Credits
A credit is an internal currency with no fixed meaning. The same number of credits buys different amounts on different platforms, and often different amounts on the same platform depending on the model you pick.
AI VIDEO COST COMPARISON
How much does AI video generation really cost?
Compare AI video platforms based on how many videos you actually create each month, then estimate your monthly and yearly cost. See how VideoPost AI’s BYOK model compares when you use your own AI provider keys.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
Estimate your cost
How AI video generator pricing works
Sticker prices are hard to compare because almost no two platforms bill in the same unit. These are the mechanics worth understanding before you compare anything.
Minutes and seconds
Duration billing is the easiest to compare, but it rewards short output. A plan that looks generous for Shorts can be tight for long-form.
Generations and exports
Some platforms charge for producing a video, others only when you export it. That distinction matters enormously if you discard drafts.
Regenerations
The cost that gets left out. If two attempts in three are usable, your real cost per finished video is half again what the pricing page implies.
Expiry
Allowances that do not roll over turn an annual price into twelve separate monthly budgets. Unused capacity is not saved.
Watermarks and resolution
A cheap tier that watermarks output or caps resolution is not the same product as the tier above it, and comparing their prices directly is misleading.
What is BYOK?
BYOK means bring your own key. Instead of VideoPost reselling AI usage to you, you connect your own supported AI provider account and pay the provider directly.
Transparent cost
Your provider bills you, so you see exactly what generation cost.
Provider choice
Use OpenRouter, OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, ElevenLabs or others.
Free model access
Free models are available to you at their own terms.
No platform markup
There is no VideoPost margin on top of AI usage.
Easier switching
Changing model or vendor is a settings change, not a migration.
Not automatically cheaper
On premium models at low volume, a bundled subscription can still work out better. That is why this page calculates rather than asserts.
Which pricing model fits you?
A managed subscription, if…
- you would rather not set up an API account
- you want a predictable bundled allowance
- your volume is low and steady
VideoPost Cloud with BYOK, if…
- you want a low platform fee and control of AI spend
- you generate enough that per-video charges add up
- you want to choose or change provider
How we compare pricing
- Public pricing only. Every competitor figure is taken from that company’s own pricing page, documentation or help centre, and the link is shown next to the row.
- Normalised usage. Credits, minutes, seconds, generations and exports are converted into an estimated number of videos using the duration assumption shown in the calculator.
- Retries counted. Costs are calculated on generations, not finished videos, because regenerating is normal and is where budgets actually go.
- Cheapest suitable plan. We match your volume to the lowest-cost published plan that can serve it. Comparing against a competitor’s most expensive tier would manufacture savings.
- No invented figures. Where a plan does not publish enough to compute a number, or where no published plan covers your volume, the page says so. We do not estimate unpublished enterprise pricing.
- Dated and re-checked. Each row shows when its pricing was last verified. Pricing in this market changes often, and an undated comparison is worth very little.
These are estimates for comparison, not billing guarantees. Your actual cost depends on your provider, your models, your output length and how often you regenerate.
Questions about AI video cost
What is the cheapest AI video generator? +
It depends entirely on how many videos you make. A platform with a low monthly price and a small included allowance becomes expensive at volume, while a higher subscription with a larger allowance can work out cheaper per video. That is the reason this page is a calculator rather than a ranked list — the cheapest option at 10 videos a month is often not the cheapest at 200.
How much does AI video generation cost per month? +
Your cost has two parts: the platform fee, and the AI generation itself. Bundled platforms combine them into one subscription with an allowance. With BYOK the platform fee stays small and you pay your AI provider directly for what you use, so your bill moves with your actual output.
How many videos can I generate for $20? +
Enter 20 dollars worth of volume in the calculator and it will tell you against whichever plans are published here. The honest answer is that it varies by an order of magnitude between platforms, because some bill per video, some per credit, some per minute of output, and the same $20 buys very different amounts.
Are AI video credits expensive? +
Credits are not expensive or cheap in themselves — the difficulty is that a credit means something different on every platform, and rarely converts cleanly to a finished video. Where a plan does not publish enough detail to convert credits into videos, this page says so instead of guessing.
What does BYOK mean? +
Bring Your Own Key. Instead of a platform reselling AI usage to you with a margin, you connect your own provider account and pay that provider directly. You see exactly what generation cost, because the provider billed you for it.
Does VideoPost AI charge per video? +
No. With your own keys there is no VideoPost per-video charge. Plans differ by storage, channels, concurrent jobs, video duration and queue priority rather than by a video count. Your AI provider still bills you for what you generate.
Is VideoPost AI cheaper than subscription-based AI video generators? +
Sometimes, and not always. It depends on your volume, which models you choose, and how many regenerations you need. At low volume on premium models a bundled subscription can be the better deal. The calculator shows when VideoPost costs more, rather than hiding it.
What costs are not included? +
Your AI provider spend is the main one, and it is an input above rather than an assumption. Beyond that: storage above your plan and publishing platform limits. Nothing here estimates your electricity or your time.
Does VideoPost AI include hosting? +
Yes. Cloud plans are hosted by VideoPost, with nothing to install.
Can I use free OpenRouter models? +
Yes. Free mode routes to models that are free to call, alongside stock media and local rendering, so a first video need not cost anything in AI spend. Storage, publishing and fair-use limits still apply, and free model availability changes without notice.
MAKE THE DECISION ON NUMBERS
Stop guessing what AI video really costs
Calculate your workflow, compare your options, and decide whether VideoPost AI’s BYOK model fits your production volume.