Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	May 01, 2013
Class B Shares | AllianceBernstein Growth Portfolio
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN VPS GROWTH 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 and hold shares of the Portfolio. The operating expenses information below is designed to assist Contractholders of variable products that invest in the Portfolio in understanding the fees and expenses that they may pay as an investor. Because the information does 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 provided 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 83% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	83.00%
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 a domestic portfolio of equity securities of companies selected by the Portfolio's Adviser for their growth potential within various market sectors. The Adviser seeks to identify companies or industries for which other investors have underestimated earnings potential--for example, some hidden earnings driver (including, but not limited to, reduced competition, market share gain, better margin trend, increased customer base or similar factors) that would cause a company to grow faster than market forecasts. In managing the Portfolio, the Adviser allocates investments among broad sector groups and selects specific investments based on the fundamental company research conducted by the Adviser's large internal research staff, assessing the current and forecasted investment opportunities and conditions, as well as diversification and risk considerations. The Adviser's research focus is on companies with high sustainable growth prospects, high or improving return on invested capital, transparent business models, and strong and lasting competitive advantages. The Portfolio has the flexibility to invest across the capitalization spectrum. The Portfolio is designed for those seeking exposure to companies of various sizes, and typically has substantial investments in both large-capitalization companies and mid-capitalization companies, and may also invest in small-capitalization companies. 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. 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.
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 that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing, such as growth, may underperform 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-capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources. DERIVATIVES RISK: Derivatives may be illiquid, difficult to price, and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio, and may be subject to counterparty risk to a greater degree than more traditional investments. FOCUSED PORTFOLIO RISK: Investments in a limited number of companies may have more risk because changes in the value of a single security may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Portfolio's net asset value, or NAV. 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. 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	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.
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 15.55%, 1ST QUARTER, 2012; AND WORST QUARTER WAS DOWN -22.13%, 4TH QUARTER, 2008.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	PERFORMANCE TABLE AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (For the periods ended December 31, 2012)
Class B Shares | AllianceBernstein Growth Portfolio | Class B
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)	rr_ShareholderFeeOther
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.75%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.31%
Total Portfolio Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.31%
After 1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	133
After 3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	415
After 5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	718
After 10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,579
2003	rr_AnnualReturn2003	34.70%
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	14.53%
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	11.64%
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	(1.24%)
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	12.66%
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(42.55%)
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	32.76%
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	14.80%
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	0.97%
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	13.58%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	BEST QUARTER
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Mar. 31, 2012
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	15.55%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	WORST QUARTER
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(22.13%)
1 YEAR	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	13.58%
5 YEARS	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.08%
10 YEARS	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	6.76%
Class B Shares | AllianceBernstein Growth Portfolio | Russell 1000(R) Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 YEAR	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	15.26%
5 YEARS	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	3.12%
10 YEARS	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	7.52%