How to Use Veo 3.1 Without a Subscription in 2026 (After Google's October Changes)
Live figures last changed · 7 min read · The GenMagic team
Since October 22, 2026, Google offers Veo 3.1 in two ways: inside its monthly AI plans, where Flow credits pay for each video, and on its Cloud platform, which needs a Google Cloud project with billing. If you want neither a monthly plan nor a cloud project, you can pay per clip on a platform that runs Veo 3.1 for you, at a price you see before you generate.
This guide covers what changed at Google, what Google's AI plans give you for video, Google Cloud for people who are not developers, paying per clip with no subscription, what an 8-second clip costs on each route, and which route fits which kind of maker.
A note on who wrote this: GenMagic is one of the routes compared here. Its prices are read live from its catalog, and where another route is cheaper for a job, this guide says so. Google's plans were read on Google's AI plans page on November 9, 2026; the developer side is covered in depth in our Veo 3.1 API guide.
Table of contents
- The short answer
- What changed at Google
- Google's AI plans: Flow credits
- Google Cloud: pay as you go, for developers
- Paying per clip, with no subscription
- What an 8-second clip costs on each route
- Which route to pick
- Questions
The short answer
- Inside Google's apps, video is a monthly plan. Google's AI plans include Flow credits each month: 200 on Google AI Plus, 1,000 on Pro and 10,000 or 25,000 on the Ultra tiers. Each video draws credits, and Google's plan table now names its own newer video model, Gemini Omni Flash, as the plans' video model.
- Veo 3.1 left the Gemini API on October 22, 2026. Google still sells it on its Cloud platform (the Agent Platform, formerly Vertex AI), at $0.05 to $0.40 a second, but that needs a Google Cloud project with billing and code.
- Paying per clip needs neither. On GenMagic, Veo 3.1 Lite costs $0.075 a second at 720p with sound, Veo 3.1 Fast $0.15, and Veo 3.1 $0.60. Top-ups start at $5, and top-up credit never expires.
- Gemini Omni Flash is on GenMagic too, at $0.10 a second at 720p, so you can try Google's new model beside Veo 3.1 on one balance.
What changed at Google
Three things moved in October 2026:
- The Gemini API stopped serving Veo 3.1 on October 22. That was the API-key route most tutorials describe, so many scripts and tools that called it stopped working.
- Google points to Gemini Omni as the video model for its apps and its API: a general Gemini model that also makes video, billed differently from Veo.
- Veo 3.1 remains on Google Cloud (the Agent Platform), with the same three tiers (Lite, Fast and the full model).
For a creator, that means Veo 3.1 from Google is now either a Cloud project or whatever video model your AI plan includes this month.
Google's AI plans: Flow credits
From Google's AI plans page, read on November 9, 2026:
| Plan | Flow credits a month | Video model named in the plan table |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Plus | 200 | Omni Flash |
| Google AI Pro | 1,000 | Omni Flash |
| Google AI Ultra (two tiers) | 10,000 or 25,000 | Omni Flash |
What to know before you subscribe:
- Credits are per generation, and a better model costs more credits. Google's page gives the monthly allowance but no per-video price. Third-party guides read about 10 credits for a Veo 3.1 Lite clip and 20 for Fast on non-Ultra plans in October 2026 ( diyai.io's Veo pricing guide), so check the credit price of the model you want inside Flow.
- Unused monthly credits do not carry over, according to the same guides. A quiet month still costs the plan's price.
- The plan is more than video. Gemini, storage and the rest come with it, which is good value if you use them. If you only want a few clips, it is a subscription for the clips.
- Usage limits on Google's page are tiers ("more", "highest") rather than numbers.
Google Cloud: pay as you go, for developers
On Google's Cloud platform, Veo 3.1 is pay as you go at Google's list price, per second of video with sound at 720p: $0.05 for Lite, $0.10 for Fast and $0.40 for the full model. There is no subscription, but you need:
- A Google Cloud project with billing, which means a card on a Google Cloud account.
- Code. Calls go to a long-running video endpoint, which you poll for the result. There is no studio.
If you are a developer, our Veo 3.1 API guide covers the setup, working requests and every reseller.
Paying per clip, with no subscription
A platform that runs Veo 3.1 for you can sell it per clip. On GenMagic:
- Sign up with an email. You get $0.50 of free credit once you verify it.
- Open the studio on Veo 3.1 ( start here) and write the shot. Put a spoken line in quotes, or add a photo as the first frame.
- See the price before you generate. It is fixed by the tier, the length, the resolution and sound.
- Top up when you need to, from $5. Top-up credit never expires. Nothing renews.
Veo 3.1 on GenMagic today, per second with sound:
| Tier | 720p | 1080p | Up to | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.075 | $0.12 | 1080p | Most clips: the lowest price with sound and dialogue |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.15 | $0.18 | 4K | Sharper motion, 4K delivery |
| Veo 3.1 | $0.60 | $0.60 | 4K | The finest detail |
The same balance runs Seedance, Kling 3.0, Wan 3.0, Gemini Omni and every other model GenMagic lists. You can also call Veo 3.1 from n8n, Make, Zapier, Claude or ChatGPT (MCP), or your own code, on the same balance.
What an 8-second clip costs on each route
Eight seconds at 720p with sound, Veo 3.1's longest single clip:
| Route | Veo 3.1 Lite | Veo 3.1 Fast | Veo 3.1 | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud, list price | $0.40 | $0.80 | $3.20 | A Cloud project with billing, code |
| GenMagic, per clip | $0.60 | $1.20 | $4.80 | A top-up from $5, any time |
| Google AI plan | Credits per clip, inside a monthly plan | A monthly plan |
How to read it: Google Cloud is the lowest price per second if you can set up a project and write code. If you already pay for a Google AI plan and its video model is the one you want, its credits are the cheapest way to make clips. If you want Veo 3.1 itself, in a studio, a few clips at a time, without a plan or a cloud project, pay per clip.
Which route to pick
- You already pay for Google AI Pro or Ultra: use your Flow credits first.
- You are a developer with a Google Cloud account: the Agent Platform at Google's list price. See the Veo 3.1 API guide.
- You make a few clips a month, or a burst for one project: pay per clip, with no monthly fee, and top-up credit never expires.
- You want Veo 3.1 beside Seedance, Kling and Wan on one balance: a per-clip platform that has them all.
- You run videos from n8n, Make or an AI assistant: an API with one balance. See the n8n node.
Questions
Can I still use Veo 3.1 after October 22, 2026? Yes. Google moved it off the Gemini API, not off the market: it is on Google's Cloud platform, and platforms such as GenMagic run it per clip.
Is there a free way to use Veo 3.1? Google gives a small allowance of free Flow credits in some regions, and GenMagic gives $0.50 of free credit when you verify your email, enough for a short Veo 3.1 Lite clip. Regular use costs money on every route; what Google gives free accounts is in is Veo 3 free?.
Can Veo 3.1 make speech? Yes. Write the line in quotes and say who speaks it. Veo 3.1 makes the voice, lip-synced, with the clip's sound.
What is the difference between Veo 3.1 Lite, Fast and Veo 3.1? Lite is the lowest price, up to 1080p. Fast renders sharper motion and goes to 4K. The full Veo 3.1 has the finest detail, at the highest price. All three make sound. Compare them clip by clip in Veo 3.1 Lite vs Fast vs Veo 3.1. How to write prompts for them: the Veo 3.1 prompt guide.
What is Gemini Omni Flash? Google's newer model that makes video as one of its outputs; Google's AI plans now list it as their video model. GenMagic runs it per clip too: see Gemini Omni without a subscription.