Divide software spend by reviewed videos that went live on the intended account. Plan prices alone cannot give you that number. One plan allows a set number of videos; another charges credits for generation attempts. An editor may charge by input minutes and leave posting to you.
Shortlist tools, then fill in this worksheet with your own results. Plan prices and model rates come from official pages checked on 3 October 2026. Output counts in the example are invented for the calculation, not customer results.
Count four stages separately
| Stage | What counts | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Attempts | Every generated shot or video request | Retries may consume credits or time |
| Exports | Files downloaded or marked ready | Some files still fail review |
| Accepted | Videos passing fact, rights, visual, audio, and caption checks | Quality gate removes unusable files |
| Published | Accepted videos verified live on intended channel | Scheduling or upload can fail |
One source video posted to YouTube and TikTok makes two platform posts, but still one source video. Track both counts. The publishing workflow comparison shows the delivery steps.
Calculate software and operating costs separately
Software cost per usable published video = (monthly plan charge + required add-ons) ÷ verified live accepted videos. If none went live, record “no usable published output.” You cannot divide by zero.
All-in operating cost adds editing, research, review, and publishing time at your chosen internal rate. Show it separately from the subscription. Include sales tax, annual prepayment, extra seats, and add-ons when they affect your bill.
Worked arithmetic: a fixed monthly allowance
ShortsFast's public pricing lists Starter at $29 for 10 videos and one series, and Pro at $49 for 30 videos total across up to three series per month. The allowance is a ceiling; the denominator below uses actual published videos.
| Ledger row | Example entry | Use in formula |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly software spend | $49 | Numerator |
| Plan allowance | Up to 30 videos total | Capacity, not the denominator |
| Accepted source videos verified live | 24 hypothetical videos | Denominator |
| Software cost per published source video | $49 ÷ 24 = $2.04, rounded | Result for this invented ledger only |
If 18 videos went live, divide by 18. If none did, record zero published output. Use your actual bill, accepted files, and channel posts. This hypothetical ledger says nothing about how often users reach the allowance or how failed generations count toward it.
Credits Mode and Unlimited Mode need separate rows
Runway's pricing page lists Pro at $35 monthly with 2,250 credits and Gen-4.5 at 60 credits per five-second generation. Its help page says Pro and Max can use Unlimited Mode on supported models. Those generations spend no credits, but they can start more slowly and run fewer at once. Model and plan determine availability; check the mode in the editor before calculating credits.
In Credits Mode, eight hypothetical five-second Gen-4.5 attempts use 480 credits. A 2,250-credit balance covers four such sets with 330 credits left. That counts possible generations under these settings. It leaves out narration, editing, music, review, upload, and the number of complete Shorts you can approve.
In Unlimited Mode on a supported model, use the monthly subscription as your software spend. Log accepted posts and the time spent waiting, editing, and publishing. Credit count no longer measures that work.
Fill in the worksheet from a trial month
- Set a month and one intended format: duration, aspect ratio, narration, platforms, and number of series.
- Record actual invoice, plan unit, add-ons, and model-specific credit or minute burn.
- Make two representative videos. Log attempts, revisions, review failures, and time by task.
- Count accepted source videos and verified platform posts separately.
- Calculate software cost and all-in operating cost with the actual published denominator.
- If a plan offers Unlimited Mode, read the model and throughput checklist; a zero-credit generation still takes subscription spend and time.
- If a plan exports but does not complete your publishing workflow, include your upload and verification time.
- If the product changes price or features, re-run the sheet from current official terms.
This gives your cost per approved post. Views and revenue need separate measurement.