Correction, 2026-10-01: this page called Lite the best value on the canvas, said nothing else with audio comes within a factor of two and called its silent clip the cheapest anything on the canvas. Grok Imagine at 480p matches it per second with sound, and Creatify Boreal, Pruna p-video and Hailuo H3 Max Turbo cost less per second. It also said Lite includes sound where other models charge for it (Lite charges for sound too: 33 silent, 54 with audio), made quality comparisons between the tiers that we have not measured, and did not say that a new Veo node opens on Veo 3.1 Fast or that Veo from an image is always 8 seconds.
Veo 3.1 Lite is the cheapest way into Veo, and the number to know is not the headline price. At 54 credits for an 8-second clip with audio, it works out to 6.75 credits per second of finished video with sound, the same as Grok Imagine at 480p. Creatify Boreal (1.35 a second at 720p) and Pruna p-video (2.7 a second at 720p) cost less with sound; both are new to 8frame, so we quote their price, not their quality. One setup note: a new Veo node opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168), so switch it to Lite.
TL;DR
- 54 credits for 8 seconds with audio, 6.75 per second, about $0.54 a clip
- 33 credits for 8 seconds silent, 4.13 per second
- The Veo node opens on Fast. Switch the model to Lite in the picker
- From an image, Veo is always 8 seconds. The 4 and 6 second prices are text-only
- 720p. That is the ceiling and it is the main thing Lite gives up
- Veo 3.1 Fast is 168 and Standard is 448 for the same 8 seconds with audio
- Standard is 8x Lite per second. Iterate on Lite, finish on Standard only when the shot carries a campaign
The ladder
Canon 8frame prices, a credit is $0.01 at pack rate:
| Tier | Clip | Credits | Per second |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | 4s with audio | 27 | 6.75 |
| Lite | 6s with audio | 41 | 6.83 |
| Lite | 8s silent | 33 | 4.13 |
| Lite | 8s with audio | 54 | 6.75 |
| Fast | 4s with audio | 84 | 21.00 |
| Fast | 8s silent | 112 | 14.00 |
| Fast | 8s with audio | 168 | 21.00 |
| Standard | 4s with audio | 224 | 56.00 |
| Standard | 8s silent | 224 | 28.00 |
| Standard | 8s with audio | 448 | 56.00 |
A $19 Starter plan's 1,000 credits buys about 18 Lite clips with audio, 30 silent, 5 on Fast, or 2 on Standard.
What Lite gives up
Resolution. 720p. For phone-delivered social with motion and a grade over it, that is genuinely enough. For anything holding still on a large screen, it is not, and there is no video upscaler on this canvas to fix it afterwards.
Short clips from an image. With a start image, or a start and end frame, Veo runs 8 seconds only: 33 credits silent, 54 with audio on Lite.
Check the hard parts on every tier: hands doing something specific, text in frame, crowds, two people interacting. If they fail on Lite, try changing the shot before you pay for a higher tier.
Where it is the right answer
Iteration. Draft here when you will finish on Veo: the same prompt moves to Fast or Veo 3.1 with one switch in the picker. We have not measured how closely the tiers match, so check the final on the tier you deliver.
Social at volume. 8 seconds with audio is a complete social clip for 54 credits.
Sound for little. Lite charges for sound like the other Veo tiers (33 silent, 54 with audio for 8 seconds), but at 6.75 credits a second with audio it is among the cheapest established routes to a clip with sound.
Anything where 720p ships. Which is most feed video.
Where to move up
Fast at 168, the Veo tool's default: 1080p at three eighths of Standard's price.
Standard at 448 for the one shot a campaign leans on. It is Google's top Veo tier and eight times Lite per second, which is why iterating on it is one of the most expensive habits available here.
A different model when the shot needs something Veo does not do: a length between Veo's steps (Kling v3 Standard takes any whole second from 3 to 15, from a start image, 57 for 5 silent seconds), up to 9 reference images (Seedance 2.5 at 157), 1080p for less (base Wan 3.0 at 95), or a 30-second take (base Wan 3.0, 142 at 480p).
The workflow
- Switch the node to Lite. A new Veo node opens on Fast (168).
- Draft silent at 33 credits. Composition, framing, motion.
- Add audio at 54 once the picture works, since you pay for sound on every rejected attempt otherwise.
- Finish on Fast at 168 or Standard at 448 only for shots that justify it.
- Generate at delivery resolution. Lite is 720p, so if you need 1080p this is the wrong tier and base Wan 3.0 at 95 is the cheap route to it.
Three silent drafts plus one final with audio is 153 credits, about $1.53, for a shot you actually composed.
FAQ
How much does Veo 3.1 Lite cost? 54 credits for 8 seconds with audio, 33 silent. About $0.54 and $0.33.
What resolution is Lite? 720p. Generate elsewhere if you need 1080p, since there is no video upscaler here.
Is Lite good enough for client work? For social delivery, frequently. For a hero clip on a large screen, use Fast or Standard.
How many Lite clips does $19 buy? About 18 with audio, or 30 silent.
Sources
- Veo 3.1 prices by tier, length and sound; Grok Imagine, Creatify Boreal, Pruna p-video, Kling v3 Standard, Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0 prices: 8frame tool registry credit functions, read 2026-10-01
- Veo tool default (Veo 3.1 Fast) and the 8-second lock with a start image: 8frame tool configuration, read 2026-10-01
Draft silent, add audio once, finish higher only when it matters. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.