Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is the cheap tier of xAI's video model and Grok Imagine 1.5 is the full one. On 8frame a 5-second clip with sound costs 21 credits on Lite at 720p (about $0.21) and 95 on Grok Imagine 1.5 at 720p (about $0.95); at 480p the pair is 14 against 54. On xAI's own API the list prices are $0.020 a second for Lite and $0.080 for 1.5. Pick Lite for drafts and simple shots at 480p or 720p, and 1.5 when you need reference images, a first and last frame, or native 1080p. Do not pick Lite for 1080p: at that setting it costs the same per second as 1.5 at 720p, and xAI says its 1080p is an upscale.
TL;DR
- Lite on 8frame: 14 / 21 / 95 credits for 5 seconds at 480p / 720p / 1080p, sound included
- Grok Imagine 1.5 on 8frame: 54 / 95 credits for 5 seconds at 480p / 720p
- What Lite is, in xAI's words: the model "at the lowest price per second, reaching 1080p by upscaling 720p", recommended "for simple videos"
- What Lite lacks: reference images, voice references, first and last frame, keyframes (1.5 features on xAI's API)
- The catch: Lite at 1080p costs as much on 8frame as 1.5 at 720p, 95 credits for 5 seconds
What xAI says Lite is
xAI's developer docs describe the two side by side. Grok Imagine 1.5 "generates lip-synced speech, renders text-to-video and image-to-video at native 1080p". Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite sits "at the lowest price per second, reaching 1080p by upscaling 720p", and xAI writes: "We recommend grok-imagine-video-1.5-lite for simple videos."
The capability table is where the trade-off lives. Reference images: 1.5 accepts up to 14 (720p, up to 15 seconds); Lite "doesn't support them". Voice references (up to 3), a pinned first and last frame and up to 4 mid-video keyframes are 1.5 only. Both run 1 to 15 seconds, both offer 480p, 720p and 1080p, and both generate audio by default "with lip-synced speech". xAI makes no claim about Lite's quality or speed beyond the upscale note, and neither do we.
The nuance: Lite is cheap at two of its three resolutions
xAI's pricing page lists one per-second price per model and no resolution tiers. On 8frame the price depends on resolution, in credits per second:
- Lite: 2.7 at 480p, 4.05 at 720p, 18.9 at 1080p
- Grok Imagine 1.5: 10.8 at 480p, 18.9 at 720p
So Lite at 1080p and 1.5 at 720p cost the same, 95 credits for 5 seconds on both. The cheap tier is cheap at 480p (2.7 credits a second) and 720p (4.05). At 1080p it is 18.9 a second, seven times its own 720p rate, for output xAI describes as upscaled 720p. And Grok Imagine 1.5 on 8frame stops at 720p (native 1080p from 1.5 is an xAI API option), so a 1080p deliverable on the canvas means a different model that outputs it natively; the resolution by model page lists which.
One more surcharge: animating a start image on Lite adds $0.01 per input image at the provider, so image-to-video is 15 / 22 / 96 credits instead of 14 / 21 / 95 for 5 seconds. Reference-to-video is not a Lite mode, on xAI's API or on 8frame.
Price table
Vendor prices as listed on the vendor's own page, 8frame credits as the app charges them. A credit is about $0.01 at pack rate.
| Route | Lite | Grok Imagine 1.5 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| xAI API list price | $0.020 / sec | $0.080 / sec | per second of output, one price per model |
| xAI API, 5 s | $0.10 | $0.40 | 5 x list price |
| xAI API, 15 s | $0.30 | $1.20 | 15 x list price |
| 8frame, 5 s at 480p | 14 credits | 54 credits | sound included |
| 8frame, 5 s at 720p | 21 credits | 95 credits | sound included |
| 8frame, 5 s at 1080p | 95 credits | not offered | Lite only; xAI: upscaled 720p |
| 8frame, 15 s at 480p | 41 credits | 162 credits | sound included |
| 8frame, 15 s at 720p | 61 credits | 284 credits | sound included |
| 8frame, 15 s at 1080p | 284 credits | not offered | same as 1.5 at 720p |
| 8frame, start image, 5 s | 15 / 22 / 96 | 54 / 95 | Lite adds $0.01 per input image |
The Grok tool on 8frame opens on the current-generation Grok Imagine, not on either of these: 34 credits for 5 seconds at 480p and 48 at 720p, with reference, edit and extend modes; see how to use Grok Imagine.
How it works on 8frame
- Where it lives: the Grok video tool. The picker lists Grok Imagine (the default), its extend, edit and reference modes, Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite and Grok Imagine 1.5.
- Node defaults: 5 seconds, 720p, 16:9. Length is any whole second from 1 to 15.
- Resolutions: 480p or 720p on every variant except Lite, which adds 1080p. The in-app helper text: "1080p is available on Imagine 1.5 Lite only. Price scales with resolution."
- Sound: always on, every variant, included in the price. xAI's API takes a
generate_audio=Falseflag; 8frame has no silent setting. - Inputs on Lite and 1.5: a prompt, or a prompt plus one start image (output follows the image's aspect ratio). Reference images belong to the current-generation reference mode (1 to 10 images).
- Aspect ratios from text: 16:9, 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, 2:3, 3:4 and 9:16. xAI's API also lists 21:9 and 5:2; those are not exposed on the canvas.
- Failed generations are refunded automatically.
Per second, Lite at 480p is the cheapest Grok variant on 8frame at 2.7 credits; how that compares with every other model is on the price per second page.
A routing rule
Draft on Lite at 480p: 14 credits a take, so ten attempts at a prompt cost 140, less than two takes of 1.5 at 720p. When the prompt works, decide what the final needs. A plain shot at 720p: Lite at 21. Reference images, a last frame or keyframes: 1.5 features on xAI's API; on the canvas the reference route is the current-generation reference mode at 35 / 48 credits with one image. A 1080p deliverable: not Lite at 95, where you pay 1.5's 720p rate for an upscale.
FAQ
Grok Imagine Lite vs Grok Imagine: what is the difference?
Lite is xAI's low-price tier: text-to-video and image-to-video with audio, "reaching 1080p by upscaling 720p". Grok Imagine 1.5 adds up to 14 reference images, 3 voice references, first and last frame, keyframes and native 1080p on xAI's API. On 8frame they are 21 and 95 credits for 5 seconds at 720p.
What does Grok Imagine Lite cost?
On xAI's API, $0.020 a second, so $0.10 for 5 seconds. On 8frame, 14 credits for 5 seconds at 480p, 21 at 720p and 95 at 1080p, sound included; a start image adds 1 credit.
Is Grok Imagine Lite 1080p real 1080p?
xAI's docs say Lite "reaches 1080p for text-to-video and image-to-video by upscaling 720p", while 1.5 "renders 1080p natively". On 8frame, Lite 1080p costs 95 credits for 5 seconds, the same as 1.5 at 720p.
Is Grok Imagine Lite the cheapest video model on 8frame?
No. At 2.7 credits a second (480p) it is the cheapest Grok variant, but Creatify Boreal at 7 credits for 5 seconds at 720p and Pruna p-video Draft at 4 cost less. We quote their prices, not their quality.
Does Grok Imagine Lite have sound?
Yes. xAI says videos "include an audio track by default, with lip-synced speech" on Lite and 1.5. On 8frame sound is always on for every Grok variant and included in the price.
Which Grok model does a new node open on?
Neither. A new Grok node opens on the current-generation Grok Imagine at 5 seconds, 720p and 16:9 (48 credits). Lite and 1.5 are picker choices.
Sources
- xAI, Models and pricing: https://docs.x.ai/docs/models (Imagine pricing table: "grok-imagine-video-1.5-lite | $0.020 / sec", "grok-imagine-video | $0.050 / sec", "grok-imagine-video-1.5 | $0.080 / sec"), checked 2026-10-18
- xAI, Pricing: https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing (same video rows, no resolution tiers listed), checked 2026-10-18
- xAI, Video overview: https://docs.x.ai/developers/model-capabilities/video/overview (Lite "at the lowest price per second, reaching 1080p by upscaling 720p"; 1.5 "renders text-to-video and image-to-video at native 1080p"; reference images up to 14 on 1.5, none on Lite; voice references, first and last frame, keyframes on 1.5 only), checked 2026-10-18
- xAI, Video generation: https://docs.x.ai/developers/model-capabilities/video/generation (duration 1 to 15 seconds, default 8; resolutions 480p / 720p / 1080p; nine aspect ratios; audio by default with
generate_audio=Falsefor silent; "We recommendgrok-imagine-video-1.5-litefor simple videos"), checked 2026-10-18 - xAI, model cards: https://docs.x.ai/developers/models/grok-imagine-video-1.5-lite ("$0.020 per second") and https://docs.x.ai/developers/models/grok-imagine-video-1.5 ("$0.080 per second"), checked 2026-10-18
- 8frame prices, defaults and limits: the 8frame app, checked 2026-10-18
- 8frame prices, defaults and limits: the 8frame app, checked 2026-10-18
Try it without signing up: the 8frame canvas opens on a real board. The canvas is free and unlimited; generation is paid from $19/month.