Seedance vs Sora: Affordable AI Video vs OpenAI's Premium Model

TL;DR

Sora 2 Pro is the quality king but comes at a steep price ($0.30-0.50/sec). Seedance 1.5 Pro produces respectable video at roughly $0.04-0.08/sec — a fraction of the cost. For commercial projects where quality is paramount, Sora wins. For everyday video generation, Seedance delivers strong value.

Comparison

Aspect	Seedance 1.5 Pro	Sora 2 Pro
Provider	ByteDance	OpenAI
Quality	Good	Excellent
Pricing	~$0.04-0.08/sec	~$0.30-0.50/sec
Max Duration	~10 seconds	Up to 21 seconds
Resolution	Up to 1080p	Up to 1080p
Text-to-Video	Yes	Yes
Image-to-Video	Yes	Yes
Physics/Realism	Good	Best-in-class
Free Tier	No	Removed (Jan 2026)

Seedance Overview

ByteDance’s Seedance 1.5 Pro is positioned as a cost-effective video generator. It handles standard scenes well — landscapes, product shots, simple character motion. Where it falls short is complex physics and multi-subject interactions, which occasionally produce artifacts.

Sora Overview

Sora 2 (released Sep 2025) set a new bar for AI video quality. It understands physics, camera movement, and complex scene composition better than any competitor. The catch: it’s expensive. OpenAI removed the free tier in January 2026, making it a purely premium offering. Sora 2 Pro costs $0.30-0.50 per second; the Lite variant offers a budget option at $0.10/sec with lower quality.

Verdict

Choose Seedance if: You need volume. Social media clips, concept videos, quick visual drafts. The 5-10x cost difference adds up fast.

Choose Sora if: You’re producing final deliverables where quality matters — ads, trailers, client presentations. Worth the premium when it counts.

Or use Maginary to access both and iterate fast. Use Seedance as your everyday default and trigger Sora with --sora when you need maximum quality. One platform, both models, no learning curve.