Seedance 2.5 vs Grok Imagine Video 1.5
Preferred for image to video: Seedance 2.5 · Lowest entry price: Grok Imagine Video 1.5 · Longest clips: Seedance 2.5. Quality scores are blind human-preference votes; specs and prices come from each lab’s listings.
ByteDance SeedSeedance 2.5
- Arena1,477
- From$0.103/s
- Max length30 s
xAIGrok Imagine Video 1.5
- Arena1,456
- From$0.08/s
- Max length15 s
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Where they differ
Quality is the arena score from blind, side-by-side human votes. Price, length and resolution come from each lab’s own listings.
- Preferred for image to videoSeedance 2.5Seedance 2.5 1,477 (#4) · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 1,456 (#8) — blind human votes
- Lowest entry priceGrok Imagine Video 1.5Seedance 2.5 from $0.103/s (480p) · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 from $0.08/s (480p)
- Longest clipsSeedance 2.5Seedance 2.5: 4–30 s · Grok Imagine Video 1.5: 1–15 s
- Highest resolutionGrok Imagine Video 1.5Seedance 2.5: 720p · Grok Imagine Video 1.5: 1080p
- NewestSeedance 2.5Seedance 2.5 Jul 31, 2026 · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 May 30, 2026
- Widest inputsSeedance 2.5Seedance 2.5: Text prompts, Reference images, Audio, Video · Grok Imagine Video 1.5: Text prompts, Reference images, Audio
- Native audioBoth generate soundGenerates an audio track with the video: Seedance 2.5 yes · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 yes
- Image to videoBoth animate imagesStarts from an uploaded image: Seedance 2.5 yes · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 yes
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs and apps
- Most API hostsGrok Imagine Video 1.5Seedance 2.5: 1 · Grok Imagine Video 1.5: 2
Every spec in one table
Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Seedance 2.5ByteDance Seed | Grok Imagine Video 1.5xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Quality (blind human votes) | ||
| Text to video arenaElo-style score · higher is better | 1,474 ±9#7 of 48 · 8,001 votes | — |
| Image to video arenaElo-style score · higher is better | 1,477 ±7#4 of 48 · 15,729 votes (best) | 1,456 ±4#8 of 48 · 137,459 votes |
| Price | ||
| Starting price | $0.103/s 480p | $0.08/s 480p (best) |
| Top price | — | $0.25/s 1080p |
| 10-second clip | $1.03at the starting rate | $0.80at the starting rate (best) |
| Extra charges | — | $0.01 per input image |
| How it is billed | Billed per video token ($10.70 per million); higher at 720p. | Per second |
| Output | ||
| Produces | Video with sound | Video with sound |
| Resolutions | 480p · 720p | 480p · 720p · 1080p |
| Highest resolution | 720p | 1080p (best) |
| Clip length | 4–30 s | 1–15 s |
| Longest clip | 30 s (best) | 15 s |
| Sound | Optional | Always generated |
| Frame control | First and last frame | First and last frame |
| Inputs | ||
| Text prompts | Yes | Yes |
| Start image (image to video) | Yes | Yes |
| Video input | Yes | No |
| Audio input | Yes | Yes |
| References | Up to 50 image, video and audio assets | Up to 14 reference images and 3 voice references |
| Access | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | — | grok-imagine-video-1.5 |
| API hosts | 1 | 2 (best) |
| Released | Jul 31, 2026 | May 30, 2026 |
Which should you choose?
Which is better, Seedance 2.5 or Grok Imagine Video 1.5?
For image to video, voters prefer Seedance 2.5 (Seedance 2.5 1,477 (#4) · Grok Imagine Video 1.5 1,456 (#8)). Arena scores come from blind, side-by-side human votes on the same prompts; when the gap is inside both models’ error margins we call it a tie. Test your own prompts before you commit.
Which is cheaper?
Seedance 2.5 costs from $0.103/s (480p); Grok Imagine Video 1.5 costs from $0.08/s (480p), up to $0.25/s (1080p). A 10-second clip at the lowest rate: Seedance 2.5 $1.03, Grok Imagine Video 1.5 $0.80. Prices are list rates and change often; check the lab before budgeting.
How long can the videos be, and at what resolution?
Seedance 2.5: 4–30 s, 480p / 720p; Grok Imagine Video 1.5: 1–15 s, 480p / 720p / 1080p.
What is the difference between Seedance 2.5 and Grok Imagine Video 1.5?
Seedance 2.5 is a video model from ByteDance Seed (Jul 31, 2026), taking text prompts, reference images, audio and video and producing video with sound. Grok Imagine Video 1.5 is a video model from xAI (May 30, 2026), taking text prompts, reference images and audio and producing video with sound.
Which is newer?
Seedance 2.5 Jul 31, 2026; Grok Imagine Video 1.5 May 30, 2026.
Which generates video with sound?
Generates an audio track with the video: Seedance 2.5 yes; Grok Imagine Video 1.5 yes.
Can I run any of these on my own hardware?
No open weights. Both are available only through APIs and apps.
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