JSON2Video credits per second and 4K at 4x vs Sume Timeline

JSON2Video meters in credits: one credit per second of video, four times that for 4K, with a 30-minute maximum. A 60-second 1080p video uses 60 credits. Its Hobby plan lists 3,000 credits for 50 minutes, so a minute works out to about $0.33 by my arithmetic from its $16.63 yearly-billed monthly price. Sume Timeline charges a flat $0.10 for that same rounded minute.

What the JSON2Video page says

The page lists a free tier of 600 credits with watermarked videos and all API features, subscriptions (Hobby 3,000 credits for 50 minutes, Professional 12,000 for 200, Startup 30,000 for 500), says credits deduct 1:1 with video seconds, 4K videos use 4x credits, subscription credits reset monthly and pre-paid credits never expire. Its prepaid price lines were inconsistent in what I could read, so I use only the subscription figures.

Unused credits are the hidden cost

Subscription credits reset every month, so a Hobby holder who renders 20 minutes still paid for 50. Pre-paid credits on JSON2Video do not expire, which suits uneven usage. Sume reserves from a prepaid balance and refunds failures, so unused balance is not a monthly loss.

Steps: price your batch

• Total your output seconds per month.
• JSON2Video: seconds equal credits, 4x for 4K, then find the plan covering that.
• Sume: sum ceil(seconds over 60) per video and multiply by $0.10.
• Add any inputs you must generate first, since Timeline assembles clips you already have.

What Sume does not do

Timeline composes clips already imported into Sume with audio and does no provider generation itself. The Timeline docs I read do not describe a 4K tier or a template editor, so if you want a visual template builder, JSON2Video fits better.

A batch of 100 videos

Suppose you render 100 videos of 45 seconds. JSON2Video uses 4,500 credits at 1080p, within the Professional plan's 12,000, or 18,000 if the same batch is 4K and then over that plan. On Sume, each 45-second video is one rounded minute at $0.10, so $10.00 for the batch. Add the cost of producing the inputs: Timeline assembles clips and audio you already have, so the full pipeline price includes generating those first.

Limits worth knowing

JSON2Video caps a video at 30 minutes on every plan, per its page. For Sume, the Timeline docs describe limits on output length and slot count, so read the Timeline page for current numbers before you design a long render. Both tools are comfortable with short vertical videos, which is where the pricing differences above are most visible.

Verdict

For occasional renders a metered line without monthly resets is simpler. For a steady 200 minutes a month, JSON2Video Professional is easier to budget. Compare using your own lengths.