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Model comparisons

Nano Banana 2.1 vs Seedream 4.5

Nano Banana 2.1: Filtered. Seedream 4.5: Uncensored. Tier prices, request fields and limits side by side.

Nano Banana 2.1

Nano Banana 2.1 image editing takes one to fourteen source images and a description of the change, at 1k, 2k or 4k. It keeps faces and product details across edits and can print new text into the picture.

View model details →View sample outputs →

Seedream 4.5

Image editing on Seedream 4.5, ByteDance's image model. One to 14 reference pictures named Image 1, Image 2 and so on, 2K or 4K, eight aspect ratios, one flat price per image, and no content filter.

View model details →View sample outputs →

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The short answer

Start with the input you have, the result you want and your budget. These are the differences that affect that choice.

  • Nano Banana 2.1 is listed as Filtered; Seedream 4.5 as Uncensored. Compare the examples and content-test details on each model page for the scenes you want to create.
  • The two bill on different tiers, so there is no like-for-like row: Nano Banana 2.1 starts at $0.022 / output images and Seedream 4.5 at $0.04 / output images.

Compare the published examples, then try the same input on both models with matching settings.

Test scores side by side

The Spicy Index and Freedom Score for both models, from the same daily calculation as the leaderboards.

Test scores side by side
MeasureNano Banana 2.1Seedream 4.5
Spicy Index64.166.8
Freedom Score34.036.0
EvidenceTested 6 of 6 probe types · 52 runsTested 4 of 6 probe types · 7 runs
Range if the rest pass34.0–34.036.0–100.0
Price$0.0217 per image$0.04 per image
ReviewsRead the Nano Banana 2.1 reviewRead the Seedream 4.5 review

Preliminary · capability and freedom only, no quality evidence yet

See both on the leaderboard →

Current price

Price at the same setting

A start price answers a different question than the one you have. These are the tiers both models publish, matched setting for setting, in US dollars per billed unit with no conversion step in between.

These two bill on different tiers, so there is no row to line up. Each one's own published tiers are listed here instead.

Nano Banana 2.1: 1K $0.022 / output images · 2K $0.035 / output images · 4K $0.063 / output images

Seedream 4.5: $0.04 / output images

What one ordinary job costs

  • Nano Banana 2.1: $2.17 for one hundred images at 1K.
  • Seedream 4.5: $4 for one hundred images.

Arithmetic on the published rates at each model's own default setting, not a quote. The console prices your actual settings before a request is accepted.

About this comparison

Controls and limits

Every row here is read from the JSON Schema the endpoint validates against, so it matches what the API will really accept rather than a feature list written by hand.

Swipe horizontally to compare all fields.

Nano Banana 2.1 vs Seedream 4.5
Controls and limitsNano Banana 2.1Seedream 4.5
Supported tasksimage-to-imageimage-to-image
Resolution tiers1K · 2K · 4K2K · 4K
Aspect ratiosauto · 1:1 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 3:4 · 4:3 · 4:5 · 5:4 · 9:16 · 16:9 · 21:9 · 1:4 · 4:1 · 1:8 · 8:11:1 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 21:9
Reference materialUp to 14 filesUp to 14 files
High-resolution tierYesYes
ExecutionSubmit, then poll or take the callbackSubmit, then poll or take the callback
Request timeout30 minutes30 minutes
AvailabilityLiveLive

Do low-filter models allow every request?

Content policy, side by side

Two separate facts sit behind these labels. The first is what we do, which is nothing: no platform content filter, and no maturity flag to set on a request. The second is what each model does on its own, and that is the only part that varies between these two.

Nano Banana 2.1

Filtered

This model refuses requests beyond its own limits outright. Measured, not assumed — models we have not measured carry no label at all.

Seedream 4.5

Uncensored

This model declares no content filter. SpicyAPI forwards the request without adding a platform content scan; legal and consent duties remain with the customer.

Use these content labels to shortlist models, then open each model page for available examples and content-test details.

The label never changes your obligations. Age, consent, real-person likeness and the law where you operate stay with you, and SpicyAPI does not inspect each request.

Can I swap the model ID without changing the request body?

Request body, field by field

The task lifecycle is shared; the body is not. Each endpoint publishes its own JSON Schema and the API validates against that, so this is the list to reconcile before a switch.

  • 4 fields appear in both request bodies under the same names. aspect_ratio, image_urls, prompt, resolution
  • Only Nano Banana 2.1 accepts: enable_image_search, enable_web_search, official_fallback, output_format.
  • Seedream 4.5 accepts no field the other one lacks.
  • Nano Banana 2.1 requires image_urls, prompt.
  • Seedream 4.5 requires image_urls, prompt.
  • Both reject unknown fields outright, so a parameter left over from the other model comes back as a validation error instead of being quietly ignored.

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Moving from one to the other

The model identifiers are google/nano-banana-2.1/edit and bytedance/seedream-4.5/edit, and both go in the same field of the same request.

Both run the same way: submit the task, then poll it or take the callback. Queueing and retry logic carry over unchanged.

Both use the same submit-and-track flow, but their required inputs may differ. Check each model page before switching.

One key, one balance, one set of spend caps. Both bill to the same account in US dollars, and the per-key daily, monthly and lifetime limits apply to whichever one you call.

Questions developers ask

Which is cheaper, Nano Banana 2.1 or Seedream 4.5?

Which is cheaper, Nano Banana 2.1 or Seedream 4.5?

The two bill on different tiers, so there is no like-for-like row: Nano Banana 2.1 starts at $0.022 / output images and Seedream 4.5 at $0.04 / output images. Prices may change; check the estimate shown for your actual settings before submitting.

How long can a single request run?

Nano Banana 2.1 allows 30 minutes per task and Seedream 4.5 allows 30. Those are ceilings rather than typical times — most requests finish far sooner — but they are what your own client timeout has to survive.

Prices and capabilities shown here come from the current public model catalogue. Check each model page for its latest inputs and examples.

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