Video model comparison
Sora 2 vs Veo 3.1 vs Seedance 2.5: Which Is Better in 2026?
One of these three is switched off, so the honest 2026 answer starts there: the Sora API closed on September 24, 2026, and the real question is which live flagship inherits each Sora workload. Veo 3.1 renders short, reproducible, audio-carrying takes at up to 4K; Seedance 2.5 stretches to thirty seconds with fifty references. This is the spec-level split.
Every figure below is read from the same model registry Imgo routes against, so the table cannot drift from what the API accepts.
Side by side
| Capability | Sora 2 (closed) | Veo 3.1 | Seedance 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clip length | 4 / 8 / 12s | 4 / 6 / 8s | 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30s |
| Resolution | — | 720p / 1080p / 4K | 720p / 1080p / 4K |
| Aspect ratios | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 | 16:9, 9:16 | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 21:9 |
| Start / end frame | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reference images | No | 3 | 50 |
| Native audio | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reproducible seed | No | Yes | No |
Veo 3.1 inherits the workload when…
The shot is short and has to look expensive, or the result has to be reproducible. Veo is the only one of the three with a seed, so a take approved today renders the same way next quarter — with native audio and up to 4K in the same request.
Seedance 2.5 inherits the workload when…
The clip runs past eight seconds, a character or product must stay recognisable across scenes, or the same source has to produce several aspect-ratio cuts. Fifty reference slots and reference-video input are the reason.
Send one prompt to both
Picking a video model usually means integrating one and living with it, because rewiring a pipeline costs more than the model choice ever saves. In Imgo the model is a field: send the same prompt to both, watch the two takes side by side, and keep whichever the shot needed — one integration, one credit balance.
Which is better in 2026?
- Which is the best AI video model in 2026?
- There is no single answer, and any page claiming one is guessing. Veo 3.1 owns short reproducible cinematic takes; Seedance 2.5 owns long multi-reference shots; Sora 2 is closed. Route by shot length, reference count, and whether the take must re-render identically.
- Is Sora 2 still available?
- No. OpenAI discontinued the Sora app on April 26, 2026 and the API on September 24, 2026. A stack still calling Sora is returning errors, not videos — this year's decision is which live model inherits the workload.
- Why does Veo's seed matter?
- A seed makes a take reproducible: the same prompt, seed, and settings re-render the same clip. Veo 3.1 is the only one of the three with one, which is why approved-shot workflows land there.
- Which one for clips longer than eight seconds?
- Seedance 2.5, by a distance: five to thirty seconds in one take, versus Veo's eight-second ceiling. Long Veo work means stitching multiple seeded shots; Seedance makes it one request.