Model comparison
Seedance 2 vs Veo 3 vs Sora 2
"What's the best AI video model in 2026?" is the wrong question — there isn't one winner, because the three leading lines are strong at different things. ByteDance's Seedance 2.0, Google's Veo 3.1 and OpenAI's Sora 2 each make a different trade between length, resolution, audio and how you actually get your hands on them. This is an honest side-by-side: the specs first, then what each is genuinely good at, then which to reach for. Renoise runs Seedance 2.0 in its Canvas today; Veo and Sora are single first-party model lines you access through their own platforms.
At a glance
| Seedance 2.0 (ByteDance) | Veo 3.1 (Google) | Sora 2 (OpenAI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max clip length | 4–15s | ~8s (at 4K) | 16s / 20s |
| Resolution | 720p / 1080p / 4K | up to 4K (at 8s) | sora-2 up to 720p · sora-2-pro up to 1080p |
| Native audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| References | 9 images + 3 video + 3 audio | Verify on deepmind.google | Via Videos API |
| Aspect ratios | 6 (21:9–9:16) | Verify on deepmind.google | Via Videos API |
| Continuation | Yes | Verify on deepmind.google | Via Videos API |
| How you access it | Renoise Canvas (live) | Google first-party | OpenAI Videos API only |
A few rows are marked "verify on deepmind.google" on purpose: Google iterates Veo's published specs frequently, so we'd rather point you at the source than quote a number that may have moved. Everything in the Seedance 2.0 column is what Renoise runs today. The Sora 2 figures reflect OpenAI's Videos API as of June 2026.
Seedance 2.0 — multimodal references and one Canvas
Seedance 2.0 (built by ByteDance) is the model Renoise runs today, and it went live with native 4K on June 23, 2026. It generates 4–15 second clips at 720p, 1080p or 4K, across six aspect ratios (21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16), and it generates audio along with the picture.
Its standout is reference handling: a single generation can take up to 9 image references plus 3 video clips plus 3 audio tracks, with first/last-frame control and clip continuation. That multimodal capacity is what makes it dependable for product videos, social clips and short narrative work where you need on-screen elements to stay on-brand. It's also the one you can run inside the same Canvas as image models and other video models — useful when a project mixes formats.
Veo 3.1 — photorealism and native audio
Google's Veo is a first-party family (Veo 3.1, plus Fast and Lite tiers). Its genuine strengths are photorealistic rendering and natively generated audio — for live-action-looking shots with synced sound, it's a strong choice as of 2026-06. Veo 3.1 can output up to 4K, reported at around 8 seconds at that resolution.
The trade is access and length: it's a single model line inside Google's ecosystem, and high-resolution clips run short. If your priority is the most photographic single shot you can get, Veo is worth testing directly. Because Google updates Veo's specs often, confirm the current numbers on deepmind.google before you plan around them. (See our Veo alternative breakdown for how it lines up against running Seedance in Renoise.)
Sora 2 — flagship quality, API-only access
OpenAI's Sora 2 (released September 30, 2025) is OpenAI's flagship video-plus-audio model, and at its best the output quality is excellent. The thing to know in 2026 is how you reach it: the standalone Sora app and web product were discontinued on April 26, 2026, so Sora 2 is now available only through OpenAI's Videos API. There are two endpoints — sora-2 outputs up to 720p, and sora-2-pro up to 1080p — both at 16- or 20-second clips.
That makes Sora 2 longer per clip than the others here, but it also means there's no first-party UI anymore: you (or a tool you use) call the API. If you want flagship-grade quality and don't mind working through an API, it's a strong option. (More in our Sora alternative breakdown.)
Which should you use?
There's no single answer — match the model to the job:
- Reach for Veo 3.1 when the priority is photorealism and synced native audio in a short, high-resolution shot.
- Reach for Sora 2 when you want OpenAI's flagship quality and a longer single clip (16–20s), and you're comfortable working through the Videos API.
- Reach for Seedance 2.0 when you want heavy multimodal reference control (up to 9 images + 3 video + 3 audio), native 4K up to 15 seconds, six aspect ratios, and the convenience of generating in one Canvas alongside image models — which is what Renoise gives you today.
The structural difference worth naming: Veo and Sora are each one first-party line. Renoise's angle is the opposite — many models in one Canvas, agent-first, so you can pick the right model per shot instead of committing to a single line. Right now that Canvas runs Seedance 2.0 and Kling 3.0 Omni for video; see AI video in Renoise for the full picture.