Current Veo 3.1 per-second rates
As of Oct 9, 2026, Gemini API Veo 3.1 rates (USD per output second, with audio) are:
- Standard: $0.40/s at 720p and 1080p; $0.60/s at 4K.
- Fast: $0.10/s (720p), $0.12/s (1080p), $0.30/s (4K).
- Lite: $0.05/s (720p), $0.08/s (1080p). Lite does not support 4K.
Clip cost is simply rate × seconds. An 8-second Standard 1080p clip is $0.40 × 8 = $3.20. The same length on Fast 1080p is $0.12 × 8 = $0.96. Resolution and tier matter more than most teams expect once you generate dozens of takes.
How billing actually works
You pay for output seconds generated through the API — not for prompt tokens the way chat models bill. If a job returns an 8-second video, you are charged for those eight seconds at the rate for the model and resolution you requested. Failed or partial jobs may still incur charges depending on Google's current policy; treat retries as billable until you confirm otherwise in the official docs.
There is no free Veo 3.1 API tier listed on Google's pricing page. Consumer products, Google Cloud trial credits, or partner apps can look "free" to end users, but developers calling the Gemini API should budget for paid per-second usage.
Turning per-second rates into a project estimate
Multiply: rate × clip length × number of final clips × (1 + retry%). Example: 20 final shots, 8 seconds each, Fast 1080p, 50% extra waste → $0.12 × 8 × 20 × 1.5 = $28.80. Switch those finals to Standard and the same plan becomes $0.40 × 8 × 20 × 1.5 = $96. Prototyping on Fast or Lite and finishing on Standard is usually the cheapest quality path.
Related: Fast vs Standard cost comparison and how much an 8-second Veo 3.1 video costs. Or use the free Veo 3.1 cost calculator on the homepage.