Veo 3.1 Lite vs Seedance 2 Mini
Seedance 2 Mini is in Dora. Veo 3.1 Lite left Dora on November 2, 2026; this comparison is kept as a test record.
Short answer: in our test, Veo 3.1 Lite and Seedance 2 Mini were the two best budget models and cost the same, about $0.019 per second ($0.15 for 8 seconds). Veo 3.1 Lite comes out at 720p and was the more expressive of the two; Seedance 2 Mini comes out at 480p, with sound included in its price.
Veo 3.1 Lite is third from the left, Seedance 2 Mini fourth. Same prompt and reference photo for all five models.
Side by side
| Veo 3.1 Lite (Google) | Seedance 2 Mini (ByteDance) | |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution in our test | 720p | 480p |
| Clip length | 8 s | 8 s |
| Price for 8 s | $0.15 | $0.155 (with sound) |
| Price per second | $0.019 | $0.019 |
| Selfie framing | Kept | Kept |
| Face from the photo | Kept | Kept |
| What stood out | Most expressive face and hands of the five models | Steady, faithful to the photo; softer image at 480p |
| In Dora | Yes, since October 31, 2026 | Yes (it replaced Seedance 1.5 Pro) |
API prices at Kie.ai, the provider Dora uses, on October 26, 2026.
Which one to pick
- For a sharper result at the same price: Veo 3.1 Lite.
- In Dora: Seedance 2 Mini is from 16 coins for 4 seconds at 480p (31 for 8 seconds).
- Either way, both got the hardest part of this prompt right: a selfie shot with no phone in the frame. Grok Imagine did not on its first take.
How we tested
One selfie-style prompt (Dora's Tudor time-travel template), one reference photo, first take only, generated on October 26, 2026. The full test with five models is in We tested 5 cheap AI video models with the same prompt.
Frequently asked questions
Is Veo 3.1 Lite cheaper than Seedance 2 Mini?
They cost about the same at API prices: $0.15 for 8 seconds of Veo 3.1 Lite at 720p and $0.155 for 8 seconds of Seedance 2 Mini at 480p with sound.