Grok Imagine Video 1.5 vs 1.5 Lite vs the Original: Which Grok Imagine Model to Use (November 2026)

Use Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Lite for cheap drafts and most short clips up to 720p, and Grok Imagine Video 1.5 for the finished shot: it rates far higher and renders a true 1080p. The original Grok Imagine Video is the one that takes reference images on GenMagic, to keep an illustrated character the same.

This guide compares what each model can do, how they rate, what a clip costs, and which to use for which job.

A note on who wrote this: GenMagic sells all three models, and its prices and settings come from its live catalog. xAI's descriptions come from our Grok Imagine API guide, which cites xAI's documentation; the arena ratings are LMArena's text-to-video leaderboard as GenMagic's benchmark page read it on November 10, 2026. Where to get Grok Imagine without a Grok plan: How to use Grok Imagine without a subscription.

Table of contents

1. The short answer
2. What each model can do
3. How they rate
4. What a clip costs
5. Which one to use
6. Questions

The short answer

• Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Lite: $0.03 a second at 480p and $0.045 at 720p, 1 to 15 seconds, sound included. Its 1080p is upscaled from 720p and costs several times its 720p rate.
• Grok Imagine Video 1.5: $0.12 a second at 480p, $0.21 at 720p and $0.38 at 1080p, 1 to 15 seconds, lip-synced speech. The finished shot.
• Grok Imagine Video (the original): $0.075 a second at 480p and $0.10 at 720p, up to 720p, and the one that takes reference images on GenMagic.

What each model can do

In our eight-model test, Video 1.5 finished in under a minute, made a clean leap and catch, and spoke the scripted line word for word, then added a reply nobody wrote. In our cheapest-video test, 1.5 Lite was the cheapest model that made the leaves fly in an action shot, and added a soundtrack nobody asked for. In our consistent characters test, the original model kept an illustrated character from one reference image, the fastest and cheapest of the four tested.

How they rate

On LMArena's text-to-video arena (blind votes between two clips), read November 10, 2026, Grok Imagine Video 1.5 rates 1,488, above Seedance 2.0 (1,479) and Wan 3.0 (1,476). The original Grok Imagine Video rates 1,341. Video 1.5 Lite is not listed separately.

What a clip costs

On GenMagic today, per clip, with no subscription:

The studio shows the exact price for your settings before you generate, and a clip that fails is not charged.

Which one to use

• Drafts, social clips and anything up to 720p on a budget: Video 1.5 Lite.
• The finished shot, true 1080p, a line that has to be spoken right: Video 1.5. Check the dialogue: it can add lines of its own.
• An illustrated character kept from a reference image: the original Grok Imagine Video, at up to 720p.
• 1080p on Lite: it is upscaled from 720p, so for a sharp 1080p pay for Video 1.5 or another model.

Questions

Is Grok Imagine Video 1.5 better than 1.5 Lite? 1.5 is the full model, with a true 1080p; Lite is a cheaper version up to 720p. On LMArena, 1.5 rates 1,488; Lite is not listed.

Does Grok Imagine make sound? Yes. The 1.5 models make native sound with lip-synced speech, and the original makes generated audio.

Do I need a Grok or X subscription to make Grok Imagine videos? No. On GenMagic you pay per clip from a balance you top up. On xAI's own plans, video is not included on Free and Plus.

Can I try Grok Imagine for free? Verifying your email on GenMagic adds $0.50 of starter credit, about 16 seconds of Video 1.5 Lite at 480p. Every Grok Imagine model and price: Grok Imagine pay as you go.