Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite API and Pricing, Explained Through a Real Pipeline
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is xAI's distilled cut of Grok Imagine 1.5, listed at two cents a second at 480p. Here is the rate card, what our test renders billed, the one setting that keeps the pre-run hold low, and how to reach the model as a versioned API endpoint.
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is xAI's distilled version of Grok Imagine 1.5. It keeps the full model's working range, any whole second from 1 to 15 in seven aspect ratios at 480p, 720p or 1080p, and trades some quality for speed and price. It reached OpenRouter on 6 October 2026, and at 480p it lists at two cents a second.
This post covers what it costs at each resolution, what our test renders actually billed, what the endpoint accepts and refuses, and how to call Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite as a published API endpoint. Every parameter and price below is read off Treza's live video model catalog as of October 2026, and every behavior described was checked with real renders before we put the model on the canvas.
What you get before you talk about price
| Capability | Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite |
|---|---|
| Clip length | 1 to 15 seconds, every whole second |
| Resolution | 480p, 720p or 1080p, 480p when none is set |
| Aspect ratios | 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3 |
| Audio | A track comes back, but close to silent in our tests |
| Keyframes | First frame only |
| Reference images | No, the endpoint refuses them |
Two rows matter most. The 1 second floor makes a logo sting a real option, and the reference row is where Lite differs from its parent.
Capability detail lives on the Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite model page.
How Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite bills
Per second of output, at a rate set by the resolution, plus a flat charge for an input image:
| Resolution | Lite, per second | Grok Imagine 1.5, per second |
|---|---|---|
| 480p | $0.02 | $0.08 |
| 720p | $0.03 | $0.14 |
| 1080p | $0.14 | $0.25 |
An input image adds $0.01 per clip on either model.
So a 4 second draft at 480p is 8 cents of provider cost. A 10 second clip at 720p is 30 cents. The most expensive clip Lite can render, 15 seconds at 1080p with a first frame, is $2.11.
Our test renders matched the list exactly. A 4 second 480p clip from a prompt billed $0.08, and the same clip opening on a first frame billed $0.09.
The rate card has a shape worth noticing. 480p and 720p are a quarter to a fifth of the full model's price, while 1080p is a little over half. Lite is cheapest where drafts live and closest to its parent at the top tier. That is why the natural pattern is to draft on Lite at 480p and send the keeper to Grok Imagine 1.5 when it has to be finished at 1080p.
For scale against neighbours in the same catalog, the original Grok Imagine lists at 5 cents a second at 480p, and HeyGen Video matches Lite at 2 cents a second at 480p, as the HeyGen Video pricing post lays out.
The setting that keeps the hold low
Before a run starts, Treza estimates the media cost of the graph and holds that amount against the balance. For Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite the hold depends on whether the Resolution setting names a tier.
If you set Resolution to 480p, 720p or 1080p, the estimator holds that tier's listed rate. If you leave it on Model default, the estimator holds the 1080p ceiling of 14 cents a second, the same approach it takes for Grok Imagine 1.5, even though the clip itself renders at 480p and bills 2 cents a second.
Nothing is lost either way. The run settles at what the provider actually charged, and the difference returns to the balance. But a 10 second clip on Model default holds $1.40 of provider cost to make a 20 cent clip, and on a small balance that hold can be the difference between a run starting and being refused. If you want 480p, say 480p. Reserves are holds, not prices.
What the endpoint will and will not take
On the endpoint we run, you send a prompt, a duration from 1 to 15 seconds, an aspect ratio, a resolution, and optionally one first frame. With no resolution set, a 9:16 clip came back at 480 by 848, 24 frames a second.
A first frame works the way the first frame post describes. In our test the clip opened on the supplied photo and moved into the scene the prompt described, and it came back at the photo's own aspect ratio: a square still produced a 544 by 544 clip. If the output needs a specific shape, crop the still to that shape first. The image to video generator covers the same technique from the still's side.
What Lite refuses is reference images. Our probe sent a request with references and the endpoint rejected it at submit with a 400 error saying references are not supported for this model. Grok Imagine 1.5 does take them. On the Video Generation node, picking Lite shows a note that it takes a first frame but no reference images, and points to Grok Imagine 1.5 for references.
It does not take a last frame either. For a shot pinned at both ends, Kling 3.0 Pro and the Veo 3.1 family take both keyframes.
About the audio
Clips come back with an audio track, but in our renders it was close to silent, far below normal listening level. Treat Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite as picture.
If a clip needs sound, add it in the graph. A Text to Speech node handles narration, an Audio Generation node handles music or effects, and the Sequence node mixes them over the picture.
Speed
Our 4 second test clips rendered in 33 to 44 seconds, wall clock, from submit to a downloadable file. That is fast enough to try several framings in the time one slower model renders once.
What you actually pay on Treza
Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite through a Treza pipeline is metered from a prepaid credit balance. One credit equals $0.01, credit packs start at $5, credits never expire, and a failed generation charges nothing. Treza quotes the listed price plus its credit markup before a run, and the platform refuses to start a run your balance cannot cover.
For a finished video costed end to end, see the AI video cost breakdown.
Calling Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite as an API without building the integration
Direct API access to a video model means credentials, a submit-and-poll job pattern, retries, moderation rejections, and somewhere to store the output.
On a Treza AI video pipeline, Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is a node on a canvas. Set the duration, aspect ratio, and resolution, wire it next to a script step, a voiceover step, or a captioning step, and publish the whole chain as one versioned endpoint. Your application calls a typed /invoke route with JSON in and JSON out, or points an existing OpenAI SDK at the OpenAI-compatible route.
The swap is what pays off later. Drafting on Lite and finishing on Grok Imagine 1.5 is a dropdown change on the same node, and the endpoint your product calls does not change when you republish. Our hosted MCP server exposes the same pipelines as tools, so an agent in Claude or ChatGPT can render a brief and return the link.
Where Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite earns its place in a graph
Three jobs where price and speed matter more than the top resolution.
Draft passes. Render framings at 480p for 2 cents a second, pick the one that works, and re-render that prompt on Grok Imagine 1.5 at 1080p.
Short stings and beats. A 2 second intro at 480p is 4 cents. The 1 second floor makes this a real use rather than a workaround.
Variant batches. Ten 4 second takes of an ad hook at 480p come to 80 cents of provider cost. The batch video generation post covers how to fan a list out across runs, and short vertical cuts for Shorts and Reels are watched on a phone, where 480p and 720p hold up.
The fastest way to learn what it costs for your own work is to run your real prompt at your real duration and read the charge. Open the AI video generator, pick Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite, set the resolution, and generate once.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite cost per second?
$0.02 per second at 480p, $0.03 at 720p and $0.14 at 1080p, plus $0.01 for an input image. Those are the listed rates for the endpoint we run as of October 2026, and our test renders billed exactly those rates: $0.08 for a 4 second 480p clip and $0.09 with a first frame. On Treza the charge comes from a prepaid credit balance, and a failed generation charges nothing.
What is the difference between Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite and Grok Imagine 1.5?
Price, speed and references. Lite is distilled from 1.5 and lists at $0.02, $0.03 and $0.14 per second against $0.08, $0.14 and $0.25. Both run 1 to 15 seconds in the same seven aspect ratios and start from a first frame. Only Grok Imagine 1.5 takes reference images.
Does Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite support reference images?
No. The endpoint rejects a request with reference images at submit. Use a first frame to open on an exact image, or switch the node to Grok Imagine 1.5 when a subject has to carry into a new scene.
What resolution does Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite render by default?
480p. With no resolution set, a 9:16 clip came back at 480 by 848. Set the resolution explicitly anyway, because with none set the pre-run hold uses the 1080p rate.
Does Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite generate audio?
Clips come back with an audio track, but in our tests it was close to silent. Plan sound in the graph with Text to Speech or Audio Generation, mixed in the Sequence node.
Can I call Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite through an API without an xAI account?
Yes. On a Treza pipeline, Grok Imagine 1.5 Lite is a node you configure once and publish as a versioned HTTP endpoint, with a typed /invoke route and an OpenAI-compatible route. A hosted MCP server exposes the same pipelines as tools for agents. Generations are metered from prepaid credits that start at $5 and never expire.
