We tested 5 cheap AI video models with the same prompt
Three of the five models (Seedance 2 Mini, Grok Imagine and MiniMax H3) are in Dora. Veo 3.1 Lite left Dora on November 2, 2026, and Seedance 1.5 Pro has been retired.
Short answer: for a talking, selfie-style clip, Veo 3.1 Lite and Seedance 2 Mini gave the best result for the money, at about $0.019 per second each. MiniMax H3 looked just as good but costs about twice as much per second and our clip stopped at about 4.5 seconds. Grok Imagine is the cheapest at $0.0125 per second, but on its first take it put a phone in the person's hand, which breaks a selfie shot. Seedance 1.5 Pro did well, but it was retired on October 25, 2026 and can no longer be used.
Left to right: Seedance 1.5 Pro, Grok Imagine 480p, Veo 3.1 Lite, Seedance 2 Mini, MiniMax H3. Same prompt, same reference photo, the first clip each model returned. The side-by-side video is silent.
How we tested
- One prompt: Dora's Tudor time-travel template. A person walks down a Tudor London street filming a selfie video, a noblewoman in a golden gown walks behind them, and the person talks to the camera in a British voice.
- One reference photo of the same person for every model.
- First take only. No re-rolls and no editing, so you see what you would get on a normal try.
- Prices are the API prices at Kie.ai, the provider Dora uses, on October 26, 2026 (1 Kie credit = $0.005).
- Generated on October 24 and 26, 2026.
Price, resolution and length
| Model (maker) | Resolution | Clip we got | Price per clip | Price per second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine (xAI) | 480p | 8 s | $0.10 | $0.0125 |
| Veo 3.1 Lite (Google) | 720p | 8 s | $0.15 | $0.019 |
| Seedance 2 Mini (ByteDance), with sound | 480p | 8 s | $0.155 | $0.019 |
| Seedance 1.5 Pro (ByteDance), with sound, retired | 720p | 8 s | $0.28 | $0.035 |
| MiniMax H3 (Hailuo) | 768p | about 4.5 s | $0.16 for 4 s, $0.32 for 8 s | $0.04 |
All five clips came back with a sound track.
What each model got wrong
- Grok Imagine: the person holds a phone in one hand while the other arm reaches out to the camera, so there is a phone in a shot that is supposed to be filmed by that phone. In some frames you can count three hands. This was Grok's first take; when we added the line "the phone IS the camera and is never visible", it got the framing right in all three scenes we tried (Grok Imagine vs Seedance).
- MiniMax H3: looks as good as the best two, with a natural head turn back to the noblewoman, but our clip ended at about 4.5 seconds, so a long line of dialogue does not fit. Longer clips cost more: $0.32 for 8 seconds.
- Veo 3.1 Lite: the most expressive face and hands of the five, at 720p. We did not see a framing error.
- Seedance 2 Mini: keeps the selfie framing and the person's face throughout. It is 480p, so it looks softer than Veo 3.1 Lite on a big screen.
- Seedance 1.5 Pro: good framing and face, with less movement than the others. It no longer matters: Kie.ai retired it on October 25, 2026.
Which one to use
- Cheapest clip that looks right: Seedance 2 Mini or Veo 3.1 Lite, at about $0.15 for 8 seconds.
- Best-looking at 720p: Veo 3.1 Lite.
- Lowest price per second: Grok Imagine, if you spell out in the prompt that the phone is the camera.
- If you used Seedance 1.5 Pro: move to Seedance 2 Mini. In Dora, requests for Seedance 1.5 Pro already go to Seedance 2 Mini (what changes).
Seedance 2 Mini and Grok Imagine are in Dora, on the App Store and on the web. Each model's price in Dora coins is on the models page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest AI video model in 2026?
Of the five we tested, Grok Imagine at 480p: about $0.0125 per second at API prices, or $0.10 for 8 seconds. Seedance 2 Mini and Veo 3.1 Lite cost about $0.019 per second and got the selfie framing right on the first take.
Is Veo 3.1 Lite better than Seedance 2 Mini?
In our test both kept the selfie framing and the face. Veo 3.1 Lite was sharper (720p against 480p) and more expressive, for about the same price per second.
Can I still use Seedance 1.5 Pro?
No. Kie.ai retired Seedance 1.5 Pro on October 25, 2026, and calls to it now fail. In Dora, requests for it are sent to Seedance 2 Mini.