Raw generation: 30 seconds at list price
Every row is a pay-as-you-go API with no discount, captured on 2 November 2026 from our dated price note. “Three takes” is an assumption for budgeting, and we explain it below.
| Model · platform | Resolution | Per 5 s | One 30 s take | Three takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTX-2.3 · fal | 1080p | $0.40 | $2.40 | $7.20 |
| Wan 3.0 · API | 720p | $0.50 | $3.00 | $9.00 |
| Wan 3.0 · API | 1080p | $1.00 | $6.00 | $18.00 |
| Kling 4.0 · API | 720p | ≈ $0.79 | $4.71 | $14.13 |
| Kling 4.0 · API | 1080p | ≈ $1.18 | $7.05 | $21.15 |
| MiniMax H3 Max · fal, from 16 November | 1080p | $0.80 | $4.80 | $14.40 |
| Luma Ray 3.2 · fal | 1080p | $2.00 | $12.00 | $36.00 |
| Veo 3.1 with audio · fal | 1080p | $2.00 | $12.00 | $36.00 |
| Seedance 2.5 · BytePlus | 1080p | ≈ $2.84 | ≈ $17.04 | ≈ $51.12 |
| Seedance 2.5 · fal | 1080p | ≈ $5.69 | ≈ $34.14 | ≈ $102.42 |
A real example: One Prompt Studio
This film was generated in one unbroken 30-second take at 1080p, from three reference pictures, on fal. Kling 4.0 went first at $7.05 and was rejected. It ran on an earlier version of the prompt. Wan 3.0 then cost $6.00, and we accepted that take as it was.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Kling 4.0, 30 s at 1080p, rejected | $7.05 |
| Wan 3.0, 30 s at 1080p, accepted | $6.00 |
| Footage total | $13.05 |
| Per finished second, in the 23.6-second cut | ≈ $0.55 |
That leaves out the character pictures and studio plate, the voice conversion, the captions and the time, because we did not record those costs per project. One film also proves little about averages: a different brief could need ten takes.
How many retakes should you budget?
Vendors do not publish this, and neither can we yet, because we have no large sample. What we can show is the spread. One Prompt Studio took two runs across two models. The running commercial took six to find one selected take, and that one was a 480p draft. The dollhouse shot went through seven video generations. Failed takes are not always wasted, because their good seconds can be cut together.
We use three takes as a planning number for a clear shot, with a good reference, and five or more for complex action. Most platforms also bill the takes you reject. Some refund failed runs: two failed Seedance 2.5 jobs were refunded on Higgsfield.
Estimate your own video
Change anything. The prices are the list rates above. The hours and rate are placeholders, so replace them with your own. All of it runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
What else goes into the bill
Editing and assembly
Editors do not bill per second of AI footage. Their cost is a licence you probably already have, plus your hours. Editing a video with AI is a different line, and it bills both ways: the input seconds as well as the output.
Sound and voice
On Wan 3.0, Kling 4.0 and Seedance 2.5, sound comes in the same pass at no extra charge when you use their built-in audio. Veo 3.1 on fal doubles from $0.20 to $0.40 a second with audio. A separate lip-sync pass on sync.so’s lipsync-2-pro cost us about $0.24 for 2.87 seconds on fal, or $0.083 a second. More on speech here.
Upscaling
At 1080p on fal, Topaz Starlight Precise 2.6 lists at $0.12 a second and FLUX Video Upscale in Precise mode at $0.084, so $3.60 or $2.52 for 30 seconds. We often skip it, or stop at 1080p and 30 fps.
Human production time
We have no reliable average, because we did not time our projects consistently. So the estimator leaves it to you. The planning, picture work, judging takes and the edit are the larger part of the job, and this is where experience pays for itself.
Traps that make the real bill bigger
- Advertised rates can exclude the resolution you want. We were billed $4.75 against an advertised $1.07.
- Monthly plans only win with volume. On Higgsfield, Wan 3.0 beats pay-as-you-go only after 59 clips a month.
- Discounts expire. The rows above use list prices for that reason.
Prefer to have it made?
Send your brief, and I will tell you what it needs, what it will take and whether AI is the right way to make it.
Discuss your project ↗