MODELLIX editorial cover reading Veo 3.1 API Key with subtitle Integration Guide, Pricing and Code: a key card and film-strip frames feeding a glass API gateway

There is no such thing as a free Veo 3.1 API key, and knowing that up front saves you the most confusing part of this search. Veo 3.1 is Google’s current video-generation model line on the Gemini API — still in preview, billed per second of output, with no API free tier — and the key that unlocks it is a Gemini API key you create in Google AI Studio against a Google Cloud project with billing enabled. The model IDs you will call are veo-3.1-generate-preview, veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview, and veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview. This guide walks the whole official path — create the key, set it up safely, make your first request in REST and Python — then shows the honest alternative: reaching Veo 3.1 through an aggregator like Modellix with a single key and one bill. Every price and model status below was re-verified against Google’s and Modellix’s own pages on September 8, 2026.

Where the Veo 3.1 API key comes from

The phrase “Veo 3.1 API key” covers two different things on the SERP, and only one of them is a Google key:

  • The official route: a Gemini API key created in Google AI Studio, attached to a Google Cloud project. Google’s API key documentation is explicit that keys are managed per Cloud project, and that Veo generation runs on the paid tier.
  • The aggregator route: a key issued by a reseller platform (Kie, OpenRouter, inference.sh, Modellix, and others) that forwards requests to Google’s model on your behalf. Several of the top results for “veo 3.1 api key” are these platforms’ own key pages — useful, but they are not Google keys and they don’t teach you the official flow.

Why “free Veo 3.1 API key” doesn’t exist (official route): Google’s Gemini API pricing page lists the Free Tier for all three Veo 3.1 tiers as “Not available.” A standard key you create in AI Studio lets you use the free-token Gemini models, but Veo requests bill per second. Google AI Studio itself is free to open — the free part is the studio, not Veo. Third-party “free key” pages are either aggregator trial credit (their welcome terms change; check the specific provider) or, for the “API key generator” results you will find in related searches, plain credential phishing — Google only issues keys through AI Studio and the Cloud Console.

One more naming trap while you’re here: much of this SERP is stale. Pages titled “Veo 3 API” still rank for “veo 3.1 api key” — Google’s deprecations page records that veo-3.0-generate-001, veo-3.0-fast-generate-001, and veo-2.0-generate-001 were all shut down on June 30, 2026. The current Veo line on the Gemini API is 3.1 (preview), and the previous-generation pages you land on are describing models that no longer answer.

How to create a Veo 3.1 API key, step by step

The official flow is five steps, and the two that trip people are the Cloud project and the billing step — the key itself is the easy part. All five are current as of September 8, 2026:

  1. Sign in to Google AI Studio with the Google account you want to bill. If AI Studio is unavailable in your region, check Google’s available regions page — the fallback there is the enterprise platform, which is a different surface (more on that below).
  2. Create or select a Google Cloud project on the AI Studio API-key page. AI Studio allows up to ten projects from its own Projects page; the key belongs to the project, and the project is what gets billed.
  3. Generate the key: open the API keys page and click Create API key. The key is shown once — copy it into a secrets manager immediately, never into code, and never into a client-side app. Google’s docs describe key types and restrictions (standard keys can be restricted by request origin or API); new keys created in AI Studio are created as authorization (“auth”) keys, and the same page documents migrating older standard keys.
  4. Enable billing on the project. This is the step every “my key is fine, why does Veo fail” thread turns out to have skipped. Veo 3.1 is a paid preview: no free tier, so the project needs a billing account attached before the first video request will run.
  5. Export the key to your environment: export GEMINI_API_KEY=... (the name Google’s own samples use; the SDK also accepts GOOGLE_API_KEY), then load it from the environment in code. The API key documentation linked above walks the environment-variable setup and the leak-response checklist if a key ever gets committed to a repo.
Five-stage flow for getting an official Veo 3.1 API key: sign in to Google AI Studio, pick a Cloud project, create the key, enable billing, load the key as an environment variable

Figure: the official key path, September 2026 — the Cloud project and the billing step are the two that gate Veo specifically. Concept diagram generated for this article, not a screenshot of the console.

Calling Veo 3.1: model IDs, REST, and Python

Google exposes three Veo 3.1 preview models on the Gemini API, and the model ID you send is the single biggest source of confusion — the aggregator aliases (“veo-3.1-quality”, “veo3-fast”) and the old Veo 3 IDs look interchangeable and are not:

Model ID (Gemini API) Tier Max resolution
veo-3.1-generate-preview Standard 4K, native audio
veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview Fast 4K, native audio
veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview Lite 1080p, native audio (no 4K)

All three generate 4–8-second clips at 720p, 1080p, or 4K (Lite excluded from 4K; 1080p and 4K apply at the 8-second duration), with audio on by default, in 16:9 or 9:16. Image-to-video takes a starting image plus up to three reference images; first-and-last-frame generation and video extension are supported, with extension limited to 720p. Google’s own guidance is worth quoting honestly here: its video generation guide now recommends the newer Gemini Omni Flash as the default video model and reserves Veo 3.1 for the cases where its specific capabilities (extension, last-frame control, legacy pipeline compatibility) matter. If you are choosing a video model from scratch, read that page too — this article assumes you have a reason to be on Veo 3.1 specifically.

REST — text to video. The base URL is https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta, and Veo generation is a long-running operation: submit, poll, download. Google’s Veo 3.1 guide shows the full pattern (its REST sections call predictLongRunning, which is also what the SDK’s generate_videos wraps); condensed:

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curl "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/veo-3.1-generate-preview:predictLongRunning" \
  -H "x-goog-api-key: $GEMINI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "instances": [{
      "prompt": "A lighthouse on a rocky coast at dusk, waves breaking, warm light from the lantern room"
    }],
    "parameters": { "resolution": "1080p" }
  }'

The response returns an operation name. Poll GET https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/{operation_name} until done: true, then take the video URI from .response.generateVideoResponse.generatedSamples[0].video.uri and download it.

Python — same call with the google-genai SDK. The SDK reads the key from the environment automatically, which is why the setup step above matters:

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import time
from google import genai

client = genai.Client()  # reads GEMINI_API_KEY / GOOGLE_API_KEY from the environment

operation = client.models.generate_videos(
    model="veo-3.1-generate-preview",
    prompt="A lighthouse on a rocky coast at dusk, waves breaking, warm light from the lantern room",
    config=genai.types.GenerateVideosConfig(
        resolution="1080p",      # "720p" | "1080p" | "4k" (Lite: no 4k)
        aspect_ratio="16:9",     # or "9:16"
    ),
)

while not operation.done:
    time.sleep(10)
    operation = client.operations.get(operation)

video = operation.response.generated_videos[0]
client.files.download(file=video.video, destination="veo31_clip.mp4")

Parameters worth knowing before you hit them: image (first frame) and last_frame set the endpoints for interpolation; reference_images accepts up to three assets for subject consistency; extension input is limited to 720p; and the text prompt itself is capped well below chat-model lengths (the model card lists 1,024 input tokens). If you plan to call Veo in production, read the model ID from configuration — preview IDs are exactly the kind of string that changes when Google moves a model to GA, and the Veo 3.0 shutdown above is the precedent for what that looks like.

Veo 3.1 model tiers and capabilities map: Standard, Fast and Lite cards feeding text and image inputs into 8-second clips with native audio, frame control and extension

Figure: what the three official Veo 3.1 model IDs give you — 4K on Standard and Fast, Lite capped at 1080p; the call surface is the same. Concept diagram generated for this article.

Veo 3.1 API pricing, pulled today

Veo 3.1 on the Gemini API is billed per second of output, and the rate depends on tier and resolution. These figures are from Google’s Gemini API pricing page, which Google last updated September 4, 2026; I re-read it September 8, 2026. Free tier: not available on any tier.

Tier (per second, with audio — the default) 720p 1080p 4K
veo-3.1-generate-preview (Standard) $0.40 $0.40 $0.60
veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview (Fast) $0.10 $0.12 $0.30
veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview (Lite) $0.05 $0.08 — (not supported)

An 8-second clip therefore costs $3.20 on Standard 1080p, $0.96 on Fast 1080p, or $0.40 on Lite 720p — the “price of a Veo 3.1 video” is really a choice between those three tiers. One caution about reading this table from Google’s own site: the pricing page’s model-status column has lagged reality before — it listed Veo 3.0 as stable for weeks after the shutdown was announced — so whenever a Veo version’s status matters to you, cross-check the deprecations page (updated September 5, 2026), which records Veo 3.0/3.0 Fast/2.0 as shut down June 30, 2026 and the three 3.1 preview models with no shutdown date announced. And these are Gemini API prices: the same Veo 3.1 line is sold as a GA model (veo-3.1-generate-001) on Google’s Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform with a different commercial model — provisioned throughput and fixed quota rather than pay-as-you-go, US-only region at the time of writing. Say which surface you mean when you compare numbers. For the full cost breakdown across tiers, resolutions, and clip lengths, our separate Veo 3.1 price analysis has the complete table — this guide keeps the numbers you need and focuses on getting the API working.

The aggregator route: Veo 3.1 through one Modellix key

If you only need Veo, the official route above is the whole story. The aggregator route exists for a different situation: you want Veo 3.1 and other vendors’ models (image, video, audio) behind one key, one billing account, and one request pattern — without creating a Google Cloud project per vendor. This is what Modellix does, and a disclosure belongs here: Modellix operates this blog and has a commercial interest in you using its API. Take the numbers below as what they are — a same-day snapshot of Modellix’s own model pages, not a promise about any other aggregator (the same single-key pattern exists at platforms like OpenRouter and inference.sh, with their own catalogs and price lists).

Modellix lists the Veo 3.1 line as text-to-video and image-to-video models under its Google provider page — veo-3.1-t2v, veo-3.1-fast-t2v, veo-3.1-lite-t2v (plus -i2v twins). Each model page quotes a per-second price; re-pulled September 8, 2026 from the Veo 3.1 model page:

Route (per second) 720p 1080p 4K
Google Gemini API — Standard $0.40 $0.40 $0.60
Modellix veo-3.1-t2v — Standard $0.36 $0.36 $0.54
Google Gemini API — Fast $0.10 $0.12 $0.30
Modellix veo-3.1-fast-t2v — Fast $0.09 $0.108 $0.27
Google Gemini API — Lite $0.05 $0.08 —
Modellix veo-3.1-lite-t2v — Lite $0.045 $0.072 —

On the day we checked, Modellix’s Veo 3.1 list prices ran about 10% under the matching Gemini API tier and resolution. That is a snapshot, not a standing claim — aggregator pricing changes, and per-call billing terms differ — so re-verify both pages before you commit a budget. Calling through Modellix follows its standard async pattern: one key, POST the generation to the model’s task route on api.modellix.ai, then poll the task until the video is ready — the Modellix API documentation and each model page carry the exact route and schema. If you already use an aggregator for other models and just want Veo added to the same key, this is the route that avoids a second vendor account; the same one-key pattern also puts Veo 3.1 next to rival video models (Sora, Wan, Kling) in a single catalog when you want to compare outputs side by side. Our unified AI API explainer and the cheapest AI API comparison cover the trade-offs of the model-vs-aggregator decision in more depth.

When the direct route is the right call: you need Google’s GA model and enterprise terms (provisioned throughput, fixed quota, CMEK/VPC-SC controls on the Enterprise Agent Platform); your workload lives in a region outside the aggregator’s coverage or you have data-residency constraints; or you want zero dependency on a middle layer for a model that is core to your product. Direct also gets you the newest model IDs first — preview and GA launches land on Google’s API before any reseller.

Two routes to Veo 3.1: the direct path through one Google project and key, and the aggregator path where one Modellix key reaches Veo 3.1 alongside many other models

Figure: the decision this guide exists for — one vendor key and project vs one key across many vendors. Concept diagram generated for this article.

Veo 3.1 on the Modellix REST API

See the live async task routes, model IDs, and per-call pricing for the Veo 3.1 family on one Modellix key.

View Docs

Errors, limits, and preview caveats

The failures that waste the most time on a first Veo integration are not model errors:

  • 401 Unauthorized — wrong key, or the key’s project has no billing attached. The billing check is the one that looks like an auth error.
  • 404 on the model ID — you sent an old ID. veo-3.0-* and veo-2.0-* shut down June 30, 2026; aggregator aliases (veo3-fast, veo-3.1-quality) are not Gemini API IDs. Send the exact veo-3.1-*-generate-preview string to Google.
  • 429 / quota errors — preview models carry rate limits and quotas; Google’s model card and console document current numbers, and they change.
  • Preview instability — “preview” is a promise to change: model IDs get replaced at GA (Veo 3.1’s GA IDs are veo-3.1-generate-001 on the enterprise platform), behavior and pricing shift, and Google gives deprecation notice per model. Read Google’s deprecations page (linked in the pricing section above) before you build and after every Google announcement.
  • Regional availability — Veo 3.1 preview availability and even AI Studio access depend on region; check Google’s available-regions page (linked in the setup steps above) early, because it can invalidate an architecture choice.
  • A leaked key — Google’s key docs have a specific recovery checklist: rotate the key, check usage logs, review project IAM, and revoke anything you did not create. Do that before you assume the leak was harmless.

Which route should a new integration pick?

Three questions decide it. One vendor or many? Veo-only and Google-centric → direct. Multi-vendor media pipeline → aggregator. Who is the customer? An enterprise with compliance needs and fixed-quota buying → Google’s enterprise platform GA model, not the preview API. How much do you trust a middle layer? If Veo is your product’s core model, the direct relationship removes a failure domain; if it is one of ten models behind one gateway, the gateway is the point. The one thing every route shares: prices and model status are moving targets in preview — pin the date when you record a number, and re-check before you scale.

Start Generating with Veo 3.1

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a Veo 3.1 API key for free?

Officially, no API free tier exists — Google’s pricing page lists Veo 3.1 free tier as “Not available” on Standard, Fast, and Lite. The key itself costs nothing to create in AI Studio, but every second of generated video bills, so the project must have billing enabled. Some aggregators offer trial credit to new accounts; their terms change, so check the specific provider.

Is the Veo 3.1 API key the same as the Gemini API key?

Yes. Veo 3.1 runs on the Gemini API, so the key you create in Google AI Studio (a Gemini API key on a Cloud project) is the one you send with x-goog-api-key. There is no separate “Veo key” — which is also why “veo 3.1 api key generator” pages that claim to mint keys are credential phishing, not a real product.

Do I need Google Cloud / Vertex to use Veo 3.1?

For the Gemini API preview route, you need a Google Cloud project (created free from AI Studio) with billing, but you never touch Cloud Console services. The separate enterprise surface — Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform — is where the GA model veo-3.1-generate-001 lives with provisioned-throughput pricing; that one is for organizations, not individual developers.

Which model ID should I use for Veo 3.1?

veo-3.1-generate-preview for the flagship Standard tier, veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview for cheap iteration, veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview for the lowest cost (no 4K). The IDs are preview-suffixed and will be replaced when the models reach GA — read them from configuration.

Can Veo 3.1 generate 4K video?

Yes — on Standard and Fast through the Gemini API, and on the enterprise GA model. Veo 3.1 Lite does not support 4K output. Note that on Modellix’s listing, 4K is only available on the standard and fast tiers too.

How much does an 8-second Veo 3.1 clip cost?

Per second, with audio: Standard $0.40 (720p/1080p) or $0.60 (4K), Fast $0.10/$0.12/$0.30, Lite $0.05/$0.08. So an 8-second clip runs from about $0.40 (Lite 720p) to $4.80 (Standard 4K) — September 8, 2026 figures from Google’s pricing page.

What’s the difference between Veo 3 and Veo 3.1?

Veo 3 (and Veo 3 Fast, and Veo 2) were shut down on the Gemini API on June 30, 2026 — pages still teaching “Veo 3 API” integration are describing dead model IDs. Veo 3.1 is the current generation: three preview tiers, native audio, 4K on the upper tiers. If a tutorial or aggregator page only mentions Veo 3, treat its API details as stale.

Do I need a Veo 3.1 API key for image-to-video?

Yes, same key — image-to-video is a capability of the same Veo 3.1 models, not a separate model or key. You pass the starting image (and optionally up to three reference images) to the same generate_videos call or predictLongRunning endpoint.

Google Veo model status and pricing reflect public information as of September 8, 2026 and change frequently — Google’s pricing and deprecations pages were both updated within days of this article’s snapshot, and preview model IDs and aggregator listings shift without notice. Validate against Google’s pricing and deprecations pages and the specific provider’s live model page before committing budget. This article was written by Modellix, an API aggregator with a commercial interest in the single-key route it describes; the official Google integration material above is vendor-neutral, and the Modellix prices quoted are a same-day snapshot rather than a standing claim. Access 210+ image, video, and audio models through one API key at modellix.ai.