Cheapest AI video generator: what one finished clip really costs
The cheapest AI video generator is the one with the lowest cost per finished clip at the resolution you publish, plus whatever you pay in months you make nothing. On that measure a one-off credit pack usually beats a monthly plan for anyone who does not render every week. PrismPoster sells no subscription: packs start at €3.99, and purchased credits never expire.
The short answer
Compare the price of one finished clip, not the price of a plan. A $10 plan that you forget to cancel costs $120 a year. A €3.99 pack that you use once costs €3.99. Both are "cheap", but only one is cheap for the way most people actually make video.
Three numbers decide the real price:
- Cost per second at your resolution. Every vendor charges more for 1080p and 4K than for a draft.
- Re-rolls. You rarely keep the first take. Budget for two or three attempts per shot you keep.
- Idle months. A subscription bills whether or not you render. Credits that expire do the same thing more slowly.
What a clip costs on PrismPoster
PrismPoster publishes its full rate card, so the maths is public. Standard video is billed per clip on a 4, 6, 8, 10-second grid:
- A 10-second 360p draft: 60 credits.
- A 10-second 720p clip: 160 credits.
- A 10-second 1080p clip: 250 credits.
- A 10-second 4K clip: 500 credits.
Credits come in one-off packs, with nothing to renew and nothing to cancel:
- Refill: 200 credits, €3.99
- Spark: 650 credits, €9.99
- Flare: 1,450 credits, €21.99
- Plus: 2,800 credits, €41.99
- Power: 5,800 credits, €85.99
- Studio: 13,000 credits, €191.99
Checkout shows your local currency. As of 30 September 2026 that puts a ten-second 1080p clip at about €4.99 on the smallest pack and about €3.69 on the largest. A ten-second 360p draft is about €1.20 on the smallest pack, which is why drafting cheaply and re-rendering only the keepers is the biggest saving available.
New accounts in many countries also get free starter credits, which expire 24 hours after they are granted. Free accounts render at 360p or 720p with a visible AI-generated label, and may use the result commercially. Any pack, even the €3.99 Refill, adds 1080p, 4K and the Premium engine, and removes the label from your own work.
Subscription or credit pack: which is cheaper?
Most AI video generators sell credits mainly through monthly plans. We read the pricing pages of the main vendors on 21 September 2026:
- Runway: Standard is $12 a month billed yearly, or $15 monthly, for 625 credits.
- Pika: Starter is $10 a month for 900 credits; the commercial licence starts on Creator at $35 a month.
- Vidu: Standard is $8 a month billed yearly, or $10 monthly, for 800 credits.
- Luma Dream Machine: no free plan; Plus is $30 a month.
- Higgsfield: Starter is €19 a month for 270 credits.
Credits are not comparable across vendors, because each one prices a second of video differently. Only a vendor that publishes a per-clip rate can be compared clip for clip, and on the pages we read, PrismPoster and Higgsfield's calculator were the only ones that did.
What you can compare is the shape of the bill:
- If you render most weeks, a monthly plan's allowance can work out cheaper per credit, provided you use it before it resets.
- If you make a campaign one month and nothing the next, a plan charges you for the empty months. A pack whose credits never expire charges you only for what you make.
- If you only need a few clips, the smallest one-off purchase is the real entry price. On PrismPoster that is €3.99, not a monthly fee.
How to spend less on every clip
- Draft at 360p. Find the shot at the cheapest rung, then re-render only the takes you keep at 1080p or 4K.
- Use the shortest length that works. Cost scales with seconds, so a 6-second shot costs less than a 10-second one you trim.
- Start from an image. Animating a still you already like takes fewer re-rolls than describing a scene from nothing. The image-to-video tool is built for this.
- Write a precise prompt. Camera movement, subject action and lighting in one sentence each cut failed takes. The free image-to-video prompt generator writes one for you.
- Buy credits that do not expire. Then an unused balance is still yours next month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest AI video generator?
It depends on how often you render. For occasional use, the cheapest option is one where you can buy a small amount of credit once and keep it. PrismPoster packs start at €3.99 with no subscription, and purchased credits never expire. For daily use, compare the cost per finished clip at your resolution across the vendors that publish one.
Is there a free AI video generator?
Several have free tiers, but most free output carries a watermark and many free tiers withhold commercial use. PrismPoster gives starter credits to new accounts in many countries, valid for 24 hours, and free output may be used commercially with its visible AI label on.
How much does a 10-second AI video cost?
On PrismPoster a ten-second clip is 60 credits at 360p, 160 at 720p, 250 at 1080p and 500 at 4K. In euros that is roughly €1.20 to €9.98 on the smallest pack, and less on larger packs. Most other vendors do not publish a per-clip price.
Is a subscription cheaper than paying per clip?
Only if you use the allowance before it resets. A plan is cheaper per credit for steady weekly use and more expensive for anyone whose output comes in bursts. Which AI video generators work without a subscription compares who sells one-off credits and whether they expire.
Competitor figures were read on each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026 and change often; check the vendor's page before you buy. PrismPoster figures are as of 30 September 2026.
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