Top 7 AI image and video generators, compared on what you pay

This is a documented comparison, not a test. Every price and limit comes from each tool's own pricing page, read in October 2026, and CheaperStack has not generated images or video with these tools for this page. Prices exclude tax unless noted; the currencies shown are what each page showed us and are not converted. Midjourney is not included because its plans are not on a public pricing page.

The seven, side by side

From each vendor's pricing page, October 2026. Adobe's page showed us euro prices including VAT; the others exclude tax. Leonardo's page has a yearly and monthly toggle (up to 20% off yearly) and we could not confirm which price its default view shows, so $12 is the figure shown. "Not stated" means not on the pricing page, not that the tool forbids it. Promotions running when checked, which are not in the table: Adobe 30% off the first year of its larger plans until 21 October, Runway Max unlimited Wan until 18 October, and BudgetPixel 30% off Nano Banana 2.1 on Premium and above until 20 October.

How we ordered them

The order is the cost of the cheapest paid plan on each page, roughly, with the free tier as a tiebreaker. It is not a ranking of image or video quality, because we have not generated with them, and credits are not comparable across platforms. The useful number is the cost of the output you make, which each platform shows differently, as the sections below explain.

The seven

1. BudgetPixel: the cheapest start, and the only pay-as-you-go pack option here

One account for images, video, music and voice, with a free plan of 300 credits a month (personal use), paid plans from $8.33 a month billed annually, and credit packs from $10 for 10,000 credits that last 12 months. It lists 100+ models and says it adds no watermark on any plan. Commercial use starts at Premium, $16.67 a month annual. Refunds: its FAQ states all sales are final.

If you sign up through this link and start a paid plan, you receive bonus credits worth 30% of that plan's monthly credits, and so do I; they last 2 months. Try BudgetPixel (affiliate link).

2. Leonardo: a daily free allowance and relaxed unlimited generation

A free plan of 150 fast tokens a day, then Essential at $12, Premium at $30 and Ultimate at $60 a month. Premium adds unlimited image generation at a relaxed pace on select models, and Ultimate adds unlimited relaxed video on select models; the page names them and warns that concurrency can slow down at busy times. It also sells team plans and pay-as-you-go API access.

3. Adobe Firefly: the Adobe route

Standard is €11.26 a month including VAT for 2,000 generative credits, Pro €22.55 for 4,000, and larger plans reach 50,000 credits. The plans page lists unlimited access to standard image features such as Generative Fill, access to models from Adobe, Google and others, and, on higher tiers, unlimited generations on select models for the first year. It makes the most sense if you already use Adobe apps.

4. Runway: video cost stated in seconds

Free gives 125 credits once. Standard is $15 a month ($12 annual) for 625 credits, which Runway says is 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video or 78 Gen-4 images at 1080p. Pro is $35 ($28 annual) for 2,250 credits and adds an MCP; Max is $95 ($76 annual) for 9,500 credits with a one-month rollover. Standard and Pro credits reset monthly, and purchased extra credits never expire.

5. Magnific: unlimited models and upscaling on the middle plan

Formerly Freepik. Premium is €16 a month (€12 annual) for 240K credits a year, Premium+ €36 (€27 annual) for 600K credits a year, and Pro from €88 (€66 annual). Premium+ makes 20+ models unlimited, including Nano Banana 2 and Kling 2.5, and adds Magnific and Topaz 4K upscaling. Every paid plan lists a commercial AI license, and its pricing page states a 30-day refund guarantee. The detail against BudgetPixel is in BudgetPixel vs Magnific.

Arriving through this link applies 20% off Premium and Premium+; Pro has no discount. See Magnific plans (affiliate link).

6. Higgsfield: video-first, with "unlimited models" on plans

Starter is €19 a month and Plus €59 monthly or €47 a month billed annually, with a $3 one-time access offer. Starter lists 3 unlimited models on selected models only; Plus lists 7 unlimited models, access to Seedance 2.0 and all models, and more parallel generations. The page notes that the unlimited models and free generations work only on its own website, not through MCP or its CLI, and that unlimited usage can slow at busy times.

7. Luma: per-resolution credit costs, published in full

Plus is $30 a month for 10,000 credits with commercial use, Pro $90 for 40,000 and Ultra $300 for 150,000, with up to 20% off yearly. Its pricing page publishes a full cost table by model, resolution and audio: for example Seedance 2.5 at 720p is 78 credits a second, and Kling 3.0 at 1080p without audio is 40. It is the easiest of the seven to price a clip on before you buy.

How to compare credits across platforms

• Pick the output, not the plan. Decide the model, resolution and length you will actually make, then find that line on each pricing page.
• Check how credits expire. Monthly credits usually reset; packs and top-ups can last longer. BudgetPixel packs last 12 months and Runway's purchased credits never expire.
• Check what is unlimited. Unlimited usually means specific models, sometimes at a relaxed pace. Magnific, Leonardo, Higgsfield and Adobe each name theirs.
• Check where the plan works. Higgsfield notes that its unlimited models do not work through MCP or its CLI.
• Test on the free tier first. Where one exists, spend it before paying. Our guide to AI images and SEO covers what to check before publishing.

Who should stay where they are

• Anyone paying for Adobe or Midjourney who is happy. Switching platforms only pays if you actually change models.
• Anyone needing refunds. BudgetPixel states all sales are final; Magnific lists a 30-day guarantee.
• Anyone needing realistic video from a document. If what you want is an animated explainer from a report, that is a different tool; see the Claude Motion guide.

The verdict, by situation

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Each tool's own pricing page, read in October 2026: Leonardo, Adobe Firefly, Runway, Higgsfield and Luma; plus the pricing, API and FAQ pages of BudgetPixel and Magnific. Vendors change plans, credit costs and promotions often, so confirm the figures for your region at checkout.

Related

Last reviewed 16 October 2026. Plans, credits and promotions change often, so this page is re-checked monthly. Spotted one out of date? Tell me.