Pricing for self-serve users and enterprise buyers

Per-Second Pricing

US Video API uses simple, usage-based pricing for self-serve accounts. You pay for exactly what you generate, billed per second of video output at your chosen resolution. No monthly fees, no seat licensing, and no contract required to start.

Both text-to-video and image-to-video are billed at the same rate. Uploading a source image for image-to-video carries no additional cost — you only pay for the video output.

Which path should you actually take?

Most confusion on AI pricing pages comes from pretending every buyer is the same. They are not. This page should help you decide which path matches your real buying motion.

Cost Comparison with Alternatives

How does US Video API compare to other AI video generation services? Here is a direct cost comparison for a standard 720p, 5-second video clip:

Volume Discounts

Teams generating at scale receive automatic volume discounts based on monthly spend. Discounts apply to all resolutions and are calculated on a rolling 30-day basis:

Volume discounts are applied automatically for standard self-serve tiers. For spend above $5,000/month, or for teams that need procurement support, higher concurrency, or launch planning, move into the enterprise evaluation path.

Cost Scenarios

What does AI video generation actually cost in practice? Here are real-world scenarios to help you budget:

Compare these costs to traditional video production: a single 30-second commercial can cost $5,000–$50,000+ with a production crew, actors, equipment, and post-production. AI video generation does not replace all professional production, but for product videos, social content, ad creative testing, and visual prototyping, the economics are dramatically different.

Enterprise Evaluation

Enterprise is not just a bigger self-serve wallet. It is a separate buying motion for organizations with significant volume, support requirements, or procurement overhead. Typical reasons to switch paths include:

• Custom volume pricing — Negotiated per-second rates for high-volume accounts
• Invoice billing — NET 30 terms with standard vendor onboarding (W-9, tax ID, insurance certificates available)
• Dedicated support — Private Slack channel with direct access to our Houston-based engineering team
• Custom SLA — 99.9% uptime guarantee with account credits for any downtime
• Higher rate limits — Up to 50+ concurrent generation jobs
• Data isolation — Your prompts and outputs are never used for model training or shared with other customers
• Priority queue — Enterprise jobs receive priority in the generation queue during high-demand periods

Contact the enterprise page or email [email protected] to discuss fit.

How Billing Works

US Video API uses a prepaid balance model. Here is how it works:

1. Add funds — Top up prepaid balance from your dashboard. The current minimum self-serve top-up is $5.00.
2. Generate videos — Each generation deducts from your balance based on resolution and duration. You see the exact cost before confirming each job.
3. Monitor usage — Track spending in real-time from your dashboard or via the public /v1/account endpoint.
4. Top up as needed — Add more funds at any time. Set up low-balance email alerts to avoid interruptions.

Failed generations are not charged. If a job fails due to a server-side error, the cost is automatically refunded to your balance. Cancelled jobs that have not started rendering are also refunded.

No Hidden Costs

We believe in transparent pricing. Here is what is included at no extra charge:

• Image uploads — Uploading source images for image-to-video is free
• API access — No monthly platform fee or API access charge
• Video hosting — Generated videos are hosted for 72 hours at no cost
• SDK and documentation — Full API docs, Python/Node.js/Go SDKs included
• Support — Email support is included for all accounts; Slack/phone for enterprise

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free trial?

We do not position self-serve as a free-output product. Use the docs and API structure to evaluate integration shape, then add prepaid balance when you are ready to generate real output. Enterprise buyers can discuss evaluation requirements directly with us.

What happens if my balance runs out?

New generation requests will return a 402 Payment Required error. Any in-progress jobs will complete normally. Your account, API keys, and job history remain intact. Simply add funds to resume generating.

Can I get a refund on unused balance?

Yes. Unused prepaid balance can be refunded within 90 days of deposit. Contact our support team to process a refund.

Do prices ever change?

We aim to keep pricing stable or lower over time as model costs decrease. Any price changes are communicated 30 days in advance via email. Enterprise contracts lock in rates for the contract term.

When should I stop using self-serve and talk to enterprise?

Move to the enterprise path when any of these become real: you need invoice billing, you expect launch-day bursts, you need clearer support routing, you need procurement paperwork, or the workflow is attached to a business-critical deadline.