Seedance 2.5
Top-tier video with 30 second clips, but about 7x MiniMax H3's price per minute. Most people should start with H3.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
Creators who need long, continuous 30 second shots with heavy reference control.
Best for: Long continuous 30 second shots with heavy reference control (Video models Top 20)
Skip it if
You want top quality per dollar; MiniMax H3 and Wan 3.0 score 84 and 89, against 88 here, for far less.
You give up: About 7 times MiniMax H3's price per minute; data-use terms unclear
The short version
- What this is
- ByteDance's video model that makes clips with sound from text, images, video and audio references, up to 30 seconds at a time.
- Why it matters
- It is one of the best-rated video models, but you pay a lot more per minute than for rivals with similar scores.
- Scores 88 for video from 7th on Arena text to video; 4th of 48 on arena.ai image to video.
- About $34 per minute of 1080p on Artificial Analysis, among the priciest top models.
- Pick it for long single shots; otherwise MiniMax H3 is the better buy.
Good at
Our take
Seedance 2.5 is a genuine top-tier video model: top 7 on both arena.ai boards and 3rd on Artificial Analysis text to video s1 s2 s3. Its standout is length. ByteDance says it makes 30 second clips in one go s6, where most rivals work in shorter pieces.
The catch is price. Artificial Analysis lists it at $34.12 per minute of 1080p, about seven times MiniMax H3, which scores 84 against 88 here s3. Unless you need long continuous shots, H3 or Wan 3.0 is the better buy.
Score
A score from 0 to 100 per job, against everything available today. Overall 88 across 1 job, the average of the job scores.
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
#4 of the 5 we have scored for this job.
From blind votes (Arena) · Arena data, CC BY 4.0
2 sourcesData read 20 Oct
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for video, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- Gemini Omni Flash 1.1BetterVideo model100$4.99 a monthScores 100 in video, against 88 here; $4.99 a month. First on arena.ai text to video, from $4.99/month in Google Flow. Side by side
- MiniMax H3Video model84Pay as you goScores 84 against 88 here, at about $4.80 a minute. Side by side
- Wan 3.0Video model89Pay as you goRanks above it on Artificial Analysis text to video at about a third of the price. Side by side
Value for money
Where it sits in video: higher is a better score, further left is cheaper to run. Green dots are the best value.
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
The video score is our own, built from public data: blind votes on Arena and, where they cover the job, Epoch AI's independent tests. How we combine them is our method and we don't publish it.
Public leaderboardIndependent test
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 7
- s1arena.ai Text to Video leaderboard
- s2arena.ai Image to Video leaderboard
- s3Artificial Analysis text to video leaderboard
- s4Artificial Analysis image to video leaderboard
- s5arena.ai Video Edit leaderboard
- s6ByteDance Seed: Seedance 2.5
- s7TechNode: ByteDance launches Seedance 2.5 video generation model
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 1 change
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- New: Video ratedReviewed: video.
Use it well 4 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.