“How much does one five-second clip cost?” sounds like a simple way to compare AI video models. It is not. Seedance is billed in dollars and points per second in BytePlus's creation product, Kling consumes mode-specific credits, and HappyHorse has resolution-based per-second API prices in Alibaba Cloud. Audio, voice control, video references, region, and the subscription used to buy credits can all change the answer.
This review was verified on July 29, 2026 against vendor documentation and the current Artificial Analysis blind-preference data. HappyHorse here means the latest official API version, HappyHorse 1.1. Availability and prices change, so confirm them in the checkout or cloud console before committing a production budget.
The short answer
| Primary need | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complex motion and many references | Seedance 2.0 | Up to nine images, three videos, and three audio references with unified audiovisual generation |
| Multilingual dialogue, bound voices, and shot control | Kling 3.0 | 3–15 seconds, multi-shot, character and voice binding, and five dialogue languages |
| Predictable API budgeting and iteration | HappyHorse 1.1 | T2V, I2V, and R2V with simple published 720p and 1080p per-second prices |
Seedance leads these three in the current blind-preference snapshot. Kling may still be the practical choice when speaker assignment and Korean, Japanese, or English dialogue are central. HappyHorse makes batch API estimates easier because its international list price is explicit.
Performance rankings are one test, not a universal verdict
Artificial Analysis's Text-to-Video Arena aggregates blind human choices between pairs of outputs. The snapshot checked on 2026-07-29 was:
| Model and condition | Elo | 95% CI | Samples | Listed API price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreamina Seedance 2.0 720p | 1,226 | ±7 | 12,757 | $9.07/min |
| HappyHorse 1.1 | 1,150 | ±8 | 6,553 | $9.90/min |
| Kling 3.0 1080p Pro | 1,112 | ±7 | 11,897 | $20.16/min |
The resolutions and access paths are not identical. Arena preference does not replace a task-specific test of identity, Korean speech, product lettering, or camera compliance. We therefore keep vendor benchmarks separate from the independent snapshot.
1. Seedance 2.0: a director-style multimodal workflow
ByteDance says Seedance 2.0 unifies text, image, audio, and video inputs in one audiovisual generation architecture. A request can reference up to nine images, three video clips, and three audio clips, and produce up to 15 seconds of multi-shot video with dual-channel audio. That is valuable when composition, character, action, camera movement, sound effects, and voice each come from a different source.
Its strengths are complex interaction, motion, extension, editing, and reference-driven control. ByteDance also acknowledges room to improve multi-subject consistency, text rendering, and complex edits. More references do not automatically mean better results; assign each asset one explicit role.
2. Kling VIDEO 3.0: dialogue and shot-level production control
Kling's official guide lists T2V, I2V, start/end frames, native audio, multi-shot, and element references. It supports flexible 3–15-second output, automatic shot planning, or Custom Multi-Shot with per-shot duration. Character elements can bind appearance and voice, and dialogue can be assigned across three or more people.
Dialogue output supports Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, including accents and dialects. The guide also emphasizes preserving text from source product imagery. Native audio and voice control consume additional credits, and the dollar value of a Kling credit depends on the plan that supplied it.
3. HappyHorse 1.1: straightforward public API pricing
Alibaba Cloud exposes HappyHorse 1.1 for text-to-video, first-frame image-to-video, and reference-to-video. Its official I2V page describes improvements in texture, dynamics, cross-clip identity, lettering stability, and audiovisual synchronization.
For the Singapore International deployment, the published list price is $0.14/sec at 720p and $0.18/sec at 1080p, with a ten-second free quota shown for 90 days after activation. We use list price, not the temporary discount, for durable planning. Prices vary by region, and HappyHorse should not be treated as an open-weight model.
Five-second generation cost
Official vendor billing units
| Model and access path | 5 sec at 720p | 5 sec at 1080p | Calculation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedance 2.0 · BytePlus Dramagic general reference | $1.15 | $2.80 | $0.23 or $0.56/sec × 5 |
| Kling 3.0 · no native audio | 30 credits | 40 credits | 6 or 8 credits/sec × 5 |
| Kling 3.0 · native audio | 45 credits | 60 credits | 9 or 12 credits/sec × 5 |
| HappyHorse 1.1 · Alibaba Cloud International list price | $0.70 | $0.90 | $0.14 or $0.18/sec × 5 |
Kling Voice Control adds 2 credits/sec at either resolution, or ten credits for five seconds. This makes the official 1080p native-audio-plus-voice example 70 credits. Convert Kling to dollars with your own plan:
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Kling five-second dollar cost | required credits × (plan price ÷ included credits) |
| Three-candidate budget | one-generation five-second cost × 3 |
| Cost per accepted shot | all generation spend ÷ accepted shots |
Three 720p candidates cost $3.45 at Seedance list price or $2.10 at HappyHorse list price. Kling requires 90 credits without native audio or 135 with it. Production budgets should track cost per accepted shot, not only the first generation.
A normalized five-second view from one data provider
| Artificial Analysis listing | Five-second equivalent |
|---|---|
| Seedance 2.0 720p | about $0.76 |
| HappyHorse 1.1 | about $0.83 |
| Kling 3.0 1080p Pro | about $1.68 |
These values divide the listed dollars per minute by twelve. They may represent access paths different from the vendors' direct products above. Region, contract, intermediary, and model variant explain why an independent listing and a vendor console need not match.
Which one should you choose?
| Workload | Recommended starting point | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-reference ad or music video | Seedance 2.0 | reference priority and multi-person identity |
| Korean/Japanese dialogue short | Kling 3.0 | speaker mapping, lip sync, and voice-credit cost |
| Batch API short-form generation | HappyHorse 1.1 | endpoint region, failure rate, and acceptance rate |
| One critical hero shot | a small blind test across all three | same start image, prompt, resolution, and candidate count |
Use the same starting frame and one critical action to generate three candidates per model. Score identity, motion, camera, audio, lettering, and cost separately. Arena rank selects the shortlist; your accepted-shot rate makes the purchase decision.
Sources checked
- ByteDance Seed — official Seedance 2.0 launch
- ByteDance Seed — Seedance 2.0 model page
- BytePlus — Dramagic plans and packages
- Kling AI — official VIDEO 3.0 feature and billing guide
- Alibaba Cloud — HappyHorse 1.1 model documentation
- Alibaba Cloud Model Studio — model pricing
- Artificial Analysis — Text-to-Video Arena
Features, prices, free quotas, and promotions can change. This article reflects public information checked on 2026-07-29 and excludes tax, exchange rates, subscription discounts, and retry costs.