What is the cheapest AI video generator?

Updated: October 5, 2026 · 6 min read

Cheapest entry plans, per clip

"Cheapest" only makes sense per clip, because a $10 plan can buy 100 clips or 8. This table divides each entry plan's monthly price by the number of clips its credits buy on a named model, using each vendor's published credit rate.

Monthly billing, regular prices, checked 29 September 2026. Flow, Kling and Luma rates re-checked on 5 October 2026. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's page before paying. Each tool has its own page in the full price comparison.

Clip length matters too. A Flow clip is 8 seconds with sound; the Kling and Midjourney rows are 5 seconds without it. Per second of footage, Flow at $0.50 for 8 seconds is closer to Kling than the per-clip figure suggests.

Count the clips you throw away

Most generations aren't usable on the first try: hands melt, a face drifts, the camera does something you didn't ask for. You pay for every attempt.

The Shortlist's default assumption is three attempts per usable clip. That's a planning assumption you can change, not a measured failure rate, and your own rate depends on the model and how hard the shot is.

A cheap plan with a model that needs five tries per keeper can cost more than a dearer plan that gets it right in two. Test the hardest shot in your project before you subscribe.

Why the headline "up to X videos" is often wrong

The vendor's own headline count is rarely the clip you want to make:

• Resolution and sound multiply the cost. Kling VIDEO 3.0 charges 6 credits a second at 720p without sound and 12 a second at 1080p with native audio, so the same plan buys half as many clips. Luma's native 1080p costs four times its 720p rate.
• Advertised counts can assume low resolution. Adobe's advertised Firefly video counts are at 540p; at 720p the same credits buy fewer clips.
• "Blended" rates don't name a model. Artlist AI Starter ($19.99, 206 videos) and Vidofy Lite ($8.99, 66 videos) publish counts that would be cheaper than anything above, but neither says which model or clip length those counts assume. Premium models on the same plan cost more.
• Batches cost per clip. On Midjourney, one 5-second SD video costs 2 GPU minutes, but a batch of four costs 8.

Free options

All Flow output carries Google's invisible SynthID watermark. A visible watermark is a setting you can switch, except that Google applies it automatically for users in India, South Korea and Vietnam.

Cheapest at higher volume

Bigger plans usually lower the price per clip:

Google AI Ultra subscribers pay 10 credits for a Veo 3.1 Fast clip instead of 20, which is why the $100 plan is so much cheaper per clip than AI Plus. On Midjourney, Pro and Mega also include unlimited SD video in the slower Relax mode.

Annual billing

Paying yearly cuts the monthly price on most tools. Kling Standard drops from $8.80 to $6.60 a month, bringing a 720p clip to $0.30, and Midjourney Basic from $10 to $8. Google publishes no discounted annual price for its AI plans. Only commit to a year once a month's use has shown the model suits your work.

How to find the cheapest plan for you

1. Decide the clip you actually need: length, resolution, sound, and whether it starts from text or an image.
2. Price that exact clip on the model's credit table, not the plan headline.
3. Divide the plan's monthly credits by that rate to get clips a month, then the price by clips.
4. Divide again by your attempts per keeper. Three is a sensible starting guess.
5. Use the free allowance first. Two free Flow clips a day is enough to find out whether Veo suits your project before paying anyone.

Compare 33 AI video generators by real cost

The AI Video Shortlist turns every plan into what it actually buys: finished clips per month, once failed generations are counted. Set your budget and length, and it ranks the tools for you.

Open the comparison