Comparison · Video models
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 vs Seedance 2.0
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 or Seedance 2.0? Animating one photo with sound vs video from text and references up to 4K. Differences, prices and my tests.
Specs side by side
| Grok Imagine Video 1.5 | Seedance 2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | xAI | ByteDance |
| Type | Video | Video |
| Modes | image-to-video | text-to-video image-to-video first-last-frame reference-to-video |
| Released | 2026-06 | 2026-02 |
| Duration | 6-15 s | 4-15 s or auto (-1) |
| Resolutions | 480p, 720p | 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1, 16:9, 9:16 | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 21:9, adaptive |
| Frames | first frame | first and last frame |
| Audio | native audio, on/off switch | native audio, on/off switch |
| Prompt length | up to 10,000 chars | up to 20,000 chars |
| Reference images | - | up to 9 |
| Reference videos | - | up to 3 |
Price per unit and per clip
| Model | Variant | Rate | 5 s clip | 10 s clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine Video 1.5 | 480p | $0.088 / s | $0.44 | $0.88 |
| 720p | $0.176 / s | $0.88 | $1.76 | |
| Seedance 2.0 | 480p | $0.157 / s | $0.784 | $1.57 |
| 720p | $0.338 / s | $1.69 | $3.38 | |
| 1080p | $0.842 / s | $4.21 | $8.41 | |
| 4K | $1.72 / s | $8.58 | $17.16 |
Prices exclude taxes and are charged from your prepaid USD balance. Failed generations cost nothing.
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 does one thing: it animates exactly one photo into a 6-15 s clip with sound, at 480p or 720p, for roughly half of Seedance 2.0's rate. Pick Seedance 2.0 when you want to generate from text alone, work with many references (images, clips, audio), or need 1080p or 4K. In my own test Grok 1.5 topped a ranking of ten video models.
Key differences
- Input. Grok Imagine Video 1.5 needs exactly one image and will not make a clip from text alone. Seedance 2.0 works from text, 1-9 images, a first and last frame, or clips and audio as references.
- Resolution. Grok 1.5: 480p and 720p. Seedance 2.0: 480p, 720p, 1080p and 4K.
- Length. Grok 1.5 on Jantaris 6-15 s, Seedance 2.0 4-15 s.
- Audio. Both generate sound with the picture. Turning audio off lowers the price in neither.
- Aspect ratios. Grok: 16:9, 9:16, 1:1. Seedance: 7 options, including 21:9 and 4:3.
- Prompt. Up to 10,000 characters in Grok, 20,000 in Seedance (about 500 recommended).
When to pick Grok Imagine Video 1.5
- A portrait or illustration that should say one line to camera.
- A single cover turned into a short clip with sound.
- Cheap, quick 720p clips for social media.
- Lines in other languages: in my Polish test Grok 1.5 said a hard tongue twister without errors.
When to pick Seedance 2.0
- A shot from a description, with no starting photo.
- A product ad from several photos, or with a reference clip for motion.
- Footage in 1080p or 4K.
- A transition between a first and last frame.
Cost in practice
Seedance 2.0 costs about 1.8 times as much per second as Grok 1.5 at 480p and about 1.9 times as much at 720p. In Grok, 720p is exactly twice the 480p rate. There is no comparison at 1080p and 4K, since Grok 1.5 lacks those tiers. Grok's minimum is 6 s, so the shortest clip costs six seconds' worth; Seedance starts at 4 s. In Seedance, reference clips add their own seconds to the bill; Grok takes no references beyond the starting photo. Rates: from $0.088 per second (480p) and from $0.157 per second (720p); everything on /pricing.
Results from my video ranking (Polish blog): Grok 1.5 8.5/10 (first place, 46 s per clip), Seedance 2.0 7/10 (best coffee shot in the test at 8.5, but about 2.5 minutes per clip and weak Polish speech). Note: I tested Grok on another provider from text alone, while on Jantaris version 1.5 requires a photo. More: Grok Imagine API, Seedance 2.0 vs 2.5.
FAQ
Grok Imagine Video 1.5 or Seedance 2.0: which is better?
To animate a single photo with sound, Grok 1.5: it is cheaper and came out best in my test. For text-to-video, many references and 4K, Seedance 2.0.
Does Grok Imagine Video 1.5 work without a photo?
Not on Jantaris; the model needs one image in image_url. For text-only clips use Grok Imagine 1.0 Video.
How much do 10 seconds at 720p cost?
Ten times the 720p rate: in Grok that is twice the 480p rate (from $0.088 per second); Seedance is about 1.9 times Grok. Studio shows the total before you generate.
Which returns a clip faster?
In my test Grok 1.5 (46 s) was about three times faster than Seedance 2.0 (143-146 s). That was measured on another provider, not on Jantaris.
Vendor examples
Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Seedance 2.0
Official examples from the model vendors, not our generations.