The same AI explainer video can cost wildly different amounts depending on the platform

For picture quality, Seedance 2.5 is the best, but 10 seconds costs about $1, and a two-minute explainer means stitching a dozen or so clips plus the redos, so you're easily over $14. To save money, we switched to H3 on jqsp: the host renders at 480p, editing, captions and voiceover run on our own machine, and the same two-minute explainer with a host costs under $0.50 in total (about $0.42 in our run). Explainers really don't need the priciest model for every shot, and prices change, so check the platform's current rates. The fix: before you start, have your AI agent quote the job first: how many clips, the cost per clip, the budget for one full redo, which shots can drop to 480p or a cheaper model, and which steps can run locally for free. Submit only after you say OK.