Per second billing vs per clip billing for AI video: which saves money on short content

For short AI video content, per second billing usually costs less when clips run under five seconds, while per clip billing suits fixed length outputs like 4K. On RelayDance, Seedance 2.0 720p bills about $0.190 per second and Seedance native 4K bills about $4.90 per 5-second clip. A 3-second 720p clip costs about $0.570, so per second pricing rewards shorter durations. See live rates at relaydance.com/models.

How per second billing works on RelayDance

Per second billing charges you for each second of generated video, so cost scales directly with clip length. Seedance 2.0 720p is about $0.190 per second, Seedance 2.0 1080p is about $0.470 per second, and Seedance Fast is about $0.152 per second (source relaydance.com/models). Under this model, a 4-second 720p clip costs about $0.760 and a 2-second clip costs about $0.380. Because RelayDance is pay-as-you-go, you only pay for output you receive. 「Failed or errored requests are never billed」, according to the official relaydance.com docs, which removes the risk of paying for errored generations during testing.

How per clip billing works

Per clip billing charges a single fixed price regardless of exact duration, which fits outputs sold as complete units. Seedance native 4K is priced at about $4.90 per 5-second clip (source relaydance.com/models). This flat rate is predictable for one standard length, but it does not scale down if you only need part of the clip. For gpt-image-2 image billing, image output is free and only input is billed, image-to-image starts from about CNY 0.035, and 4K and 1K output cost the same (source relaydance.com/models). Fixed pricing simplifies budgeting when you always request the same clip length.

Which model saves money on short content

Per second billing saves money on short content because cost falls as duration drops below the flat clip length.

For a 3-second output, the per second options bill only the seconds used, while the 4K clip charges the full $4.90 flat rate. Per second billing is the lower cost path for durations shorter than the standard clip length.

Getting started with the OpenAI-compatible API

You can start billing accurately in a few steps using your existing OpenAI SDK.

1. Create an API key at the RelayDance console.
2. 「Set base_url to https://relaydance.com/v1 and keep your OpenAI SDK」, according to the official relaydance.com/docs.
3. Send Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY with each request.
4. Submit a video task with POST /v1/video/generations, specifying model, prompt, and seconds.
5. Poll GET /v1/video/generations/{task_id} until status is succeeded or failed.

Because failed requests are not billed, you can iterate on prompts without added cost. Full details are at relaydance.com/docs.

FAQ

Does per second billing charge for failed generations? No. Failed or errored requests are never billed, so you only pay for successful output.

What is the price for a 5-second Seedance 2.0 720p clip? At about $0.190 per second, a 5-second clip costs about $0.950.

Do 4K and 1K image outputs cost differently? No. For gpt-image-2, 4K and 1K output cost the same, and image output is free with only input billed.