Google Veo 3 Pricing and API Cost Breakdown

Google Veo 3 video generation through the Gemini Application Programming Interface (API) costs between $0.05 and $0.60 per second depending on model tier and resolution.

Searchers say Veo 3, but the current model in the Gemini API is Veo 3.1. It is Google's video model and has nothing to do with Veo, the sports camera company.

At Layer3Labs, we build workflow automation for small and mid-sized businesses, and when a video step joins one of those workflows, the tier choice matters: Standard costs five times as much per second as Lite at 1080p ($0.40 against $0.08).

Veo 3 Price Per Second and Per Clip

Google Veo 3.1 costs $0.05 to $0.60 per second in the Gemini API, with audio included. An 8-second 1080p clip costs $0.64 on Lite, $0.96 on Fast and $3.20 on Standard.

Video model pricing changes without notice, so verify current figures on the Google Gemini API pricing page before setting project budgets.

Google structures billing around three preview model identifiers: Standard (veo-3.1-generate-preview), Fast (veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview), and Lite (veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview). Rates scale by resolution across 720p, 1080p, and 4K.

• Veo 3.1 Standard: $0.40 per second at 720p and 1080p; $0.60 per second at 4K
• Veo 3.1 Fast: $0.10 per second at 720p; $0.12 per second at 1080p; $0.30 per second at 4K
• Veo 3.1 Lite: $0.05 per second at 720p; $0.08 per second at 1080p; 4K is not supported
• Standard clip cost (8 seconds): $3.20 at 720p or 1080p; $4.80 at 4K
• Fast clip cost (8 seconds): $0.80 at 720p; $0.96 at 1080p; $2.40 at 4K
• Lite clip cost (8 seconds): $0.40 at 720p; $0.64 at 1080p

Generation Constraints and Audio Inclusions

Every video generated by Google Veo 3.1 includes native audio automatically without adding separate billing line items.

The model produces single video clips in lengths of 4, 6, or 8 seconds. Any generation rendered at 1080p or 4K requires an 8-second duration, meaning shorter clips cannot be requested at higher resolutions.

Google bills accounts only when generation completes successfully. If an internal audio processing issue interrupts rendering, Google does not charge the API call.

Output video uses either 16:9 or 9:16 aspect ratios at 24 frames per second. Each clip contains an embedded SynthID digital watermark for verification.

Completed files remain on Google storage servers for 2 days before removal. Systems must download and store finished renders locally within that window.

• Duration choices: 4, 6, or 8 seconds per call (8 seconds mandatory at 1080p and 4K)
• Aspect ratios: 16:9 landscape default and 9:16 vertical portrait
• Billing trigger: charged strictly on successful video completion
• Latency range: 11 seconds minimum to 6 minutes during peak server load
• Retention policy: 2 days of temporary hosting on Google servers

Free Access Limitations and Consumer Accounts

Google does not provide a free tier for any of the three Veo 3.1 model variants in the Gemini API.

The Gemini API pricing page lists the free tier as "Not available" for every Veo 3.1 model.

Consumer access exists within Google applications such as the Gemini web interface. We have not verified consumer subscription plan names, monthly fees, or generation caps, so check Google's Veo page for current consumer access.

Regional restrictions also affect generation parameters. In the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) territories, people generation is restricted to adult subjects via the required adult configuration setting.

Tier Selection for Production Pipelines

Pick a Veo 3.1 tier by resolution, monthly volume, and whether you need reference images or extension.

Google publishes no benchmark data showing visual fidelity differences between tiers. Development teams should run prompt evaluations across tiers rather than assuming Standard looks superior.

Veo 3.1 Lite serves high-volume drafting and storyboarding at $0.08 per second for 1080p. It lacks 4K resolution and cannot accept reference images.

Veo 3.1 Fast functions as the workhorse tier for production applications. It supports up to 3 reference images, video extension, and 4K output while keeping 1080p generation at $0.12 per second.

Veo 3.1 Standard costs $0.40 per second at 1080p, more than triple the price of Fast. Pick Standard only if side-by-side tests on your own prompts show a difference worth $0.28 more per second at 1080p.

Monthly Production Cost Scenarios

A monthly production workload of 100 eight-second clips at 1080p costs $64 on Lite, $96 on Fast, and $320 on Standard.

At 800 total seconds of video (100 clips multiplied by 8 seconds), the $0.04 per second gap between Lite and Fast equals a modest $32 difference. The jump to Standard adds $224 over Fast for the same volume.

Scaling that pipeline to 1,000 clips (8,000 seconds) widens the gap. Fast costs $960 per month at 1080p, whereas Standard reaches $3,200 for the identical runtime.

Video extension introduces additional compute costs on Standard and Fast. Both tiers can extend 720p clips by 7 seconds up to 20 times, reaching a combined length of 148 seconds from inputs generated within the prior 2 days.

Assuming extension seconds bill at the base per-second rate, extending an initial 8-second 720p clip by two 7-second increments to 22 seconds costs $2.20 on Fast ($0.10 per second) and $8.80 on Standard ($0.40 per second). Google does not state how extension seconds are billed, so confirm on the Gemini API pricing page before budgeting long clips.

Alternative Video Model Pricing Comparison

Google's official documentation advises developers to use Gemini Omni Flash as their default video generation model before selecting Veo 3.1.

On Google's video documentation page, Google suggests reserving Veo 3.1 for scene extension, last-frame control, or integration with legacy pipelines. The recommended default model, gemini-omni-1.1-flash, generates 720p video at 5,792 output tokens per second, which the Gemini API pricing page puts at approximately $0.10 per second.

ByteDance sells its Dreamina Seedance video family through BytePlus ModelArk. Dreamina Seedance 2.5 generates clips up to 30 seconds long, with official 5-second sample pricing at $0.231 per second ($1.156) at 720p and $0.569 per second ($2.843) at 1080p.

Seedance 2.5 costs more per second than Veo 3.1 Fast at 720p ($0.231 compared to $0.10) and more than Veo 3.1 Standard at 1080p ($0.569 compared to $0.40). However, Seedance 2.0 Mini lists at $0.08 per second ($0.38 per 5 seconds) at 720p, with an enterprise-only discount through October 7, 2026 lowering it to roughly $0.03 per second.

Application wrappers like Runway sell credit subscriptions rather than direct per-second token fees. Runway offers plans from Standard ($15 per month for 625 credits) to Max ($95 per month for 9,500 credits), running internal models like Gen-4.5 at 60 credits per 5 seconds alongside Seedance 2.0 Pro at 160 credits per 4 seconds.

OpenAI discontinued the Sora web and app experiences on April 26, 2026, and shut down the Sora API on September 24, 2026. Prior to shutdown, third-party trackers reported Sora 2 Standard's last published rate as $0.10 per second at 720p, the same as Veo 3.1 Fast.

Compare complete workflow trade-offs in our analyses of Veo 3 alternatives, Seedance vs Veo, and Sora vs Veo.

Our pick for most production work is Veo 3.1 Fast. If Google added reference images and 4K to Lite, Lite would take that place, because it costs $0.04 less per second at 1080p.

Deployment Planning for Automated Video Pipelines

Development teams deploying automated video generation should benchmark Veo 3.1 Fast against Gemini Omni Flash using representative production prompts.

Measure rendering latency, prompt alignment, and audio synchronization across a sample batch of 20 clips before you wire either model into production code.

To set a budget, multiply your monthly clip count by 8 seconds and by the tier's per-second rate. Confirm that rate on the Gemini API pricing page before you commit spend.