AI Video Generator Pricing Compared (2026): The Real Math

“How much does AI video cost?” is the most-asked question in our inbox — and the hardest to answer with a single number, because it depends on a pattern nobody talks about. So here’s the real math, with a real month.

The test month: 30 finished videos

A working creator’s month: 30 finished clips — 20 social (drafts + final), 8 UGC-style ads, 2 cinematic heroes. We priced it three ways.

Way 1: Single-model subscriptions. Kling for volume (≈$20/mo), Sora 2 for realism (≈$20/mo), Veo 3 for audio shots (≈$20/mo), plus an image tool (≈$15/mo). Total: $75+/month, four wallets, four prompt dialects — and you’re locked to whichever model you paid for when the leaderboard reshuffles.

Way 2: Render everything on flagships, one platform. 30 finals on Seedance 2.5 + 60 drafts = roughly → ~$50–60 on the Pro plan. One wallet, but wasteful: flagships for drafts is money in the bin.

Way 3: Draft cheap, finish flagship (the pro pattern). Drafts on Hailuo 02, volume on Kling 2.5, heroes on Seedance 2.5: 60 drafts + 22 mid finals + 8 heroes ≈ → the $49 Pro plan covers it exactly. One wallet, every model, zero lock-in.

The pattern that halves your bill

Drafts should die cheap — that’s what Hailuo 02 exists for. Nine of ten takes never leave your library; let them cost cents. The survivors get re-rendered on the flagship the shot needs. Same prompt, one chip difference, roughly half the monthly spend of flagship-everything.

The questions to ask any platform

Is the price visible before you render? (Ours is on the button.) Do credits expire? (Paid-plan credits don’t; PAYG lasts 12 months.) Is “free” a trial or a tease? (Ours: 100 one-time credits, honestly labeled.) Can you leave with your work? (Library exports, always.)

Pricing isn’t a number — it’s a pattern. Choose the platform that lets you see it.