Advanced

Credits & billing

The API spends your normal Vivideo credits — there's no separate API balance.

How charging works

• Cost is fixed per model, per resolution, per second — see Models.
• Credits are charged atomically when a render starts.
• If a render fails, the credits are refunded automatically.
• The create response's credits_charged is authoritative.

Check plan and balance any time:

{
  "object": "account",
  "plan": "pro",
  "premium": true,
  "credits": 425,
  "free_video_available": false,
  "links": { "buy_credits": "https://app.vivideo.ai/subscription", "upgrade": "..." }
}

Premium requirement

Rendering requires a premium plan (Pro or Max). When the balance is too low the API returns 402 insufficient_credits with a links.buy_credits URL. Credits are purchased in the Vivideo app, not via the API.

Free accounts

Free accounts get one free video project. The first eligible POST /v1/videos returns 201 with status: "preview": the project is prepared but not rendered, and the response includes a low-resolution preview.image_url (display it blurred) plus an upgrade link. Nothing is charged.

{
  "id": "3f9d...",
  "object": "video",
  "status": "preview",
  "credits_charged": 0,
  "preview": {
    "image_url": "https://.../cover.jpg",
    "image_note": "Low-resolution preview image — display it blurred.",
    "upgrade_url": "https://app.vivideo.ai/upgrade"
  }
}

After upgrading at https://app.vivideo.ai/upgrade, call POST /v1/videos/{id}/render — the same project renders, and the first video is free. The allowance is enforced per account with atomic counters, so extra keys, concurrency or repeats can't mint more free previews (later free-account attempts return 403 free_limit_reached).