AIREITERA single Seedream 5 Pro image costs $0.045 at standard resolution and $0.09 at 2K through BytePlus ModelArk. The eight providers below run $0.07 to $0.135 at 2K; the broader 14-platform index reaches $0.15.
USD prices and provider policies checked November 8, 2026. I compared the official rate card against eight provider listings and generated a test image to check what the $0.09 tier delivers.
A catalog image costs $0.09, not $0.045 — the doubling rule
Seedream 5 Pro API billing is per image, not per token.
The rule that matters most: high-resolution output costs twice the standard output. BytePlus ModelArk lists $0.045 per image through 1.5K and $0.09 above it, confirmed by OpenRouter's listing at $0.045 standard and $0.09 high-resolution with $0.003 per input image. A cross-provider index normalizing one 2K image across 14 platforms puts the API range at $0.07 to $0.15 per 2K image depending on provider.
For planning, use this shortcut:
| Batch | Standard (~1K-1.5K) | High-res (~2K) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 image | $0.045 | $0.09 |
| 100 images | $4.50 | $9.00 |
| 1,000 images | $45.00 | $90.00 |
| 10,000 images | $450.00 | $900.00 |
Those are baseline output charges before reference images.
Official ModelArk rate card, decoded
ByteDance's international API is BytePlus ModelArk, and its Seedream 5.0 Pro listing provides the baseline used here. The three billable lines are:
- Standard image output: $0.045 per image — up to roughly 1.5K or 2.36 megapixels depending on provider metering.
- High-resolution output: $0.09 per image — the 2K tier most providers normalize to.
- Image input: $0.003 per image — charged per reference image on OpenRouter under model ID
bytedance-seed/seedream-5-0-pro.
A request with one reference image plus one high-res output therefore totals $0.093 before any provider markup. Note the free-reference difference: ModelArk and kie.ai make the first input image free, while OpenRouter bills every image input at $0.003. There is no native 4K tier on the official card, so 4K delivery means a separate upscaler step.
Same model, different bill: provider price board
The same 2K generation ranges from under seven cents to over thirteen cents at list rates, excluding temporary promos. Rates marked normalized are 1K published figures doubled to 2K following the index methodology.
| Provider | 2K price or estimate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Atlas Cloud | ~$0.072 | Normalized estimate; base covers 1K/1.5K per Apiframe's six-provider comparison |
| kie.ai | $0.070 | Direct quote: 14 credits at 2K vs 7 at 1K; first input image free |
| BytePlus ModelArk | $0.090 | Direct rate: $0.045 through 1.5K, $0.09 above; first reference free, then $0.003 each |
| OpenRouter | $0.090 | Direct quote: $0.045 through 2.36 MP; every image input $0.003 |
| Replicate | $0.090 | Normalized: published $0.045 at 1K, doubled to 2K |
| WaveSpeed AI | $0.090 | Normalized: published base at 1K/1.5K, doubled to 2K per index |
| Apiframe | $0.110 | Direct quote: 11 credits at $0.01 each; failed jobs refunded |
| fal.ai | $0.135 | Direct quote: $0.0675 up to 1536x1536, $0.135 up to 2048x2048; labeled tentative |
The pattern: $0.045 is a 1K price that doubles at 2K, while $0.09 is already a 2K price. When a page advertises $0.033 or $0.045 without a resolution label, check whether it covers 1K only. If a quote sits 30% under ModelArk, confirm it is a permanent list rate rather than a temporary promo.
Three surcharges and two limits that change the total
1. Resolution doubling. Moving drafts at 1K to finals at 2K doubles the output line.
2. Reference images. After any free first reference, each additional ref costs $0.003 on the documented providers. Three refs with one free plus two paid therefore add $0.006 per generation.
3. Retries and failed generations. Policies differ by provider. Apiframe documents automatic failed-job refunds; one service operator states credits are consumed only after a generation is accepted (support thread). Several other listings disclose no refund rule on the pricing page. Treat unclear refund language as a selection criterion.
4. No 4K mode (see rate card above). Price upscaling separately.
5. Region lock on the official app. The consumer Dreamina route is harder to access from some regions, which pushes teams to aggregators; as one Reddit user wrote, the region lock on the official app was the reason they went the API route (thread).
Web unlimited does not mean API unlimited
Magnific briefly ran Seedream 5.0 Pro web-unlimited at 1.5K, then reverted it to credits (Seedream 4/4.5 stayed unlimited), per the platform's replies and the promo launch post.
API and MCP usage was never covered. A Magnific Premium+ user reported the web app showing unlimited while the same model through the MCP server charged 75 credits per image:
Anyone else on Magnific Premium+ hit this? Web app shows Seedream 5 Pro as unlimited (∞). Same model via their MCP server charges 75 credits per image. API literally returns: "isUnlimitedMode": true "unlimitedAppliesHere": false Is unlimited web-only?
App subscriptions and API credits are separate products, with Runway and Krea documenting separate API billing from app plans in the cross-provider index.
What $0.09 actually buys: my test generation
I generated a night-portrait test via the Seedream V5 Pro API (model seedream_v5_pro, 2K high-res tier, single attempt) with a demanding prompt: rain reflections, detailed skin, and a large legible neon sign reading "SEEDREAM 5 PRO".
This test held coherent lighting and readable signage lettering with no retry, so this run cost a single high-res charge; retry rates vary by prompt. External same-prompt tests agree on the split: Seedream wins layout and cinematic detail while Nano Banana Pro wins typography (Pixelrope, TechRadar).
Pay for Pro, or save with Lite?
| Your job | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce layouts, dense posters, multilingual ads | Pro at 2K (~$0.09) | Strong constrained-layout handling in same-prompt tests linked above |
| Character sheets, cinematic drafts | Pro at 1K (~$0.045) | Lower output charge; upscale only winners |
| High-volume memes, storyboards, internal drafts | Seedream Lite / Flash tiers | Check your router's current quote for your resolution |
| Knowledge-heavy compositions, 4K delivery | Nano Banana Pro | Native 4K path; test per-use cost against the $0.09 tier |
| One-key multi-model stack | Aggregator (OpenRouter, fal.ai, Apiframe) | Single key and shared credits simplify billing |
A $0.02 per-image difference equals $20 per 1,000 images and $2,000 per 100,000. At low volume, the provider with the clearest refund policy usually matters more than the cheapest headline figure.
On AIReiter's Seedream 5 Pro API page, the same model sits alongside Lite and Nano Banana options, so drafts and finals can route to different price tiers without changing keys.
Seedream 5 Pro API pricing FAQ
How much does the Seedream 5 Pro API cost per image?
$0.045 per standard-resolution image and $0.09 per high-resolution (2K) image on BytePlus ModelArk and OpenRouter, plus input-image charges ($0.003 each on OpenRouter; first reference free on ModelArk and kie.ai). Resellers list $0.07 to $0.15 per 2K image at list rates.
Which provider has the cheapest Seedream 5 Pro API?
Advertised 2K list prices bottom out near $0.07 at kie.ai against $0.09 at ModelArk, OpenRouter, Replicate, and WaveSpeed, $0.11 at Apiframe, and $0.135 at fal.ai. Confirm the resolution tier and whether the rate is a temporary promo before comparing.
Do text-to-image and editing cost the same?
Output charges match per resolution; editing adds input-image charges. Multi-reference edits cost more than single-prompt generations at the same output size.
Are failed generations charged?
It depends on the provider. Apiframe documents automatic refunds; several other pages disclose no rule. Verify the refund clause before routing volume.
Is there a free trial or free tier?
No provider on this board lists a recurring free API tier; free entry is platform credit packs or first-input-free allowances. Web-app unlimited promos have excluded API and MCP usage.
Does Seedream 5 Pro support 4K output?
No. The official card tops out at the 2K high-resolution tier; 4K requires a separate upscaler step.
How does Seedream 5 Pro pricing compare with Nano Banana Pro?
Seedream's documented high-res tier is $0.09 per image; compare it against your router's current Nano Banana Pro 2K-class quote, since reseller prices move. Run the same prompt on both at 1K before committing.