Answer: on Callirra, MiniMax H3 costs one credit per output second at 480P ($0.01), two at 768P ($0.02), three at 960P and 1080P, four at 1440P and ten at 2K. MiniMax's own published pay-as-you-go price for 768P output was $0.08 per second when we checked on 25 October 2026.
That is a 4× gap at the same 768P output tier, and it is the number people are usually searching for when they look at H3 pricing. Two caveats before the table: hosted lanes are not identical products, and prices move. Treat this as a dated comparison, not a perpetual claim.
Tier by tier, on one platform
| H3 tier | Credits / output second | USD / second | 10-second clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480P | 1 | $0.01 | $0.10 |
| 768P | 2 | $0.02 | $0.20 |
| 960P (cinematic) | 3 | $0.03 | $0.30 |
| 1080P | 3 | $0.03 | $0.30 |
| 1440P | 4 | $0.04 | $0.40 |
| 2K | 10 | $0.10 | $1.00 |
And the reference rates we compared against, as published by the model's own platform on the same date:
| Reference | Published rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MiniMax official · H3 768P | $0.08 / second | their pay-as-you-go list |
| MiniMax official · H3 2K | $0.13 / second | same page |
| Callirra · H3 768P | $0.02 / second | 75% below the reference |
| Callirra · H3 2K | $0.10 / second | about 23% below |
One credit is $0.01 here, and the same credit pool covers images, audio and the other video models — there is no separate "MiniMax account".
The things that make a cheap H3 second expensive
2K is a different lane, not a bigger 1080P — the 1440P vs 2K breakdown covers what the premium buys. At ten credits a second it is five times the 1080P rate, and it carries capabilities the other tiers do not: video-to-video, six aspect ratios including 21:9, and first-plus-last frame at full resolution. If you do not need one of those, 1080P at $0.03 is the correct purchase.
Video-to-video bills input seconds too. A restyle job charges the footage you feed it as well as the footage it produces.
Reference images past the fifth cost three credits each on 2K. Nine references on a ten-second 2K job is 112 credits, not 100.
Failed jobs are refunded, so retries are not a second purchase unless a file appears.
What "cheapest" means per usable second
The per-second rate is the first term. The second is how many pulls it takes to get a keeper:
| Pulls per usable clip | 480P effective $/usable second | 768P | 1080P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in 2 | $0.02 | $0.04 | $0.06 |
| 1 in 3 | $0.03 | $0.06 | $0.09 |
| 1 in 4 | $0.04 | $0.08 | $0.12 |
At a 1-in-4 hit rate, 480P costs the same per usable second as 768P does at a 1-in-2 hit rate. That is the argument for pulling at 480P and finishing only the selects — not because the cheap tier is better, but because exploration is where the budget goes.
When a cheaper lane is the wrong lane
- The deliverable is 1080p. 480P drafts are a means, not an output.
- You need text-to-video at 960P. That tier is image-to-video only.
- You need a 21:9 frame without cropping. Only 2K offers it.
- Your shot needs paired frames at full resolution. 480P, 768P and 2K accept them; 960P, 1080P and 1440P do not — the first-and-last-frame guide lists the tiers.
FAQ
Is $0.01 per second the real price, or a promotion? It is the published tier rate, shown before you generate; the quote on screen is what is charged.
Can I run H3 without a subscription? Yes. H3 is not behind a subscription — a new account's first week is 18 credits, then 15 weekly.
Does the 2K tier cost 10 credits everywhere? That is the rate here; other platforms resell the same model at different margins, so compare the tier, not the logo.
What about audio? Native audio is included in every H3 output, and reference audio is free. No line item.
The current tier table is on Callirra's MiniMax H3 page, the plan side is on pricing, and the official rates cited above are linked from our platform comparison, dated 25 October 2026. Prices move — re-check both sides before quoting a number in a budget.