On 8frame the least you can spend to make a first AI video is $19: the Starter plan, with 1,000 credits for the month. A new account starts with no credits, and generating needs an active plan, so there is no cheaper entry. What you control is how far the 1,000 credits go. A 5-second video in Clips, where an agent writes the script and renders it, costs 200 credits, so the plan covers five of them. On the canvas, a 5-second draft starts at 4 credits. The money is lost on defaults that are built for finals, not first tries.
TL;DR
- Entry price: Starter, $19 a month for 1,000 credits ($200 a year for 12,000). No credits come with sign-up.
- Clips: 200 credits for 5 seconds, 400 for 10, 500 for 15. It opens at 15 seconds, so set 5 for a first try.
- Canvas drafts: from 4 credits (Pruna p-video Draft, 5 s at 720p). Creatify Boreal is 7 with sound.
- Failed runs cost nothing. Credits for a failed generation come back automatically.
- Unused credits roll over while you stay subscribed. You can cancel any time and keep access until the end of the period.
What $19 buys
The Starter plan gives 1,000 credits a month and access to every model. Here is what a 1,000-credit month holds, by route:
| What you make | Credits each | How many in 1,000 credits |
|---|---|---|
| Clips video, 5 s (script and render) | 200 | 5 |
| Clips video, 10 s | 400 | 2 |
| Clips video, 15 s (where Clips opens) | 500 | 2 |
| Pruna p-video Draft, 5 s, 720p | 4 | 250 |
| Creatify Boreal, 5 s, 720p, with sound | 7 | 142 |
| Pruna p-video, 5 s, 720p | 14 | 71 |
| Wan 3.0, 5 s, 480p | 24 | 41 |
| Grok Imagine, 5 s, 480p | 34 | 29 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite, 8 s, 720p, with sound | 54 | 18 |
| Kling v3 Standard, 5 s, with sound (needs a start image) | 86 | 11 |
| Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, with sound | 168 | 5 |
These are prices, not quality rankings. Some of the cheapest models have little use on 8frame so far, so try one or two clips before planning a project around them.
Start images are cheap too: Nano Banana Classic is 6 credits an image, Nano Banana 2 is 11, Seedream 4 and FLUX.2 [pro] are 5.
Two cheap ways to a first video
The simplest: Clips at 5 seconds. Describe the video in a sentence; Clips writes the script and the shot list, then renders on Seedance 2.5 at 720p. Change the length from 15 to 5 seconds and the shape to 9:16 if it is for Reels, Shorts or WhatsApp Status. Cost: 200 credits. The price is shown on the generate button before anything is charged.
The cheapest: draft on the canvas, finish once. A worked budget:
- A start image on Nano Banana 2: 11 credits.
- Three motion tests on Pruna p-video Draft: 12 credits.
- The final take on Kling v3 Standard from that image, with sound: 86 credits.
Total: 109 credits, about a ninth of the month. The idea is the same at any budget: test the prompt where a take costs a few credits, and spend on the model you want only once the prompt works.
Defaults that cost more than a first try needs
- Clips opens at 15 seconds (500 credits). A 5-second clip is 200.
- The Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168). Lite is 54 for the same 8 seconds with sound.
- Wan 3.0 opens at 1080p (95 for 5 s). At 480p it is 24.
- GPT Image 2 opens on high quality (29 for a square image). Low is 2.
The rest are in why did my AI tool pick the wrong model.
What happens to credits
- Failed generations are refunded automatically, in the same step that marks them failed. See do failed AI generations cost credits.
- A finished run you do not like is not refunded. That is why drafting cheaply matters.
- Unused plan credits roll over while your subscription stays active.
- Need more before the month ends? Credit packs, from $10 for 1,000 credits, can be added to an active plan.
- Cancelling: plans are cancel-any-time, and a cancelled plan stays usable until the end of the billing period.
Paying from outside the US
Prices are in US dollars, and checkout runs on Stripe. If your card is in another currency, check your bank's terms for foreign-currency charges before you subscribe. If a card is declined, or renewals on an Indian card fail, the checks are in why won't my AI generation start.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to make an AI video? On 8frame, the Starter plan at $19 a month for 1,000 credits. Within it, a 5-second Clips video is 200 credits, and a 5-second draft on Pruna p-video Draft is 4.
Can I make an AI video without paying? Not on 8frame: generating needs an active plan, and new accounts start with no credits. You can build boards and write prompts before paying.
How many AI videos can I make with 1,000 credits? Five 5-second Clips videos, or eleven 5-second Kling v3 Standard clips, or 250 drafts on Pruna p-video Draft.
Do unused credits expire at the end of the month? No, plan credits roll over while you stay subscribed.
Can I buy credits without a plan? Credit packs are added on top of an active plan, not instead of one.
Sources
- 8frame prices, defaults and limits: the 8frame app, checked 2026-10-21
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.