Higgsfield and Sume sell many of the same AI video models, including Seedance 2.5, Kling 4.0, Veo 3.1 and Wan 3.0. The difference is billing. Sume is pay-as-you-go from $5 with no subscription, and says it charges the model makers’ prices with no markup. Higgsfield sells monthly credit plans, from $15 in the US, plus a separate pay-as-you-go API. For a 10-second Seedance 2.5 clip at 720p, we work it out to $2.31 on Sume, $3.01 to $3.43 on Higgsfield’s app plans, and $3.24 to $4.62 on Higgsfield’s API.
What are Higgsfield and Sume?
Higgsfield is an AI video and image platform. It bundles third-party models with its own tools, like Soul characters, Genjutsu video remakes, Marketing Studio for UGC ads, and Speak for talking videos. It raised $400M at a $5.4B valuation in August 2026 (TNW), and the company says it passed a $1B annual revenue run rate in September (Trending Topics).
Sume (Sume, Inc., San Francisco) is a newer AI video and image platform. It launched its API on October 22, 2026, and pitches itself as cheaper than Higgsfield, with “0% markup” on the models it resells (Sume pricing). It also sells AI agents that find winning ads, remake them with your product, post them, and read the results (Sume agents). Its founder says the team is 2 people and reached a $1M annual run rate in 6 days (self-reported on X).
How much do Higgsfield and Sume cost?
| Higgsfield app | Higgsfield API | Sume | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing | Monthly credit plan | Pay as you go, separate balance | Pay as you go, one balance |
| Entry price | Free (watermark, no commercial use); Starter $15 for 200 credits | Add funds to a balance | Top up from $5 |
| Main plans | Plus $49 for 1,000 credits; Ultra $129 for 3,000 | List price, or up to 50% off on 3 models you pick | No plans; per-second prices |
| Unused balance | Credits do not roll over; credit packs expire after 90 days | Funds expire after 1 year | A top-up lasts 365 days |
| Failed jobs | “Usually” refunded | Not stated | Refunded in full |
| Teams | Team $79 a seat; Scale $215 a seat | – | Enterprise on request |
Higgsfield US prices from its own pricing article (October 24, 2026) and API page; Sume from its pricing page. Checked October 31, 2026. Higgsfield shows different plans by region: from India we saw Basic $9, Pro $29 and Max $79 a month (Higgsfield pricing).
What does one video cost on each?
| Clip | Sume | Higgsfield app (Plus / Ultra) | Higgsfield API (list / max discount) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 s Seedance 2.5, 720p | $2.31 | $3.43 / $3.01 | $4.62 / $3.24 |
| 5 s Seedance 2.5, 1080p | $2.84 | $3.92 / $3.44 | $5.69 / $3.98 |
| 15 s video remake, 720p | $4.15 (Sume Remix) | – | $10.22 / $5.11 (Genjutsu) |
| A month with no videos | $0 | $15 to $129 (the plan still bills) | $0 |
Our math, one take each. Sume: seconds × its per-second price ($0.2312 at 720p, $0.5686 at 1080p, Remix $0.2766). Higgsfield app: 7 credits per second at 720p and 80 credits per 5 seconds at 1080p, at $0.049 (Plus) or $0.043 (Ultra) per credit. Higgsfield API: $0.4622 per second at 720p and $1.1372 at 1080p list, 30% off at max discount; Genjutsu $0.681 per second, 50% off. Starter cannot run Seedance 2.5.
Two things change the real cost more than the price list. First, retakes: every take you throw away costs money on both. Second, Higgsfield’s “Unlimited” windows make some models free to run on its website for 7 to 365 days, for personal use. Sume has nothing like that. Prices also move fast: Sume cut its Remix price at 720p from $0.473 to $0.2766 per second within five days of launch.
Sume launched Remix as a cheaper take on Higgsfield’s Genjutsu, “2.6x cheaper” and from $5, in its founder’s words (launch post). He also claims Genjutsu runs on Seedance 2.5 under the hood (his thread). Higgsfield has not confirmed this, so treat it as a competitor’s claim.
Do they have the same models?
| Higgsfield | Sume | |
|---|---|---|
| Video models | Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, Kling up to 4.0, Veo 3 and 3.1, Wan up to 3.0, MiniMax Hailuo, Grok Video, plus its own DoP | Seedance 2.0 and 2.5, Kling up to 4.0, Veo 3.1, Wan 3.0, MiniMax H3, Grok Imagine Video, Vidu, and more |
| Own tools | Soul characters, Genjutsu remakes, Cinema Studio, Marketing Studio, Ads Studio, Speak, AI Influencer | Sume Remix, AI Influencer, talking avatars, face swap, lip-sync, dubbing, captions |
| For ads | UGC builder and Marketing Studio UGC ads | Agents that find, remake, post and test ads |
| Access | Website, API, MCP and CLI | Website, API, MCP and CLI |
From each company’s pricing and model pages, October 31, 2026.
What are people saying on X?
Sume launched with a post aimed straight at Higgsfield. The markup figures in it are the founder’s claims:
Higgsfield’s own pitch for its API, a month earlier, was lower prices than a subscription and up to 50% off on three models:
And the reason the price fight matters: some teams spend a lot. This user says they spend over $1,000 a day on Higgsfield:
Which should you use?
- Pick Sume if you make video in bursts or through an API, want to pay per second with no monthly bill, and mostly use the raw models. Before client work, check its terms: the current pricing page does not state commercial-use or watermark rules for top-ups, and its terms still describe plans that no longer exist.
- Pick Higgsfield if you use its own tools (Marketing Studio, Speak, Soul characters, Cinema Studio), can use its Unlimited windows, or want a team plan from a larger company.
- Check the model maker too. If you only need one model at high volume, compare its own API price before you pick a reseller. Our Seedance and Wan calculator compares providers.
Either tool makes clips. A UGC ad still needs a hook, a script, an edit, and testing. We make UGC ads with AI and use whichever tool fits the shot. Book a call to see what a month of videos would cost.
Sources
- Sume: pricing, API rate card, about, terms, and agents
- Higgsfield: pricing, pricing explained (October 24, 2026), API launch, API prices, Seedance 2.5 on the API, and watermark help
- Company numbers: TNW on the Series B, Trending Topics on the $1B run rate, and Sume founder on X (both company-stated)
- All prices checked October 31, 2026
