Originally published at news.skila.ai
A 5-second AI-generated video clip costs $0.25 on Google Veo 3.1 Lite. The same clip on Veo Standard costs $2.00. On OpenAI Sora, it costs nothing — because Sora no longer exists.
The AI video generation market just reshuffled entirely in the span of two weeks. Google launched Veo 3.1 Lite on March 31 at $0.05 per second for 720p. Today, April 7, Veo 3.1 Fast drops to $0.10 per second — a 33% price cut from $0.15. Meanwhile, OpenAI announced on March 24 that Sora is shutting down, with the app closing April 26 and the API following in September.
Google now owns every price tier of AI video generation. And the gap between cheapest and most expensive is 12x within Google's own product line.
The Full Pricing Breakdown: Every AI Video Model Ranked by Cost
Here is what every major AI video generator actually costs per second of output, as of April 7, 2026. No subscription math. No credit conversions. Just raw per-second API pricing.
| Model | Cost/sec (720p) | Cost/sec (1080p) | Audio | Max Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hailuo 2.3 Standard | $0.047 | — | No | 6s |
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.05 | $0.08 | Yes | 8s |
| Runway Gen-4 Turbo | $0.05 | $0.05 | No | 10s |
| Veo 3.1 Fast (after Apr 7) | $0.10 | $0.12 | Yes | 8s |
| Runway Gen-4.5 | $0.12 | $0.12 | No | 10s |
| Kling 3.0 Pro (fal.ai) | $0.224 | $0.224 | Yes ($0.28) | 15s |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | — | $0.40 | Yes | 8s |
| Veo 3.1 Standard (4K) | — | — | Yes | 8s ($0.60/sec) |
| OpenAI Sora | Discontinued March 24, 2026 |
The cheapest option with native audio is Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05/sec. That matters. Audio is the feature most video generators still charge extra for or skip entirely.
What $100 Gets You on Each Platform
| Platform | Seconds of Video | Clips (5s each) | Resolution | Audio Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hailuo 2.3 | 2,128s | 425 | 768p | No |
| Veo 3.1 Lite | 2,000s | 400 | 720p | Yes |
| Runway Gen-4 Turbo | 2,000s | 400 | 720p | No |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 1,000s | 200 | 720p | Yes |
| Runway Gen-4.5 | 833s | 166 | 1080p | No |
| Kling 3.0 Pro | 446s | 89 | 1080p | Yes (at $0.28) |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | 250s | 50 | 1080p | Yes |
Veo 3.1 Lite gives you 400 five-second clips with audio for $100. Veo Standard gives you 50. Same company. Same API. 8x difference.
Why Google Killed Its Own Price Point
Google now has three tiers competing against each other inside the same Gemini API. That looks chaotic from the outside. From the inside, it is a classic market capture strategy.
Veo 3.1 Lite targets indie developers and prototypers who need cheap, fast iteration. At $0.05/sec for 720p, it undercuts Runway Gen-4 Turbo on the one feature that matters — native audio. You can generate a video with a soundtrack without stitching audio in post.
Veo 3.1 Fast, with today's price cut to $0.10/sec at 720p, targets mid-tier production teams. The quality jump from Lite to Fast is noticeable — sharper motion, better temporal coherence, fewer artifacts on camera movement.
Veo 3.1 Standard at $0.40/sec (1080p with audio) and $0.60/sec (4K) targets enterprise clients and advertising agencies where a single video might be worth thousands in ad spend. The 4K tier is unique — no other API-accessible model offers true 4K output right now.
The Sora Factor: OpenAI's $1M/Day Mistake
OpenAI shut down Sora on March 24. The numbers explain why. Sora was burning roughly $1 million per day in compute costs. User count peaked around one million, then collapsed to under 500,000.
The business math never worked. At $1M/day and 500K users, OpenAI was spending $2 per user per day — before those users generated a single video.
Disney had committed $1 billion to an OpenAI partnership centered on Sora. They found out about the shutdown less than an hour before the public announcement. The deal collapsed.
Sora's app closes April 26. The API shuts down September 24. If you have content on Sora, export it now.
The Real Cost: 100 Videos Per Week
| Platform | Cost/clip (5s, 720p) | Weekly (100 clips) | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.25 | $25 | $100 |
| Runway Gen-4 Turbo | $0.25 | $25 | $100 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.50 | $50 | $200 |
| Kling 3.0 Pro (fal.ai) | $1.12 | $112 | $448 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard (1080p) | $2.00 | $200 | $800 |
| Veo 3.1 Standard (4K) | $3.00 | $300 | $1,200 |
Quality vs. Price: When to Use Each Tier
Use Veo 3.1 Lite ($0.05/sec) when:
- Prototyping video concepts before committing to full production
- Social media stories and posts where 720p is sufficient (Instagram Stories, TikTok drafts)
- High-volume A/B testing of video ad concepts
Use Veo 3.1 Fast ($0.10/sec) when:
- Final social media posts for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels
- Product demo videos for landing pages
- Any public-facing content where motion quality matters
Use Veo 3.1 Standard ($0.40-$0.60/sec) when:
- Paid advertising (the 4K output makes a visible difference)
- Brand content that lives on a homepage or investor deck
- Any context where video quality directly impacts revenue
Use Kling 3.0 or Hailuo when:
- You need clips longer than 8 seconds without stitching
- Budget is the absolute top priority
The Verdict
If you are prototyping or creating social content: Veo 3.1 Lite. No contest. $0.05/sec with audio is the cheapest full-featured option available.
If you are producing client-facing content: Veo 3.1 Fast. The quality bump from Lite is worth the 2x premium, and today's price cut makes it competitive with Runway Gen-4.5 while including audio.
If you need clips longer than 8 seconds: Kling 3.0. The 15-second cap saves on stitching costs and complexity.
If you were using Sora: switch to Veo. Export your Sora content before April 26.
Full article with pricing tables and decision framework: news.skila.ai
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