What counts as one video on an AI video generator's pricing page?

Each tool defines it on its own pricing page. As of September 2026, Pika counts a 5-second 720p clip; Higgsfield's plan cards, checked November 8, 2026, estimate 5-second videos at 480p; Hailuo counts a 6-second clip on its 2.x models, Runway's plan cards state seconds, Arcads' help center, read November 7, 2026, charges 800 credits for a talking-actor video of up to 2 minutes, and Riffkit counts one finished 15-second video as its unit while billing per second. So "N videos a month" is only comparable once you convert it into seconds of finished video at the resolution you would post.

How do I compare AI video plans that count videos differently?

Convert every plan into the same unit: seconds of finished video at the resolution you would actually post. Then divide the plan price by how many of your ads those seconds make. If a tool's unit is shorter than your ad, one ad uses several units; if it rounds length up, charge each ad at the rounded length; if its count assumes a lower resolution than yours, redo the math at your resolution.

Why do some AI video plans show many more videos for the same price?

Usually because each "video" is shorter. A plan that counts 5-second clips shows about three times as many videos as one that counts 15-second videos for the same footage. Some comparison tables also count videos per year, so check the period before comparing with a monthly price. None of that changes how much usable video you can post; it only changes the number on the page.

Does Arcads round video length up to a full minute?

It depends on the model. As of November 7, 2026, Arcads' help center charges 800 credits for an Arcads 1.0 talking-actor video of up to 2 minutes, and 800 credits per started minute on Audio-Driven and OmniHuman 1.5. Either way, a 15-second ad uses the same credits as a 60-second one. Arcads does not publish dollar prices publicly; they are shown after you create an account.

How many 15-second videos does a Riffkit plan make?

Per month on monthly billing: Lite ($15) makes 2 on Seedance 2.0 at 720p or 5 on MiniMax H3; Creator ($39) makes 5 or 13; Studio ($99) makes 14 or 36. Counts assume 720p on Seedance and 768P on H3, not 480p. Billing is per second, so shorter videos use less and a 30-second video uses about two videos' worth.

If my video is shorter than 15 seconds, does it still count as a whole video?

Not on Riffkit. The 15-second video is a way to count what a plan buys, not a charge per video: billing is per second at the engine's rate, so a 9-second riff bills 9 seconds. On tools that charge per fixed-length clip or round up to a minute, a shorter video can cost the same as a longer one, so check the rounding rule before you compare.

Do failed AI video generations cost credits?

It varies by tool, so check before you buy. Hailuo's FAQ says failed generations are not charged. On Riffkit, a run that produces no video costs nothing, and if a longer video fails partway only the seconds already rendered are billed. Takes that render successfully are billed, whether or not you post them.

What Counts as "One Video" on an AI Video Pricing Page?

"50 videos a month" and "10 videos a month" can buy the same amount of footage. AI video pricing pages count in units they define themselves, and the unit is rarely the same thing twice: a five-second clip on one tool, a 15-second ad on another, a talking-actor minute, rounded up, on a third. Before you compare plans, convert every "video" into seconds of finished footage at the resolution you'd actually post. Then the numbers mean something.

This guide shows the three things hiding inside the word "video", what the main tools count as one, and how to put any plan into the same unit in about a minute.

The three variables inside "one video"

Every per-video number on a pricing page is a product of three choices the vendor made for you:

Length. How many seconds one unit produces. Short-form ad creative usually runs 9 to 30 seconds; many tools define a unit as a clip of 4 to 10 seconds.
Resolution. The same seconds cost very different amounts at 480p and 1080p. A count quoted at the lowest tier is not what you get at the tier you'd post.
Rounding. Whether a 12-second ad is charged as 12 seconds, as one fixed-length clip, or as a full minute.

Change any of the three and the count changes, while the amount of usable video you can post stays the same.

What each tool counts as one video

Here is what the main tools' own pricing and help pages count as a unit, read on September 25, 2026. Pricing pages change often, so treat this as a snapshot and check the live page before you buy.

Tool	What one unit is	Resolution the count assumes	How length is billed
Pika	a 5-second clip	720p in the plan's own counts	a fixed charge per clip
Hailuo (MiniMax)	a 6-second clip on Hailuo 2.x (10-second clips from the Pro plan up); H3 is sold by the second	768p by default	per clip on 2.x, per second on H3
Higgsfield	plan cards list monthly credits and estimate videos per model; checked November 8, 2026, the Plus and Ultra estimates read "Calculated for 480p, 5-second videos"; the comparison table, in its default annual view, counts per year, not per month	480p on the cards	credits per clip
Arcads	a talking-actor video of up to 2 minutes at 800 credits, or per started minute on some models, checked November 7, 2026 (dollar prices are shown only after you sign up)	not stated	a 15-second ad costs the same as a 60-second one
Kling	seconds, in clips of 3 to 30 seconds on Kling 4.0 (3 to 15 on Kling 3.0), checked November 7, 2026	720p in the quoted rate; on Kling 3.0 native audio costs more, while Kling's API price list has no audio tier for 4.0	per second; on the Kling 4.0 API, an input video adds billed seconds (output x 2, or input + output if the input is longer)
Runway	plan cards state seconds; the comparison table's "videos" are per year	varies by model	credits per clip (4 or 5 seconds, by model)
Hypit	"videos" per plan; the pricing page doesn't state their length	not stated on the pricing page	credits per second, by model
Riffkit	one finished 15-second video	720p on Seedance, 768P on MiniMax H3, never 480p	per second, so 9 seconds bills 9

Two patterns stand out. Four of these tools count a clip of about 5 seconds (4 to 6), so one 15-second ad takes about three of them. And two comparison tables (Higgsfield's, in its default annual view, and Runway's) count videos per year, so check the period before you set them against a monthly price. Where a resolution is stated it is usually 720p; posting at a higher resolution usually costs more.

How to convert any plan

Pick your real format first: how long your ads run, and the resolution you'd post. Then:

1. Seconds the plan buys at your resolution ÷ your ad length = ads a month.

2. Plan price ÷ ads a month = cost per ad.

If a tool's unit is shorter than your ad, you need several units per ad, so divide its count accordingly. If it rounds up, charge every ad at the rounded length. If the count on the page assumes the lowest resolution, redo it at yours. Now two plans are in the same unit and you can compare them.

A worked example with made-up numbers. A plan says "60 videos a month" and each video is a 5-second clip at 720p. That is 300 seconds of footage, which makes 20 fifteen-second ads, not 60. A second plan says "10 videos a month" of 15 seconds each at 720p: that is 150 seconds, 10 ads. On the page the first plan looks six times bigger; in 15-second ads at 720p it is twice as big. If you post at 1080p, redo both at 1080p before comparing: when a 1080p clip costs twice the credits, each plan's count halves.

Do this for the two or three plans you are actually choosing between, at your length and your resolution, and write the result down as cost per ad. That one number is what you are comparing.

What that gives on Riffkit

We count one video as one finished 15-second video, and bill per second at the engine's rate: a 9-second riff bills 9 seconds, a 30-second riff about two videos' worth. It's a way to count, not a length cap.

Plan	Price	15-second videos a month	Per 15 seconds of video
Lite	$15/mo	2 on Seedance 2.0 720p · 5 on MiniMax H3	about $7.50 · $3
Creator	$39/mo	5 · 13	about $7.31 · $2.93
Studio	$99/mo	14 · 36	about $6.75 · $2.70

Yearly billing lowers each of those. Counts round down to whole videos, while the last column uses the exact seconds: Creator buys 80 seconds on Seedance 2.0, about 5.3 videos' worth. The counts assume 720p on Seedance and 768P on H3; 480p is there for drafts.

To be plain about where this lands: on the same engine, per second, Riffkit often costs more than buying generations directly. The conversion above is meant to let you see that clearly, not to hide it. What the extra buys is the way of working: you start from a winning short video (a TikTok link or an upload), the structure is rebuilt around your product in minutes, and nothing needs setting up. Whether that's worth it depends on how you make videos, which is a separate question from how many seconds a plan buys.

What the conversion still doesn't capture

Seconds per dollar is the right first cut, and three things sit on top of it:

Takes you throw away. Rules for failed generations differ, so check each one (Hailuo's FAQ says they are not charged). On Riffkit a run that produces no video costs nothing, and if a longer video fails partway only the seconds already rendered are billed. Everything that renders is billed, whether you post it or not.
Extra aspect ratios. A second ratio of the same video is another render, and on Riffkit it is billed at a higher per-second rate than the first (on Seedance 2.0 at 720p, 120 credits a second where a new render is 100, so a 15-second extra ratio costs as much as 18 seconds of new video). Count it in the budget if you post to more than one placement.
Rights. Check whether commercial and paid-ad use is included. On Riffkit you can use what you make commercially, including in ads.

A two-minute checklist

Find the seconds per unit. If it isn't stated, look at the generation screen or ask support.
Find the resolution the count assumes.
Find the rounding rule and whether failed takes cost credits.
Convert to your ad length and your resolution.
Only then compare plans.

If rounding is the part you're unsure about, what Arcads' pricing actually means for short ads walks through a 15-second example. If you're ready to see a plan in your own units, the pricing page lists every engine's per-second rate, or you can start with a winning template.