Topview T1: a new video model priced against Seedance 2.5, and the first independent test measured 26% cheaper, not 62%

Topview announced T1 on Oct 21 (8:21 AM MDT). The launch post passed 500 likes, and the account has posted side-by-sides against Seedance 2.5 and Kling 4.0 ever since. The product page lists 720p and 1080p output, clips up to 30 s, text, image and multi-reference input with up to 50 assets, audio guidance, and multilingual dialogue and subtitles. Pricing is per second: 2.2 credits/s at 1080p for every member, against a 2.75 credits/s list price. Ultra Annual members get 30 days of unlimited T1. Topview's headline figure is $6.60 for 30 s at 1080p versus $17.55 on Seedance 2.5, which it calls about 62% less.

The first independent test we found is from Steve at Grandpa Does AI, who pays for his own credits. He ran both models in Topview's web app on the same account, with the same reference images, four rounds (a fight, an emotional close-up, a two-person dialogue, and a three-panel storyboard), 8 s clips at 1080p with sound, and every round run twice. Result: Seedance 2.5 won the fight round, because one T1 run morphed the body mid-backflip, and the other three rounds were draws. On his account a 30 s 1080p clip cost 66 credits on T1 vs 88.8 on Seedance 2.5, so 26% cheaper rather than 62%. For the whole test, T1 used 141 credits and Seedance 189.

Our read: the gap between 62% and 26% probably comes from which Seedance price you compare against. Topview's page uses one Seedance figure, and Steve's plan billed Seedance at a lower rate inside the same app. Check the Seedance rate on your own plan before you rebudget. Steve also notes T1 has no full prompt guide yet (Topview's only advice is to describe action, characters, mood and camera) and he did not use motion references, so fast action is the open question.

A disclosure note: a lot of the T1 buzz on X this week comes from creator posts labelled PR or #ad, so we didn't count it as an independent signal. Not tested by us yet. If you make short dramas or lots of iterations, run your own two-take test on a dialogue scene and a stunt before you switch. T1 is also now in our model picker.

Update, Oct 23 PM: a second independent test is out. AI Samson ran T1 and Seedance 2.5 through 10 challenges, including physics, fights, dance, character consistency, text rendering, a complex one-shot and content refusals. He says he paid for every generation himself and the video isn't sponsored, though he notes Topview has sponsored his channel before. His verdict: T1 holds up in slower, story-led character scenes, with consistent faces, strong lip sync and good voices, while Seedance 2.5 still wins on fast action, dancing and physics. He also reports four videos at a time taking about 11 minutes, T1 still missing from Topview's API and MCP, and a Mickey Mouse request being generated, then withheld as a copyright match with the credits refunded. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpTi5uOTd2c