Comparison · Video
MiniMax H3 vs Seedance 2.5
MiniMax H3 vs Seedance 2.5: 2K clips up to 15 s at a fraction of the cost, or 30 s single shots, 30 references and video editing. Which suits you.
What each one accepts
| MiniMax H3 | Seedance 2.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | MiniMax | ByteDance |
| Type | Video | Video |
| Modes | text-to-video image-to-video first-last-frame reference-to-video | text-to-video image-to-video first-last-frame reference-to-video video-edit |
| Released | 2026-07 | 2026-07 |
| Duration | 4-15 s | 4-30 s or auto (-1) |
| Resolutions | 768p, 2K | 480p, 720p, 1080p |
| Aspect ratios | 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, adaptive | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 21:9, adaptive |
| Reference images | up to 9 | up to 30 |
| Reference videos | up to 3 | up to 10 |
| Frames | first and last frame | first and last frame |
| Audio | built in | built in, can be turned off |
| Prompt length | up to 7,000 chars | up to 20,000 chars |
Rates and clip costs
| Model | Variant | Rate | 5 s clip | 10 s clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax H3 | 768p | $0.161 / s | $0.804 | $1.61 |
| 2K | $0.261 / s | $1.30 | $2.61 | |
| Seedance 2.5 | 480p | $0.261 / s | $1.30 | $2.61 |
| 720p | $0.587 / s | $2.94 | $5.87 | |
| 1080p | $1.41 / s | $7.07 | $14.14 |
Charged from a prepaid USD balance, no taxes added. A failed generation is $0.
For a normal reel of 5 to 15 seconds I reach for MiniMax H3 (also sold as Hailuo 03): it costs several times less per second and goes up to 2K. Seedance 2.5 is worth the higher rate when one continuous shot has to run past 15 seconds, when you feed it a big pile of references, or when you want to edit or extend footage you already have.
When to pick MiniMax H3
- Social clips up to 15 s where every cent per second matters.
- 2K output (2560x1440) for YouTube or a big screen.
- Quick rounds of iteration: through another API H3 returned a 5 s clip in 14-28 s, while Seedance 2.5 needed about 165 s.
- Lines spoken in Polish or another non-English language: in my test H3 missed one word in twelve, Seedance 2.5 more than half.
When to pick Seedance 2.5
- A 20-30 s scene that has to be one take, with no stitching.
- A product or a person shown from a dozen or more reference photos.
- Lengthening a finished clip or changing one part of a recording.
- Runs you want to repeat, using
seed. - Visual polish on a single shot: my coffee-pour test gave Seedance 2.5 an 8/10 against 6.5 for H3.
Differences you will notice
- Price. MiniMax H3 costs from $0.161 per second at 2K, Seedance 2.5 costs from $0.261 per second. Seedance 2.5 at 1080p is about 3.9x the H3 2K rate, and at 720p about 3.6x H3 at 768P. Oddly, Seedance 2.5 at 480p costs about the same per second as H3 at 2K.
- Length. H3 makes 4-15 s, Seedance 2.5 4-30 s in one generation.
- Resolution. H3: 768P and 2K. Seedance 2.5: 480p, 720p and 1080p, so H3 is the sharper one.
- References. H3 takes up to 9 images, 3 clips and 3 audio files. Seedance 2.5 takes up to 30 images, 10 clips and 10 audio files, and allows real people with consent.
- Sound and prompt. Both make audio with the picture: stereo in H3, mono in Seedance 2.5. Prompts go up to 7,000 characters in H3 and 20,000 in Seedance 2.5.
How to decide
- Clip under 15 s, sound included, budget matters: MiniMax H3.
- Long single take, many references or editing existing video: Seedance 2.5.
Keep reference costs in mind for both. Seconds of video in video_urls are added to the bill, H3 also charges for reference images six to nine (audio is free), and Seedance 2.5 sets a billing floor based on output length when you give it a video. Guides: MiniMax H3 (Hailuo) and Seedance 2.5. All rates on /pricing.
Questions
What is the cheapest way to get a 25 s scene?
Seedance 2.5 does it in one pass. With H3 you would chain two shots of up to 15 s each, using the last frame of the first as the opening frame of the second. Compare both totals in Studio before you generate.
Does Seedance 2.5 ever cost the same as H3?
Per second, yes: Seedance 2.5 at 480p and H3 at 2K land at almost the same rate. You just get a much lower resolution from Seedance at that price.
Which one edits a video I already shot?
Seedance 2.5. H3 makes new shots and can borrow motion from a reference clip, but it does not edit or extend existing footage.
Samples from the makers
MiniMax H3
Seedance 2.5
These clips and images come from the vendors, not from my runs.