Wan 3.0 vs Seedance 2.5: Which Is Better?

The short answer

Wan 3.0 is the audio model. It generates picture and sound in one pass, outputs 480p at 5s or 10s, and costs 15 credits per run.

Seedance 2.5 is the per-second model. On Open Wan it runs from text at 480p or 720p, supports 5s, 10s and 15s clips, and is billed at 2 credits per second at 480p and 5 credits per second at 720p.

Pick Wan 3.0 when sound belongs in the first draft. Pick Seedance 2.5 when you need 720p, a 15s take, or the cheapest possible 5s test.

At a glance

| | Wan 3.0 | Seedance 2.5 | | --- | --- | --- | | Input on Open Wan | Text to video | Text to video | | Native audio | Generated with the clip | Not part of the Open Wan spec | | Resolution | 480p | 480p, 720p | | Clip length | 5s, 10s | 5s, 10s, 15s | | Billing | 15 credits per run | 2 credits/s at 480p, 5 credits/s at 720p | | 5s cost | 15 | 10 at 480p, 25 at 720p | | 10s cost | 15 | 20 at 480p, 50 at 720p | | 15s cost | Not available | 30 at 480p, 75 at 720p | | Best for | Sound-first drafts, fixed budgets | Higher resolution, longer takes, cheap iteration |

These are the settings Open Wan exposes. Other platforms may offer different durations, resolutions or prices for the same models.

What 15 credits buys

The billing models are different, so the cheaper option depends on the clip.

• One Wan 3.0 run costs 15 credits, whether you choose 5s or 10s. The 10s option is effectively free compared with the 5s option.
• A 5s Seedance 2.5 clip costs 10 credits at 480p and 25 credits at 720p.
• A 10s Seedance 2.5 clip costs 20 credits at 480p and 50 at 720p.
• A 15s Seedance 2.5 clip costs 30 credits at 480p and 75 at 720p.

So 15 credits buy one Wan 3.0 clip of either length, one 5s Seedance clip at 480p with 5 credits left over, or less than a single 5s Seedance clip at 720p. For 10 seconds of silent 480p footage, Seedance costs 20 credits, which is more than Wan 3.0's 15 — but Wan 3.0 also generates audio.

When Wan 3.0 is the better choice

The scene depends on sound

Traffic, rain, room tone, footsteps and machinery carry as much information as the picture. Wan 3.0 produces them in the same pass, so the first export can be judged as a complete clip instead of a mute animatic.

You want a fixed price for 10 seconds

A 10s Wan 3.0 run costs the same as a 5s run. When the idea needs the extra five seconds to land, there is no billing penalty.

You are starting from words

No reference image or storyboard is required. Write the scene, name the sounds, and generate. That makes Wan 3.0 the faster first stop for concepts that do not exist as stills yet.

When Seedance 2.5 is the better choice

You need 720p

Wan 3.0 on Open Wan is a 480p model. If the clip is going into a larger frame or a client review, Seedance 2.5 offers 720p, at 5 credits per second.

You need a 15s take

Seedance 2.5 supports 15s clips. Wan 3.0 stops at 10s, so a longer continuous shot needs either Seedance or an edit.

You are iterating on a tight budget

At 480p, a 5s Seedance run costs 10 credits. That is the least expensive way to test a prompt on Open Wan, and it lets a 20-credit trial cover two attempts.

Prompts are not interchangeable

Both models start from text here, but they respond to different details.

Wan 3.0 prompts should name the sound sources: rain on pavement, a refrigerator hum, a single click. The audio is part of the output, so it belongs in the description.

Seedance 2.5 prompts should focus on motion, camera and light, with sound planned for the edit. The Wan 3.0 prompt guide covers the audio-first formula in more detail; the same scene description works for Seedance once the sound cues are removed.

A 25-credit side-by-side test

To compare the models on one idea:

1. Write a 5s scene with one action and one camera move.
2. Generate it on Seedance 2.5 at 480p for 10 credits.
3. Remove the sound cues, then generate the same scene on Wan 3.0 for 15 credits.
4. Compare motion, composition and whether the generated audio helps the shot.

The total is 25 credits. A new account's 20 trial credits cover one of these runs, not both, so test the model that matches the deliverable first. Current pack prices are on the pricing page.

FAQ

Is Seedance 2.5 cheaper than Wan 3.0?

For a 5s 480p clip, yes: 10 credits against 15. At 10s and 480p it costs 20 credits, and at 720p it costs 25 or more. Wan 3.0 stays at 15 credits for both 5s and 10s.

Does Seedance 2.5 generate audio?

Native audio is not part of the Seedance 2.5 spec on Open Wan. Use Wan 3.0 when the first export needs sound.

Which model makes longer clips?

Seedance 2.5 supports 15s. Wan 3.0 supports 5s and 10s.

Can either model animate an image?

Not on Open Wan. Both run from text here. Use Wan 2.7 for image-to-video, first and last frame control, and up to 1080p.

Which should I try first?

If the clip needs sound, start with Wan 3.0. If it needs 720p or 15s, start with Seedance 2.5. If you are only testing whether the idea works, the 10-credit Seedance 480p run is the cheapest first look.