Planning StarPoints costs for AI generation
Understand how to plan AI generation budgets using StarPoints, model tiers, failed generation refunds, and workflow priorities.
TL;DR
Plan your StarPoints budget by tier: use Free (100 SP) for exploration, Starter (800 SP, $9) for light image creation, Pro (3,000 SP, $29) for daily mixed-use including video, Studio (10,000 SP, $79) for high-volume production. Always test with cheap models before using premium routes.
StarPoints cost by model type
Text generation: 1-3 SP (DeepSeek V4, Prompt Polish). Fast images: 10 SP (Fast Image). Standard images: 20 SP (Standard Image). Advanced images: 50 SP (Advanced Image/Edit). Basic video: 30 SP/5s (Wan 2.7). Advanced video: 450 SP/5s (Seedance 2.0). Premium video: 900 SP/5s (Studio preview only).
Use low-cost routes for drafts
Early creative exploration should use lower-cost image or text routes before moving into premium video generation. A typical cost-efficient workflow: 1 SP text prompt refinement → 10 SP image draft → 30 SP video test → 450 SP final video.
Reserve premium routes for final output
High-cost video routes (Seedance 2.0, 450 SP) are best used after the prompt, reference image, and scene direction have already been validated with cheaper models. Don't iterate on premium routes — iterate on cheap routes and use premium only for final renders.
Monthly budget examples
Casual creator (2-3 videos/week): ~1,500-2,000 SP → Starter or Pro. Indie creator (daily video work): ~3,000-5,000 SP → Pro. Small studio (5-10 videos/day): ~8,000-15,000 SP → Studio. These estimates include 2-3 retries per output.
Limitations
StarPoints do not roll over between months on monthly plans. Failed generations refund StarPoints automatically, but retries still consume credits. Some models (Studio preview) are not available for purchase — they are display-only as of June 2026.