AI Video API Price Comparison 2026 — 8 Models Priced per Clip

The same 8-second clip in 720p costs between $0,18 and $3,03 depending on the model — about 16,8 times as much. These are the 8 video models behind a single API key. But one detail changes the answer before we get to the numbers: The models do not all bill the same way — 3 charge a flat price per video, while 5 charge per generated second. So “the cheapest AI video API” depends on the clip length your product generates.

First, a distinction worth making because search results mix them up: video analysis (Azure AI Video Indexer, Google Video Intelligence) analyzes existing footage; avatar services (D-ID) generate talking heads; and video generation creates a new clip from a prompt or image. This page covers only the latter. For context, Kunavo is its own product, a gateway that resells access to the models — not an independent comparison site. The figures come from the catalog that bills for the requests. Kunavo prices checked on October 4, 2026.

Cost of a 8-second clip in 720p by model

The common benchmark is 8 seconds in 720p: the unit used by models that charge per video, and a length that all per-second models can generate. The “List price” column shows the price the provider itself publishes for the same clip.

A dash in the list price column means we could not confirm a published provider price — we make no discount claim for these models. For the 4 models with a list price, Kunavo is cheaper.

Two billing methods — and why comparisons fail

Google Veo 3.1 charges per video, and every Veo video is 8 seconds long, whatever length the request asks for. ByteDance Seedance and Alibaba Wan 2.7 charge per second of output. Specifically, at 8 seconds, Veo 3.1 Lite is cheapest at $0,18; ask for 4 seconds and all per-second models cost half as much, while a Veo model still generates and charges for a whole clip. A per-second model that looked expensive at 8 seconds can therefore be the cheaper one at 4 seconds. Above 8 seconds, a Veo model needs another whole clip while a per-second model charges only for the extra seconds — so the per-second models catch up again; at 16 seconds each model costs double, and the order is the same again. Set the clip length before comparing prices. The AI video cost calculator works this out for your usage volume.

Which model for which use

• Drafts, previews, and volume — Veo 3.1 Lite, $0,18 per 8-second clip.
• The clip that goes to the customer — Veo 3.1 Quality ($1,60 per video), the most expensive flat-price model; it is worthwhile when the result ships unchanged.
• Short clips up to about 6 seconds — the per-second models: you pay for what you generate. Seedance 2.0 Mini has the lowest per-second price at $0,0526 per second.
• Animate existing artwork — Veo 3.1 Lite, Veo 3.1 Fast, Seedance 2.0 Mini, Veo 3.1 Quality, and Seedance 2.5 accept start and end frames as well as a reference image. The following models on Kunavo are text→video-only models: Wan 2.7.

What Kunavo does not have

Other pages in these results mention models that are unavailable on Kunavo: as of September 2026, Sora, Kling, Hailuo, Runway, Luma, and Pika. If one of these is central to your project, this key cannot call it.

Calling the API and paying

All 8 models share one endpoint; only the model ID changes. Generation is asynchronous: the first request returns a task ID, and you retrieve the finished video with a later request because rendering takes dozens of seconds. The format is specified in the Video documentation, and Veo details are in Veo 3 pricing. Payment is made through Stripe using prepaid balance — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link; SEPA Direct Debit is not offered. The image-generation counterpart for the same key is AI image-generation APIs compared (in English).

Frequently asked questions