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Class A Shares | AB Growth and Income Portfolio  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading AB VPS Growth and Income Portfolio
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Portfolio. The table and Examples below do not reflect deductions at the separate account level or contract level for any charges that may be incurred under a contract. Contractholders that invest in the Portfolio should refer to the variable contract prospectus for a description of fees and expenses that apply to Contractholders. Inclusion of these charges would increase the fees and expenses in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table and Examples below.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 51% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 51.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Examples
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses stay the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Portfolio invests primarily in the equity securities of U.S. companies that the Adviser believes are trading at attractive valuations that have strong or improving business models. The Adviser monitors the fundamental performance of the Portfolio’s investments for signs of future financial success. The Adviser relies heavily upon the fundamental analysis and research of its dedicated investment team for the Portfolio in conducting research and making investment decisions. The team initially screens a primary research universe of largely U.S. companies for attractive security valuation and business model characteristics. Once appropriate candidates have been identified for further analysis, the team conducts fundamental research to better understand the company’s business model. In evaluating a company for potential inclusion in the Portfolio, the Adviser takes into account many factors that it believes bear on the company’s ability to perform in the future, including attractive free cash flow valuations, high levels of profitability, stable‑to‑improving balance sheets, and management teams that are good stewards of shareholder capital.
The Adviser recognizes that the perception of “value” is relative and often defined by the future economic performance of the company. As a result of how individual companies are valued in the market, the Portfolio may be attracted to investments in
  
companies with different market capitalizations (i.e., large-, mid‑ or small-capitalization) or companies engaged in particular types of businesses, although the Portfolio does not intend to concentrate in any particular sectors or industries. At any period in time, the Portfolio’s portfolio emphasis upon particular industries or sectors will be a by‑product of the stock selection process rather than the result of assigned targets or ranges. 
The Portfolio may enter into derivatives transactions, such as options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps. The Portfolio may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, including on individual securities and stock indices, futures contracts (including futures contracts on individual securities and stock indices) or shares of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. These transactions may be used, for example, in an effort to earn extra income, to adjust exposure to individual securities or markets, or to protect all or a portion of the Portfolio’s portfolio from a decline in value, sometimes within certain ranges. 
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading PRINCIPAL RISKS
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
 
Market Risk: The value of the Portfolio’s assets will fluctuate as the stock or bond market fluctuates. The value of its investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing, such as the Portfolio’s value approach, may be underperforming the market generally. 
 
Capitalization Risk: Investments in small- and mid‑capitalization companies may be more volatile than investments in large-capitalization companies. Investments in small- and mid‑capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. 
 
Derivatives Risk: Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. Derivatives, especially over‑the‑counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio. 
 
Management Risk: The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Portfolio, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected. 
As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Portfolio.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Portfolio.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Portfolio by showing:
  
 
how the Portfolio’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and
 
how the Portfolio’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
The performance information does not take into account separate account charges. If separate account charges were included, an investor’s return would be lower. The Portfolio’s past performance, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. 
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns how the Portfolio’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and how the Portfolio’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Portfolio’s past performance, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Bar Chart
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads The performance information does not take into account separate account charges. If separate account charges were included, an investor’s return would be lower.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock Calendar Year End (%) During the period shown in the bar chart, the Portfolio’s: Best Quarter was up 17.96%, 4th quarter, 2020; and Worst Quarter was down -26.42%, 1st quarter, 2020.
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Performance Table Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2021)
Class A Shares | AB Growth and Income Portfolio | Class A  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) rr_ShareholderFeeOther
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Other Expenses: Transfer Agent rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none [1]
Other Expenses rr_Component3OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.04%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.04%
Total Portfolio Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.59%
After 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 60
After 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 189
After 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 329
After 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 738
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 17.53%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 34.96%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 9.54%
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 1.70%
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 11.30%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 18.93%
2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (5.61%)
2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 23.91%
2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 2.72%
2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 28.15%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2020
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 17.96%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (26.42%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 28.15%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 12.86%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 13.67%
Class A Shares | AB Growth and Income Portfolio | Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 25.16%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.16%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 12.97%
[1] Amount is less than .01%.