MuoGen · Practical guide
AI video pricing: understand the rate per second
A video card’s price per second provides a comparison point. A request’s total depends on its settings and billing basis. Here is how to read a card, plan a budget and compare offers without confusing references with output.
What does the second shown on a card represent?
MuoGen cards show one billed second at the minimum available resolution. Seedance cards use the rate with a video reference, without adding reference duration to output duration. Other cards show one output second, excluding reference charges. The tooltip specifies this basis.
This rate is not automatically the total for a generation. The workspace’s initial resolution can differ from the card’s resolution. A request with different references, audio or resolution must be evaluated using its actual chosen settings.
Separate output and reference durations
| Concept | What it describes | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Output duration | The length of the video you want. | The duration settings accepted by the model. |
| Reference duration | The length of uploaded video or audio. | Per-file limits and combined limits. |
| Billed duration | The quantity of seconds counted by this request’s pricing. | The quote’s basis and included references. |
Do not turn an upload limit into a billed duration. A reference can be accepted without being charged as an output second. The video model catalog separates durations and file limits; the quote describes the request’s amount.
A budget example using a fictional rate
For illustration only, suppose a fictional quote charges 0.10 USD per output second for an 8-second video, with no additional charges. The illustrative total is 8 × 0.10 = 0.80 USD. Three distinct identical requests would represent 3 × 0.80 = 2.40 USD.
These are not MuoGen prices. This simple calculation applies only when the quote actually uses that basis with no other line items. If references or another option affect billing, use the full quote. Do not automatically multiply a card’s minimum rate to budget a request at another resolution.
Compare MuoGen and fal.ai with equivalent settings
To compare prices per second, check the same model version, resolution, duration and billing basis. An offer without references and an offer with references are not equivalent when those inputs affect pricing.
- Choose the exact model and workflow: video creation or editing.
- Match resolution, output duration and audio options.
- Specify reference types and counts, plus their durations when relevant.
- Compare both amounts in the same currency and with the same definition of a billed second.
- Check the reference rate date in the tooltip. A historical comparison does not guarantee another offer’s current rate.
Catalog tooltips explain the available comparisons. This guide cannot establish a fixed saving: that depends on the settings and rates verified for the request.
Control project spending
Decide on shot count and allowed variations before starting. Prepare subject, framing and motion first; a new request to correct a brief can add consumption. Keep each request’s quote and settings to track the total.
For an integration, the MuoGen developer API guide explains quotes, idempotency keys and the maxCostUsd ceiling for usage-based requests. Checking a request’s status after a connection interruption helps avoid accidentally submitting a distinct request.
Tool availability
You can read these guides and browse the catalogs without starting a generation. Paid generation in the public browser workspaces is not yet open. When enabled, it will require a verified account and paid credits. The briefs above are planning examples, not generated results.
Plan your next step
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