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AI Video Cost Planner
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AI Video Budget Planner

Add your scenes, choose a model and resolution for each, set how many takes you expect, and get a per-scene and total budget.

Prices updated: October 1, 2026 Sources

$2.88
$1.00
$1.20
Subtotal
$5.08
Final footage
23s
Project total
$5.59
+$0.51

How it's calculated

Scene cost = price per second × scene seconds × takes · Total = Σ scenes × (1 + contingency %)

'Takes' is how many times you expect to generate the scene before you are happy with it (1 = first try). Contingency covers surprises such as extra scenes or a model switch.

Worked example

A 23-second spot with three scenes and 10% contingency.

Scene 1: Veo 3.1 Fast 1080p, 8 s × 3 takes = $0.12 × 24 = $2.88. Scene 2: Sora 2 720p, 5 s × 2 takes = $0.10 × 10 = $1.00. Scene 3: Runway Gen-4.5, 10 s × 1 take = $1.20. Subtotal $5.08, plus 10% = $5.59.

Limitations

  • Mixing models is realistic but each has its own look; budget editing time to make scenes match.
  • Does not include voice, music, editing, upscaling or stock assets.
  • Takes are your estimate; complex scenes often need more.
  • Credit-based models use an effective rate that depends on the plan you buy.

Frequently asked questions

How do I budget an AI video project?

Break it into scenes, estimate seconds and takes per scene, price each with the model you plan to use, then add 10–25% contingency.

How many takes should I plan for?

Two to four is common for prompt-driven scenes. Simple establishing shots may need one; character or motion-heavy scenes often need more.

Can I use different models per scene?

Yes. Pick a model for each scene — for example a cheap fast model for drafts and a premium model for hero shots.

What contingency percentage is reasonable?

10–20% for a defined script, up to 30% when the concept is still changing.

Does this include audio?

It uses the per-second rate without separately priced audio. Use the cost calculator to see audio-specific pricing where it exists.

Sources

Prices updated: October 1, 2026

Prices are collected from public pages and may change without notice. Entries marked 'secondary' were read through a third-party aggregator because the official page did not render to our fetcher; the official URL is still listed as the source of record.

  • Higgsfield and Pika publish credit-based subscription pricing; we did not find public per-second API rates for them, so they appear as effective subscription rates.
  • Veo is priced from the Gemini API (Veo on Vertex AI or inside Google AI plans may differ).
  • Taxes, free tiers, batch discounts, and enterprise contracts are not included.

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