Comparison · Video
Veo 3.1 Lite vs Veo 3.1 Fast
Veo 3.1 Lite vs Veo 3.1 Fast: Lite gives the same 8 s clip for half the price, text only. Fast adds images, product references and better value in 4K.
What each one accepts
| Veo 3.1 Lite | Veo 3.1 Fast | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | ||
| Type | Video | Video |
| Modes | text-to-video | text-to-video image-to-video reference-to-video |
| Released | 2026-03 | 2025-10 |
| Duration | 8 s | 8 s |
| Resolutions | 720p, 1080p, 4K | 720p, 1080p, 4K |
| Aspect ratios | 16:9, 9:16 | 16:9, 9:16 |
| Prompt length | up to 4,000 chars | up to 4,000 chars |
| Reference images | - | up to 3 |
| Audio | - | built in |
Rates and clip costs
| Model | Variant | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 Lite | 720p | $0.177 / video |
| 1080p | $0.177 / video | |
| 4K | $1.44 / video | |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | 720p | $0.354 / video |
| 1080p | $0.354 / video | |
| 4K | $1.62 / video |
Charged from a prepaid USD balance, no taxes added. A failed generation is $0.
When the whole scene lives in the prompt and 1080p is enough, Veo 3.1 Lite renders an 8-second clip just like Fast does, at half the money. Fast is the one to use when the shot starts from a photo, has to show a particular product or character, or needs 4K, where the gap to Lite shrinks to roughly 12%. Both bill one flat amount per clip in 16:9 or 9:16.
When to pick Veo 3.1 Lite
- B-roll and backgrounds when you have no photos to start from.
- Trying many takes of one idea at a low price each.
- Landscapes and mood shots with no specific product in view.
- A first pass at an ad concept, to be produced later on a pricier model.
When to pick Veo 3.1 Fast
- Bringing a still to life: a packshot, a portrait session or a game screenshot to open the shot.
- Your exact product or character, kept consistent through a reference image.
- 4K footage, where the premium over Lite is small.
- Vertical 9:16 reels featuring your own product.
Differences you will notice
- Price. Veo 3.1 Lite costs from $0.177 per video and Veo 3.1 Fast from $0.354 per video, exactly double at 720p and 1080p.
- Images. Lite refuses images and works from text alone. Fast accepts up to 3 in
image_urls, either as frames or as references for how a character or product looks. - 4K. It is expensive in both: about 8x the 1080p rate in Lite and about 4.6x in Fast. That means a single 4K Lite clip equals about eight 1080p Lite clips, and the two tiers end up about 12% apart.
- Release. Google shipped Fast in October 2025 and added Lite, the lowest-priced Veo 3.1 tier, in March 2026.
- Shared. 8 s, 16:9 and 9:16, 720p, 1080p and 4K, 4,000-character prompts, identical price for 720p and 1080p.
How to decide
- Text only, up to 1080p: Lite, and always choose 1080p since it costs the same as 720p.
- A photo, a product reference or 4K: Fast, because the small 4K premium also buys image input.
With the length locked at 8 s, one generation always equals one shot on the bill. In my first video ranking, run through another API on shorter clips, Fast earned 8.0/10. Lite has not been through my tests, so picture quality is not compared here. See Veo 3.1 vs Veo 3.1 Fast and the Veo 3.1 pricing guide for all three tiers.
Questions
How do I switch an existing Fast request over to Lite?
Set model to veo-3.1-lite and drop image_urls. Lite only reads prompt, aspect_ratio and resolution; see the generate docs.
Is 4K in Lite a bargain?
No. A 4K Lite clip costs almost as much as a 4K Fast clip, so for 4K I go with Fast and get image input as a bonus.
How do I get a 20-second scene?
Join several 8-second Veo clips in your editor, or pick a model that makes long single shots, such as Seedance 2.5.