Skip to main content

Model comparisons

Seedream 4.5 vs Seedream 5.0 Flash

Seedream 5.0 Flash lists a 27% lower unit price than Seedream 4.5. Tier prices, request fields and limits side by side.

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 →

Seedream 5.0 Flash

Seedream 5.0 Flash image editing takes one to ten reference images (JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 30 MB each) and returns one image. Revise a single photo or combine a face, garment and place; choose from fifteen aspect ratios at 1K to 2K.

View model details →View sample outputs →

Compare

The short answer

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

  • Seedream 5.0 Flash has the lower listed unit price by 27%.
  • Both are listed as Uncensored. Compare the examples and content-test details on each model page for the scenes you want to create.

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
MeasureSeedream 4.5Seedream 5.0 Flash
Spicy Index66.873.9
Freedom Score36.062.2
EvidenceTested 4 of 6 probe types · 7 runsTested 6 of 6 probe types · 26 runs
Range if the rest pass36.0–100.062.2–94.2
Price$0.04 per image$0.029 per image
ReviewsRead the Seedream 4.5 reviewRead the Seedream 5.0 Flash 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.

Swipe horizontally to compare all fields.

Price at the same setting
TierSeedream 4.5Seedream 5.0 FlashDifference
Current price$0.04 / output images$0.029 / output imagesSeedream 5.0 Flash −27%

What one ordinary job costs

  • Seedream 4.5: $4 for one hundred images.
  • Seedream 5.0 Flash: $2.9 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.

Seedream 4.5 vs Seedream 5.0 Flash
Controls and limitsSeedream 4.5Seedream 5.0 Flash
Supported tasksimage-to-imageimage-to-image
Resolution tiers2K · 4K1K · 1.5k · 2K
Aspect ratios1:1 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 21:9auto · 1:1 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 4:5 · 5:4 · 21:9 · 9:21 · 2:1 · 1:2 · 3:1 · 1:3
Reference materialUp to 14 filesUp to 10 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.

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.

Seedream 5.0 Flash

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.

Usage note Unfiltered content needs no separate switch or endpoint. Do not submit material involving minors, non-consensual intimate imagery, or deceptive impersonation of real people. This statement is a usage boundary, not a claim that every request is automatically screened.

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
  • Seedream 4.5 accepts no field the other one lacks.
  • Only Seedream 5.0 Flash accepts: background, output_format.
  • Seedream 4.5 requires image_urls, prompt.
  • Seedream 5.0 Flash 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.

Compare

Moving from one to the other

The model identifiers are bytedance/seedream-4.5/edit and bytedance/seedream-5.0-flash/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, Seedream 4.5 or Seedream 5.0 Flash?

Which is cheaper, Seedream 4.5 or Seedream 5.0 Flash?

Seedream 5.0 Flash has the lower listed unit price by 27%. Prices may change; check the estimate shown for your actual settings before submitting.

How long can a single request run?

Seedream 4.5 allows 30 minutes per task and Seedream 5.0 Flash 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.