The formula
credits = rate_per_second(resolution) × seconds- rate_per_second(resolution)
- a lookup, not a multiplier. Each of the 50 resolution-banded video models publishes a separate credits-per-second figure per band, and you land on exactly one of them.
- seconds
- the clip length. It multiplies whichever rate you selected, so the resolution premium compounds with duration rather than being paid once.
Worked example — A ten-second 4K clip on LTX 2.3 Text to Video Fast
- 1.SD/HD rate = 4 credits per second
- 2.4K rate = 16 credits per second
- 3.16 × 10
= 160 credits, against 40 for the same ten seconds at SD/HD
Why there is no single 4K premium
The useful finding here is that there is no such thing as "the 4K premium". Every model sets its own gap between resolution bands, and across the catalogue those gaps differ by more than most people would believe.
At the flat end, a model charges 1.3× to move from its cheapest band to its dearest. At the steep end, another charges 20×. If you export high-resolution habitually, the model you standardise on is worth more to your credit balance than any other single decision on this page.
Because the premium multiplies the per-second rate rather than being added once, it compounds with length. A one-second test at 4K is cheap enough to ignore; a twenty-second hero cut at 4K on a steep model is one of the largest single charges available in the catalogue.
Resolution bands, model by model
Every figure below is computed from Versely's live price matrix — the same matrix the app quotes you from before it charges. These are prices, not verdicts: the buyer's guides are where models get ranked.
How steep the resolution jump is, across 50 models
The multiplier between a model's cheapest and dearest resolution band. A spread, not a ranking.
| Multiplier | Models | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| 1.3× | 4 | the top band is nearly free |
| 1.4× | 2 | the top band is nearly free |
| 1.5× | 7 | the top band is nearly free |
| 1.6× | 2 | a meaningful but survivable step |
| 2× | 8 | a meaningful but survivable step |
| 2.3× | 5 | a meaningful but survivable step |
| 3× | 8 | the top band dominates the bill |
| 4× | 8 | the top band dominates the bill |
| 4.3× | 1 | the top band dominates the bill |
| 4.5× | 3 | the top band dominates the bill |
| 5× | 1 | the top band dominates the bill |
| 20× | 1 | the top band dominates the bill |
There is no single multiplier to budget with. Check the model you are actually using before assuming 4K costs four times as much — on some models it costs half again.
Named examples across the range
Band labels are the catalogue's own — some models group SD and HD into one price, others separate them, and several treat HD and 4K as a single band.
| Model | Cheapest band | Dearest band | Multiplier | 10s at the top band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Horse 1.1 Text to Video | 14 / sec (SD/HD) | 18 / sec (4K) | 1.3× | 180 |
| Happy Horse 1.1 Image to Video | 14 / sec (SD/HD) | 18 / sec (4K) | 1.3× | 180 |
| Happy Horse 1.1 Reference to Video | 14 / sec (SD/HD) | 18 / sec (4K) | 1.3× | 180 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 7 / sec (SD) | 16 / sec (HD/4K) | 2.3× | 160 |
| Vidu Q3 Video | 7 / sec (SD) | 16 / sec (HD/4K) | 2.3× | 160 |
| Sora 2 Image to Video Pro | 30 / sec (SD/HD) | 70 / sec (4K) | 2.3× | 700 |
| Seedance Text to Video | 2 / sec (SD) | 9 / sec (4K) | 4.5× | 90 |
| ByteDance Seedance 1 Pro Fast | 1 / sec (SD) | 5 / sec (4K) | 5× | 50 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 14 / sec (SD) | 274 / sec (4K) | 20× | 2,740 |
Resolution and length compounding on LTX 2.3 Text to Video Fast
Same model, same formula, both variables moving.
| Clip length | SD/HD at 4/sec | 4K at 16/sec | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6s | 24 | 96 | +72 |
| 10s | 40 | 160 | +120 |
| 14s | 56 | 224 | +168 |
| 20s | 80 | 320 | +240 |
The difference column is itself linear in seconds — the gap grows by 12 credits for every extra second you keep in the cut.
What decides the size of the resolution jump
The resolution band you select
A rate switch worth 1.3× to 20× depending on the model.
Which model you export from
Decides how expensive that switch is. Two models can charge similar standard-band rates and wildly different top-band rates.
Clip length
Multiplies the premium rather than absorbing it. Trim first, then raise the resolution.
Whether the deliverable needs 4K at all
Vertical social feeds re-encode the upload. The premium buys nothing on a platform that downscales it.
What the resolution rate does not include
- Upscaling an existing 1080p clip afterwards, a separate job priced by the upscale model rather than by this formula.
- Models that price resolution as a whole-clip flat fee rather than a per-second rate — those are a band, not a meter.
- Storage and delivery. Credits cover the render only.
How much 4K a month of credits buys
A Monthly plan's 580 credits buys 14 ten-second clips at LTX 2.3 Text to Video Fast's SD/HD rate — or 3 of the same clips in 4K.
Plan sizes and what each grants are on the cost hub.
Models with resolution-banded rates
Every model page shows its own price matrix, its published credit range, and the option table this formula reads from.
Happy Horse 1.1 Text to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–270 credits
Happy Horse 1.1 Image to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–270 credits
Happy Horse 1.1 Reference to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–270 credits
Seedance 2.0 Mini
resolution_based_per_secondByteDance · 27–227 credits
Vidu Q3 Video
resolution_based_per_secondVidu · 35–231 credits
Sora 2 Image to Video Pro
resolution_based_per_secondOpenAI · 120–1400 credits
Seedance Text to Video
resolution_based_per_secondByteDance · 4–105 credits
ByteDance Seedance 1 Pro Fast
resolution_based_per_secondByteDance · 2–59 credits
Sora 2 Text to Video Pro
resolution_based_per_secondOpenAI · 120–1400 credits
Happy Horse 1.0 Text to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–420 credits
Happy Horse 1.0 Image to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–420 credits
Happy Horse 1.0 Reference to Video
resolution_based_per_secondAlibaba · 42–420 credits
Frequently asked questions
Is 4K always four times the price?+
No. Across 50 resolution-banded models the jump from the cheapest band to the dearest runs from 1.3× to 20×. Treating it as a fixed multiple will misbudget you in one direction or the other.
Does 1080p cost more than 720p?+
On many models, no — they price SD and HD in one band, so 1080p is included at the standard rate. Others separate them. The band labels in the table are the catalogue's own.
Is it cheaper to render at 1080p and upscale?+
Sometimes, but it is a different transaction: one standard-band render plus one upscale charge, against one top-band render. Compare the two totals against your model's multiplier before assuming.
Why do some models list HD and 4K as one price?+
Because that is how their price matrix publishes the bands. Where HD and 4K share a band, exporting 4K genuinely costs nothing extra on that model.
Does the resolution premium apply to audio too?+
No. Where a model prices native audio, that is a separate switch on the same per-second rate — a different lever with its own page.
Different job, different arithmetic
These are not variations on the formula above — each one meters something else entirely.
What does a 30-second AI talking head cost?
credits = rate_per_second × secondsIt bills a flat rate for every second of output, so length is the only lever.
What does an AI video with sound cost?
credits = rate_per_second(audio on | audio off) × secondsIt flips the per-second rate with an audio toggle rather than adding a separate fee.
What does a print-resolution AI image cost?
credits = rate_per_megapixel × (width × height ÷ 1,000,000)It prices the area of the canvas, so doubling both edges quadruples the charge.
Which model should I actually pick?
This page prices the job. The buyer's guides rank the models, with the sort criterion stated on every one.
Best 4K AI video model
Filtered to video generators with a maximum output resolution of 4K, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first).
Cheapest 4K AI video model
Filtered to video generators with a maximum output resolution of 4K that publish a complete-job cost, sorted by that cost, ascending.
Best 1080p AI video model
Filtered to video generators with a maximum output resolution of 1080p, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first).
Jobs billed this way
Further reading
See the price before you spend it
Versely quotes the exact credit cost of every generation before it runs, and the agent will estimate a whole batch on request. The all-in-one AI studio for creators. 60+ models for video, image, voice, music and lipsync in a single app.