What’s the cheapest AI video generator?
The cheapest per clip is $0.06 per 5-second clip (Grok Imagine Video (480p) on kie.ai pay-as-you-go API, $0.005/credit, no subscription). Ranking by each app’s lowest 5s cost: kie.ai (API) $0.06; Luma Dream Machine $0.20; Higgsfield $0.21; Runway $0.30; Kling AI $0.30; Pika $0.37. The cheapest to start is kie.ai (API) $5.00 minimum top-up (no subscription). kie.ai is an API (pay per generation), not a consumer app subscription.
Monthly billing, list prices in USD. How we calculate
Disclosure: some links (including Higgsfield and kie.ai) are affiliate links; ClipCost may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects the numbers.
| App | Model | Plan | Plan $/mo | Credits/mo | $ / 5s | $ / 10s | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kie.ai (API) | Grok Imagine Video (480p) | Pay-as-you-go | pay-as-you-go | $5 min top-up | $0.06 | $0.12 | verified | Try it |
| Luma Dream Machine | Ray3.2 (720p SDR) | Ultra | $300.00 | 150,000 | $0.20 | $0.60 | verified | Try it |
| Higgsfield | Minimax Hailuo 2.3 (768p) | Ultra | $129.00 | 3,000 | $0.21 | $0.43 | verified | Try it |
| Runway | Gen-4 Turbo | Max | $95.00 | 9,500 | $0.30 | $0.60 | verified | Try it |
| Luma Dream Machine | Ray3.2 (720p SDR) | Plus | $30.00 | 10,000 | $0.30 | $0.90 | verified | Try it |
| Kling AI | Kling 3.0 (720p, no audio) | Premier 8K | $80.96 | 8,000 | $0.30 | $0.61 | third-party | Try it |
| Higgsfield | Minimax Hailuo 2.3 (768p) | Starter | $19.00 | 270 | $0.35 | $0.70 | verified | Try it |
| Pika | Wan 3.0 (720p) | Starter | $10.00 | 900 | $0.37 | — | verified | Try it |
| Kling AI | Kling 3.0 (720p, no audio) | Standard | $8.80 | 660 | $0.40 | $0.80 | third-party | Try it |
| Runway | Gen-4 Turbo | Standard | $15.00 | 625 | $0.72 | $1.44 | verified | Try it |
Sources
- Runway plans: https://runwayml.com/pricing (verified, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: runwayml.com
- Pika plans: https://pika.art/pricing (verified, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: pika.art
- Luma Dream Machine plans: https://lumalabs.ai/pricing (verified, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: lumalabs.ai
- Kling AI plans: https://klingai.com/membership/membership-plan (official-secondary, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: voyager.so
- Higgsfield plans: https://higgsfield.ai/pricing (verified, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: higgsfield.ai
- kie.ai (API) plans: https://kie.ai/pricing (verified, checked 2026-10-21); model rates: kie.ai, kie.ai, kie.ai, kie.ai, kie.ai
How we calculate: methodology. Full table: tracker.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest AI video generator per clip?
Among the plans ClipCost tracks, the lowest cost is $0.06 per 5-second clip (Grok Imagine Video (480p) on kie.ai pay-as-you-go API, $0.005/credit, no subscription). With annual billing it is $0.06 (Grok Imagine Video (480p) on kie.ai (API) Pay-as-you-go).
What’s the cheapest AI video plan to start with?
Lowest entry price (monthly plan or minimum top-up): kie.ai (API) $5.00 minimum top-up (no subscription); Kling AI Standard $8.80/mo; Pika Starter $10.00/mo; Runway Standard $15.00/mo; Higgsfield Starter $19.00/mo; Luma Dream Machine Plus $30.00/mo.