Costs & Pricing
modelBridge shows cost estimates before you generate, so you know what to expect. All AI generation costs are charged by fal.ai directly to your account — modelBridge does not process, mark up, or add any fees on top of what fal.ai charges. It acts purely as a bridge between Premiere Pro and fal.ai’s models.
Overview
Section titled “Overview”When you select a model and configure your inputs, modelBridge displays a cost estimate near the Generate button. This estimate is based on the best available pricing data from fal.ai — including the model’s published rates and your chosen parameters such as resolution, duration, and audio settings.
There are no hidden costs. The only generation fees are those charged by fal.ai. modelBridge’s role is to surface this information transparently so you can make informed decisions before generating.
Pricing confidence levels
Section titled “Pricing confidence levels”Not all models publish the same level of pricing detail. modelBridge uses a four-tier system to clearly communicate how confident the displayed price is:
| Badge | Label | Source | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
$X.XX Actual | Actual | Post-generation billing units from fal.ai | Confirmed cost after generation completes. Based on the X-Fal-Billable-Units header returned by fal.ai. This is the most accurate cost available. |
$X.XX · Estimated | Estimated | Curated supplement data | Pre-generation estimate that accounts for your specific parameters — duration, resolution, audio, quality tier. Updates live as you change settings. |
From $X.XX | From | fal.ai API base rate | A minimum starting price from fal.ai’s official pricing API. The actual cost may be higher depending on your parameter choices. Shown when detailed per-parameter pricing data is not available. |
Price not available | Unavailable | No data available | No pricing data exists for this model. modelBridge will never fabricate a number. You can still generate — check your fal.ai dashboard afterward to see the actual charge. |
The more pricing data fal.ai publishes for a model, the more precise the estimate modelBridge can show you.
How estimates are calculated
Section titled “How estimates are calculated”When detailed pricing data is available, the cost estimate recalculates automatically based on your current inputs:
- Duration — longer videos cost more
- Resolution — higher resolution increases cost
- Audio — enabling audio adds a surcharge on some models
- Number of images — generating multiple images multiplies the cost
- Quality settings — some models charge more for higher quality tiers
For models with an Estimated badge, changing any of these parameters updates the cost in real time. For models showing From $X.XX, the displayed price reflects fal.ai’s base rate and may not account for all parameter variations.
After generation completes, modelBridge logs the actual cost (when fal.ai reports it) alongside the original estimate in the Billing tab, so you can compare over time.
Dual Mode pricing
Section titled “Dual Mode pricing”In Dual Mode, where two models generate from the same source simultaneously, costs are displayed for each model individually and as a combined total in the cost section.
Each model’s estimate is calculated independently based on its own pricing data and parameters. The combined total gives you a clear picture of the full cost before you generate.
For expensive Dual Mode generations, a confirmation dialog appears when the combined estimate exceeds $8.00.
No Markup on Generation Costs
Section titled “No Markup on Generation Costs”modelBridge does not add any fees on top of what fal.ai charges. When you generate content, you pay fal.ai directly at their published rates — there is no per-generation fee, no revenue share, and no hidden markup.
The modelBridge subscription ($7/month) covers access to the plugin and all its features. Generation costs are entirely between you and fal.ai. You can verify all charges in your fal.ai billing dashboard.
Important limitations
Section titled “Important limitations”fal.ai publishes pricing at the model level in varying levels of detail. Some models expose comprehensive per-parameter rates, while others only provide a base price — and some publish no pricing data at all.
modelBridge makes this information more transparent by computing estimates from available API data and your selected inputs. However, estimates may vary from actual charges. Factors such as internal surcharges, billing tiers, or model-specific pricing logic on fal.ai’s side are not always visible to external tools.
For the most accurate cost tracking:
- Check the Billing tab after generation for actual costs
- Monitor your balance on the fal.ai dashboard
- Use fal.ai’s spending limits to set a budget ceiling