How Renders Are Charged
What a render costs, when credits are taken, and how failed renders give credits back.
Cost per render
A render at 720p30 costs its length divided by 30 seconds, in credits, rounded to two decimals, and a render at 1080p60 costs twice that. So spending can be fractional: a 45-second video costs 1.5 credits at 720p30 and 3 at 1080p60. Videos shorter than 10 seconds are billed as 10 seconds.
| Video length | Credits at 720p30 | Credits at 1080p60 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 seconds | 0.33 credits | 0.67 credits | Billed as 10 seconds (the minimum) |
| 10 seconds | 0.33 credits | 0.67 credits | |
| 15 seconds | 0.5 credits | 1 credit | |
| 30 seconds | 1 credit | 2 credits | |
| 45 seconds | 1.5 credits | 3 credits | |
| 60 seconds | 2 credits | 4 credits | |
| 90 seconds | 3 credits | 6 credits | |
| 120 seconds | 4 credits | 8 credits | |
| 300 seconds | 10 credits | 20 credits |
When credits are taken
Credits are taken the moment a render is accepted, before it starts rendering. The response to your request tells you how many credits were charged and how many you have left.
If your balance is lower than the cost, the render is not queued and nothing is charged. You get an insufficient_credits error that includes your balance and the amount required.
Failed renders give credits back
If a render fails, its credits go back to your balance automatically. You do not need to ask. The credit log on /developer shows the render charge and, below it, a matching line that returns the same amount. In Recent API Renders a failed video shows "Refunded" in the Video column, meaning its credits are back in your balance.
The same happens if a render stops responding: it is marked failed within minutes and the credits come back.
Technical parameters
- When you check a failed video through the API, the response includes an error message and a credits_refunded field with the number of credits returned to your balance. The video.failed webhook carries the same field.
Cancelling a render
A render that is still queued can be cancelled by deleting that video through the API. It is removed before rendering starts and all of its credits go back to your balance. Once a render has started it cannot be cancelled; you get an already_rendering error. Wait for it to finish, then delete it if you do not want it.
Reading the credit log
The table under Credit balance on /developer lists recent credit changes with When, Reason and Credits. Positive amounts are credits added; negative amounts are credits spent.
| Reason | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Purchase | Credits you bought. |
| Render | Credits spent on a render (API or Studio cloud render). |
| Refund | Credits returned to your balance after a render failed or was cancelled. |
| Plan grant | A plan's monthly render allowance being added. It can be spent on Studio cloud renders only. |
| Admin grant | Credits added to your account by our team. |
| Plan adjustment | Part of a monthly allowance taken back because that month or year was bought at a discount: the allowance follows the price paid. |
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