Short answer: both models can make a clip of up to 30 seconds, so the choice is about what else you need. Choose Seedance 2.5 when a scene depends on a large set of references, such as many images plus video and audio clips. Choose Wan 3.0 when you want 1080p, a lower price per second, or a simple workflow built around reference images. The detail below comes from the settings and prices in the generator, so you can check each claim before you spend a credit.
We are not ranking picture quality. That depends on your brief, and the last section shows a cheap way to compare both on the same prompt.
Two models built for longer scenes
Seedance 2.5 is the newest Seedance model on BestAIVideo, from ByteDance Seed. Wan 3.0 comes from Alibaba and was designed around longer, connected scenes with sound. Neither is a short-clip model: that is why they are worth comparing with each other and not with a typical 5 second generator.
Side by side
| Seedance 2.5 | Wan 3.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clip length | Any whole second from 4 to 30 | Any whole second from 2 to 30 |
| Resolution | 480p, 720p | 480p, 720p, 1080p |
| Sound | Audio switch | Always on |
| Start from | Text, first frame, last frame, references | Text, first frame, last frame, references |
| References | Up to 30 images, 10 videos, 10 audio files | Up to 10 images |
| Prompt length | Up to 30,000 characters | Up to 20,000 characters |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, 21:9, adaptive | 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, adaptive |
| Extras | Optional web search in text mode | None |
Length and resolution
Both reach 30 seconds, and both allow a short test from 4 seconds (Seedance 2.5) or 2 seconds (Wan 3.0). The difference is sharpness. Wan 3.0 can render at 1080p, while Seedance 2.5 stops at 720p in this generator. If the final needs a sharper picture, that alone may decide it.
References and control
This is where Seedance 2.5 pulls ahead. A single request can combine up to 30 images, 10 video clips and 10 audio files, so you can give it a whole production kit: characters, locations, camera moves from a reference clip and a voice or a piece of music. Naming each upload by type and order in the prompt keeps such a crowded request readable.
Wan 3.0 takes up to 10 reference images. That is enough to fix a few characters, a product and a setting, and it keeps the brief simpler. If you want a first frame and a last frame instead, both models offer frame generation.
Sound
Wan 3.0 always generates audio, so speech, effects and music are described in the prompt and cannot be switched off. Seedance 2.5 has an audio switch, which is the better fit when you plan to add sound in an editor.
What it costs on BestAIVideo
Both are priced per second, and the gap is large. Credits for a clip with no reference video:
| Clip | Seedance 2.5 | Wan 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 seconds, 480p | 224 | 64 |
| 10 seconds, 720p | 504 | 128 |
| 30 seconds, 480p | 672 | 192 |
| 30 seconds, 720p | 1,512 | 384 |
| 30 seconds, 1080p | not offered | 768 |
At 720p Wan 3.0 costs about a quarter as much as Seedance 2.5 for the same length, and it still has 1080p above that. Uploading a reference video on Seedance 2.5 changes the price, so check the estimate in the generator before you submit. The Pricing page explains how credits work.
Which one to choose
- A long scene on a tight budget: Wan 3.0.
- A final at 1080p: Wan 3.0.
- Many references, including video and audio: Seedance 2.5.
- A silent clip to score yourself: Seedance 2.5 with audio off.
- Pulling a topical detail into a prompt: Seedance 2.5 with web search in text mode.
- A simple brief with a few reference images: either, and Wan 3.0 costs less.
Prompting each model
Seedance 2.5. With many uploads in one request, tell the model what each one is for: the character from the first image, the camera move from the reference clip, the voice from the audio file. Keep a long scene as an ordered list of beats, and put speech in quotation marks.
Wan 3.0. Alibaba's guidance for Wan 3.0 is to mark the beats of a multi-part scene with timestamps, to name sound effects directly, such as a whoosh or a keyboard click, and to describe background music by what it does, for example light and steady for a business scene. It also suggests testing at 480p before you commit to 1080p.
Common questions
Can both start from a photo? Yes. Use frame generation with a first frame, and add a last frame if the clip must land on a particular picture.
Do both have sound? Yes. Wan 3.0 always generates it, and Seedance 2.5 lets you turn it off.
What if my clip is only 10 seconds? Then the length advantage disappears and price and references decide: Wan 3.0 is 128 credits at 720p, Seedance 2.5 is 504.
Can I try both on one prompt? Yes. Switch the model in the generator, keep the prompt, and compare the two results in your history.
A cheap way to compare
- Write one 10 second brief with a clear start, middle and end, and list the beats in order.
- Run it at 480p on both models. That is 224 and 64 credits.
- Judge continuity, motion and sound separately, then raise the resolution only on the better run.
Open Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0 to see examples and every setting. For the other models side by side, see the model overview, or read how Veo 3.1 compares with Kling 3.0.