Is Makernice a Good China Video AI Alternative for Developers?
Competitor prices checked November 11, 2026 from China Video AI's public pricing and docs; they change often.
Prices as of November 12, 2026 (price list v15).
Makernice can replace China Video AI when you want to call Seedance or MiniMax from code: China Video AI is a credit-based studio where the same clip costs a different number of credits on each plan, while Makernice is a video and image API that quotes one US dollar price before each run, whatever you topped up. Move to Makernice to predict cost per run. Stay on China Video AI if you want its monthly plans, annual discounts and exports without a watermark in a studio.
What is China Video AI, and how is it different from Makernice?
China Video AI presents itself as "Start with credits for quick image-to-video tests, choose monthly plans for ongoing creation, or use annual plans for the lowest long-term AI video cost.". Makernice is an API with 19 video and image models, prepaid in US dollars and priced per second of output.
Which models can you run on both China Video AI and Makernice?
- Seedance 2.5:
"model": "seedance-2.5"on Makernice - Seedance 2.0:
"model": "seedance-2.0"on Makernice - Seedance 2.0 Fast:
"model": "seedance-2.0-fast"on Makernice - MiniMax H3:
"model": "minimax-h3"on Makernice - Seedream 5.0:
"model": "seedream-5.0"on Makernice
How do China Video AI and Makernice prices compare?
| Plan | Price as listed | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Monthly | Basic Monthly $14.99 /month 1,000 credits | 1000 |
| Starter Monthly | Starter Monthly $29.99 /month $39.99 4,000 credits | 4000 |
| Pro Monthly | Pro Monthly $89.99 /month $119.99 10,000 credits | 10000 |
| Unlimited Monthly | Unlimited Monthly $149.99 /month $199.99 25,000 credits | 25000 |
| Credit Pack $9.99 | Pay Once $9.99 800 | 800 |
| Credit Pack $19.99 | Pay Once $19.99 1,800 | 1800 |
| Credit Pack $39.99 | Pay Once $39.99 4,000 | 4000 |
Credit estimates in the price table use the per-credit prices on these plans, from the best-value plan to the entry plan.
Why does one Seedance clip cost different credits on each China Video AI plan?
China Video AI lists a per-clip credit cost for each plan. Seedance 2.5 is 160 credits on Basic Monthly, Starter Monthly and the one-time Credit Packs, 128 on Pro Monthly, 80 on Unlimited Monthly and 64 on Unlimited Yearly. Seedance 2.0 follows the same ladder from 80 down to 32.
The page does not say how long a clip is, so these are not per-second prices, and we left them out of the price table above. A bigger plan lowers the credits per clip, which means your effective price depends on how much you commit to each month. Its FAQ asks "Does China Video AI offer Seedance API access?" but the answer was collapsed when we captured it.
How does China Video AI price MiniMax H3 and Seedream 5.0?
China Video AI quotes MiniMax H3 per second, the only model it prices that way: 50 credits per second, with a separate Limited rate of 17 credits per second. Seedream 5.0 images cost 30 credits on Basic Monthly and the Credit Packs, down to 18 on Pro Yearly, and both Unlimited plans list them as Free. The page's credit unit is not defined in dollars, so these stay credit amounts.
How long do China Video AI's promotions last?
China Video AI's pricing page showed an annual-plan banner reading "Ends Oct 31" on the day we checked, 2026-11-11, so the banner was still up after its stated date. Monthly plans also show a struck-through list price next to the current one. Treat the plan prices in the table as what the page showed on the check date, and confirm at checkout.
Billing on China Video AI vs Makernice
| Makernice | China Video AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per second of output, by model and resolution (images per request) | "credits every month" |
| Price before the run | A quote for every generation, locked for 12 minutes; full list public at GET /v1/pricing | "Compare All Plans" |
| Failed run | Not charged; the hold is released | "Credits may be consumed when generation jobs are submitted, and failed jobs may be refunded according to the product logic configured for the service." |
| Cancel | Only queued jobs can be canceled; the held amount is released in full. A job that has started can't be canceled (409 not_cancelable) | "You may cancel a recurring subscription from the account billing area when that option is available." |
| Output files | Each output shows its expiry (expiresAt); in the docs example it is 30 days after the run finishes | Not stated on China Video AI's public pages (checked November 11, 2026) |
| Balance or credits expire | Prepaid USD balance never expires | Not stated on China Video AI's public pages (checked November 11, 2026) |
| Subscription | No subscription; prepaid top-ups | "Credit Packs" |
| Minimum purchase | $15 per top-up (up to $1,000) | "Pay Once" |
| Free tier | No free tier | "Get Free Credits" |
Makernice rules with examples: No charge for failed generations.
When should you stay on China Video AI?
- You want an Unlimited plan with free Seedream 5.0 images. Both Unlimited plans list Seedream 5.0 as Free; Makernice has no free images and charges for each one.
- You need several jobs at once from a studio plan. China Video AI lists concurrency by plan, from 1 on Basic up to 5 or 8 on Unlimited; Makernice isn't plan-based.
- You want Kling 2.x or a daily check-in credit. China Video AI lists Kling only in the 2.x line and a Get Free Credits check-in; Makernice has 19 models and no free credit grant.
About Makernice
Makernice is an AI video and image generation API: one API key and one prepaid balance for 19 models from ByteDance, Kuaishou, MiniMax and Alibaba. Every run starts with a quote that locks the price for 12 minutes, through Makernice's own async REST API (quote, create, poll, cancel).
Frequently asked questions
Does China Video AI have a Seedance API?
Its FAQ asks "Does China Video AI offer Seedance API access?", but the answer was collapsed in what we captured, and we found no API docs. Makernice serves Seedance through an API and an MCP server.
Does China Video AI refund unused credits?
Its pages describe a 7-day window for unused credits from a one-time pack, with the conditions on its own refund page. Check the exact terms before buying a pack.
Does China Video AI charge for failed generations?
China Video AI's public pages say: "Credits may be consumed when generation jobs are submitted, and failed jobs may be refunded according to the product logic configured for the service." (checked November 11, 2026). On Makernice, failed runs aren't charged and the hold is released.
Related
- Seedance 2.5 · Seedance 2.0 · Seedance 2.0 Fast · MiniMax H3 · Seedream 5.0
- Billing: No charge for failed generations
- More: All AI video API alternatives · AI video cost calculator
Product and company names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. Makernice is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them.
Price your China Video AI workload on Makernice.
Prepaid in US dollars by card (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) or crypto, $15 to $1,000 per top-up; the balance never expires. Failed runs aren't charged. Note: if a finished output is blocked by output moderation for a policy violation, the run is still charged. You can contact support for a manual review. No top-up fee from Makernice; sales tax/VAT may apply at checkout depending on your location.