ClipCost · AI video pricing comparison · Seedance pricing · Alibaba Cloud (Wan) pricing · Runway API pricing · Seedance vs Kling cost · Wan vs Kling cost · LTX vs Wan cost · Grok Imagine vs Wan cost · Grok Imagine vs Seedance cost · Seedance vs LTX cost · Published Oct 26, 2026 · Ranked rates from verified data (JSON)
Seedance vs Wan cost: which is cheaper per usable clip?
ByteDance’s Seedance (2.0, 2.0 Fast, 2.0 Mini, 2.5) against Alibaba’s Wan (2.6, 2.6 Flash, 2.7, 3.0, 3.0 Prime), priced per second and per 10, 30 and 60-second clip, one try and with the retries you will actually need — bought direct (BytePlus ModelArk, Alibaba Cloud Model Studio), on Pika, inside Runway and on the Runway API.
Run your own numbers Compare tools All video APIs ranked
Affiliate disclosure: some links on ClipCost may be affiliate links; if you sign up we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the numbers — every price below comes from the official pages listed under Sources.
Quick answer
Wan is cheaper than Seedance almost everywhere — it wins 14 of 16 match-ups. Wan’s cheapest rate is Wan 2.6 Flash 720p without audio on Alibaba Cloud: $0.025 per second, $2.25 per usable 30-second clip (3 attempts; #2= of all 159 rates we rank, tied with MiniMax H3-Lite 480P since Oct 31, 2026 and Luma Ray3.2 540p since Nov 2, behind Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite 480p since Oct 27, 2026; image-to-video only), vs $3.24 for Seedance’s cheapest, Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p on BytePlus. At 720p, Wan 3.0 is $9.00 on Alibaba Cloud ($5.28 on Pika Starter) against $13.68 for Seedance 2.0 and $20.81 for Seedance 2.5; at 1080p with audio Wan 2.6 is $13.50 vs $33.66 for Seedance 2.0. Seedance wins only on cheap text-to-video: Seedance 2.0 Mini is $3.24 at 480p (vs Wan 3.0 $4.50) and $6.84 at 720p with audio (vs Wan 2.6 $9.00). Inside Runway, Wan wins easily: $8.64 (5 credits/sec) vs $27.65 for Seedance 2.0 Mini (16/sec) on Standard annual credits. Only Seedance goes to 4K.
Re-checked Oct 26, 2026 (9pm CT): BytePlus Seedance prices (2.0 $0.35 / $0.76 / $1.87 / $3.89 per 5s at 480p / 720p / 1080p / 4K, Fast $0.28 / $0.60, Mini $0.18 / $0.38, 2.5 $0.514 / $1.156 / $2.843) and every Seedance and Wan rate on the Runway Academy credits page — unchanged. New: the Runway API pricing page now prices Seedance 2.0 per resolution — seedance2_mini 7 / 15 credits/sec at 480p / 720p (was 16), seedance2_fast 11 / 24 (was 29), seedance2 14 / 30 / 40 / 150 at 480p / 720p / 1080p / 4K (was 36 at 480p / 720p), with 28 / 44 / 56-credit minimums per generation. Runway’s app credits page still lists 16 / 29 / 36. Shown here, not yet in our ranking.
Basis: rates from assets/data.js, the same data as our calculator. BytePlus ModelArk: pay-as-you-go price per 5-second video ÷ 5 (no video input). Alibaba Cloud: Singapore list price per second (verified Oct 24, 2026; Alibaba’s page is script-rendered and was not re-read today). Runway: Standard annual credits ($12/mo for 625 = $0.0192 per credit), Pro annual for Seedance 2.5 ($28 for 2,250 = $0.0124; not on Standard), Max annual ($76 for 9,500 = $0.0080) or Runway API credits ($0.01). Pika: Starter annual ($8/mo for 900 = $0.0089 per credit). Plan rates assume you use all your credits. “Usable” = 3 attempts (1 + 2 retries). Cost only — no quality ranking.
Seedance vs Wan head to head (usable 30-second clip)
| Match-up | Seedance | Seedance usable 30s | Wan | Wan usable 30s | Cheaper | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest rate, any route | Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p · BytePlus · $0.036/s | $3.24 | Wan 2.6 Flash 720p, no audio · Alibaba · $0.025/s | $2.25 | Wan, by $0.99 | Wan Flash is image-to-video only and silent at this price |
| Cheapest text-to-video | Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p · BytePlus · $0.036/s | $3.24 | Wan 3.0 480p · Alibaba · $0.050/s | $4.50 | Seedance, by $1.26 | Wan 2.6 Flash cannot do text-to-video; Wan 3.0 audio not stated on Alibaba’s price list |
| Cheapest 720p | Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p · BytePlus · $0.076/s | $6.84 | Wan 2.6 Flash 720p, no audio · Alibaba · $0.025/s | $2.25 | Wan, by $4.59 | Image-to-video, silent |
| 720p image-to-video with audio | Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p* · BytePlus · $0.076/s | $6.84 | Wan 2.6 Flash 720p, audio · Alibaba · $0.050/s | $4.50 | Wan, by $2.34 | |
| 720p text-to-video with audio | Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p* · BytePlus · $0.076/s | $6.84 | Wan 2.6 720p, audio · Alibaba · $0.100/s | $9.00 | Seedance, by $2.16 | Wan 2.7 720p is also $0.10/sec |
| 720p, flagship model | Seedance 2.0 720p · BytePlus · $0.152/s | $13.68 | Wan 3.0 720p · Alibaba · $0.100/s | $9.00 | Wan, by $4.68 | |
| 1080p, cheapest | Seedance 2.0 1080p · BytePlus · $0.374/s | $33.66 | Wan 2.6 Flash 1080p, no audio · Alibaba · $0.0375/s | $3.38 | Wan, by $30.28 | Seedance Mini / Fast stop at 720p |
| 1080p with audio | Seedance 2.0 1080p* · BytePlus · $0.374/s | $33.66 | Wan 2.6 1080p, audio · Alibaba · $0.150/s | $13.50 | Wan, by $20.16 | Wan 2.6 Flash 1080p with audio is $0.075/sec (image-to-video) |
| Newest models, 720p | Seedance 2.5 720p · BytePlus · $0.2312/s | $20.81 | Wan 3.0 720p · Alibaba · $0.100/s | $9.00 | Wan, by $11.81 | |
| Newest models, 1080p | Seedance 2.5 1080p · BytePlus · $0.5686/s | $51.17 | Wan 3.0 1080p · Alibaba · $0.200/s | $18.00 | Wan, by $33.17 | |
| One 30-second generation | Seedance 2.5 480p · BytePlus · $0.1028/s | $9.25 | Wan 3.0 480p · Alibaba · $0.050/s | $4.50 | Wan, by $4.75 | Both make up to 30s per generation |
| On Pika, 720p (Starter annual) | Seedance 2.5 720p · Pika (122 cr / 5s) · $0.2169/s | $19.52 | Wan 3.0 720p · Pika (33 cr / 5s) · $0.0587/s | $5.28 | Wan, by $14.24 | Pika lists 5-second prices only |
| Inside Runway, cheapest (Standard) | Seedance 2.0 Mini · 16 cr/s · $0.3072/s | $27.65 | Wan 2.6 Flash 720p · 5 cr/s · $0.096/s | $8.64 | Wan, by $19.01 | Wan 3.0 480p is also 5 cr/s |
| Inside Runway, 720p with audio (Standard) | Seedance 2.0 Fast · 29 cr/s · $0.5568/s | $50.11 | Wan 3.0 720p · 10 cr/s · $0.192/s | $17.28 | Wan, by $32.83 | Runway describes both as video with audio |
| Inside Runway, 1080p (Standard) | Seedance 2.0 1080p · 40 cr/s · $0.768/s | $69.12 | Wan 2.6 1080p · 15 cr/s · $0.288/s | $25.92 | Wan, by $43.20 | |
| Runway API, cheapest | Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p · seedance2_mini 7 cr/s · $0.070/s | $6.30 | Wan 3.0 480p · wan3 5 cr/s · $0.050/s | $4.50 | Wan, by $1.80 | Runway API Seedance prices cut Oct 2026 (re-checked Oct 27) |
| 4K | Seedance 2.0 4K · BytePlus $3.89 per 5s ($0.778/s) | $70.02 | Not offered (Wan tops out at 1080p on Alibaba and Runway) | — | Seedance only | Official price, not in our ranking |
Wan wins 14 of 16 match-ups, Seedance 2 (plus 4K, Seedance only). *BytePlus prices Seedance per resolution and does not split audio; its Seedance 2.0 series tutorial lists video with audio as a capability, so audio match-ups use the same Seedance price (not confirmed for every tier). Wan 2.6 Flash is image-to-video only on Alibaba Cloud and the only Wan model with a separate silent price; Wan 3.0 audio is not stated on Alibaba’s price list (Runway describes Wan 3.0 as video with audio).
Cheapest route for each Seedance and Wan model
| Model | Resolution | Cheapest route | $ / sec | 30s usable | Rank of 210 | Other routes (30s usable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 480p | BytePlus API | $0.036 | $3.24 | 14 | Runway API seedance2_mini (7/sec) $6.30; Runway Standard (16/sec) $27.65 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 720p | BytePlus API | $0.076 | $6.84 | 55 | Runway API seedance2_mini (15/sec) $13.50; Runway Standard (16/sec) $27.65 |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 480p | BytePlus API | $0.056 | $5.04 | 32 | Runway API seedance2_fast (11/sec) $9.90; Runway Standard (29/sec) $50.11 |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 720p | BytePlus API | $0.120 | $10.80 | 95= | Runway API seedance2_fast (24/sec) $21.60; Runway Standard (29/sec) $50.11 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 480p | BytePlus API | $0.070 | $6.30 | 46= | Runway API seedance2 (14/sec) $12.60; Runway Standard (36/sec) $62.21 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 720p | BytePlus API | $0.152 | $13.68 | 127= | Runway API seedance2 (30/sec) $27.00; Runway Standard (36/sec) $62.21 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 1080p | BytePlus API | $0.374 | $33.66 | 188 | Runway API seedance2 (40/sec) $36.00; Runway Standard (40/sec) $69.12 |
| Seedance 2.0 | 4K | BytePlus API ($3.89 per 5s) | $0.778 | $70.02 | Not ranked | Runway API seedance2 (150/sec) $135.00; Runway Standard (150/sec) $259.20 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 480p | BytePlus API | $0.1028 | $9.25 | 89 | Runway API seedance2_5 $18.00; Runway Pro (not on Standard) $22.40 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 720p | Pika Starter (5s generations) | $0.2169 | $19.52 | 148 | BytePlus API $20.81; Runway API seedance2_5 $27.00; Runway Pro (not on Standard) $33.60 |
| Seedance 2.5 | 1080p | BytePlus API | $0.5686 | $51.17 | 202 | Runway API seedance2_5 $61.20; Runway Pro (not on Standard) $76.16 |
| Wan 2.6 Flash, no audio (image-to-video) | 720p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.025 | $2.25 | 2= | Only route we track |
| Wan 2.6 Flash, no audio (image-to-video) | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.0375 | $3.38 | 15 | Only route we track |
| Wan 2.6 Flash, audio (image-to-video on Alibaba) | 720p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.050 | $4.50 | 24= | Runway Standard (5/sec, with or without audio) $8.64 |
| Wan 2.6 Flash, audio (image-to-video on Alibaba) | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.075 | $6.75 | 52= | Runway Standard (10/sec) $17.28 |
| Wan 2.6, audio | 720p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.100 | $9.00 | 75= | Runway Standard (10/sec) $17.28 |
| Wan 2.6, audio | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.150 | $13.50 | 121= | Runway Standard (15/sec) $25.92 |
| Wan 2.7, audio | 720p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.100 | $9.00 | 75= | Only route we track |
| Wan 2.7, audio | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.150 | $13.50 | 121= | Only route we track |
| Wan 3.0 | 480p | Alibaba Cloud (list) | $0.050 | $4.50 | 24= | Runway API wan3 $4.50; Runway Standard (5/sec) $8.64 |
| Wan 3.0 | 720p | Pika Starter (5s generations) | $0.0587 | $5.28 | 33 | Alibaba Cloud (list) $9.00; Runway API wan3 $9.00; Runway Standard (10/sec) $17.28 |
| Wan 3.0 | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud (list) | $0.200 | $18.00 | 145= | Runway API wan3 $18.00; Runway Standard (20/sec) $34.56 |
| Wan 3.0 Prime | 480p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.068 | $6.12 | 45 | Runway API wan3_prime $6.12 |
| Wan 3.0 Prime | 720p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.140 | $12.60 | 112= | Runway API wan3_prime $12.60 |
| Wan 3.0 Prime | 1080p | Alibaba Cloud | $0.280 | $25.20 | 168= | Runway API wan3_prime $25.20 |
Rank = position among the 210 verified rates in the pricing comparison (usable 30s, ties share a rank); “API #” = position among 166 pay-per-second API rates on AI video API pricing. Runway API Seedance 2.0 rates changed on Runway’s API page (first seen Oct 26, 2026) and were re-checked and ranked on Oct 27, 2026 (see Runway API pricing). Seedance 2.0 at 480p / 720p (36/sec) and 4K inside Runway and Seedance 2.0 4K on BytePlus are official prices, not ranked. Pika lists only 5-second prices, so longer clips are costed as 5-second generations.
Cost per clip: 10s, 30s, 60s with retries
Each pair is one try and usable (3 attempts). Seedance 2.0 / Fast / Mini make 4–15 seconds per generation and Seedance 2.5 up to 30; Wan 2.6, 2.6 Flash and 2.7 make up to 15 and Wan 3.0 up to 30. Longer videos are stitched at the same per-second price.
| Model | Route | 10s try | 10s usable | 30s try | 30s usable | 60s try | 60s usable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 2.6 Flash 720p, no audio (I2V) | Alibaba | $0.25 | $0.75 | $0.75 | $2.25 | $1.50 | $4.50 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p | BytePlus | $0.36 | $1.08 | $1.08 | $3.24 | $2.16 | $6.48 |
| Wan 2.6 Flash 720p, audio (I2V) | Alibaba | $0.50 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $4.50 | $3.00 | $9.00 |
| Wan 3.0 480p | Alibaba | $0.50 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $4.50 | $3.00 | $9.00 |
| Wan 3.0 720p | Pika Starter | $0.59 | $1.76 | $1.76 | $5.28 | $3.52 | $10.56 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p | BytePlus | $0.76 | $2.28 | $2.28 | $6.84 | $4.56 | $13.68 |
| Wan 2.6 720p, audio | Alibaba | $1.00 | $3.00 | $3.00 | $9.00 | $6.00 | $18.00 |
| Wan 3.0 720p | Alibaba | $1.00 | $3.00 | $3.00 | $9.00 | $6.00 | $18.00 |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | BytePlus | $1.52 | $4.56 | $4.56 | $13.68 | $9.12 | $27.36 |
| Wan 2.6 1080p, audio | Alibaba | $1.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 | $13.50 | $9.00 | $27.00 |
| Wan 3.0 1080p | Alibaba | $2.00 | $6.00 | $6.00 | $18.00 | $12.00 | $36.00 |
| Seedance 2.5 720p | BytePlus | $2.31 | $6.94 | $6.94 | $20.81 | $13.87 | $41.62 |
| Seedance 2.0 1080p | BytePlus | $3.74 | $11.22 | $11.22 | $33.66 | $22.44 | $67.32 |
| Seedance 2.5 1080p | BytePlus | $5.69 | $17.06 | $17.06 | $51.17 | $34.12 | $102.35 |
| Wan 2.6 Flash 720p | Runway Standard | $0.96 | $2.88 | $2.88 | $8.64 | $5.76 | $17.28 |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | Runway Standard | $3.07 | $9.22 | $9.22 | $27.65 | $18.43 | $55.30 |
Maths: $ per second × seconds; usable = × 3. Plan rows above a plan’s monthly credits are an effective cost at the plan credit rate: Runway Standard’s 625 credits are 125 seconds of Wan 2.6 Flash 720p or 39 seconds of Seedance 2.0 Mini. BytePlus charges only successfully generated videos; Alibaba bills per second of successfully generated video and does not bill failed requests.
Seedance vs Wan inside Runway
| Model | App rate | 30s usable, Standard | 30s usable, Max | 30s usable, Runway API | Rank of 210 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 2.6 Flash · 720p | 5 credits/sec | $8.64 | $3.60 | — | 72= | App; with or without audio |
| Wan 3.0 · 480p | 5 credits/sec | $8.64 | $3.60 | $4.50 | 72= | App + API; video with audio |
| Wan 2.6 Flash · 1080p | 10 credits/sec | $17.28 | $7.20 | — | 139= | App |
| Wan 2.6 · 720p | 10 credits/sec | $17.28 | $7.20 | — | 139= | App |
| Wan 3.0 · 720p | 10 credits/sec | $17.28 | $7.20 | $9.00 | 139= | App + API |
| Wan 2.6 · 1080p | 15 credits/sec | $25.92 | $10.80 | — | 170= | App |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini · 480p/720p | 16 credits/sec | $27.65 | $11.52 | $13.50 (720p) | 177= | App 16/sec; API now 7 (480p) / 15 (720p), 28-credit minimum |
| Wan 3.0 · 1080p | 20 credits/sec | $34.56 | $14.40 | $18.00 | 189= | App + API |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast · 480p/720p | 29 credits/sec | $50.11 | $20.88 | $21.60 (720p) | 201 | App 29/sec; API now 11 / 24, 44-credit minimum |
| Seedance 2.0 · 480p/720p | 36 credits/sec | $62.21 | $25.92 | $27.00 (720p) | Not ranked | App 36/sec (page-only); API now 14 / 30, 56-credit minimum |
| Seedance 2.0 · 1080p | 40 credits/sec | $69.12 | $28.80 | $36.00 | 207= | App + API 40/sec |
| Seedance 2.0 · 4K | 150 credits/sec | $259.20 | $108.00 | $135.00 | Not ranked | App + API 150/sec; page-only |
| Seedance 2.5 · 480p | 20 credits/sec | Not on Standard — Pro $22.40 | $14.40 | $18.00 | 159 (Pro) | Pro / Max plans only; +10 credits/sec of input video; API minimum 80 credits |
| Seedance 2.5 · 720p | 30 credits/sec | Not on Standard — Pro $33.60 | $21.60 | $27.00 | 187 (Pro) | Pro / Max plans only; +15 credits/sec of input video; API minimum 80 credits |
| Seedance 2.5 · 1080p | 68 credits/sec | Not on Standard — Pro $76.16 | $48.96 | $61.20 | 210 (Pro) | Pro / Max plans only; +34 credits/sec of input video; API minimum 80 credits |
Inside Runway’s app, Wan 2.6 Flash 720p and Wan 3.0 480p are 5 credits per second, Wan 2.6 / 3.0 at 720p 10 and Wan 2.6 1080p 15 — all below the cheapest Seedance, Seedance 2.0 Mini at 16; the exception is Wan 3.0 1080p at 20. Seedance 2.0 Fast is 29, Seedance 2.0 36 at 480p / 720p and 40 at 1080p (vs Wan 2.6 1080p 15), and 150 at 4K, where Runway offers no Wan. Seedance 2.5 is not on the Standard plan (runway.com/pricing: Pro and Max only). Both families cost far less bought direct: Wan 2.6 Flash 720p with audio is $4.50 on Alibaba vs $8.64 in Runway, and Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p is $6.84 on BytePlus vs $27.65 in Runway. See Runway models ranked by cost.
Seedance vs Wan on the Runway API
| Model | API model | Credits / sec | $ / sec | 30s try | 30s usable | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 3.0 480p | wan3 | 5 | $0.050 | $1.50 | $4.50 | API #22= |
| Wan 3.0 Prime 480p | wan3_prime | 6.8 | $0.068 | $2.04 | $6.12 | API #38= |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p | seedance2_mini | 7 | $0.070 | $2.10 | $6.30 | API #40= |
| Wan 3.0 720p | wan3 | 10 | $0.100 | $3.00 | $9.00 | API #60= |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast 480p | seedance2_fast | 11 | $0.110 | $3.30 | $9.90 | API #74 |
| Wan 3.0 Prime 720p | wan3_prime | 14 | $0.140 | $4.20 | $12.60 | API #94= |
| Seedance 2.0 480p | seedance2 | 14 | $0.140 | $4.20 | $12.60 | API #94= |
| Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p | seedance2_mini | 15 | $0.150 | $4.50 | $13.50 | API #105= |
| Wan 3.0 1080p | wan3 | 20 | $0.200 | $6.00 | $18.00 | API #125= |
| Seedance 2.5 480p | seedance2_5 | 20 | $0.200 | $6.00 | $18.00 | API #125= |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast 720p | seedance2_fast | 24 | $0.240 | $7.20 | $21.60 | API #131= |
| Wan 3.0 Prime 1080p | wan3_prime | 28 | $0.280 | $8.40 | $25.20 | API #139= |
| Seedance 2.0 720p | seedance2 | 30 | $0.300 | $9.00 | $27.00 | API #143= |
| Seedance 2.5 720p | seedance2_5 | 30 | $0.300 | $9.00 | $27.00 | API #143= |
| Seedance 2.0 1080p | seedance2 | 40 | $0.400 | $12.00 | $36.00 | API #154= |
| Seedance 2.5 1080p | seedance2_5 | 68 | $0.680 | $20.40 | $61.20 | API #165 |
| Seedance 2.0 4K | seedance2 | 150 | $1.500 | $45.00 | $135.00 | API #166 |
Runway API pricing, checked Oct 26, 2026: $0.01 per credit; minimum per generation 28 credits (seedance2_mini), 44 (seedance2_fast), 56 (seedance2), 80 (seedance2_5, plus 10 / 15 / 34 credits per second of input video). Wan 3.0 Prime is API-only and costs the same as on Alibaba Cloud. More: cheapest AI video API, Wan API pricing and AI video API pricing.
Which to pick, by what you are making
- Silent B-roll from your own stills: Wan 2.6 Flash on Alibaba Cloud — $2.25 per usable 30s at 720p, $3.38 at 1080p.
- Cheapest text-to-video drafts: Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p on BytePlus ($3.24) beats Wan 3.0 480p ($4.50).
- 720p with sound from a text prompt: Seedance 2.0 Mini ($6.84) over Wan 2.6 / 2.7 ($9.00); from a start image, Wan 2.6 Flash with audio ($4.50).
- 1080p: Wan — 2.6 with audio $13.50, 3.0 $18.00, vs Seedance 2.0 $33.66.
- One continuous 30-second shot: Wan 3.0 ($4.50 at 480p, $9.00 at 720p) or Seedance 2.5 ($9.25 / $20.81).
- 4K: Seedance 2.0 only ($70.02 on BytePlus).
- Already paying for Runway: use Wan 2.6 Flash or Wan 3.0 ($8.64–$17.28) rather than Seedance 2.0 Mini ($27.65).
More context: the calculator, Runway vs Kling vs Pika vs Veo, AI video generator pricing comparison, Seedance (BytePlus) pricing, Alibaba Cloud (Wan) pricing, Runway pricing, Pika pricing, Seedance 2.5 cost, Wan 2.6 cost, Wan API pricing, Seedance vs Kling cost, Seedance vs Veo cost, Wan vs Kling cost, LTX vs Wan cost, the cheapest AI video generator and the FAQ.
Sources
BytePlus: BytePlus ModelArk pricing (Seedance 2.0 $0.35 / $0.76 / $1.87 / $3.89 per 5s video at 480p / 720p / 1080p / 4K; 2.0 Fast $0.28 / $0.60 and 2.0 Mini $0.18 / $0.38 at 480p / 720p; 2.5 $0.514 / $1.156 / $2.843 at 480p / 720p / 1080p; no video input; first verified Oct 21–23, 2026, re-checked Oct 26, 2026) and Seedance 2.0 series tutorial (text-to-video, image-to-video, video with audio; 9:16 among supported ratios; checked Oct 26, 2026). Alibaba: Alibaba Cloud Model Studio model pricing (Wan 2.6 Flash $0.025 / $0.0375 per second without audio and $0.05 / $0.075 with audio at 720p / 1080p, image-to-video; Wan 2.6 and 2.7 $0.10 / $0.15; Wan 3.0 $0.05 / $0.10 / $0.20 and Wan 3.0 Prime $0.068 / $0.14 / $0.28 at 480p / 720p / 1080p, list price excluding a limited-time discount; Singapore; verified Oct 24, 2026). Runway: Runway Academy credits page (Seedance 2.0 36 / 36 / 40 / 150, Fast 29, Mini 16, 2.5 20 / 30 / 68; WAN2.6 10 / 15, WAN2.6 Flash 5 / 10, Wan 3.0 5 / 10 / 20 credits/sec; checked Oct 26, 2026), Runway API pricing (wan3 5 / 10 / 20, wan3_prime 6.8 / 14 / 28, seedance2_mini 7 / 15, seedance2_fast 11 / 24, seedance2 14 / 30 / 40 / 150, seedance2_5 20 / 30 / 68; checked Oct 26, 2026) and runway.com/pricing (Standard $15 / $12, Pro $35 / $28, Max $95 / $76 per month monthly / annual; 625 / 2,250 / 9,500 credits; checked Oct 25, 2026). Pika: pika.art/pricing (Seedance 2.5 720p 122 credits per 5s, verified Oct 23, 2026; Wan 3.0 720p 33 credits per 5s, verified Oct 19, 2026; Starter $8/mo annual for 900 credits). Prices change — confirm in-product before you buy.
FAQ
Is Seedance cheaper than Wan?
Mostly no. Wan wins 14 of the 16 like-for-like match-ups we price. The cheapest Wan rate, Wan 2.6 Flash 720p without audio on Alibaba Cloud, is $0.025 per second ($2.25 per usable 30-second clip with 2 retries), against $3.24 for Seedance's cheapest, Seedance 2.0 Mini at 480p on BytePlus. Seedance wins only two cases: the cheapest text-to-video ($3.24 for Seedance 2.0 Mini 480p vs $4.50 for Wan 3.0 480p, because Wan 2.6 Flash only animates a start image) and 720p text-to-video with audio ($6.84 for Seedance 2.0 Mini vs $9.00 for Wan 2.6).
How much does a 30-second Seedance or Wan video cost?
One 30-second try costs $2.28 with Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p, $4.56 with Seedance 2.0 720p and $6.94 with Seedance 2.5 720p on BytePlus, against $1.50 with Wan 2.6 Flash 720p with audio, $3.00 with Wan 3.0 720p and $4.50 with Wan 2.6 1080p on Alibaba Cloud. With 2 retries (3 attempts) a usable 30-second clip is $6.84, $13.68 and $20.81 for Seedance vs $4.50, $9.00 and $13.50 for Wan. Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0 can make 30 seconds in one generation; Seedance 2.0 and Wan 2.6 stop at 15 seconds.
Which is cheaper for text-to-video with sound, Seedance or Wan?
At 720p, Seedance 2.0 Mini on BytePlus: $0.076 per second, $6.84 per usable 30-second clip, against $0.10 for Wan 2.6 or 2.7 with audio ($9.00). BytePlus lists no separate audio price and its Seedance 2.0 tutorial lists generating video with audio, so we assume the same price with sound. At 1080p Wan is far cheaper: Wan 2.6 with audio is $0.15 per second ($13.50) vs $0.374 for Seedance 2.0 ($33.66).
Is Seedance or Wan cheaper inside Runway?
Wan, by a wide margin. Runway charges 5 credits per second for Wan 2.6 Flash at 720p and Wan 3.0 at 480p, against 16 for Seedance 2.0 Mini, so a usable 30-second clip is $8.64 vs $27.65 on Standard annual credits (about 3.2 times as much). With audio at 720p it is Wan 3.0 at 10 credits ($17.28) vs Seedance 2.0 Fast at 29 ($50.11), and at 1080p Wan 2.6 at 15 ($25.92) vs Seedance 2.0 at 40 ($69.12). Seedance 2.5 is on Runway's Pro and Max plans only.
Which is cheaper at 1080p and 4K?
At 1080p Wan: Wan 2.6 Flash without audio is $0.0375 per second ($3.38 usable 30s), Wan 2.6 with audio $0.15 ($13.50) and Wan 3.0 $0.20 ($18.00), against $0.374 for Seedance 2.0 ($33.66) and $0.5686 for Seedance 2.5 ($51.17). Wan does not go above 1080p on Alibaba Cloud or Runway; Seedance 2.0 does 4K at $3.89 per 5-second video on BytePlus ($70.02 per usable 30 seconds).
How much do Seedance and Wan cost on the Runway API?
Runway's API pricing page, checked Oct 26, 2026, lists Wan 3.0 (wan3) at 5, 10 and 20 credits per second at 480p, 720p and 1080p, $0.01 per credit, so $4.50 per usable 30 seconds at 480p. Seedance 2.0 is now priced per resolution there: seedance2_mini 7 or 15 credits per second at 480p or 720p ($6.30 / $13.50), seedance2_fast 11 or 24, and seedance2 14, 30, 40 and 150 at 480p, 720p, 1080p and 4K, with 28 to 56-credit minimums per generation. Those Seedance API rates are lower than the 16, 29 and 36 credits per second Runway's app credits page still lists, and are not yet in our ranking.