Seedance
ByteDance's benchmark-leading AI video model that delivers cinematic, audio-synced clips at a fraction of rival pricing
Freemium
About Seedance
Seedance is ByteDance's text-to-video and image-to-video model, the 2.0 release built on a unified multimodal architecture that takes text, image, audio, and video inputs and outputs up to 1080p clips of 4 to 15 seconds with native audio and phoneme-level lip-sync. It topped the Artificial Analysis leaderboard over Veo 3, Sora 2, and Runway, yet undercuts them on cost. You can use it free via Dreamina and CapCut, or through the fal and Volcengine APIs, where the Fast tier runs about 2 cents per second.
Key Features
- Text-to-video and image-to-video generation
- Native audio with phoneme-level lip-sync in 8+ languages
- Up to 1080p output, clips of 4 to 15 seconds
- Multi-shot narrative generation with consistent characters across cuts
- Director-level control over camera, lighting, and shadow
- Multiple aspect ratios (16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 21:9, 1:1)
Pros & Cons
What we like
- Tops Artificial Analysis Elo over Veo 3, Sora 2, and Gen-4.5
- Far cheaper than competing flagship models, Fast tier near 2 cents/second
- Strong character and motion consistency across frames
- Free entry point via Dreamina and CapCut credits
Room for improvement
- Proprietary model with no open weights
- Pro API cost adds up across long or high-volume projects
- Roughly 15-second maximum clip length per generation
- Content moderation and regional restrictions on this China-origin model
- Dreamina's credit pool is shared across image, video, and avatar tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seedance?
Seedance is ByteDance's AI video generation model that creates cinema-style clips from text and images, with later versions adding native audio. It is offered through ByteDance platforms like Dreamina and Jimeng and through cloud APIs for developers.
Is Seedance free?
There is limited free access through ByteDance's creative apps via a daily credit system, usually enough for one or two short clips a day. Beyond that it is paid, with consumer subscriptions and pay-as-you-go API pricing that lands in the rough range of a few cents per second as of 2026. Tiers and rates vary widely by platform and region.
What is Seedance best for?
Seedance is best for creators who want strong motion quality and cinematic look at a low cost per second. It is a popular choice for short-form social video and for builders who want an affordable, fast video API, especially compared to pricier Western models at similar quality.
Why is Seedance pricing confusing?
Seedance is delivered across several platforms, including Dreamina, Jimeng, and multiple cloud APIs, each with its own tiers, credit math, and regional rates. The same generation can cost very different amounts depending on which door you walk through, so always confirm the price on the specific platform you use.
Best For
Short-form social and ad creative with synced voiceoverCinematic b-roll and concept previsualizationAnimating still images and product shots into motionMulti-scene story clips with coherent cuts and consistent characters
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