per try: 10 seconds x 13 credits x $0.01 = $1.30.
• With no retries: 20 x $1.30 = $26.00.
• At three tries per keeper: 20 x 3 x $1.30 = $78.00.
• The same batch on Veo 3.1 with audio, at its 8-second maximum and three tries: 20 x 3 x (8 x 40 x $0.01 = $3.20) = $192.00.
• Seedance 2.5 at 720p with a 10-second reference, three tries: 20 x 3 x $4.50 = $270.00.

The retry rate is worth $52 on the Kling batch. Switching to Veo 3.1 adds $114 at the same retry rate, and a reference-video model adds $192. Check both before you commit to a model.

How does Gemini and Veo pricing fit in?

Google's own Gemini API lists Gemini Omni Flash by token, which Google says works out to roughly $0.10 per second at 720p. Google's Veo 3.1 preview models in the Gemini API shut down on 22 October 2026, so old calculators that list them are out of date.

Google's pricing page does not list Veo rates, so this page uses Runway's Veo 3.1 rates instead (see Veo 3 pricing). Do not copy cached preview prices from before the shutdown.

What do other AI video cost calculators leave out?

Creative Claw's calculator compares draft and final cost and says retakes are charged as new generations. This page adds Runway's rates with audio, input-video billing, rounding rules and keeper-count examples, all dated. Subscription plans, free tiers and app markups sit outside it. For plan-by-plan Kling prices, see the Kling AI pricing guide. For the full cost of a finished product ad, see how to make an AI commercial.

Checklist before you trust any AI video cost estimate

An AI video cost estimate is only as good as its inputs. Check these six before you budget.

• The price has a date, and the model version is named.
• The audio setting matches what you will use.
• Resolution matches your output, since rates differ by tier.
• Reference video and draft modes are priced, if you use them.
• Tries per keeper comes from your own count, not a guess.
• Sales tax and credit minimums are included.

Where the numbers come from

Every rate is Runway's list price on 26 October 2026, from the API pricing page. Prices move, so re-check the live rate before you buy credits. Reference video with real people's faces or copyrighted characters follows each platform's content rules.