# Cheaper Gen. > Run Seedance, Seedream, Wan and MiniMax video and image models through one API — official models, optimized routing and inference, and prices well below list. Pay as you go, enterprise-ready. Cheaper Gen. is a pay-as-you-go API for generative media. It runs the official ByteDance, Alibaba and MiniMax video and image models through one consistent REST API, at prices up to 51% below the developers' official list prices. Billing is prepaid in USD: video is charged per second of output, images per image, and failed generations are refunded automatically. ## API - Base URL: https://cheapergen.com/api/v1 - Auth: `Authorization: Bearer cg_live_…` (create keys at https://cheapergen.com/dashboard/keys) - Submit a job: `POST /api/v1/run/{endpoint}` with the model's input fields (+ optional `webhook_url`) → 202 with a generation (`status: "queued"`) - Poll: `GET /api/v1/generations/{id}` until `status` is `succeeded`, `failed` or `canceled`; outputs in `output.video.url` or `output.images[].url` - Catalog with live prices (no auth): `GET /api/v1/models`, `GET /api/v1/models/{vendor}/{model}` (includes JSON Schema per endpoint) - Price an input (no auth): `POST /api/v1/quote/{endpoint}` - Errors: `{ "error": { "code", "message", "param" } }` — 400 invalid_request, 401 unauthorized, 402 insufficient_balance, 404 not_found, 409 conflict, 429 rate_limited, 502 upstream_error, 503 model_unavailable - Webhooks: `{ "type": "generation.succeeded" | "generation.failed", "data": Generation }`, signed with `CheaperGen-Signature: t=…,v1=…` (HMAC-SHA256 of "t.rawBody") ## AI agents - MCP server (remote, Streamable HTTP): https://cheapergen.com/api/mcp. Send the same API key as `Authorization: Bearer cg_live_…`. Tools: list_models, get_model, quote, generate (paid; `wait_seconds` ≤ 50, `max_cost_usd`), get_generation, get_account. Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http cheapergen https://cheapergen.com/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $CHEAPERGEN_API_KEY"`. Setup for other clients: https://cheapergen.com/docs/mcp - Agent Skill (SKILL.md, Agent Skills format): https://cheapergen.com/skills/cheapergen/SKILL.md. Install for Claude Code at `~/.claude/skills/cheapergen/SKILL.md` ## Docs - [Overview](https://cheapergen.com/docs): Documentation for the Cheaper Gen. API: generate AI video and images with Seedance, Seedream, Wan and MiniMax through one async REST API. - [Quickstart](https://cheapergen.com/docs/quickstart): Create an API key, add credits and generate your first AI video with cURL, Python or JavaScript in under two minutes. - [Authentication](https://cheapergen.com/docs/authentication): Authenticate Cheaper Gen. API requests with a bearer API key. Key format, storage, rotation, revocation and which endpoints are public. - [MCP & AI agents](https://cheapergen.com/docs/mcp): Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor or VS Code to the Cheaper Gen. MCP server, or install the Agent Skill, to generate AI video and images. - [Generations](https://cheapergen.com/docs/generations): How async generations work: queued, running, succeeded, failed and canceled statuses, polling best practices, outputs and cancellation. - [Webhooks](https://cheapergen.com/docs/webhooks): Receive generation.succeeded and generation.failed webhooks and verify the CheaperGen-Signature HMAC-SHA256 header in Node.js or Python. - [Errors](https://cheapergen.com/docs/errors): Every Cheaper Gen. API error code and HTTP status — 400, 401, 402, 404, 409, 429, 502, 503 — with causes and how to handle or retry each one. - [Rate limits](https://cheapergen.com/docs/rate-limits): How Cheaper Gen. rate limits and concurrency work, what a 429 rate_limited response means, and how to back off and scale throughput safely. - [Billing & credits](https://cheapergen.com/docs/billing): Prepaid credits, how a generation's price is held and settled, automatic refunds for failed jobs, auto top-up and checking your balance via API. - [API reference](https://cheapergen.com/docs/api): REST API reference: submit, poll and cancel generations, list models and prices, get quotes, read your balance and upload images, video and audio — with examples. - [Models](https://cheapergen.com/docs/models): Every model and endpoint ID available on the Cheaper Gen. API — video and image — with per-unit prices and links to each model's API docs. ## Video models - [Seedance 2.0](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0): ByteDance Seedance 2.0 generates cinematic 4–15s videos with synchronized audio from text, images or reference assets, at 480p up to 4K. Price from $0.061/s (official $0.07/s, −14%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedance-2.0/text-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0/image-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0/api - [Seedance 2.5](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.5): Seedance 2.5 is ByteDance's latest video model with stronger motion, prompt adherence and multi-reference control, generating up to 1080p clips with audio. Price from $0.092/s (official $0.107/s, −14%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedance-2.5/text-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.5/image-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.5/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.5/api - [Seedance 2.0 Fast](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast): Seedance 2.0 Fast is a speed-optimized Seedance 2.0 for 480p and 720p videos with audio — ideal for iteration and high-volume pipelines. Price from $0.031/s (official $0.056/s, −46%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast/text-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast/image-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0-fast/api - [Seedance 2.0 Mini](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0-mini): Seedance 2.0 Mini generates 480p and 720p videos with audio at the lowest price in the Seedance family — ideal for previews, A/B tests and volume. Price from $0.021/s (official $0.035/s, −41%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedance-2.0-mini/text-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0-mini/image-to-video`, `bytedance/seedance-2.0-mini/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedance-2.0-mini/api - [Wan 3.0](https://cheapergen.com/models/alibaba/wan-3.0): Alibaba Wan 3.0 generates up to 30 seconds of continuous 480p–1080p video with audio from text, an image or reference images. Price from $0.025/s (official $0.05/s, −51%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `alibaba/wan-3.0/text-to-video`, `alibaba/wan-3.0/image-to-video`, `alibaba/wan-3.0/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/alibaba/wan-3.0/api - [Wan 3.0 Prime](https://cheapergen.com/models/alibaba/wan-3.0-prime): Wan 3.0 Prime is Alibaba's premium Wan 3.0 tier with higher visual fidelity and motion quality, up to 30 seconds at 1080p with audio. Price from $0.037/s (official $0.068/s, −46%) at 480p. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `alibaba/wan-3.0-prime/text-to-video`, `alibaba/wan-3.0-prime/image-to-video`, `alibaba/wan-3.0-prime/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/alibaba/wan-3.0-prime/api - [MiniMax H3](https://cheapergen.com/models/minimax/h3): MiniMax H3 (Hailuo 3) generates expressive 5–15s videos with strong physics and character motion at 768P or 2K, from text, images or references. Price from $0.041/s (official $0.08/s, −49%) at 768P. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `minimax/h3/text-to-video`, `minimax/h3/image-to-video`, `minimax/h3/reference-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/minimax/h3/api - [MiniMax H3 Max](https://cheapergen.com/models/minimax/h3-max): MiniMax H3 Max is the post-trained, higher-quality H3 with sharper detail and stronger prompt adherence, generating 480P and 768P videos of 5–15 seconds. Price from $0.027/s (official $0.05/s, −46%) at 480P. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `minimax/h3-max/text-to-video`, `minimax/h3-max/image-to-video` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/minimax/h3-max/api ## Image models - [Seedream 5.0 Pro](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-pro): ByteDance Seedream 5.0 Pro creates and edits photorealistic, on-brand images up to 2K with precise multi-image editing and accurate text rendering. Price from $0.027/img (official $0.045/img, −40%) at 1K. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedream-5.0-pro/text-to-image`, `bytedance/seedream-5.0-pro/edit` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-pro/api - [Seedream 5.0 Lite](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-lite): Seedream 5.0 Lite delivers strong Seedream 5.0 image quality and editing at a lower price — great for everyday creative and app workloads. Price from $0.02/img (official $0.035/img, −43%) at 1K. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedream-5.0-lite/text-to-image`, `bytedance/seedream-5.0-lite/edit` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-lite/api - [Seedream 5.0 Flash](https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-flash): Seedream 5.0 Flash is the fastest and most affordable Seedream 5.0 model for real-time and high-volume image generation and editing. Price from $0.011/img (official $0.018/img, −39%) at 1K. Limited availability. - Endpoints: `bytedance/seedream-5.0-flash/text-to-image`, `bytedance/seedream-5.0-flash/edit` - API docs: https://cheapergen.com/models/bytedance/seedream-5.0-flash/api ## Pricing - [Pricing](https://cheapergen.com/pricing): every model and tier, our price next to the official list price - Prepaid credits in USD, no subscription; the price is held on submit and refunded in full if a generation fails or is canceled - Volume pricing, dedicated capacity and SLAs: [Enterprise](https://cheapergen.com/enterprise) ## Optional - [Model catalog](https://cheapergen.com/models) - [Status](https://cheapergen.com/status): live availability per model - [Terms of Service](https://cheapergen.com/legal/terms) - [Privacy Policy](https://cheapergen.com/legal/privacy) - [Acceptable Use Policy](https://cheapergen.com/legal/acceptable-use) - Contact: sales@cheapergen.com (sales), support@cheapergen.com (support)