Seedream 5.0 Lite vs wan2.7-image-pro
Which one, when — curated verdict, not a benchmark table
Both are text-and-image-in, image-out generators billed as a flat per-call charge, so they are close to interchangeable on the facts: seedream-5-0-260128 from ByteDance costs $0.035 per call, while Alibaba's wan2.7-image-pro costs $0.075, roughly 2.1 times more. Pick seedream-5-0-260128 when you are generating at volume and per-image cost dominates; pick wan2.7-image-pro if you want the newer release (2026-04-01 versus 2026-01) or prefer to stay on Alibaba. Neither publishes a context window, so validate your own prompt sizes against each.
Pricing
| Seedream 5.0 Lite | wan2.7-image-pro | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per generated image | $0.035 | $0.075 | 0.47× |
Rates from the live catalog at build time; each model page carries the current card.
Where they sit — price per generated image across all 8 image-generation models on this billing unit (log scale)
Specs
| Seedream 5.0 Lite | wan2.7-image-pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Input modalities | text image | text image |
| Output modalities | image | image |
| Released | 2026-01 | 2026-04-01 |
| Output sizes |
|
|
| Input modes | text-to-image, single-image image-to-image, multi-reference image-to-image (2–14 refs), batch/sequential image sets | text-to-image, image editing (incl. bounding-box interactive edit), 0–9 reference images, text/image-to-image-set |
| Images per request | 15 | 12 |
| Formats | png, jpeg | png |
| Notes | 2K/3K/4K output, png/jpeg text-to-image + single/multi-reference image editing batch generation with reference + generated images <=15 500 max IPM | 4K text-to-image (max 4096x4096; editing max 2K), aspect ratios 1:8-8:1 instruction + click-to-edit editing character-consistent sets up to 12 images print-quality text rendering incl. formulas/tables |
Specs are transcribed from each vendor’s documentation; a row a vendor does not publish is left out rather than inferred. Full sources: Seedream 5.0 Lite · wan2.7-image-pro
One prompt, both models — measured through the gateway
One prompt, one request per model, no retries and no cherry-picking — the first result each model returned. Neither size nor duration was pinned: each model used its own default, because a request shaped to fit all of them would flatter none. Files here are re-encoded for the web, so judge composition and prompt adherence, not compression.
Switch between them with one line
Both ids are in every tab below — the highlighted pair of lines is the only edit. Same endpoint, same key, same request shape.
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
base_url="https://synthorai.io/v1",
api_key="sk-syn-...",
)
resp = client.images.generate(
model="seedream-5-0-260128",
# model="wan2.7-image-pro", # uncomment this line, comment the one above
prompt="a watercolor lighthouse at dawn",
size="1024x1024",
)
print(resp.data[0].b64_json[:80])import OpenAI from "openai";
const client = new OpenAI({
baseURL: "https://synthorai.io/v1",
apiKey: "sk-syn-...",
});
const resp = await client.images.generate({
model: "seedream-5-0-260128",
// model: "wan2.7-image-pro", // uncomment this line, comment the one above
prompt: "a watercolor lighthouse at dawn",
size: "1024x1024",
});
console.log(resp.data?.[0]?.b64_json?.slice(0, 80));curl https://synthorai.io/v1/images/generations \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-syn-..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "seedream-5-0-260128",
# "model": "wan2.7-image-pro", # uncomment this line, comment the one above
"prompt": "a watercolor lighthouse at dawn",
"size": "1024x1024"
}'package main
import (
"context"
"fmt"
"github.com/openai/openai-go/v3"
"github.com/openai/openai-go/v3/option"
)
func main() {
client := openai.NewClient(
option.WithBaseURL("https://synthorai.io/v1"),
option.WithAPIKey("sk-syn-..."),
)
resp, _ := client.Images.Generate(context.TODO(), openai.ImageGenerateParams{
Model: "seedream-5-0-260128",
// Model: "wan2.7-image-pro", // uncomment this line, comment the one above
Prompt: "a watercolor lighthouse at dawn",
Size: "1024x1024",
})
fmt.Println(resp.Data[0].B64JSON[:80])
}import com.openai.client.OpenAIClient;
import com.openai.client.okhttp.OpenAIOkHttpClient;
import com.openai.models.images.*;
OpenAIClient client = OpenAIOkHttpClient.builder()
.baseUrl("https://synthorai.io/v1")
.apiKey("sk-syn-...")
.build();
ImagesResponse resp = client.images().generate(
ImageGenerateParams.builder()
.model("seedream-5-0-260128")
// .model("wan2.7-image-pro") // uncomment this line, comment the one above
.prompt("a watercolor lighthouse at dawn")
.size("1024x1024")
.build());
System.out.println(resp.data().orElseThrow().get(0).b64Json().orElseThrow().substring(0, 80));FAQ
Which is cheaper, Seedream 5.0 Lite or wan2.7-image-pro?
Seedream 5.0 Lite is cheaper on per generated image ($0.035 vs $0.075, 2.1× apart). Other rows may point the other way — the table above carries the full card, and real cost depends on your mix.
Can I A/B test Seedream 5.0 Lite against wan2.7-image-pro without two integrations?
Yes. Both are served through the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint with one API key — switching is a one-line model-string change, so you can route a fraction of traffic to each and compare bills directly.
Does the price change with image size?
It depends on how the model bills. Per-image models charge the same regardless of prompt or output size; token-billed models scale with the resolution you render, so a 4K image costs a multiple of a small one. The table above shows which applies to each.