Cheap AI Video Generator: Start Free, Then Compare Real Costs

"Cheap" in AI video depends on how you count. A plan that costs $8 a month can be the cheapest option in the world or an expensive one, depending on whether you actually use its credits. We sell clips at a flat $1 each with no subscription, so we have a stake in this question, and we will still tell you when a competitor is cheaper. Below is a practical way to find a cheap AI video generator for your usage, with per-clip numbers from pricing pages as of September 2026. To test quality before you spend anything, try 3 free videos here after signup.

The cheapest price per clip, if you use every credit

On paper, from low to high, for a single short clip:

• Hailuo Standard ($7.99, 1,000 credits): about $0.10 per 512p 6 s clip, $0.40-$0.64 at 1080p (third-party data).
• Kling Standard ($10, 660 credits): about $0.45 per 5 s 720p clip, $0.61 at 1080p (third-party guide).
• Dreamina (Seedance): about $0.60 per 6 s 720p draft (third-party test).
• generatorvideo.ai / DollarVid: $1 per clip flat.
• Pika Starter: about $1.35 for a 5 s Seedance 2.5 720p clip.
• Runway Standard: about $1.44 per 5 s Gen-4.5 clip.

So yes: several subscriptions beat $1 per clip on paper.

The number that matters: cost per clip you keep

Two things push real prices up. First, unused credits: plan credits on Kling, Hailuo, Runway and Pika don't roll over, so a half-used month doubles your effective price. Second, rerolls: if you keep one clip out of three attempts, triple the figure. A Kling Standard subscriber who uses half the credits and keeps one in three is paying about $2.70 per usable clip. On a flat $1 model the same habits cost $3 per keeper, but you never pay for unused months.

Tip for lowering rerolls anywhere: write the subject, action, setting, camera move and lighting explicitly. Our prompt enhancer does this expansion for you.

Cheap AI video generator options compared

A quick way to decide

• More than about 25 clips every month, steadily? A low-cost subscription like Kling or Hailuo is probably cheapest.
• Fewer than 20, or uneven months? Pay-per-video usually costs less in total because nothing expires.
• Need 1080p or audio specifically? Budget more on most platforms, where those options cost extra credits. Here, sound is included in the flat $1.

Worked example: 20 clips for a week of Shorts is a $20 top-up here. On Hailuo you could make those at 512p for under $8, if you are happy with 512p and use the plan again next month. Neither is wrong; they fit different people.

What $1 buys on generatorvideo.ai

One 3-30 second clip from text or an image, on Turbo or Pro (same price), with sound on or off, downloaded as MP4 without a watermark in a social preset: TikTok/Reels/Shorts 9:16, YouTube or X 16:9, square 1:1, portrait 4:5 or Pinterest 2:3. Clips are public in our feed by default and can be Unpublished anytime. For more on skipping plans, see AI video generator with no subscription, or compare the plans behind the numbers in Kling pricing and Hailuo pricing. Make a clip for $0 with your free videos.