Cheapest AI Video Generation API in 2026: Ranked

The cheapest frontier AI video API in 2026 is Veo 3.1 Lite at **$0.03/sec** for 720p with audio included. If you want the best value with synchronized audio at higher fidelity, Seedance 2.0 Fast starts at **$0.07/sec**. Every model in this guide runs on Prospolabs at a single pay-per-generation USD rate — no tokens, no subscription, same price in the UI and the API.

Video generation is the most expensive thing most teams run against an inference API, because cost scales with every second of output. A 30-second clip at one model's rate can cost ten times the same clip at another's. So the question isn't "which model is best" in the abstract — it's "what is the cheapest model that clears my quality bar, per second, with the features I actually need." This guide ranks the frontier video models by real per-second cost on Prospolabs so you can answer that directly.

How we rank cheapest

All pricing below is in USD per second of generated video, billed per generation. Several models include audio at no extra charge; others price audio-on and audio-off separately, because generating a soundtrack is real additional compute. We rank on the lowest production-usable tier per model, then note where higher resolution or audio changes the math. Prospolabs lists pay-as-you-go USD rates — you top up from $5, and failed runs are auto-refunded, so a crashed generation never costs you anything.

Cheapest AI video APIs in 2026, ranked

Ordered from cheapest entry rate upward. Prices are Prospolabs pay-per-generation USD; the strikethrough figure is the retail/list rate the same model carries elsewhere.

• 1. Veo 3.1 Lite — $0.03/sec (720p) · $0.048/sec (1080p) · audio included. The cheapest frontier video on the platform.
• 2. Veo 3.1 Fast — $0.06/sec audio-off · $0.09/sec audio-on. Google quality at a fraction of standard Veo.
• 3. Seedance 2.0 Fast — $0.07/sec (480p) · $0.15/sec (720p) · audio included. Best overall value when you need sound.
• 4. Seedance 2.0 — $0.09/sec (480p) · $0.18/sec (720p) · $0.41/sec (1080p) · audio included.
• 5. Kling V3 — $0.10/sec audio-off · $0.15/sec audio-on.
• 6. Veo 3.1 (standard) — $0.12/sec (720p/1080p, audio-off) · $0.24/sec audio-on · $0.24/sec 4K off.
• 7. Kling O3 Pro — $0.134/sec audio-off · $0.168/sec audio-on.
• 8. Kling V3 Pro — $0.134/sec audio-off · $0.20/sec audio-on.

Per-second cost cheat sheet

The entry rate is what most teams should budget against. Multiply by your clip length to get cost per video — a 10-second clip is just 10x the per-second number.

• Veo 3.1 Lite → $0.03/sec · 720p, audio included · cheapest on Prospolabs
• Veo 3.1 Fast → $0.06/sec audio-off, $0.09/sec audio-on
• Seedance 2.0 Fast → $0.07/sec (480p), $0.15/sec (720p) · audio included
• Seedance 2.0 → $0.09/sec (480p) up to $0.41/sec (1080p) · audio included
• Kling V3 → $0.10/sec off, $0.15/sec on
• Veo 3.1 → $0.12/sec (HD off) up to $0.36/sec (4K on)
• Kling O3 Pro → $0.134/sec off, $0.168/sec on
• Kling V3 Pro → $0.134/sec off, $0.20/sec on

Worked example: a 6-second 720p clip with audio costs $0.18 on Veo 3.1 Lite (6 × $0.03), $0.90 on Seedance 2.0 Fast at 720p (6 × $0.15), and $1.44 on standard Veo 3.1 with audio (6 × $0.24). Same six seconds, an 8x spread depending on the tier — which is exactly why per-second ranking matters more than headline model names.

Cheapest text-to-video API

For pure text-to-video where you don't need a soundtrack, Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.03/sec is unbeatable on price and still produces coherent, prompt-faithful motion. Step up to Veo 3.1 Fast at $0.06/sec audio-off when you want crisper temporal consistency for longer narrative shots. Both are fully accessible through the same Prospolabs API; see the docs for the request shape.

Cheapest video with audio included

Audio is where pricing models diverge most. The Seedance 2.0 family bundles synchronized audio into the base per-second rate, so Seedance 2.0 Fast at $0.07/sec (480p) is the cheapest way to get sound-on video without a separate audio pass or a separate bill. Veo 3.1 Lite also includes audio at $0.03/sec, making it the outright cheapest audio-inclusive option when 720p is enough. If you'd otherwise price audio-on separately — as Kling and standard Veo do — the bundled-audio models almost always come out ahead.

Cheapest Veo, Kling, and Seedance specifically

Searching for one vendor in particular? The cheapest Veo tier is Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.03/sec. The cheapest Kling is Kling V3 at $0.10/sec audio-off, with Kling O3 Pro the cheapest of the Pro line at $0.134/sec. The cheapest Seedance is Seedance 2.0 Fast at $0.07/sec (480p). All three vendors live behind one Prospolabs key, so you can swap between them per request without managing separate accounts or billing relationships.

How to choose: cheapest vs. cheapest that works

Cheapest on paper isn't always cheapest in production — a low rate that needs three retries to land a usable shot costs more than a slightly pricier model that nails it first try. Use this as a decision shortcut:

• High-volume drafts, social clips, previews → Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.03/sec. Lowest cost, audio included.
• Best value with audio at real resolution → Seedance 2.0 Fast at $0.07–$0.15/sec.
• Character and motion control, stylized output → Kling V3 at $0.10/sec, or Kling V3 Pro for the demanding shots.
• Cinematic hero shots, 4K, max prompt adherence → standard Veo 3.1 ($0.12–$0.36/sec). Spend here only on final renders.
• Mixed pipeline → draft on Lite, finish on a Pro tier. One Prospolabs key covers both.

Why Prospolabs is the cheapest place to run these

Prospolabs prices every model pay-per-generation in USD, typically around 40% below the retail/list rates these models carry on other platforms. There are no token economies to decode, no monthly minimums, and no subscription gate — you top up from $5 and draw it down per generation. The UI and API charge the identical rate, so prototyping in the dashboard costs exactly what shipping to production costs. Compare the full lineup on the price comparison page or browse all models.

Related guides

If images are also part of your pipeline, see the cheapest AI image API guide. For quality-first picks rather than price-first, read best AI video APIs. And for head-to-head model breakdowns, Seedance 2.0 vs Veo 3.1 and Veo 3.1 vs Kling V3 go deeper on output differences at each price point.