Studio benchmark: 225 credits per 10-second video at 720p (1080p: 330, 4K: 660), in 9:16 or 16:9. About $1.58 on the $7 pack or $1.35 on the $300 pack. Reference video changes the price; see the full grid on /prices. Other Lab models and Workflows vary; check the estimate before you run.
Credits are the usage currency of AI video tools: each generation consumes credits based on model, duration and quality. The mechanics decide your real cost. Three questions expose any tool's pricing: What does one finished video cost in credits? Do credits expire? Is there a subscription gate on top? On v4v: ~225 credits for a 10-second Studio video (≈$1.58), credits never expire, no subscription. Elsewhere, monthly allocations that reset (Higgsfield) or expire on a billing cycle (Creatify) mean slow months burn money silently.
The expiry trap
A '$0.005 per credit' headline means little if unused credits vanish every 60–90 days. Effective per-video cost = money spent ÷ videos actually produced — expiring systems inflate it in any bursty workflow.
Budgeting with credits
Work backward from testing volume: 20 videos/week ≈ 7,000 credits/week on Seedance ≈ $49 — a knowable number before you spend, which is the point of per-node estimates.
Paste a product link. The brief builds itself.
Generate product videos, UGC-style ads and hooks in about 5 minutes.
From $7 · no subscription, ever · credits never expire
FAQs
Why do tools use credits instead of dollars?
Different models cost different amounts to run; credits price each generation honestly without a dozen SKUs.
What happens to unused v4v credits?
Nothing — they wait. That's the design.
Facts checked July 16, 2026. Competitor claims from public pricing pages; verify before relying on them.