Grok Imagine vs Seedance: same prompts, side by side
Grok Imagine and Seedance 2 Mini are both in Dora.
Short answer: Grok Imagine is the cheaper model, at about $0.0125 per second at 480p against $0.019 for Seedance 2 Mini. On its first take of a selfie-style prompt it put a phone in the person's hand in two of three scenes, while Seedance kept the camera point of view. When we added one line to the prompt ("the phone IS the camera and is never visible"), Grok got all three scenes right.
Scene 1: a Tudor street
Seedance (left) films from the outstretched arm. Grok (right) shows the person holding a phone in front of their chest while the other arm reaches toward the lens.
Scene 2: a Tudor market
Here both models gave the person a reporter's microphone, so neither shows a phone.
Scene 3: the Titanic dock
Seedance keeps the selfie framing. Grok again puts a phone in the person's hand.
Grok's second take: one line fixed it
We added this line to each prompt: "selfie POV: the phone IS the camera and is never visible in frame; their right arm extends toward the lens, out of frame". Grok's second take kept the selfie framing in all three scenes:
Takeaway: Grok follows the literal objects in a prompt. If a shot is filmed by a phone, say that the phone is the camera, or Grok may draw one.
Price per second
| Model | Resolution | 8-second clip | Per second |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Imagine (xAI) | 480p | $0.10 | $0.0125 |
| Seedance 2 Mini (ByteDance), with sound | 480p | $0.155 | $0.019 |
| Seedance 1.5 Pro (ByteDance), retired 25 Oct 2026 | 720p | $0.28 | $0.035 |
API prices at Kie.ai, the provider Dora uses, on October 26, 2026. The Seedance clips in this test are Seedance 1.5 Pro, which has since been retired; its successor in Dora, Seedance 2 Mini, is compared in our five-model test.
How we tested
Same reference photo and same prompt for both models in each scene, first take only, generated on October 24, 2026. The second Grok take used the prompt with the extra line above.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grok Imagine cheaper than Seedance?
Yes. At 480p Grok Imagine costs about $0.0125 per second at API prices ($0.10 for 8 seconds), against about $0.019 per second for Seedance 2 Mini.
Why does Grok Imagine show a phone in selfie videos?
In our test it drew the phone the prompt mentioned. Adding "the phone IS the camera and is never visible in frame" fixed it in all three scenes.