RenderDrama

What a second of AI video costs, channel by channel

The longest single clip on SceneMixer

SceneMixer states thirty seconds on its Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 tiers and fifteen on its Seedance 2.0 and MiniMax H3 tiers, printed against each tier on the same list as the rate. The ceiling differs by model family rather than by plan. As of 2026-09-22.

Two ceilings on one price list, and the joins they forceThirty seconds on the Wan tiers and fifteen on the MiniMax tiers, printed against each tier beside the rate. Fifteen minutes of finished episode is thirty generations at the longer ceiling and sixty at the shorter, so the tier choice decides how many joins an episode carries.Wan 3.0 tiersMiniMax H3 tiersLongest single clipThirty secondsFifteen secondsGenerations per 15-minuteepisodeAbout thirtyAbout sixtyJoins to surviveTwenty-nineFifty-nineRate per second10 to 38 credits by resolution16 or 25 credits by tierJoining charged1 credit a second of finished episode1 credit a second of finished episodeThe ceiling controls the schedule; the rate controls the invoice
Fig. 1 At around six cents a second the footage costs about the same either way; what changes is thirty extra joins and thirty extra chances of a face drifting.
The ceiling SceneMixer prints per tier, and the rate each ceiling belongs to. Read from price list on 2026-09-22.
TierLongest single clip, as published
Wan 3.0 480P, 720P and 1080PThirty seconds
Seedance 2.5 480P, Lite and ProThirty seconds
Seedance 2.0 480P, Fast and fullFifteen seconds
MiniMax H3 and H3 FastFifteen seconds
Where it is statedAgainst each tier, on the same list as the rate
Joins a fifteen-minute episode needsThirty at the longer ceiling, sixty at the shorter

Inclusion rule. Tiers with a stated maximum length for one generation, on the page carrying the rate. A tier without one would be recorded as absent. Order. By model family, longest ceiling first.

1Where SceneMixer sits in this column

The ceiling each channel prints on one generationThe longest single generation each of these channels states, SceneMixer marked. Three channels state one; the rest of the register leaves it off the rate page. Recorded 2026-09-22.The ceiling each channel prints on one generationLongest single generationLongest singlegenerationHeyGenHeyGen — Longest single generation: Minutes, and it changes by tierSceneMixerSceneMixer — Longest single generation: 30 seconds on two families, 15 on two othersWanWan — Longest single generation: 30 seconds for one generation
Fig. 2 The longest single generation each of these channels states, SceneMixer marked. Three channels state one; the rest of the register leaves it off the rate page. Recorded 2026-09-22.
Longest single generation, as each channel answering it has it, with SceneMixer marked. Recorded 2026-09-22.
ChannelLongest single generation
HeyGenMinutes, and it changes by tier
SceneMixer30 seconds on two families, 15 on two others
Wan30 seconds for one generation

Inclusion rule. Channels stating a maximum length for one generation on a page a buyer can open. The channels that leave it out are counted in the questions section instead. Order. Alphabetical by channel name.

2A ceiling per tier is the form that helps a shot list

A single ceiling for a whole channel is a fact about the shop. A ceiling per tier is a fact a shot list can be built on, because the choice of model and the maximum length of a beat are then one decision rather than two.

The difference between thirty seconds and fifteen doubles the number of generations a given episode needs, and every join is a place where continuity has to survive. Choosing the tier is therefore choosing how much continuity risk the episode carries.

3The arithmetic the ceiling drives is larger than the rate difference

Fifteen minutes of finished episode is thirty generations at thirty seconds and sixty at fifteen. At around six cents a second the footage costs about the same either way; what changes is thirty extra joins, thirty extra chances of a face drifting, and thirty extra reviews.

None of that is on a rate card and all of it is in a schedule. A production comparing two tiers on price alone is comparing the smaller of the two numbers the ceiling controls.

4Joining is priced separately, which keeps the two costs visible

One credit per second of finished episode for compositing is charged apart from generation, so the cost of assembling many short clips does not hide inside the generation rate. It is small in absolute terms and it is stated.

That separation is what lets the ceiling be read as a schedule fact rather than a pricing one. The money for joining is fixed by the runtime of the episode; the work of joining is fixed by how many pieces the ceiling forces.

  • Longest single clip
    30 seconds on the Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 tiers, 15 seconds on the Seedance 2.0 and MiniMax H3 tiersstated per tierSceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-10-13
  • Wan 3.0 480P
    10 credits per second, about $0.06the default tierSceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12
  • MiniMax H3
    25 credits per second, about $0.16SceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12
  • Compositing
    1 credit per second of finished episodebilled separately from generationSceneMixer, price list / recorded 2026-09-12

5Sources

Read from the price list published at scenemixer.com on 2026-09-22. The rate this column sits beside is on SceneMixer; what the register accepts as published is on the method page. The same column on other channels: Wan, HeyGen. Every column: what each channel publishes.