AI PRICING INTELLIGENCE
See What AI Really Costs
NotCheapAI tracks advertised prices, credits, limits and hidden usage costs so you can understand what AI tools actually cost before paying.
COST SIGNALConceptual illustration, not price data
Advertised unitsProject cost
Compare AI CostsCompare a complete workflow against your output needs and budget.Compare modelsReal Cost CalculatorsModel project spend, subscriptions and break-even with existing tools.Explore calculatorsAI Price IndexReview provider sources, plan limits, freshness and cost confidence.View price index
AI COST SNAPSHOT
Verified facts. Clear coverage.
The cost engine separates provider pricing from the wider tool directory.
SIGNATURE METHOD
Advertised Cost → NotCheapAI Real Cost
Provider facts stay separate from scenario estimates. A planning result is never presented as an official provider price.
MiniMax H3 Max
480p · Runway API · $0.05 / second
Source and check date are shown in the calculator.NotCheapAI calculation
Volume, retries, existing credits and your budget shape the estimate.
Build a project estimateFROM IDEA TO A WORKABLE PLAN
AI content cost calculator
Plan videos, images and voiceovers. Compare tool costs against your budget.
01
Your project
50%
Your footageFully AI
$USD / month
Already paying for tools?
Capacity and assumptions
API balance is separate from your Runway web subscription. Attempts and 900 characters/min are estimates, not provider guarantees.
Black Forest Labs balance
Image prices are verified. The purchase minimum is not: BFL is excluded until you enter that amount or sufficient existing credit.
Hard requirements
An unverified requirement excludes a tool from recommendations.
Budget Rescue
The remaining content uses your footage. Rescue never reduces output count, duration or attempts.
02
Your workflow
Live estimateBUDGET RESCUEEstimate
Your goal is still within reach.
With 25% AI video and the same output count and duration.
$36.90additional / month
Runway API: prices confirmed 18 October 2026 Source
Adjust the workflow. Keep the goal.
AI video 50% → 25%. Use your own footage and editing for the rest.
Original plan: $66.90. Output count and attempts stay the same.Not applied yet: compare before you apply
| Measure | Current plan | Suggested, not applied |
|---|---|---|
| AI video share | 50% | 25% |
| Generated video seconds including attempts | 1,200 s | 600 s |
| Video cost | $60.00 | $30.00 |
| Voice cost | $6.90 | $6.90 |
| Total additional payment | $66.90 | $36.90 |
| Saving | — | $30.00 |
Video seconds = 30 outputs × attempted five-second clips × 5 s. Current: 8 clips per output (6 clips × 1.25 attempts, rounded up). Suggested: 4 clips per output (3 clips × 1.25 attempts, rounded up). Unchanged: 30 outputs, 60 s each, 1.25× attempts, voiceover on. You supply footage for the rest.
Budget Rescue suggestion
$1.23 / outputMiniMax H3 Max ADD480p · Runway API
$30.00600 sec
Usage before applying existing creditProvider pricing
Eleven v3 ADDRunway API · 50 characters / credit
$6.9033,750 characters requested · 34,500 billable
Usage before applying existing creditProvider pricing
How this is billed: 1,125 characters requested per output × 30 outputs = 33,750. Each output is rounded up to 50-character blocks: 1,150 × 30 = 34,500 billable characters (690 blocks). 690 × $0.01 = $6.90. Without rounding it would be $6.75; this assumes one voice request per output.
What you need to pay now
Runway API$36.90
Total additional cost$36.90
Manual script preparation · Editing and captions: your work
2 excluded options
ElevenLabs Free Multilingual v2 · direct subscription
Requires 33,750 characters; 10,000 available. Overages are excluded.
ElevenLabs Starter Multilingual v2 · direct subscription
Requires 33,750 characters; 30,000 available. Overages are excluded.
How to carry out this plan
- Prepare 30 videos. Write scripts, choose references and prepare your own material.
- Generate the planned assets. 600 video seconds, 33,750 voice characters. Quantities include generation attempts.
- Review and finish. Select successful generations, check continuity and rights, then edit your final outputs. Captions and distribution are manual steps.
Explore 19 providers and tools
Kling AIPPikaLDLuma Dream MachineRRunway
HeyGen
Synthesia
MidjourneyIIdeogramLALeonardo AI
Adobe Firefly
CanvaOOpusClip
CapCut
DescriptEElevenLabsTVTopaz Video AIGVGoogle VeoOSOpenAI SoraView the full catalog →18 directory entries are informational. The cost engine prices 3 providers (10 model and plan options), including Black Forest Labs, which has no directory entry.
Compare generation, avatars, design, voice, editing and repurposing.
Kling AIPPikaLDLuma Dream MachineRRunwaySynthesiaMidjourneyIIdeogramLALeonardo AICanvaOOpusClipDescriptEElevenLabsTVTopaz Video AIGVGoogle VeoOSOpenAI SoraCost engine: 10 model / plan options, 3 providers
Gen-4 Image
720p · Runway API
$0.05 / imageUse Gen-4 Image References with the same approved character reference. Reference-guided consistency is supported; identical results are not guaranteed. Review each image manually.
Gen-4 Image
1080p · Runway API
$0.08 / imageUse Gen-4 Image References with the same approved character reference. Reference-guided consistency is supported; identical results are not guaranteed. Review each image manually.
ElevenLabs Free
Multilingual v2 · direct subscription
$0.00/month · 10,000 creditsMultilingual v2: 1 character = 1 credit. Optional pay-as-you-go credits and introductory discounts are not modeled. A paid license does not replace rights to input content.
ElevenLabs Starter
Multilingual v2 · direct subscription
$6.00/month · 30,000 creditsMultilingual v2: 1 character = 1 credit. Optional pay-as-you-go credits and introductory discounts are not modeled. A paid license does not replace rights to input content.
ElevenLabs Creator
Multilingual v2 · direct subscription
$22.00/month · 121,000 creditsMultilingual v2: 1 character = 1 credit. Optional pay-as-you-go credits and introductory discounts are not modeled. A paid license does not replace rights to input content.
Last price checks: Runway API 18 October 2026 · ElevenLabs 18 October 2026 · Black Forest Labs 18 October 2026. Quality estimates are not provider ratings. BFL is excluded until you enter a purchase minimum or sufficient existing credit.
Calculation and confidence
Existing subscriptions: We use your exact plan and only the remaining credits you enter. New ElevenLabs plans use the full monthly fee, without introductory discounts or overages. Replacements assume no refund for the old plan.
API balance: Runway and BFL balances are separate. Runway uses a conservative $10 top-up minimum; the initial purchase minimum is verified. Enter the BFL minimum from your account. Unspent purchases remain as credit. Runway minimum ↗
Internal assumptions: Five-second clips, 1.25× attempts and 900 characters/min. Runway voice rounds each output to 50-character blocks. Direct ElevenLabs uses Multilingual v2 voices without extra credit multipliers. Quality is an internal score, not an independent benchmark. Best Value = score / (1 + additional dollars).
Scope: Software cost estimates in USD before tax. Labor, equipment, stock assets and distribution are excluded. Consumer subscriptions do not supply another provider's API credits. ChatGPT Plus is used manually for preparation. Prices older than 30 days remain available with a warning; verify before purchase.
License: ElevenLabs Free requires attribution and noncommercial use. Paid plans include a commercial license; rights to your input material and voices still require separate checks. Usage terms ↗
Coverage: 10 options across Runway API, ElevenLabs, Black Forest Labs. This is not the entire market. Two rankings may select the same workflow. Unverified requirements are never assumed supported.
Sourced prices. Explicit assumptions.
Price checks against official provider pages: Runway API 18 October 2026 · ElevenLabs 18 October 2026 · Black Forest Labs 18 October 2026. These are check dates, not live quotes. Quality, attempts and your top-up minimum are assumptions. Tax, labor and stock purchases are excluded.
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Choose the tool for your money question.
Keep your inputs visible and test the costs that matter to your project.
AI PRICE INDEX
A source-first view of AI pricing.
Facts, calculated unit costs and unpriced plans remain clearly distinguished.
HOW THE ESTIMATE WORKS
How much will your AI project cost?
Not Cheap AI estimates additional monthly software costs for short-form video, YouTube, AI influencers, product images, podcasts and social content. It checks requirements first, then demand, capacity and pricing.
From content to usage
Output count, duration, AI video share and attempts determine video seconds, images and voice characters. Usage assumptions are separate from verified provider prices.
From usage to payment
Existing subscriptions and remaining credit can reduce additional spending. The calculator separates prepaid capacity, new subscriptions and minimum credit purchases.
From budget to a workable plan
Cheapest, Best Value and Best Quality compare complete workflows within budget. Budget Rescue can reduce AI video share while preserving output count and duration.
Before choosing tools
Is this the total production cost?
No. Estimates cover software in USD before tax. Labor, editing, equipment, stock assets and distribution are excluded. This calculator does not generate content.
Why can a requirement block recommendations?
Tools are excluded when required privacy, commercial rights or character consistency support cannot be verified. A lower price cannot override a hard requirement.
Do prices update automatically?
Prices are manually checked and dated. Prices older than 30 days remain visible with a warning; verify before purchase. Follow provider links to confirm prices before purchasing.