Seedance 2.0 comes in tiers. We put the two fast tiers, Seedance 2.0 Mini and Seedance 2.0 Fast, against each other on the same three scenes, with both animating the exact same starting image. Any difference you see is the tier, not a different starting picture. Both run on EmpirioLabs through one API.
Watch the comparison
Specs at a glance
| Tier | Max resolution | Max duration | Price per second at 480p | Price per second at 720p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.0 Mini | 720p | 15 seconds | $0.070 | $0.150 |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast | 720p | 15 seconds | $0.122 | $0.260 |
At 720p a 5 second clip is $0.75 on Mini and $1.30 on Fast. Both tiers support text to video and image to video. Every current rate lives on the pricing page.
How we ran it
For each scene we first generated one starting image with Seedream 5.0 Lite at 2848 by 1600, a 16:9 frame. Then both tiers animated that same image, one generation each, at 720p, 5 seconds per clip, with default settings. The three scenes were a hot air balloon rising over misty mountains at dawn, a herd of wild horses galloping through a river, and a spaceship weaving through a glowing asteroid field. Each tier got the same motion prompt per scene, asking for a single continuous shot with no cuts.
When to use each
Mini is the lowest cost tier in the Seedance 2.0 lineup, so it is a strong default when you are generating at volume or iterating on drafts. Fast sits a step up. Watch the two panels on each scene, see whether the motion on Fast is worth the higher per second rate for your use case, and pick the tier that fits. We are not declaring a winner, both run on the same API so switching is one line.
Generate either tier on EmpirioLabs
Both tiers serve the same image to video endpoint, so you send a starting image plus a motion prompt and swap the model id. Point at https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1 and post to the videos endpoint.
curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/videos/generations \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "seedance-2-0-mini",
"image_url": "https://example.com/your-starting-frame.png",
"prompt": "The hot air balloon rises slowly through the drifting mist, the valley revealed below, single continuous shot, no cuts."
}'Change "model" to seedance-2-0-fast and send the same image and prompt again to compare the two tiers on your own footage. You can also try them in the playground.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Seedance 2.0 Mini and Fast?
Both are fast, low cost tiers of Seedance 2.0 that top out at 720p. Mini is the cheapest tier. Fast costs more per second. The video shows both animating the identical frame so you can judge the motion difference yourself.
Which tier is cheaper?
Mini. At 720p a 5 second clip is $0.75 on Mini and $1.30 on Fast. Both have a lower 480p rate as well.
Did both tiers animate the same image?
Yes. We generated one starting frame per scene with Seedream 5.0 Lite, then fed that same frame to both tiers, so the comparison isolates the model from the image.
What settings were used?
720p, 5 seconds per clip, default settings, one generation each, no retries. Each tier got the same motion prompt per scene.
How do I switch between the tiers?
Change one string. Both share the same videos endpoint at https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1, so you set the model id to seedance-2-0-mini or seedance-2-0-fast and keep the rest of the request the same.
