Correction, 2026-10-02: this page said Google's Flow help pages "disagree on whether a few free daily credits come without a subscription" without saying what they say; it now quotes both (50 Flow credits a day with or without a subscription on one, a Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra subscription required on the other) and gives Flow's credit cost per Veo generation. It presented Veo 3.1 Lite as the way to use Veo on 8frame without saying that the Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168 credits for 8 seconds with sound), and it left out the lengths (4, 6 or 8 seconds from text, always 8 from a start image) and the shapes (16:9 or 9:16 only). It also said Lite is "often" good enough for social feeds and that most people spend half their free allowance warming up; we had measured neither, so both are gone. It now says plainly that per clip, Google's API is cheaper than 8frame.
Correction, 2026-09-30: the first version of this page quoted Google AI plan prices and credit allowances we could not confirm in US dollars, gave the API price as about $0.75 a second (Google lists $0.40 for Standard and $0.05 to $0.08 for Lite), said 8frame top-up packs never expire, and miscounted how many Veo clips the $19 Starter plan covers (about 5 Fast or 2 full-quality clips, not 17 and 8). All fixed below. It also described Veo as part of the Gemini app, where Google says Gemini Omni replaces it.
Free Veo is thin in 2026, and Google's own pages don't agree on what is left. In the Gemini app, Google says Gemini Omni will replace Veo, and video there needs a Google AI plan. The Gemini API lists the free tier for Veo 3.1 as "Not available". That leaves Flow, Google's AI creative studio, where one help page says everyone gets 50 Flow credits a day, with or without a subscription, and another says you must subscribe to Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra to use Flow at all. Open Flow in your own account to see which applies to you. If you do get free credits, spend them testing what you would pay Veo for. After that, the cheapest Veo per clip is Google's own API: Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05 a second at 720p. On 8frame, which needs no developer setup, the Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast at 168 credits for 8 seconds with sound, and Veo 3.1 Lite is 54.
TL;DR
- Gemini app: Google says Gemini Omni replaces Veo there, and video needs a Google AI plan.
- Gemini API: no free tier for Veo 3.1. Paid from $0.05 a second (Lite, 720p).
- Flow: Google's help pages contradict each other. One gives everyone 50 credits a day; another requires a paid plan. On the first page's numbers, 50 credits cover 5 Lite or 2 Fast generations a day (Lite 10, Fast 20, Quality 100 credits each).
- Google AI Pro adds 1,000 Flow credits a month.
- 8frame: no free generation. The Veo tool opens on Veo 3.1 Fast (168 credits for 8 seconds with sound); Lite is 54 at 720p, Standard 448. The $19 Starter plan's 1,000 credits cover about 18 Lite, 5 Fast or 2 Standard clips.
Where free Veo can still come from
What Google's own pages said on 2026-10-02:
| Route | What Google says | Free Veo? |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini app | "Gemini Omni will replace Veo in the Gemini app"; "Google AI subscription required" | No, and it is Omni, not Veo |
| Gemini API | Veo 3.1 free tier: "Not available" | No |
| Flow, credits page | "With or without a subscription, you receive 50 Google Flow credits per day" | Maybe |
| Flow, eligibility page | To use Flow you must "Be subscribed to Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro, or Google AI Ultra" | No |
| Google Workspace | Qualifying Workspace plans get Flow "at no extra charge" with 50 daily credits | Included in the Workspace plan |
What 50 Flow credits buy. On the Flow credits page, a Veo 3.1 Lite generation costs 10 credits and a Fast generation 20, at 4, 6 or 8 seconds (5 and 10 on Ultra). Veo 3.1 Quality costs 100 for everyone and makes 8-second videos. So 50 daily credits cover 5 Lite or 2 Fast generations, and no Quality one. Unused daily credits don't roll over. The same page warns that during peak hours, roughly 2 PM to 5 PM UTC, you may not be able to generate videos without a subscription.
Students. Google offers eligible US college students (18 and over) a free year of Google AI Pro, redeemable until December 31, 2026, with a payment method on file. Its student page lists Gemini Omni, not Veo or Flow credits, so check what the plan includes before counting on it.
Make free clips count
Don't spend them on "a dog running on a beach." Test the two things you would be paying Veo for:
Sound. Prompt a scene with a specific sound: rain on a tin roof, a barista naming a drink, a match strike. Google prices Veo 3.1 as video with audio by default, and whether the sound works for your use case is worth knowing before you pay anyone.
Light. Give it one hard lighting brief, such as low winter sun through a factory window with visible dust, and check whether the light does what you asked. The Veo 3 prompt guide has the prompt formula, and what is Veo 3 covers the model.
Write the prompts before you open Flow, so the free credits go on tests rather than warm-ups. With 50 credits a day, that is 5 Lite or 2 Fast tries.
And be wary of sites promising unlimited free Veo. Veo compute is paid for by someone; check what model you are actually getting.
What Veo costs after that
Google's Gemini API (pricing page, checked 2026-10-02): Veo 3.1 Standard $0.40 a second at 720p or 1080p ($0.60 at 4K), Fast $0.10 at 720p and $0.12 at 1080p ($0.30 at 4K), Lite $0.05 at 720p and $0.08 at 1080p, listed as the price for video with audio. An 8-second clip is $0.40 on Lite at 720p, $0.96 on Fast at 1080p and $3.20 on Standard at 1080p. Per clip, that is cheaper than 8frame (54, 168 and 448 credits, with a credit at about $0.01 at pack rate), but it needs a developer setup. The full breakdown is in Veo 3 pricing explained.
Google AI plans add Flow credits each month: 200 on Google AI Plus, 1,000 on Google AI Pro, 10,000 or 25,000 on the two Ultra tiers. At Flow's prices, Pro's 1,000 credits are 100 Lite, 50 Fast or 10 Quality generations, and monthly credits don't roll over either. Plan prices vary by country; check the plan page for yours. In the Gemini app, video on these plans is now Gemini Omni, not Veo.
The no-code route: Veo on 8frame
8frame has no free generation either: plans start at $19 a month for 1,000 credits. It carries the whole Veo 3.1 ladder, and you pick the tier per clip. A new Veo node opens on Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 seconds, sound on; switch the model to Lite or Standard in the node.
| Veo on 8frame | 4 s | 6 s | 8 s | 8 s silent | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | 27 | 41 | 54 | 33 | 720p |
| Veo 3.1 Fast (default) | 84 | 126 | 168 | 112 | 1080p |
| Veo 3.1 Standard | 224 | 336 | 448 | 224 | 1080p |
Credits, with sound unless marked silent. The cheapest Veo run is 17 credits: 4 silent seconds on Lite.
- Length: 4, 6 or 8 seconds from a text prompt. With a start image, the clip is always 8 seconds.
- Shape: 16:9 or 9:16.
- Resolution: 1080p on Fast and Standard, 720p on Lite.
On the Starter plan ($19 a month, 1,000 credits) that is about 18 eight-second Lite clips with sound, about 5 Fast, or about 2 Standard. Unused subscription credits roll over while you are subscribed, no plan adds a watermark, and failed generations are refunded automatically.
Lite trades resolution (720p) for price. Whether 720p is enough depends on where the clip will be shown, so watch a Lite draft there before deciding. When a clip earns hero status, rerun the prompt on Fast or Standard; a rerun is a new generation, not an upscale of the Lite clip, so expect a different take. Step-by-step in how to use Veo 3.1.
A sane weekly Veo workflow
- Draft on Veo 3.1 Lite: switch the Veo node from Fast to Lite, 54 credits for 8 seconds with sound, or 17 for 4 silent seconds.
- Pick winners by watching them where your audience will, on a phone if that is where they will see it.
- Rerun only the winners on Fast (168) or Standard (448).
- Let leftover credits roll over. A quiet week funds a heavy one.
FAQ
Is Veo 3 free?
Not reliably. Google's Gemini API lists no free tier for Veo 3.1, the Gemini app now uses Gemini Omni on a paid plan, and Flow's help pages contradict each other on whether 50 daily credits come without a subscription. Check Flow in your own account. The cheapest paid route is Veo 3.1 Lite: $0.05 a second on the Gemini API, or 54 credits for 8 seconds with sound on 8frame.
How many free Veo clips can I make in Flow?
If the 50-credits-a-day page applies to you, 5 Lite or 2 Fast generations a day; a Quality generation costs 100 and doesn't fit. Unused daily credits don't roll over. Another Flow help page says you need Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra to use Flow at all.
How many Veo clips does $19 get you on 8frame?
About 18 eight-second Veo 3.1 Lite clips with sound (54 credits each), about 5 Veo 3.1 Fast clips (168), or about 2 Veo 3.1 Standard clips (448). You can mix tiers on one balance. The Veo tool opens on Fast, so switch to Lite for drafts.
Is Veo 3.1 Lite good enough to publish?
We haven't measured that. What is fixed: Lite outputs 720p with sound, in the same 16:9 and 9:16 shapes as the other tiers. Watch a Lite draft where it will be shown; if 720p is not enough, rerun on Fast or Standard at 1080p.
Can I make a 4-second Veo clip from an image on 8frame?
No. With a start image, the Veo tool is locked to 8 seconds. The 4- and 6-second lengths are for text prompts.
Sources
- Gemini app: Gemini video generation ("Gemini Omni will replace Veo in the Gemini app"; "Google AI subscription required"), checked 2026-10-02
- Gemini API: pricing (Veo 3.1 free tier "Not available"; per-second prices, listed as video with audio; page last updated 2026-10-01), checked 2026-10-02
- Flow credits: Google Flow help, 16526234 (50 credits a day with or without a subscription; peak-hour limit for non-subscribers; credits per generation; monthly credits by plan; no rollover), checked 2026-10-02
- Flow eligibility: Google Flow help, 16353333 (subscription to Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra required; qualifying Workspace plans get 50 daily credits), checked 2026-10-02
- Google AI plans: gemini.google/subscriptions (Flow credits by plan; prices shown vary by country), checked 2026-10-02
- Student offer: gemini.google/students (eligible US college students, 18 and over; redeem until December 31, 2026; payment method required), checked 2026-10-02
- 8frame prices: backend tool registry (calculateVeo31Cost), read 2026-10-02; default model, lengths and the 8-second start-image lock: front-end tool registry, read 2026-10-02; shapes and output resolution: 8frame Veo 3.1 integration, checked 2026-10-01
When Google's free credits run out, run your own numbers at 8frame pricing.
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.