How to Choose a Video Generation API by Use Case (2026)

The hard part of video generation is not the API call, it is picking the model. “Best” depends entirely on the job. A character who has to stay recognizable across three cuts, a spokesperson who lip-syncs to a voiceover, and a throwaway draft you will regenerate ten times each point to a different model. ofox puts three model families behind one POST /v1/videos endpoint and one key: Seedance 2.0, Wan, and HappyHorse. Because they share the endpoint, choosing between them is a model string change, not a new integration. This guide maps the common use cases to the right model, with the real per-second pricing for each.

Prices below are USD per second from the September 16, 2026 Ofox catalog resolution tiers. Unless a supplier is named, they are list rates for text-to-video. Primary supplier quotes are separate: Seedance 2.0 via BytePlus is $0.063 / $0.15 / $0.31 / $1.24 at 480p / 720p / 1080p / 4K; Mini via Volcengine is $0.02 / $0.04 at 480p / 720p. Input video may change both the price tier and billable seconds. The starting-price field is not a substitute for the matching tier.

Choose the resolution you actually need. Wan 2.7 is cheaper than the Seedance 2.0 flagship at 1080p text-to-video; Seedance Mini is an option for drafts up to 720p. Include the cost of generating a new final clip after a draft.

Consistent characters and multi-shot scenes: Seedance 2.0

Seedance 2.0’s signature is native multi-shot generation with subject consistency. The same character, product, or set holds its look across separate cuts inside one job, which is exactly the thing that breaks when you stitch clips from a model that redraws the subject every render. It reaches 4K, runs 4 to 15 seconds, and does text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video. Writing prompts for it is its own skill, covered in how to use Seedance 2.0.

Cost scales with resolution: $0.07/s at 480p, $0.16/s at 720p, $0.34/s at 1080p, and $1.37/s at 4K for text-to-video. Video-to-video is a higher tier on the same model ($0.09/s at 480p, $0.20/s at 720p, $0.45/s at 1080p, $1.70/s at 4K), so budget for the mode you actually run, not just the resolution. If your deliverable is a short branded sequence where one hero has to survive several shots, this is the model to reach for. If you are only choosing between its own Mini, Fast, and flagship tiers, the Seedance 2.0 Mini vs Fast vs flagship comparison covers that split in detail.

Talking heads and avatars: HappyHorse 1.1

When the deliverable is a person speaking, an avatar, a spokesperson, or a lip-synced explainer, HappyHorse is the model built for it. It is the audio-driven avatar and lip-sync specialist: give it a reference image and an audio track and it returns a clip whose mouth matches the sound. It also handles multi-image reference, runs 3 to 15 seconds, and reaches 1080p.

Pricing is $0.14/s at 720p and $0.18/s at 1080p. Seedance and Wan both generate audio, so they are fine for scenes where sound is ambient, but neither is a lip-sync engine. If a face has to say specific words on cue, HappyHorse is the one that is designed for it rather than approximating it.

Budget, short loops, and open-weights lineage: Wan 2.7

Wan is the value pick. It is $0.086/s at 720p and $0.15/s at 1080p, with separate resolution tiers, and it supports text-to-video, image-to-video, and video-to-video up to 1080p. Two things it wins outright among the three families. First, it accepts a 2-second minimum clip where every Seedance tier floors at 4 seconds, so 2 to 3 second loops and stingers are only possible here. Second, its open-weights lineage makes it the natural choice if you want the option of parity between a hosted API and a model you can inspect. The Seedance 2.0 vs Wan comparison walks the full head-to-head.

Cheap drafts at volume: Seedance Mini

Seedance 2.0 Mini lists $0.04/s at 480p and $0.08/s at 720p for text-to-video. The current primary Volcengine quotes are $0.02/s and $0.04/s. It is a low-cost draft option; these prices do not apply to every input mode.

The pricing reality: per second, by resolution

Use the rate for the exact resolution and input mode. The estimates below cover 8 seconds of text-to-video output without input video, retries or extra services. A quoted rate is not a measured invoice.

Here is the same 8-second clip across the three families at 1080p:

For Seedance 2.0 video-to-video at 1080p, the list rate is $0.45/s and the primary BytePlus quote is $0.41/s. Input-video duration can contribute to billable seconds, so an 8-second output alone is not enough to calculate the final charge. The text-only 8-second estimate at the primary BytePlus rate is $2.48, versus the $2.72 list-price example above.

Where Sora, Veo, Kling, and Hailuo fit

MiniMax H3 and H3 Max are also listed in the Ofox catalog as minimax/hailuo-3 and minimax/hailuo-3-max. They have different resolution tiers; do not treat all Hailuo models as unavailable. For Sora, Veo or Kling, check the specific model and route before planning an integration. The Sora, Veo and Kling comparison discusses their separate APIs.

One key, every model

The reason choosing is cheap is that switching is cheap. Every model here uses the same request: POST /v1/videos with a model ID and a prompt, poll the job, then read the clip from unsigned_urls[0]. The Seedance 2.0 API access guide walks that full request and response cycle, and it is identical across all three families.

Try all three on the key you already have. Start on the ofox video API: one key, USD billing, pay only for the seconds you render, and swap Seedance, Wan, or HappyHorse with a single string.

If the answer is Seedance, its API guide narrows it further to one of four tiers.

FAQ

Which video model should I use for a talking-head avatar? HappyHorse 1.1. It is the audio-driven avatar and lip-sync specialist: feed it an image and an audio track for a synced talking clip, up to 1080p, at $0.14/s (720p) or $0.18/s (1080p).

What is the cheapest way to generate video on ofox? Seedance 2.0 Mini lists $0.04/s at 480p and $0.08/s at 720p for text-to-video. The current primary Volcengine quotes are $0.02/s and $0.04/s. It is a low-cost draft option; these prices do not apply to every input mode.

Which model can make a 2-second clip? Wan, which accepts a 2-second minimum. Seedance tiers floor at 4 seconds; HappyHorse starts at 3.

Do these models all cost the same? No. Text-to-video list rates per second by resolution: Wan $0.086 to $0.15, HappyHorse $0.14 to $0.18, Seedance $0.07 to $1.37 across 480p to 4K.

Can I use one API key for all of them? Yes. All three sit behind POST /v1/videos on one ofox Bearer key. Switching is a model string change.

Sources Checked for This Guide

• ofox video model catalog and per-second floor pricing
• ofox Seedance 2.0 model detail, 480p to 4K per-resolution pricing
• ofox Wan 2.7 model detail, 720p and 1080p pricing
• ofox HappyHorse 1.1 model detail, 720p and 1080p pricing
• Seedance 2.0 tier comparison: Mini, Fast, and flagship
• Seedance 2.0 vs Wan video API comparison
• Seedance 2.0 API access quickstart