I compared popular AI image and video platforms to find the cheapest

AI image and video tools love to advertise flat monthly prices. But behind those neat pricing tables are credits, model tiers, and hidden limits that can make your real costs much higher than you expect.

This guide breaks down what it actually costs to generate high-quality AI images and videos across four popular workflow-style platforms, all using the same underlying models. You’ll see which platform is cheapest per image, which wins for video, and what it really costs to produce AI content at scale.

How this comparison works

To keep things fair, all platforms are compared using the same conditions:

• Same image model: GPT-Image 2 (often called GPT image 2), used for text-to-image generation.
• Same video model: A top-tier video model (referred to as CSD 2.0 in the transcript, comparable to current Sora-style generators).
• Best quality settings: Highest quality and 4K resolution for images; best quality, maximum duration (15 seconds), and highest resolution for video.
• Most expensive monthly plan: The top monthly plan on each platform, to get the best possible price per credit.

All four tools work as workflow builders: you drag and drop nodes, connect them, and send your prompt to the underlying model. The key point: they’re all calling the same base models. The only real difference is how much they charge you per generation.

Platforms compared

The cost comparison covers four popular AI workflow platforms:

• Figma Weave / Wevi AI (referred to as Figma Weave or Wevi AI)
• Magnific AI
• OpenArt
• Higgsfield AI

Each one lets you build visual workflows to generate images and videos, but their credit systems and pricing differ a lot.

Real cost of AI image generation (GPT-Image 2)

First, let’s look at the cost to generate a single high-quality 4K image using GPT-Image 2 on each platform.

Figma Weave / Wevi AI

• Example workflow: “Create an image of a cat” using GPT-Image 2 at highest quality.
• Credits per image: 37 credits.
• Plan used: 4,000 credits for $45/month.
• Effective credit price: about $0.011 per credit.
• Final cost per image: about $0.41.

Magnific AI

• Same prompt and settings: GPT-Image 2, 4K, highest quality.
• Credits per image: 2,100 credits.
• Plan used: 300,000 credits for $210/month.
• Effective credit price: about $0.0007 per credit.
• Final cost per image: about $1.47.

Despite the cheaper-looking credit price, Magnific ends up almost 4× more expensive per image than Figma Weave / Wevi AI because each image consumes far more credits.

OpenArt

• Same prompt and settings: GPT-Image 2, 4K, highest quality.
• Credits per image: 315 credits.
• Plan used: 106,000 credits for $240/month.
• Effective credit price: about $0.0023 per credit.
• Final cost per image: about $0.71.

Higgsfield AI

• Same prompt and settings: GPT-Image 2, 4K, highest quality.
• Credits per image: 12 credits.
• Plan used: 3,000 credits for $129/month.
• Effective credit price: about $0.043 per credit.
• Final cost per image: about $0.52.

Cheapest platform for images

For high-quality GPT-Image 2 images, the winner is:

Figma Weave / Wevi AI at roughly $0.41 per 4K image.

OpenArt and Higgsfield sit in the middle, while Magnific is significantly more expensive for this specific use case.

Real cost of AI video generation (top-tier model)

Next, let’s compare the cost of generating a 15-second, high-quality video using the same video model and best settings on each platform.

Figma Weave / Wevi AI

• Example workflow: “Create a video of a cat” using the CSD 2.0 video model, best quality, 15 seconds.
• Credits per video: 857 credits.
• Effective credit price (from earlier): about $0.011 per credit.
• Final cost per video: about $9.41.

Magnific AI

• Same prompt and settings: CSD 2.0, best quality, 15 seconds.
• Credits per video: 10,621 credits.
• Effective credit price: about $0.0007 per credit.
• Final cost per video: about $7.43.

Interestingly, Magnific is cheaper for video than Figma Weave / Wevi AI, even though it was more expensive for images.

OpenArt

• Same prompt and settings: CSD 2.0, best quality, 15 seconds.
• Credits per video: 3,000 credits.
• Effective credit price (from earlier): about $0.00226 per credit.
• Final cost per video: about $6.79.

Higgsfield AI

• Same prompt and settings: CSD 2.0, best quality, 15 seconds.
• Cost per video (already calculated by the platform): about $5.80.

Cheapest platform for videos

For high-quality 15-second clips with the top video model, the winner is:

Higgsfield AI at about $5.80 per video.

OpenArt comes next, then Magnific, with Figma Weave / Wevi AI the most expensive for video in this comparison.

Why prices differ even with the same model

All four platforms are essentially acting as middlemen: they send your request to the underlying image or video model (like GPT-Image 2 or a Sora-style video model), then return the result to you. The output quality is fundamentally the same, aside from the natural randomness of generative models.

So why are the prices so different?

Most likely because of different deals and volume commitments with the model providers. A platform committing to generate, say, 100 million images per month can negotiate a better wholesale rate than one doing 50 million. Each platform then chooses its own credit system and markup on top of that.

From a user perspective, that means the smart move is to compare effective cost per image or per video, not just the headline “credits per month” or “price per plan.”

The hidden cost: getting one usable AI video

Looking at the cost of a single 15-second clip is only part of the story. The bigger question is: how many attempts do you need to get something actually usable?

Based on practical experience with current top-tier video models:

• You often need around 10 attempts to get one good, usable clip.
• At the cheapest rate (Higgsfield, about $5.80 per 15-second video), that means:
– ~$58 for one usable 15-second clip.

That’s a very different picture from “$5–6 per video” when you factor in trial and error.

If you’re interested in how different generators compare beyond pricing—features, quality, and limitations—see this deeper review of major tools in I tried every major AI video generator so you don’t have to.

What it costs to produce 1 hour of AI video per month

Now scale this up to something more realistic for a brand or creator: generating 1 hour of AI video per month.

Here’s the math:

• 1 hour = 3,600 seconds.
• Each AI clip = 15 seconds (current max for the top model).
• Clips needed for 1 hour: 3,600 ÷ 15 = 240 clips.
• Attempts per usable clip (on average): ~10.
• Total generations needed: 240 × 10 = 2,400 video attempts.

Using the cheapest per-video price from above (about $5.80 per 15-second attempt):

• 2,400 attempts × $5.80 ≈ $13,920 per month.
• Yearly cost: roughly $167,000–$200,000 per year, depending on exact pricing and usage.

And this is still optimistic. Some concepts simply don’t work well with current models, no matter how many times you try. You might burn through hundreds or thousands of generations before realizing a specific shot or transition just isn’t achievable yet.

Why cheaper models aren’t a real alternative

It’s tempting to say, “I’ll just use a cheaper video model.” But there’s a catch: most lower-tier models still look obviously AI-generated. For serious commercial use, especially if you want a competitive edge, you usually need the best available model.

That’s why this comparison focuses on the top-tier video model. Dropping down to cheaper options might cut your bill, but it also undercuts the realism and production value that make AI video compelling in the first place.

If budget is your main constraint and you’re exploring free or low-cost options, you may find this breakdown of free tools useful: I tried every free AI video generator in 2026.

When expensive AI video is still “cheap”

From an individual creator’s perspective, spending nearly $14,000 per month on AI video is huge. But from a brand or agency perspective, that number can actually be very competitive.

Consider a campaign where you need the equivalent of 100 user-generated content (UGC)-style ads every month:

• Traditional route: ship products to 100 influencers, manage logistics, wait for filming, chase late deliveries, handle broken items, negotiate usage rights, and pay creator fees.
• Time cost: weeks of coordination and back-and-forth.
• Money cost: often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for product, shipping, and creator fees.

By comparison, generating those same 100 clips with AI—even at $10,000–$15,000 per month—can be dramatically cheaper and faster, while giving you full control over style, messaging, and iteration.

Key takeaways

Here’s what this comparison reveals about real-world AI image and video costs:

• Pricing pages can be misleading. Monthly plans hide the true per-image and per-video cost behind credits and model tiers.
• For images, Figma Weave / Wevi AI is cheapest in this test, at about $0.41 per 4K GPT-Image 2 image.
• For video, Higgsfield AI is cheapest, at about $5.80 per 15-second, top-quality clip.
• All platforms call the same underlying models. The main difference is how much they mark up each generation.
• Usable content is what matters. Expect ~10 attempts per good video clip, which multiplies your real cost.
• At scale, AI video is expensive but can still be a bargain compared to traditional production and influencer workflows.

If you’re planning serious AI content production, it’s worth running your own numbers: estimate how many usable clips you need, multiply by a realistic number of attempts, and then compare platforms based on effective cost per result, not just per credit.