"How much does it cost to generate AI video?" is one of the most-asked developer questions of 2026, and the honest answer is: it depends on resolution and model, and most vendors hide the per-second math behind token pricing. This article gives you the converted, per-second numbers you can actually budget with, all live on NovAI today.
| Model | 480p | 720p | 1080p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| doubao-seedance-2.5 (native audio) | $0.14 /s | $0.32 /s | - | - |
| doubao-seedance-2.0 | $0.067 /s | $0.163 /s | $0.329 /s | $1.00 /s |
| doubao-seedance-2.0-fast | $0.054 /s | $0.131 /s | $0.264 /s | $0.802 /s |
| hy-video-1.5 (Tencent Hunyuan) | $0.21 per generation (per clip, not per second) | |||
| cogvideox-flash (Zhipu) | FREE, unlimited | |||
| Clip | Seedance 2.5 @720p | Seedance 2.0-fast @720p | Seedance 2.0-fast @480p |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 seconds | $1.60 | $0.66 | $0.27 |
| 10 seconds | $3.20 | $1.31 | $0.54 |
| 30 seconds | $9.60 | $3.93 | $1.62 |
Billing is strictly per finished second. If a generation fails, you are refunded automatically - you never pay for a broken clip. Seedance 2.5's native synchronized audio is included in the per-second rate; there is no audio surcharge.
NovAI currently ships the Seedance / Hunyuan / CogVideoX family. For head-to-head numbers against Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1 and Sora 2 - including quality-per-dollar - see our dedicated comparisons: Sora 2 vs Veo 3.1 vs Kling 3.0 vs Seedance 2.5 and AI Video Generation API Pricing 2026. The short version: Chinese video models are typically the cheapest way to get production-grade, no-watermark output via API.
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(api_key="sk-novai-your-key", base_url="https://aiapi-pro.com/v1")
job = client.video.generations.create(
model="doubao-seedance-2.0-fast",
prompt="A drone shot over a neon city at night, 10 seconds",
resolution="720p",
)
# poll job until status == "succeeded"; failed jobs refund automatically
Bottom line: budget roughly $0.05-$0.32 per second for paid Chinese video models in 2026, or $0 with cogvideox-flash. That is an order of magnitude below Western per-second list prices for comparable quality.
Related: Free AI Video Generation API (CogVideoX Flash) · No-Watermark AI Video API: Real Test Results · Seedance 2.5 Native Audio Tutorial
No credit card required. Per-second billing, failure refunds.
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