Seedance 2.5 API: release date, pricing and cost per clip

ByteDance released Seedance 2.5 on 31 July 2026, five weeks after announcing it on 23 June. Through API Stock it is billed per second of output, sound included: $0.144 at 480p, $0.324 at 720p and $0.577 at 1080p, so a 5-second 720p clip costs $1.62 and the longest take, 30 seconds, costs $9.72 at 720p. It is the most expensive Seedance per second, and it earns that on two jobs only: long single takes and requests with many references.

When was Seedance 2.5 released?

ByteDance unveiled Seedance 2.5 at its Volcano Engine FORCE conference in Beijing on 23 June 2026, as The Next Web reported the same day, with an enterprise beta already running. Wider API access opened in mid-July and the model launched on 31 July 2026, according to Apiframe's timeline.

The version number goes straight from 2.0 to 2.5, and the change is real on length and references, but one headline promise did not ship: there is no 4K. What API Stock offers is 480p, 720p and 1080p. If you need 4K from a Seedance model today, it is Seedance 2.0, not 2.5.

How much does Seedance 2.5 cost per clip?

You pay for the seconds you ask for, at the rate of the resolution you pick. Sound is generated by default and costs nothing extra; turning it off does not make the clip cheaper.

Prices as of 30 September 2026, USD through API Stock, rounded to the cent. Any whole number of seconds from 4 to 30 is accepted, so the table is four points on a straight line: multiply the per-second rate by the length you need. The live figures are always on the pricing page.

If you send nothing but a prompt, the request runs at the defaults: 5 seconds, 480p, with sound — $0.72. That is the cheapest way to see what the model does with your idea before paying for 720p.

What does it cost to extend a clip or copy a reference video?

Requests that include a reference video are billed differently. Instead of the regular rate on the output, you pay a lower "reference" rate on the reference seconds plus the output seconds:

So extending a 10-second 720p clip by another 10 seconds costs (10 + 10) × $0.1944 = $3.89, a little more than a fresh 10-second 720p clip at $3.24. The length of each reference video is measured before the charge, so the price is fixed when you submit. Reference images and audio do not change the price: a job with ten photos costs the same as a job with none.

What is new in Seedance 2.5 compared with 2.0?

Two things change and they are the whole case for the model: twice the length and far more references in one request.

Prices as of 30 September 2026.

Fifty references is what lets you hand the model a whole brief at once: product shots from several angles, a character sheet, a location photo, a clip whose camera move you want, a voice line and a music bed. On 2.0 you would have to choose nine images and three clips out of that. Seedance 2.5 also lets you mark images as the first frame, the last frame or a plain reference, and can return the last frame of its output so you can start the next shot from it.

One feature from the announcement is not available through API Stock yet: local editing of a region or a time range inside an existing clip. Extending a clip and generating from references work today.

Is Seedance 2.5 worth it over the cheaper Seedance models?

For most clips, no. Seedance 2.0 Mini makes a 10-second 720p clip for $0.34, nearly ten times less, with the same kinds of input. Pick by the job:

• Drafts, social volume, A/B variants — Seedance 2.0 Mini. At 3.4 cents per 720p second nine 10-second versions of an idea cost less than one Seedance 2.5 clip of the same length.
• Quick turnaround at 720p — Seedance 2.0 Fast.
• A 4K master — Seedance 2.0, the only Seedance with a 4K option, at $1.083 per second.
• One continuous take longer than 15 seconds, or a brief with more references than 2.0 accepts — Seedance 2.5. This is where nothing else in the family competes.

A sensible routine is to write and fix the prompt on Mini or on 2.5 at 480p, then render the final at 720p or 1080p. Keep in mind that the seed setting does not guarantee an identical result, so the final render is a new take, not an upscale of the draft.

Is there a cheaper way to get a 30-second video?

Yes, if you don't need Seedance's reference handling. Three other models in the catalog make 30 seconds in one request:

Prices as of 30 September 2026: the 720p per-second rate × 30. For every video model side by side at 10 seconds, see what a usable video clip costs; to put two models head to head, use compare.

The other route is several short shots cut together. Edited video is built that way anyway, and 5-second Seedance 2.0 Mini shots cost $0.17 each at 720p. What you give up is one unbroken camera move, which is exactly what a 30-second Seedance 2.5 take is for.

How do you write a prompt for Seedance 2.5?

A long take needs a prompt that describes what happens over time, not a single picture. Three habits help:

1. Write the take as beats. For 20 or 30 seconds, say what happens first, then next, then last, with the camera move for each. A one-line prompt stretched over 30 seconds tends to drift.
2. Refer to references by their order. The model reads images, videos and audio in the order you send them, so the prompt can say "the jacket from the first image" or "the camera move of the reference video".
3. Name the sound. Audio is on by default. "Footsteps on gravel, wind, no music" gets you a cleaner track to edit than leaving the model to guess.

A prompt written for a 20-second product take with a first-frame image:

Start on the sneaker from the first image resting on wet concrete at night. Slow orbit to the right as rain begins, neon signs reflecting in the puddles. Halfway through, a hand lifts the shoe into frame and turns it to show the sole. End on a close-up of the logo. Sound: rain on metal, distant traffic, no music.

At 720p, those 20 seconds cost $6.48. The same prompt at 480p is $2.88 — a cheap way to check the beats before you pay for the final.

How do you call Seedance 2.5 through the API?

One request to the same endpoint as every other model. This one animates a product photo as the first frame, 10 seconds at 720p, for $3.24:

curl -X POST https://api.api-stock.com/api/v1/generation/create \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_STOCK_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "seedance-2.5",
    "input": {
      "prompt": "Slow orbit around the sneaker on wet concrete at night, neon reflections. Sound: rain on metal, no music.",
      "duration": 10,
      "resolution": "720p",
      "imageWithRoles": [
        { "url": "https://example.com/sneaker.jpg", "role": "first_frame" }
      ]
    }
  }'

The response is a task id; poll it or pass a webhook URL and the finished MP4 is delivered to you. Two things to know: first-frame, last-frame and extend jobs need the aspect ratio (size) left at its default, adaptive, and duration is billed as asked, so set it explicitly. Every field, including videoUrls, audioUrls and returnLastFrame, is in the Seedance 2.5 reference; the image-to-video guide covers first frames and references in general.

FAQ

When was Seedance 2.5 released?

ByteDance announced Seedance 2.5 on 23 June 2026 and launched it on 31 July 2026. It is available through API Stock under the model id seedance-2.5.

How much does the Seedance 2.5 API cost?

As of 30 September 2026, through API Stock: $0.14412 per second at 480p, $0.324 at 720p and $0.57732 at 1080p, with sound included. A 5-second clip costs $0.72, $1.62 or $2.89; 30 seconds at 720p costs $9.72.

Does Seedance 2.5 generate 4K video?

No. 4K was announced but did not ship; Seedance 2.5 on API Stock renders 480p, 720p or 1080p. For 4K, Seedance 2.0 offers it at $1.083 per second.

How long can a Seedance 2.5 video be?

Any whole number of seconds from 4 to 30 in one request, twice the 15-second limit of the Seedance 2.0 models. You can also extend an existing clip by passing it as a reference video.

Is there a free Seedance 2.5 API?

Not through API Stock: every request is charged from your prepaid balance, and the cheapest one — the 5-second 480p default — costs $0.72. To experiment for less, Seedance 2.0 Mini makes a 5-second 480p clip for $0.08.

Is Seedance 2.5 better than Seedance 2.0?

It makes longer takes and accepts more than three times as many references, but it costs more per second and has no 4K. For clips of 15 seconds or less with a few references, Seedance 2.0 or 2.0 Mini does the job for less.