How Far Artlist AI Credits Go: Real Prices From Our Test Runs (2026)
Last verified: 2026-11-07
In how Artlist works, one credit balance pays for every AI tool. A 5-second video clip cost us between 175 and 1,000 credits, an image 30 to 90, and a line of voiceover 11 to 22, all on our Max Pro account.
Read the plan's "up to" counts with care: they assume the cheapest model that fits.
What did each thing cost us?
| What we made | Settings | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Voiceover, 8 seconds | MiniMax 02 HD | 11 |
| Voiceover, 8 seconds | Eleven v3 | 22 |
| Image | Flux 3 Klein, 2K | 30 |
| Image | Nano Banana 2, 1K | 90 |
| Background removal | Image Editor | 30 |
| Song, 2 to 3 minutes | Lyria 3 Pro | 300 |
| Video, 5 seconds | MiniMax H3 Max Turbo, 480p | 175 |
| Video, 5 seconds | Seedance 2.5, 480p | 1,000 |
| 3D model from text | Hyper3D Rodin v2.5 Fast | 300 |
| 3D model from a photo | Tripo H3.1 | 900 |
| Talking avatar, 8 seconds | Aurora Avatar, 480p | 643 |
| Video upscale x2, 5 seconds | Topaz Iris | 750 |
How many videos do 16,500 credits buy?
The pricing page says up to 330. That works out at 50 credits a video, the starting price of the cheapest model we saw in the list. Our cheapest 5-second clip cost 175, which would make about 94 clips, and Seedance 2.5 at 1,000 would make 16.
| Plan credits | Artlist's video count | At our 175-credit clip | At our 1,000-credit clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16,500 | 330 | 94 | 16 |
| 40,000 | 800 | 228 | 40 |
| 80,000 | 1,600 | 457 | 80 |
Artlist's own Max plan article gives a lower count for the same balance: up to 55 videos on 16,500 credits. Budget from the model you actually plan to use. Our Artlist AI models list has rates per model.
How many credits does a second of video cost?
Divide each price by the clip length and the models fall into order.
| Model | Settings | Credits | Per second |
|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 Max Turbo | 480p, 5 sec | 175 | 35 |
| Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast | 480p, 5 sec, from an image | 200 | 40 |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite | 480p, 5 sec | 250 | 50 |
| Gemini Omni 1.2 Flash | 360p, 5 sec | 350 | 70 |
| Kling 3.0 | 1080p, 5 sec, audio on | 750 | 150 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 480p, 5 sec | 1,000 | 200 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 720p, 8 sec, through MCP | 4,000 | 500 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 1080p, 8 sec, through MCP | 8,000 | 1,000 |
Resolution moves the price most. Seedance 2.5 costs five times as much per second at 1080p as at 480p. A one-minute video comes to 2,100 credits on MiniMax H3 Max Turbo, 12,000 on Seedance 2.5 at 480p and 60,000 on Seedance 2.5 at 1080p, which is more than AI Core holds in a month.
What does one credit cost in dollars?
Divide the plan price by its monthly credits:
| Plan | Per 1,000 credits, billed yearly | Per 1,000 credits, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| AI Starter | $0.73 | $1.21 |
| AI Core | $0.60 | $1.00 |
| AI Creator | $0.52 | $0.87 |
On AI Starter billed yearly, a 30-credit image costs about 2 cents, a 175-credit clip 13 cents, a 300-credit song 22 cents and a 1,000-credit Seedance 2.5 clip 73 cents. Max is left out of this table because its price also pays for the stock catalog.
What does a real month of projects cost?
A weekly 10-minute YouTube explainer, with narration, 20 still images and one song per episode:
| Per episode | Budget route | Credits | Premium route | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes of narration | MiniMax 02 HD | 825 | Eleven v3 | 1,650 |
| 20 images | Flux 3 Klein, 2K | 600 | Nano Banana 2, 1K | 1,800 |
| One song | Lyria 3 Pro | 300 | Lyria 3 Pro | 300 |
| One episode | 1,725 | 3,750 | ||
| Four episodes | 6,900 | 15,000 |
Both fit AI Starter's 16,500, and the premium route leaves 1,500 for retakes. A 10-minute script runs to roughly 8,000 characters. The voiceover tool takes up to 5,000 characters per generation, so split the script in two.
Daily short clips, 30 a month at 5 seconds, each with an 8-second voice line on MiniMax 02 HD:
| Video model | Video | Voice | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 Max Turbo, 480p | 5,250 | 330 | 5,580 |
| Seedance 2.5, 480p | 30,000 | 330 | 30,330 |
The first fits AI Starter almost three times over, enough for two retakes per clip. The second needs AI Core. On AI Core, Gemini Omni 1.2 Flash is one of the 9 Unlimited models, so the same 30 clips can cost no credits at a setting that carries the infinity mark.
Why isn't the list price what you pay?
The model list shows "From" prices, and resolution, length and audio move them. Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite said "From 50" and asked 250 for 480p at 5 seconds. Hold the pointer over Generate to see the real price.
Voice models charge by length of text instead:
Do Artlist credits roll over?
No. Artlist's credits article says they reset at the start of each monthly cycle. That holds on yearly plans too, because the allowance is monthly.
| Question | Answer in the article |
|---|---|
| Charged if I don't download the result? | Yes |
| Refund for a result I don't like? | No |
| Run out mid-month? | Upgrade, or buy a top-up on larger plans |
| Upgrade mid-month? | New limit applies at once, minus credits already used, with a prorated charge |
| Subscription expires? | Credits go to zero |
Our Artlist pricing page lists what each tier costs.
Can you buy more credits?
Yes, on a yearly AI Suite or Max plan with 80,000 credits or more. A top-up is a one-time payment that leaves your plan and renewal date alone. Monthly credits go first, it expires 30 days after purchase, and you can hold one at a time.
Below 80,000 the route is a higher tier.
What if you run out mid-month?
Say you're on AI Starter and have spent 15,000 of your 16,500 credits halfway through the cycle:
| Route | What happens | Credits left this cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to AI Core | 40,000 limit at once, minus the 15,000 used, prorated charge | 25,000 |
| Upgrade to AI Creator | 80,000 limit at once, minus the 15,000 used, prorated charge | 65,000 |
| Top-up | Not sold below 80,000 credits | None |
| Wait | Balance resets at the next monthly cycle | 1,500 until then |
On a yearly plan at 80,000 credits or more, a top-up is the other route.
How does Unlimited work?
On supported models, generating takes nothing from your balance. A toggle next to Generate switches it on, and it can come back on when you change a model or setting. With it off, you pay credits for faster processing.
| Plan and tier | Unlimited models | Fast generations a month | Parallel |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Starter, 16,500 | None | n/a | n/a |
| AI Core, 40,000 | 9 | 700 | 4 |
| AI Creator, 80,000 | 19 | 900 | 5 |
| Max, 40,000 | 9 | 700 | 4 |
| Max, 80,000 | 19 | 900 | 5 |
| Max Business, 180,000 | 25 | 900 | 5 |
After the fast generations run out, Unlimited keeps going at standard speed. Artlist's pricing page calls it "for human use only" and rules out automation, scraping and account sharing. Daily thresholds also apply. They reset at midnight UTC and vary by model.
Three things stay on credits whatever your plan: models without the infinity mark, MCP use, and Seedance 2.5 with video references.
Where the models from our tests stand:
| Model | Unlimited from |
|---|---|
| Gemini Omni 1.2 Flash, Nano Banana 2.1 | AI Core, Max 40,000 |
| Seedance 1.0 Pro Fast, Nano Banana 2 | AI Creator, Max 80,000 |
| Seedance 2.5, Flux 3 Klein, GPT Image 2.5, Seedream 5.0 Flash, Lyria 3 and 3 Pro | Not on the Unlimited list of any self-serve plan |
Nano Banana 2 at 4K sat outside Unlimited in our panel, so check the setting too.
Are there free credits?
Not as a balance. The free account gets a set number of tries instead: 3 voiceovers, 2 images on Nano Banana 2 Lite, 1 video, 2 music tracks and 2,000 credits for Studio. Those generations can't be downloaded.
Do failed generations use credits?
Artlist's music FAQ says generations that fail with an error don't use credits, and failed jobs in an MCP batch aren't charged. A finished result you don't like is charged in full.
Can you stop a generation to save credits?
Not through MCP. Credits come off when the request goes out, and a running generation can't be stopped. High-cost MCP requests ask for your approval first, with nothing spent until you give it.
Do team members share credits?
Yes. Fast generations are pooled across a team too. Max Business adds a dashboard showing how each member spends.
Annual plans carry more credits for the money: AI Starter is $11.99 a month billed yearly against $19.99 billed monthly. Our Artlist discount code adds 2 free months on annual plans. If you only want music, compare it with the Epidemic Sound discount code.