The cheapest AI video generator in 2026: every model's real price per second

Short answer: the cheapest AI video models with sound cost about 4 to 6 cents a second at the model maker's price. That's MiniMax H3 Max Turbo, Veo 3.1 Lite and MiniMax H3, which puts a 10-second clip at 40 to 60 cents. Silent clips go lower still: Seedance Lite is about 2 cents a second.

The cheapest place to use them is wherever you pay the model price without a markup. On Hermoso that's every model, because Hermoso has no markup on models.

The cheapest AI video models, ranked

Model makers' prices per second of video at 720p, October 2026, rounded.

With sound

Model	Maker	Per second	10 seconds	Longest clip
MiniMax H3 Max Turbo	MiniMax	about $0.04	about $0.40	15 seconds
Veo 3.1 Lite	Google	$0.05	$0.40 for 8 seconds	8 seconds
MiniMax H3	MiniMax	about $0.06	about $0.60	15 seconds
PixVerse V6	PixVerse	about $0.065	about $0.65	15 seconds
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite	xAI	about $0.07	about $0.70	15 seconds
Seedance 2.0 Mini	ByteDance	about $0.08	about $0.76	15 seconds
Wan 3.0	Alibaba	about $0.10	about $1.00	30 seconds
Veo 3.1 Fast	Google	$0.10	$0.80 for 8 seconds	8 seconds
Gemini Omni 1.1	Google	about $0.10	about $1.04	10 seconds

Silent (add a voiceover or music later)

Model	Maker	Per second	10 seconds
Seedance Lite	ByteDance	about $0.02	about $0.22
Hailuo 2.3	MiniMax	about $0.05	about $0.48
Kling 2.5	Kuaishou	about $0.07	about $0.73

For comparison, the premium models: Seedance 2.5 is about $0.23 a second at 720p and Veo 3.1 is $0.40. A cheap model costs a tenth as much, and for a hook test or a rough cut, that's often all you need.

Does cheap look cheap?

Less than you'd think. We ran the same ad shot on ten models, and MiniMax H3 (about 30 cents for 5 seconds) and Veo 3.1 Lite (20 cents for 4 seconds) both made believable clips with a person, a product and sound.

What you give up on the cheap models is mostly control: they follow long prompts less precisely, and they sometimes invent things, like a logo on the bottle. The full side-by-side is in 10 AI video models, one prompt.

Where to get AI video model access cheaply

1. Straight from the model maker's API

Google, Kuaishou and the other makers sell their models per second to developers, pay as you go, no subscription. It's the reference price. The catch is that you need a developer account and some code for each maker, and you get a raw clip back: no script, no editing, no brand.

2. The model maker's own app

Most makers also have a consumer app with a free tier and monthly plans, like Kling's app or Google's Gemini app and Flow. Good for trying one model. You're locked to that maker's models, and free tiers come with watermarks, queues or tight limits.

3. A multi-model creative tool

One account, many models, plus the tools around them. This is where most people end up, and where most of the price difference hides: many tools charge a multiple of the model price, often about double, in credits of their own. Our guide to AI video generator pricing shows how to work out any tool's markup in five steps.

4. A tool with no markup on models

The model price of option 1 with the convenience of option 3. That's how Hermoso works: every image, video and voice model runs at what the model maker charges, in one account, with the AI agent, the editing, the brand kit and publishing included. You pay for the plan, not for a markup on every render.

Is there an AI video generator without a subscription?

Yes: the model makers' own APIs are pay as you go, and some apps sell one-off credit packs. Pay as you go is cheapest if you make a handful of clips a year. If you test video ads every week, a plan with no markup on models usually costs less in total, because every render is at the model price rather than a marked-up one.

Five ways to make video ads for less

1. Draft cheap, finish premium. Find the hook on MiniMax H3 or Veo 3.1 Lite, then render the winner on Seedance 2.5 or Veo 3.1.
2. Test at 720p. On many models 1080p costs two to three times as much. Upscale or re-render only the version you'll run.
3. Use the length you need. You pay per second. A 6-second hook test doesn't need to be 15 seconds.
4. Pick a model with sound. A silent clip plus a separate voiceover and lip sync often costs more than a model that makes the sound itself.
5. Copy what already works. An ad modelled on the longest-running ads in your market needs fewer tries than one from a blank page.

Put together, a week of real testing costs about the price of lunch. We priced one out in what an AI video ad costs to make.

Make one

Hermoso is an AI marketing agent and AI ad generator with 100+ image, video, voice and writing models, and every image, video and voice model runs at the model maker's price. Ask for an ad in plain words, pick the model or let the agent pick, and see the exact price before you render. Plans are on the pricing page.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest AI video generator?

By price per second at the model maker's price (October 2026), the cheapest models with sound are MiniMax H3 Max Turbo at about $0.04, Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05 and MiniMax H3 at about $0.06. Silent Seedance Lite is about $0.02 a second.

What is the cheapest way to make AI video ads?

Draft on a cheap model with sound, test at 720p, and only render the winner on a premium model. Use a tool with no markup on models, so every render costs the model maker's price.

Is there an AI video generator without a subscription?

Yes. The model makers' own APIs are pay as you go, and some apps sell one-off credit packs. If you make video every week, a plan with no markup on models usually costs less overall.

Are cheap AI video models good enough for ads?

For hook tests and drafts, often yes. In our side-by-side test MiniMax H3 and Veo 3.1 Lite made believable clips with sound for 20 to 30 cents. Premium models follow complex prompts more closely.

Why do AI video tools cost more than the model price?

Most tools add a markup, often about double the model price, to cover their costs and margin. Hermoso has no markup on models, so you pay what the model maker charges.