Seedance 2.5 vs Runway Gen-4.5
Seedance 2.5 has the higher overall score (9.4/10 vs 8.9/10). But Runway Gen-4.5 costs 1.9x less: $1.50 per 10-second video, vs $2.90.
| Criterion | Seedance 2.5 | Runway Gen-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| TopVideoAI score | 9.4/10better | 8.9/10 |
| Realism | 9.4better | 9.0 |
| Motion | 9.5better | 8.8 |
| Prompt adherence | 9.2better | 8.7 |
| Art direction | 9.3better | 9.2 |
| Price of a 10 s video | $2.90 | $1.50better |
| Published API price | $0.29/s | $0.75 per 5 s |
| Generated audio | Yesbetter | No |
| Developer | ByteDance | Runway |
| Released | July 2026 | December 2025 |
Provisional scores out of 10. Public API prices checked 08/20/2026.
Choose Seedance 2.5 if…
you care most about multi-shot scenes with consistent characters and native sound, dialogue and lip sync.
- Multi-shot scenes with consistent characters
- Native sound, dialogue and lip sync
- Up to 50 references (images, videos, audio)
- Costs more per second than Kling or Hailuo
- Slow generation (about 2 min 30 s)
Choose Runway Gen-4.5 if…
you care most about polished beauty and product shots and camera control tools in the Runway app.
- Polished beauty and product shots
- Camera control tools in the Runway app
- No native sound
- 5 s clips
Videos side by side
Examples generated by each model. Click to enlarge.
Seedance 2.5
Runway Gen-4.5
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Seedance 2.5 and Runway Gen-4.5?
Seedance 2.5 (ByteDance): ByteDance's video model generates picture and sound in one pass, with multi-shot scenes and consistent characters. Runway Gen-4.5 (Runway): The most commercial-looking output in the ranking: skin, products and studio lighting.
Seedance 2.5 or Runway Gen-4.5: which one is better?
Seedance 2.5 has the higher overall score (9.4/10 vs 8.9/10). But Runway Gen-4.5 costs 1.9x less: $1.50 per 10-second video, vs $2.90.
Which is cheaper, Seedance 2.5 or Runway Gen-4.5?
Runway Gen-4.5, at $1.50 per 10-second video through the API ($0.75 per 5 s), vs $2.90 for Seedance 2.5.