Answer: a thirty-second AI video costs between about $0.30 and $6.30 depending on model and resolution — $0.60 for MiniMax H3 at 480p across two 15-second jobs, $1.80 for Kling 4.0 at 720p in one job, $3.60 for Seedance 2.5 at 720p, and $6.30 for H3 at 1080p in Callirra. Only some models render thirty seconds in a single take.
The duration ceiling is the part a price list hides. A per-second rate looks comparable until one model stops at ten seconds and the other runs to thirty, at which point you are comparing a shot to a sequence.
The table
| Model | 480p | 720p | 1080p | Single 30 s take? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 | $0.30 | $0.60 | $0.90 | no (15 s max) |
| Seedance 2.5 | $1.50 | $3.60 | $6.30 | yes |
| Kling 4.0 | — | $1.80 | $2.67 | yes |
| Seedance 2.0 | $3.00 | $6.30 | $15.60 | no |
| Kling 4.0 video-to-video | — | $1.06 | $1.61 | yes |
Prices are settlement values at one credit = $0.01, for thirty seconds of output with audio where the model generates it. Higher plans lower every row proportionally, because they lower the price of a credit.
The two cheapest ways to get thirty seconds
MiniMax H3 at 480p — $0.30, in two takes. H3 caps at fifteen seconds, so thirty seconds is two renders joined in the edit: 15 s × 1 credit × 2 = 30 credits. The catch is the join, and 480p is not a delivery resolution.
Kling 4.0 at 720p — $1.80 in one job. Six credits a second for thirty seconds, with sound generated in the same render. It is six times H3's price, and it is one continuous take at a resolution people actually publish.
That comparison is the whole market in miniature: the cheapest per-second rate and the cheapest usable thirty seconds are different answers.
What the ceiling means in practice
| If the model stops at | You produce | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| 15 s | two takes plus a join | the same rate, twice |
| 10 s | three takes, two joins | the same rate, three times |
| 30 s | one take, no join | the rate, once |
The join is not free: it is an edit decision, a continuity risk, and another file to keep track of. Models with a 30-second ceiling are usually worth a small per-second premium when the shot genuinely needs to be continuous.
Resolution is the bigger lever than model choice
Compare the extremes: H3 at 480p is $0.30 for thirty seconds; Seedance 2.0 at 1080p is $15.60 for the same duration. That is a 52× spread, and most of it is resolution, not model.
Which suggests the ordering that actually saves money:
- Decide the delivery resolution first — 480p, 720p, 1080p.
- Among the models that offer it, pick the one with the duration ceiling you need.
- Only then compare per-second rates.
Doing it in the other order is how people end up with a cheap 480p plan they cannot deliver.
Where this table goes wrong
- Reference inputs. Video references add an input-duration charge on some routes; the table is output-only.
- Failed renders. Those release their reservation, so the table is a cost of finished work, not of attempts.
- Plan pricing. Settlement value is not your rate. Yearly top-plan credits are roughly a third cheaper per credit.
- Quality. Cheapest is not best; a $0.30 clip you cannot use costs more than a $1.80 clip you can.
FAQ
What is the absolute cheapest thirty seconds? MiniMax H3 at 480p: 30 credits, $0.30, as two fifteen-second jobs.
What is the cheapest single 30-second take? Kling 4.0 at 720p: 180 credits, $1.80.
Do these prices include audio? On Kling 4.0, H3 and Seedance 2.5, yes — audio is generated with the clip.
Why is 1080p so much more? Because it is priced per second at a higher rate, and thirty seconds multiplies that rate thirty times.
The per-second tables behind every row are on Callirra's credit-cost page, with model-specific detail on the Kling 4.0 page. If you find a cheaper thirty seconds that is also deliverable, that is the number worth publishing.
Top comments (3)
The duration ceiling is the part a price list hides — comparing a 10s model to a 30s model per second is comparing a shot to a sequence.
H3 needing two 15s takes vs Kling 4.0 doing 30s in one job is the clearest example of why the join matters as much as the rate.
The table finally puts the 30-second question in one place; the H3 480p vs Kling 720p trade is the one most people actually face.