by Alibaba
HappyHorse 1.1
1080p clips with sound in nine aspect ratios
From 105 credits for a 5-second clip
Model comparison
HappyHorse 1.1 vs Seedance 2.0: The Two Closest to the Brief
These two came closest to the brief of the five video models we ran on the same prompt. HappyHorse 1.1 opened on the canal and a stone bridge, kept a warm dusk glow and gave the baker a big, unmistakable wave. Seedance 2.0 framed her a little tighter, put a basket on the bike and saved the canal for the end. Both clips came with sound. HappyHorse returned in about 100 seconds against 190 for Seedance 2.0, but its sound track can't be switched off and it stops at 1080p. Seedance 2.0 adds 4K, a 480p draft size and clip extension; HappyHorse adds 4:5, 5:4 and 9:21 frames. Two more prompts went HappyHorse's way: it played the rooftop party as one unbroken move and split the jelly into exactly the three cubes we asked for.
HappyHorse 1.1 is Alibaba's video model for text to video, image to video and reference scenes from up to nine images, at 720p or 1080p in nine frame shapes. Seedance 2.0 is ByteDance's model with the same three modes plus clip extension, from 480p up to 4K. Both generate sound with the picture.
by ByteDance
Seedance 2.0
Cinematic clips up to 4K with native audio
From 33 credits for a 5-second clip
At a glance
| HappyHorse 1.1 | Seedance 2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Alibaba | ByteDance |
| Modes | Create Video, Image to Video, and Reference to Video | Create Video, Image to Video, Reference to Video, and Extend Video |
| Top resolution | 1080p | 4K |
| Clip length | 3–15s | 4–15s |
| Sound | Yes | Yes |
| Reference images | 9 | 9 |
| Starts at | 105 credits for a 5-second clip | 33 credits for a 5-second clip |
HappyHorse 1.1 vs Seedance 2.0 on the same prompts
Round one ran the identical prompt on both at 720p, 16:9, five seconds with sound on, on the same afternoon. In rounds two and three HappyHorse ran at 720p against Seedance 2.0 clips from our earlier family test at its 480p draft size, so weigh story and motion more than sharpness. Times are wall-clock with the queue.
Round 1 · Rainy street, two people, sound
A woman in her sixties with silver curly hair and a yellow raincoat cycles slowly along a wet cobblestone canal street at dusk. She rings her bicycle bell and laughs as a bearded man in a green apron waves from a bakery doorway. Smooth tracking shot from the side, warm shop lights reflecting on the wet stones, light drizzle, ambient sound of rain, the bell and distant chatter.
HappyHorse 1.1: canal and bridge in the opening frames, golden shop light, a close shot of her laughing, then the bakery with the baker waving broadly. Seedance 2.0: a close tracking shot with a basket on the bike, the baker waving from the doorway, the canal revealed in the last second.
Round 2 · Rooftop party with a spoken toast
A summer rooftop party in Brooklyn at blue hour, string lights and the Manhattan skyline behind. A mixed group of friends in their late twenties and thirties dance and laugh: a woman with long braids spins under a man's arm, two men clink beer bottles, someone throws a handful of confetti. One continuous handheld shot weaving through the dancers, ending as the whole group raises their drinks and shouts together, "To summer!" Sound: upbeat funk music, chatter, laughter, bottles clinking.
HappyHorse played the whole brief in one continuous handheld weave: bottles clink, the dancer with long braids spins under her partner's arm, confetti falls and the friends raise their drinks together, the sky warming toward sunset by the end. Seedance 2.0 hit the same beats at its 480p draft size, softer, with a swing up to the confetti-filled sky rather than one unbroken move.
Round 3 · Puppy chasing a splitting jelly cube
A golden retriever puppy chases a giant wobbling orange jelly cube across a sunlit park lawn. The cube bounces, squashes on landing and splits into three smaller glossy cubes that scatter in different directions; the puppy skids to a stop, tilts its head and pounces on the nearest one. Low tracking camera at grass height, shallow depth of field, warm afternoon light. Sound: excited barks, squishy bounces, birdsong.
The clearest win for HappyHorse: crisp, glassy cubes that bounce, break into exactly three pieces and scatter, then the puppy tilts its head and pounces on the closest one, all from grass height. Seedance 2.0 reshaped the jelly into fluted mould forms and split it into more pieces than we asked for.
What we noticed
- Following the brief
- Both hit dusk, drizzle, the laugh, the wave and the canal, the only pair in our test that did. HappyHorse made the wave the clearer moment; Seedance 2.0 kept the camera move smoother.
- Look and casting
- HappyHorse leaned golden and cinematic, and aged our woman in her sixties closer to eighty. Seedance 2.0 kept her age nearer the prompt, with cooler blue-hour tones.
- Speed in our run
- HappyHorse came back in 99 seconds, Seedance 2.0 in 194, queue included.
- Sound
- Both returned an ambient track. HappyHorse always adds one, so mute or replace it in your edit; Seedance 2.0 lets you switch sound off before you generate.
- Formats
- HappyHorse offers 4:5, 5:4 and 9:21 on top of the usual shapes, handy for feed placements. Seedance 2.0 goes from a 480p draft to 4K and can extend a clip past 15 seconds.
- Camera movement
- HappyHorse moved from a close-up of her face into a reveal of the bakery, so the clip plays like two beats. Seedance 2.0 held one steady tracking move from start to finish, which is easier to cut into a longer sequence.
- References
- Both build scenes from up to nine reference images. Seedance 2.0 also accepts up to three reference clips and three audio tracks, useful when a voice, a song or a camera move should carry over.
- Resolution ladder
- HappyHorse offers two steps, 720p and 1080p, so there's no cheap draft size below it. Seedance 2.0 runs from 480p for throwaway tests up to 4K for a master, which suits a draft-then-final routine.
- Clip length
- Both run up to 15 seconds per generation. HappyHorse goes as short as 3 seconds, handy for loops and stingers, while Seedance 2.0 starts at 4 seconds but can keep a scene going past 15 by extending it from the final frame.
HappyHorse 1.1 or Seedance 2.0: which to choose
| If you need | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A 4:5 or 5:4 feed post without cropping | HappyHorse 1.1 | HappyHorse offers both shapes; Seedance 2.0 doesn't. |
| A 4K master | Seedance 2.0 | HappyHorse stops at 1080p. |
| A silent clip for your own soundtrack | Seedance 2.0 | HappyHorse always adds audio; Seedance 2.0 has a switch. |
| The quicker turnaround | HappyHorse 1.1 | About 100 seconds against roughly 190 in our run. |
| A scene longer than 15 seconds | Seedance 2.0 | Seedance 2.0 can extend a clip from its last frame. |
| A three second loop or sting | HappyHorse 1.1 | HappyHorse goes down to 3 seconds; Seedance 2.0 starts at 4. |
Pick HappyHorse 1.1 if
- Feed placements in 4:5 or 5:4
- Warm, golden cinematic looks
- Faster turnaround at up to 1080p
Pick Seedance 2.0 if
- 4K finals or cheap 480p drafts
- Extending a clip past 15 seconds
- Clips without generated sound, for your own music
Prompt tips
- State ages plainly and early (“a woman in her sixties”). HappyHorse aged our rider up when the age came mid-sentence.
- Write the beats in time order; both models followed the order of our sentences.
- On HappyHorse, give each reference image one job and refer to them in upload order.
- Mention the reveal you want last. Both models staged the bakery after the close-up because the baker came second in our sentence.
- Need a clip without a sound track? Generate on Seedance 2.0 with sound off; HappyHorse always adds one.
Real results from each
Every image and clip here was generated with HappyHorse 1.1 / Seedance 2.0. Hit Recreate to open it in the studio with the same prompt and settings.
HappyHorse 1.1
InputReference to Video
Bring your own image
InputImage to Video
Bring your own image
InputReference to Video
Bring your own image
Seedance 2.0
InputReference to Video
Bring your own image
Questions about HappyHorse 1.1 vs Seedance 2.0
Is HappyHorse 1.1 better than Seedance 2.0?
These two came closest to the brief of the five video models we ran on the same prompt. HappyHorse 1.1 opened on the canal and a stone bridge, kept a warm dusk glow and gave the baker a big, unmistakable wave. Seedance 2.0 framed her a little tighter, put a basket on the bike and saved the canal for the end. Both clips came with sound. HappyHorse returned in about 100 seconds against 190 for Seedance 2.0, but its sound track can't be switched off and it stops at 1080p. Seedance 2.0 adds 4K, a 480p draft size and clip extension; HappyHorse adds 4:5, 5:4 and 9:21 frames. Two more prompts went HappyHorse's way: it played the rooftop party as one unbroken move and split the jelly into exactly the three cubes we asked for.
Which is cheaper, HappyHorse 1.1 or Seedance 2.0?
Seedance 2.0 starts lower on PopNow: 53 credits versus 105 credits for the other, for a 5-second clip. Bigger sizes and longer clips cost more on both, and the exact price shows before you generate.
Is HappyHorse 1.1 better than Seedance 2.0?
Across our three prompts HappyHorse won two and tied the street scene, and it was faster each time. Seedance 2.0 kept the subject's age and the camera move closer to the brief on the street, and it offers 4K, a 480p draft size and clip extension, which HappyHorse doesn't.
Can I turn off HappyHorse's sound?
No. HappyHorse 1.1 always returns a sound track, so mute or replace it in your editor. Seedance 2.0 has a sound switch.
Which is better for vertical social video?
Both do 9:16. HappyHorse also does 4:5 and 9:21, which fit feed posts and tall placements; Seedance 2.0 can extend a vertical clip past 15 seconds.
Which is better for product ads?
Both take nine reference images, so the product can keep its real label in either. HappyHorse's 4:5 and 5:4 shapes fit feed ads without cropping; Seedance 2.0 is the one if you need a 4K master or a longer cut built by extending clips.
Which one is faster?
HappyHorse 1.1 in our run: 99 seconds against 194 for Seedance 2.0, both for a 5-second 720p clip with the queue included.
Which one keeps people looking their age?
Seedance 2.0 in our test. We asked for a woman in her sixties; Seedance kept her there, while HappyHorse made her look closer to eighty. Put the age at the very start of the prompt and repeat it if the face matters.
Can I start either one from my own photo?
Yes. Both have an image-to-video mode that animates your first frame; Seedance 2.0 can also take a closing frame so the clip ends where you want.
How much did this test cost?
At the settings above, one run costs 105 credits on HappyHorse 1.1 and 114 credits on Seedance 2.0. That's the price shown on the Generate button before you start.
Can I use both HappyHorse 1.1 and Seedance 2.0?
Yes. One PopNow account and one credit balance work with both, and you can switch between them in the studio without retyping your prompt.