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Short answer
Your AI video COGS is the price you pay per generated second, times every second you generate (retries included), divided by the videos you deliver. Cut it three ways: run the same model on a lower listed price, waste fewer seconds, and reach a volume tier. For a 10-second 720p Seedance 2.0 video sold at $2.50 (an example), listed provider costs run from $1.51 to $3.60; the KreatorFlow list rate is $1.10, a 56% gross margin against 20% at the median provider.
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How to work out your video COGS
- 1
Price per second
Take your provider's listed price per second for the model and resolution you run. Check whether your plan or promotion changes it.
- 2
Seconds generated
Count every second generated, including drafts and regenerations users throw away, not just the videos they keep.
- 3
Divide by delivered videos
Total generation spend divided by videos actually delivered is your COGS per video. Track it weekly; it moves with user behaviour.
- 4
Compare with what you charge
Price per video (or per credit you sell) minus COGS per video is your gross margin per video. That is the number to protect.
Gross margin per 10-second 720p Seedance 2.0 video, by provider
Example: your app charges $2.50 per 10-second 720p video and makes 10,000 a month. Each provider's cost is its listed price per second times 10, from the Seedance API Price Index (25 October 2026); KreatorFlow at the list rate, before volume tiers.
| Provider | Cost per video | Gross margin | Monthly COGS at 10,000 videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| KreatorFlow API (list rate) | $1.10 | $1.40 (56%) | $11,000 |
| Segmind | $1.51 | $0.99 (40%) | $15,120 |
| Sume | $1.54 | $0.96 (38%) | $15,380 |
| Runware | $1.60 | $0.90 (36%) | $16,000 |
| Replicate | $1.80 | $0.70 (28%) | $18,000 |
| EvoLink | $1.99 | $0.51 (20%) | $19,900 |
| PiAPI | $2.00 | $0.50 (20%) | $20,000 |
| Kie.ai | $2.05 | $0.45 (18%) | $20,500 |
| WaveSpeedAI | $2.40 | $0.10 (4%) | $24,000 |
| fal.ai | $3.03 | $-0.53 (-21%) | $30,340 |
| Runway API | $3.60 | $-1.10 (-44%) | $36,000 |
Sources, as checked:
- Seedance API Price Index, every price linked to the provider's page (25 October 2026): /ai-video-api-pricing
What counts as AI video COGS
For an app that sells generated video, cost of goods is the generation bill: what your API provider charges for the seconds your users generate. Hosting and storage matter too, but at any real volume the per-second price dominates.
The trap is counting only delivered videos. If users regenerate twice before keeping a clip, a 10-second video costs you three generations: $3.30 at the KreatorFlow list rate, not $1.10. Measure your own ratio before you set prices.
Lever 1: the same model at a lower listed price
Seedance 2.0 is the same ByteDance model wherever you call it, yet listed prices at 720p span $0.151 to $0.360 per second across the providers in the index. Moving traffic to a lower listed price changes margin on every video at once, with no product change.
As of 25 October 2026, the KreatorFlow API list rate is the lowest listed price at 720p and 1080p for Seedance 2.0 and Seedance 2.5 among the API providers in the Seedance API Price Index.
In the example above, the gap between the median provider and the KreatorFlow list rate is $8,950 a month at 10,000 videos.
Lever 2: fewer wasted seconds
Most apps can cut generated seconds per delivered video without users noticing:
- Default drafts to 720p and offer 1080p for the final render only.
- Default to the shortest duration that fits the use case; let users extend.
- Show a preview frame or prompt check before a full generation where it fits your product.
- Reuse characters and references so users get a usable result in fewer tries.
- Make sure failed jobs are not billed to you. On KreatorFlow they are not charged.
Lever 3: volume tiers
On KreatorFlow, Seedance video gets 5%, 7.5% and 10% off the list rate from $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 in top-ups over 30 days, applied automatically with no contract. Rate limits rise with the tier too: 20, 60, 120 and 300 video requests per minute, with no separate cap on jobs running at once.
Top-ups start at $20.00, prepaid, with no subscription.
How to switch without risk
Run the same prompts on both providers, compare quality, time to result and cost per delivered video, then route a share of traffic before moving the rest. Keep your own abstraction over the provider so the next switch is a config change.
KreatorFlow is an official partner of BytePlus, a ByteDance company, and the same key also runs Seedream images, text to speech and OmniHuman lip sync.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gross margin on AI video?
It depends on your pricing model, but measure it per delivered video, retries included. If a meaningful share of users regenerate often, margin per delivered video can be far below the margin per generation.
Does the lowest listed price always give the lowest COGS?
Not always. Compare the same model and resolution, check how each bills failed jobs and minimum durations, and include volume tiers. A provider that charges for failures can cost more per delivered video.
Is Seedance on KreatorFlow the same model as elsewhere?
Yes, it is ByteDance's Seedance. KreatorFlow is an official partner of BytePlus, a ByteDance company.
Are failed generations charged on KreatorFlow?
No. A failed job is not charged and its tokens go back to your balance.
Where do the competitor prices come from?
From the Seedance API Price Index: each provider's listed price, read on its own page and dated (25 October 2026). Promotions and private volume deals are not included.
