Veo's 1080p rows cost $0.05 to $0.40 per generation. Sora 2 costs $0.80 for 8 seconds at 1080p, and Sora 2 Pro $2.40. On those numbers Veo looks two to sixteen times cheaper — and that conclusion rests on one assumption Google does not publish: how many seconds a Veo generation covers.
This page puts both vendors on an 8-second basis anyway, because that is the only way to compare them, and marks every Veo figure with the assumption attached.
Basis: 8 seconds at 1080p. Sora's figures are exact: $0.10/s and $0.30/s times 8. Veo's figures assume one generation covers the full 8 seconds; Google's price row is per generation ("1 count") and states no duration.
The comparison, with the assumption visible
| Vendor | Model | Billing | Listed price | Cost for 8s (Veo assumes 1 generation = 8s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 Lite — Video generation | per clip | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 Lite — Video + Audio generation | per clip | $0.08 | $0.08 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3 Fast — Video generation | per clip | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 Fast — Video generation | per clip | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3 Fast — Video + Audio generation | per clip | $0.12 | $0.12 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 Fast — Video + Audio generation | per clip | $0.12 | $0.12 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3 — Video generation | per clip | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 — Video generation | per clip | $0.20 | $0.20 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3 — Video + Audio generation | per clip | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| Google Vertex AI | Veo 3.1 — Video + Audio generation | per clip | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| OpenAI (Sora) | Sora 2 | per second | $0.10 | $0.80 |
| OpenAI (Sora) | Sora 2 Pro | per second | $0.30 | $2.40 |
Sora's two rows carry no resolution in the price table, so "1080p" is our basis, not OpenAI's stated tier. That is a second caveat on the same table.
How much the unknown duration matters
Take Veo 3.1 with audio at $0.40 per generation — the priciest standard-tier 1080p row — against Sora 2 at $0.80 per 8 seconds:
| If a Veo generation covers | Generations for 8s | Veo cost | Against Sora 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 seconds | 1 | $0.40 | half |
| 4 seconds | 2 | $0.80 | equal |
| 2 seconds | 4 | $1.60 | double |
| 1 second | 8 | $3.20 | 4× |
At 4-second generations the two vendors cost the same for 8 seconds of output. At 2-second generations Veo's standard tier is twice Sora 2. The gap between "Veo is half the price" and "Veo is twice the price" is entirely the clip length Google's pricing page omits.
For the Lite tier the question barely matters. Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05 per generation would need a generation shorter than 0.5 seconds to reach $0.80 per 8 seconds, and no row in this file offers a half-second generation.
What each vendor publishes
| Veo (Vertex AI) | Sora (OpenAI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | per generation | per second |
| 1080p entry price | $0.05 (Lite, video only) | $0.10 per second |
| Audio in the same request | $0.40 per generation (Veo 3.1) | $0.30 per second, audio not specified (Pro) |
| 4K | $0.40–$0.60 | no 4K row |
| Resolution stated in price row | yes | no |
| Clip length stated in price row | no | n/a — you choose it |
| Audio priced as a separate row | yes | no audio row at all |
Where this comparison breaks
Duration. The main one, covered above. Do not budget Veo from a per-second figure unless you have confirmed the generation length in your own Vertex AI project.
Audio. Veo prices audio as a separate row, doubling the standard tier. Sora's rows make no audio distinction, so it is not clear from the price table whether audio is included, extra, or unavailable.
4K. Veo sells it ($0.40 video-only, $0.60 with audio). Sora's tracked rows have no 4K tier, so there is nothing to compare there.
Retries. Neither price row states whether a failed generation is billed. With Veo that matters more, because a retry is a whole generation rather than an extra second.
Which to pick, on price alone
- Cheapest published path to 8 seconds of 1080p: Veo 3.1 Lite at $0.05 per generation, if a generation covers the runtime you need.
- Predictable per-second budgeting: Sora 2 at $0.10/s. No generation-length assumption, no per-clip rounding.
- Audio in the same request: Veo 3.1 at $0.40 per generation, versus Sora 2 Pro at $2.40 for 8 seconds.
- 4K: Veo only. Sora has no 4K row in this file.
FAQ
Is Veo cheaper than Sora?
Per published row, yes at every 1080p tier — Veo's 1080p rows are $0.05 to $0.40 per generation against $0.80 for 8 seconds on Sora 2. But Veo's row is per generation, not per 8 seconds, and Google does not state the duration. If a Veo generation covers 2 seconds, four generations cost $1.60, twice Sora 2.
Why can't I compare them per second?
Because Veo does not publish a per-second rate. Dividing a per-generation price by an assumed clip length produces a number Google never quoted. This site shows the assumption in the column header instead of hiding it.
Which is cheaper for 10 seconds?
Sora 2 is $1.00 and Sora 2 Pro $3.00, exactly 10 × the per-second rate. Veo cannot be priced at 10 seconds from the published rows without knowing the generation length.
Does Sora 2 include audio?
Not stated in the tracked price row, which lists only a per-second rate and no audio variant. Veo, by contrast, has explicit video and video + audio rows.
Basis. 8 seconds at 1080p; Veo figures assume one generation covers 8 seconds, which Google does not state. Every figure is converted from the vendor's published row, shown in the Rate column. All prices checked 2026-11-08. Resale rows are labelled and never merged with the model owner's rate.