If you generate AI video regularly, the bill adds up fast, and the same model can cost very different amounts depending on where you run it. I checked the public prices for the same models at the same settings on four platforms: Higgsfield, Runway and fal, which many creators and developers use, and PopNow.
Disclosure up front: I work on PopNow, so read the numbers with that in mind. Every competitor price below comes from that platform's own public pricing page, and you can check each one yourself.
How the comparison works
- One row is one generation: a 5-second clip for video models, one image for image models, same model, same resolution, same audio setting.
- Only public, self-serve prices count. Runway and fal use their public API prices. For Higgsfield I take the higher of its API list price and its cheapest monthly plan that includes the model.
- PopNow is priced with its biggest-bonus credit pack: the Pro pack, $100 for 112,000 credits, which includes 12,000 bonus credits.
- Prices were checked on October 31, 2026. They change often, so confirm on each site before you buy.
Video: one 5-second clip
| Model · setting | PopNow | Higgsfield | Runway | fal | Saving up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 (Hailuo) 2K | $0.26 | $0.65 | $0.75 | $0.65 | 65% |
| MiniMax H3 768p | $0.17 | — | $0.50 | $0.30 | 67% |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p | $0.11 | — | $0.35 | $0.36 | 69% |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast 720p | $0.43 | $0.59 | $1.20 | $1.21 | 64% |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | $0.71 | $1.51 | $1.50 | $1.52 | 53% |
| Seedance 2.0 1080p | $1.74 | $3.40 | $2.00 | $3.41 | 49% |
| Seedance 2.5 720p | $1.24 | $2.31 | $1.50 | $2.36 | 47% |
| Seedance 2.5 1080p | $3.05 | $5.69 | $3.40 | $5.82 | 47% |
| Kling 3.0 1080p | $0.60 | $0.84 | $0.85 | $0.84 | 29% |
"—" means the platform does not offer that model or setting.
What stands out:
- MiniMax H3 has the widest gap: a 2K five-second clip is $0.26 on PopNow and $0.65 or more elsewhere, so the same budget buys about 2.5 times as many clips.
- Seedance 2.0 costs about $1.50 per 720p clip on the other three platforms; PopNow is under half that. Seedance 2.5 is over 40% below Higgsfield and fal.
- Not every model is half price. Runway is relatively close on Seedance 2.5 (10 to 20% apart) and Kling 3.0 is 29% apart, so check the models you actually use.
Images: one image
| Model · setting | PopNow | Higgsfield | Runway | fal | Saving up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2 · 1K | $0.048 | $0.098 | $0.070 | $0.080 | 51% |
| Nano Banana Pro · 4K | $0.17 | $0.20 | $0.40 | — | 57% |
| Seedream 5.0 Pro · 1K | $0.032 | — | $0.050 | $0.068 | 52% |
| Seedream 5.0 Pro · 2K | $0.064 | — | $0.090 | $0.14 | 52% |
| GPT Image 2.5 · 4K medium | $0.032 | — | $0.050 | — | 35% |
A few cents per image sounds trivial until you batch hundreds of product shots or thumbnails.
A monthly example
Say you make 30 Seedance 2.0 720p clips (5 seconds each) and 300 Nano Banana 2 images at 1K every month:
- fal: 30 × $1.52 + 300 × $0.080 = $69.60 a month
- Higgsfield: 30 × $1.51 + 300 × $0.098 = $74.70 a month
- PopNow: 30 × $0.71 + 300 × $0.048 = $35.70 a month
That is roughly $400 a year compared with fal. PopNow also sells one-time credit packs with no subscription, and credits do not expire, so a quiet month costs nothing.
Price protection
PopNow calls itself the first AI platform with price protection: if you find the same generation cheaper on Higgsfield, Runway or fal, it pays you twice the difference. The terms are specific, and worth reading before you count on it:
- Only those three platforms, and only their standard public self-serve prices. Promotions, coupon codes, subscription bonus credits and enterprise rates do not count.
- Same model, same version and same settings (resolution, duration, audio).
- Claim within 7 days with your task ID, the other platform's pricing page and a dated snapshot. Every claim is checked by a person.
- Paid as bonus credits (or API balance for API generations) valid for 90 days, up to $20 a month and no more than 10% of what you paid that month. Only successful generations paid with purchased credits count.
Summary
- Same model, same setting: up to 69% less on PopNow in this snapshot. The biggest gaps are on MiniMax H3 and Seedance 2.0, often half or more.
- Seedance 2.5 and Kling 3.0 users save less; check your own tier.
- The live table with every source link is at popnow.ai/compare, and the data is on Hugging Face as popnow/ai-model-prices if you want to run your own numbers.
Disclosure: I work on PopNow. Competitor prices are their own published prices; please verify them yourself.
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