Cheapest AI Video: Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite at $0.15 a Clip vs Seedance 2.0 Mini at $0.77
RenderHour · October 29, 2026 · 9 min read
In short
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is the cheaper one: $0.03 a second at 720p on fal, so $0.15 for a 5-second clip, and 11.25 credits on RenderHour, where it runs on the free credits.
- Seedance 2.0 Mini costs $0.1547 a second at 720p, about $0.77 a clip by our arithmetic, and 55 credits here. It takes 4 to 15 seconds, end frames and up to 9 reference images.
- On the same 2 prompts, Grok Lite’s 480p clip was ready in under 40 seconds; Mini took 107 to 220 seconds. Mini’s clips came with clear sound; Grok Lite’s sound tracks were close to silent.
Seedance 2.0 Mini costs 5.2 times as much per second as Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, and in our test it was also the slower one. A 5-second vertical clip at 720p is $0.15 on Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite and about $0.77 on Seedance 2.0 Mini at fal’s list prices; on RenderHour it’s 11.25 credits against 55. We ran the same 2 prompts on both to see what the extra money buys: sound, control and a different look.
How much does a clip cost on each model?
| Resolution | API, per second | API, 5-second clip | RenderHour, 5-second clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 480p | $0.02 | $0.10 | 7.5 credits |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 720p | $0.03 | $0.15 | 11.25 credits |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 1080p | $0.14 | $0.70 | 50 credits |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini, 480p | $0.0721 | about $0.36 | 26.25 credits |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini, 720p | $0.1547 | about $0.77 | 55 credits |
Source: fal model pages for both models. Mini’s 5-second prices are fal’s per-second price times 5, by our arithmetic. RenderHour credits from its price list.
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 480p$0.10
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 720p$0.15
- Seedance 2.0 Mini, 480p$0.36
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 1080p$0.70
- Seedance 2.0 Mini, 720p$0.77
Source: fal: Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite and fal: Seedance 2.0 Mini, read October 29, 2026.
xAI’s own API lists Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite from $0.020 a second, the same as fal’s 480p price, and the full Grok Imagine 1.5 at $0.080. fal bills ByteDance’s Mini by tokens, $0.007 per 1,000, and gives the per-second prices above as a guide. Sound is on by default and, fal says, doesn’t change the cost.
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 480p7.5
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 720p11.25
- Seedance 2.0 Mini, 480p26.25
- Grok Imagine 1.5, 480p28.75
- Seedance 2.0 Fast, 480p38.75
- Seedance 2.0, 480p47.5
- Seedance 2.0 Mini, 720p55
Source: RenderHour price list, October 29, 2026.
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is the cheapest video model on RenderHour, at 1.5 credits a second, and the only video model on the free credits every new account gets. See what those credits make on each model on the free AI video generator page.
What can each model do?
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite | Seedance 2.0 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | xAI | ByteDance |
| Resolutions | 480p, 720p, 1080p | 480p, 720p |
| Lengths at fal | 1 to 15 s | 4 to 15 s |
| Lengths on RenderHour | 5 or 10 s | 4 to 15 s |
| Shapes on RenderHour | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 |
| Inputs on RenderHour | Prompt, start frame | Prompt, start and end frame, or up to 9 references |
| Sound | A sound track in our clips | On by default, no extra cost |
| Frame rate in our clips | 24 fps | 24 fps |
| On RenderHour’s free credits | Yes | No, paid plans |
Source: fal model pages, RenderHour’s model list, and the files of our 4 test clips.
fal describes Mini as “a faster version of Seedance 2.0” at a lower cost. What it keeps from the bigger model matters more for ads: an end frame to land the shot on, and up to 9 reference images for a product, a character or a style. Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite on RenderHour takes a prompt and one start frame.
Which one ranks higher on the leaderboards?
| Model | Text to video | Image to video |
|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite | #19 of 30, 990 Elo | #14, 998 Elo |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 | #12, 1,057 Elo | #8, 1,047 Elo |
| Seedance 2.0 (full model) | #9, 1,136 Elo | #2, 1,132 Elo |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | Not listed | Not listed |
| #1 on the board | Wan 3.0, 1,174 Elo | Seedance 2.5, 1,148 Elo |
Source: AA-Video-T2V v2.1 and AA-Video-I2V v2.1 leaderboards, Artificial Analysis. Elo from blind human votes.
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite sits in the lower third of the text-to-video board, 184 Elo points behind the leader. Mini has no rank of its own, so the boards can’t settle the question. The full Seedance 2.0 is #2 for animating a photo, but Mini is a cheaper, faster cut of it, and we wouldn’t assume it scores the same. For the top of the board and what it costs, read our leaderboard price breakdown.
Same prompt on both: what did we get?
Prompt
A glass bottle of iced cold brew coffee on a wet dark stone counter, condensation drops running down the glass, ice cubes falling into a tumbler beside it, slow camera push-in, soft morning window light, cinematic product b-roll, no text, no labels
What the frames show: Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite dropped several cubes into the tumbler and pushed in slowly, with a warm, glossy look and a wet counter that reflects the glass. Coffee then appears at the bottom of the tumbler, though nothing pours. Seedance 2.0 Mini made a moodier shot with beams of window light and beaded condensation on the bottle; one cube falls into an empty glass, and clear liquid then fills it with no pour. Both put ice cubes inside the bottle. Both followed the push-in.
Prompt
A small ginger cat walks along a sunlit terracotta rooftop at golden hour, old town roofs and a calm sea behind it, the camera tracks beside it at cat height, warm light, gentle breeze moving its fur, travel b-roll
Here the prompt asked for the camera beside the cat. Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite did that: a side view at cat height, deep golden light, the cat stepping off the ridge onto the tiles and nearing the edge of the frame by the last second. Seedance 2.0 Mini walked the cat along the ridge toward the camera instead, with the low sun and sea taking the top half of the frame. Mini’s shot is calmer and more natural in colour; Grok Lite’s is closer to the brief.
Our test: speed and sound
| Run | Credits | Time to done | Average loudness of its sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, coffee, 720p | 11.25 | Done at the first check | −40.4 dB |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini, coffee, 720p | 55 | 174 to 220 s | −24.1 dB |
| Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, cat, 480p | 7.5 | 24 to 37 s | −55.1 dB |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini, cat, 480p | 26.25 | 107 to 167 s | −18.4 dB |
Source: RenderHour test, one run each, 100 credits in all. Times run from the start to the first status check that showed the clip done. Loudness measured with ffmpeg on the original files; 0 dB is the loudest a file can be.
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, 480p37 s
- Seedance 2.0 Mini, 480p167 s
Source: RenderHour test, October 29, 2026.
Both models returned a sound track, but not the same kind. Mini’s tracks averaged −24.1 and −18.4 dB, clearly audible. Grok Lite’s averaged −40.4 and −55.1 dB, close to silence. If the clip needs its own sound, Mini makes it; if you add music in your editor anyway, Grok Lite’s quiet track costs you nothing. The clips on this page are silent copies.
Grok Imagine Lite vs Seedance 2.0 Mini in 6 numbers
- 5.2x: Mini’s price per second over Grok Lite’s at 720p on fal ($0.1547 against $0.03), by our arithmetic.
- 4.9x: the same gap on RenderHour, 55 credits against 11.25 for a 5-second 720p clip.
- 106 vs 21: 5-second 720p clips that 1,200 credits buy, Grok Lite against Mini, by our arithmetic.
- 1: Grok Lite clips the 10 free credits make, 5 seconds at 480p for 7.5 credits.
- 184: Elo points between Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite and Wan 3.0, the #1 text-to-video model.
- 16.3 dB: how much louder Mini’s sound was than Grok Lite’s on the coffee prompt in our test.
What this means if you make videos for social and ads
- Draft on Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite. At 7.5 credits a 480p clip, test 5 hooks or camera moves for 37.5 credits before you pay for a final.
- Pick Seedance 2.0 Mini when the shot needs control. End frames and up to 9 references keep a product or character the same from clip to clip, and it makes up to 15 seconds in one go.
- Pick Mini when the clip needs its own sound. Grok Lite’s tracks were close to silent in our test; plan to lay music or a voice-over on top.
- Check the prompt was followed. Grok Lite kept our camera direction; Mini changed it. Neither poured a drink correctly, so avoid shots that hinge on liquid physics at this price.
- For the final cut, move the winning prompt to a top-ranked model such as Seedance 2.0 or Wan 3.0.
One balance for every video model
Grok Imagine, Seedance, Kling, Veo, Wan and MiniMax are paid from the same credits, with the price shown before every run and failed runs free. See the plans and what a credit buys.
See plansQuestions
- Which is cheaper, Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite or Seedance 2.0 Mini?
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite. At 720p, fal lists it at $0.03 a second against $0.1547 for Seedance 2.0 Mini, so a 5-second clip costs $0.15 against about $0.77. On RenderHour the same clip is 11.25 credits against 55.
- What is the cheapest AI video model on RenderHour?
- Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, from 1.5 credits a second: 7.5 credits for a 5-second 480p clip and 11.25 at 720p. The next cheapest clips are MiniMax Hailuo 2.3 at 19.75 credits for 6 seconds and Seedance 2.0 Mini at 26.25 credits for 5 seconds at 480p.
- Can I use Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite for free?
- Yes, on RenderHour. Every new account gets 10 free credits with no card, and Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is one of the models they run. A 5-second 480p clip costs 7.5 credits, so the free credits make 1 clip.
- Where can I use Seedance 2.0 Mini without code?
- On RenderHour (renderhour.com): open the Video page and pick Seedance 2.0 Mini. It runs 4 to 15 seconds at 480p or 720p from a prompt, start and end frames or up to 9 reference images, from 5.25 credits a second. It needs a paid plan.
- Does Seedance 2.0 Mini make sound?
- Yes. fal turns sound on by default for Seedance 2.0 Mini, with sound effects, ambient sound and lip-synced speech, at no extra cost. In our 2 test clips its sound averaged −24.1 and −18.4 dB, against −40.4 and −55.1 dB for Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite.
- Is Seedance 2.0 Mini better than Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite?
- It depends on the job. Mini adds end frames, up to 9 references, up to 15 seconds and clear sound. Grok Lite is about 5 times cheaper, and its 480p clip was ready in under 40 seconds against 107 to 167 for Mini’s in our test. On the Artificial Analysis boards Grok Lite ranks #19 for text to video; Mini is not listed.
Try Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite on RenderHour
10 free credits to start. You see the price in credits before you generate, and a failed run costs nothing.
Try Grok Imagine 1.5 LiteSources
- fal: Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite text-to-video, pricing and limits
- fal: Seedance 2.0 Mini text-to-video, pricing and limits
- xAI: Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite model page
- xAI: Imagine model prices
- Artificial Analysis: text-to-video leaderboard
- Artificial Analysis: image-to-video leaderboard
Prices and rankings as of October 29, 2026. They change often; the links show the current figures.