AI Video Cost Calculator
Quick answer: total minutes = videos per month × average length. Under 10 minutes a month a free tier is enough; from roughly 200 to 600 minutes the $29 to $59 tiers of Pictory or HeyGen cover most solo creators. Enter your numbers below to see the exact plans that fit.
Every plan in the calculator
| Tool and plan | Style | Minutes / month | Price / month | Cost per minute | Price read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesia Basic (free) Watermarked, 10 min of video or dubbing per month | AI avatar | 10 | $0 | $0 | 2 Oct 2026 |
| HeyGen Free 3 videos per month, up to 1 min each | AI avatar | 3 | $0 | $0 | 14 Oct 2026 |
| HeyGen Creator 600 credits; 1 credit generates up to 1 min, so this is a ceiling | AI avatar | 600 | $29 | $0.048 | 14 Oct 2026 |
| HeyGen Pro 1,000 credits; 1 credit generates up to 1 min, so this is a ceiling | AI avatar | 1,000 | $49 | $0.049 | 14 Oct 2026 |
| HeyGen Business 1,500 credits; extra seats $20/seat/mo | AI avatar | 1,500 | $149 | $0.099 | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Pictory Starter 200 video minutes/month, billed monthly | Script to video | 200 | $29 | $0.145 | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Pictory Professional 600 video minutes/month, billed monthly | Script to video | 600 | $59 | $0.098 | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Pictory Team 1,800 video minutes/month shared across seats, billed monthly | Script to video | 1,800 | $199 | $0.111 | 8 Oct 2026 |
USD list prices on monthly billing, read from each vendor's official pricing page on the dates shown. HeyGen credits are treated as minutes because one credit generates up to one minute, which makes those allowances an upper bound. Pictory is metered in video minutes. Check the live page before buying.
How to read the result
Cost per minute is the plan price divided by its monthly allowance. It tells you the price if you use every minute, so it flatters big plans you would not fill. The calculator therefore ranks by total monthly price among plans that actually cover your need, not by cost per minute.
Avatar tools and script-to-video tools are different products. Compare Synthesia vs HeyGen for presenter videos, or read the Pictory review if you turn blog posts into video. For a wider view, see the best AI video generators of 2026.
FAQ
- How many minutes of AI video do I need per month?
- Multiply videos per month by average length in minutes. Eight 3-minute videos a month is 24 minutes. Add 20 to 30 percent if you regenerate scenes or re-render, because most plans count every generated minute, not only the minutes you publish.
- Which AI video plan is cheapest for a small channel?
- Under 10 minutes a month, the free tiers cover you (Synthesia Basic gives 10 minutes with a watermark). Above that, the cheapest paid plans in this calculator are the $29/month tiers from HeyGen and Pictory, which differ more in output style than in price.
- Are the prices in this calculator current?
- Each row shows the date we read the price on the vendor page, between 2 and 14 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so use the source link to confirm before buying.
- Why does the calculator leave some tools out?
- It only includes plans whose monthly allowance is published in video minutes or in credits that map to minutes. Tools that meter by credits without a published conversion, such as InVideo AI, are left out rather than guessed.
- Does annual billing change the result?
- Yes, annual billing is usually cheaper per month. This calculator uses monthly-billing list prices so every plan is compared on the same basis. See each tool page for the annual rate.