The seedream 4.0 price, read from ByteDance’s official ModelArk documentation on August 26, 2026, is a flat $0.03 per image for text-to-image generation — and the same rate applies whether the output is 1K or 4K. BytePlus bills per successfully generated image, and its docs state that failed generations are not charged. That single number is the anchor for every comparison below; everything else in this article is about what can make your actual bill differ from images × $0.03.
A few things up front. This breakdown is about the API price — what you pay per image when you call Seedream 4.0 through BytePlus (the international route for ByteDance’s model) or through an aggregator like Modellix. It is not about consumer apps like seedream-4.io or visualgpt.io, which sell monthly subscriptions for on-screen use; those are a different billing track and mixing them into an API budget produces numbers that mean nothing. All figures below carry their retrieval date, because image-model pricing drifts: recheck the source before you commit a budget.
The official Seedream 4.0 price: a flat $0.03 per image
The authoritative figure comes from the official BytePlus ModelArk page for Seedream 4.0, read on August 26, 2026. The page lists a single unit price with no resolution multiplier.
| Item | Official BytePlus listing (2026-08-26) |
|---|---|
| Model | Seedream 4.0 (seedream-4-0 / seedream-4-0-250828) |
| Price | $0.03 per image |
| Billing unit | Per successfully generated image |
| Output resolution | 1K–4K (same price across the range) |
| Output pixel range | 1280×720 to 4096×4096 |
| Output format | JPEG |
| Failed generations | Not charged |
Source: BytePlus ModelArk — Seedream 4.0 model page, accessed August 26, 2026. ByteDance also publishes the model’s capabilities at seed.bytedance.com.
Two details in that table matter more than the headline number. First, the price is flat across resolution: BytePlus’s own page says output resolution spans 1K to 4K under one unit price. Second, billing counts generated images, not requests — a request that fails produces no charge, which changes how you should think about retries in a batch pipeline.
What the $0.03 covers: resolution, batch, and billing rules
Seedream 4.0 is a single model that handles both text-to-image generation and image editing, and the official API reference (accessed August 26, 2026) spells out the parameters that interact with cost.
Resolution. You can request 1K, 2K, or 4K directly, or pass explicit pixel dimensions within the range 1280×720 to 4096×4096 (default 2048×2048). Under the official pricing model, none of this changes the per-image rate — a 4K image and a 1K image bill identically. The official docs for newer Seedream versions note that some tiers share a price (for example, “1.5K has the same price as 1K” on Seedream 5.0 Pro); for Seedream 4.0 itself the published rule is one flat rate.
Batch / Image Set generation. The API supports generating a set of related images in one request by setting sequential_image_generation to auto: up to 15 images from a text prompt, or up to 14 images from a single reference image plus prompt, with a combined input-plus-output cap of 15 images for multi-reference input (2–14 reference images). Billing counts each output image in the set, so a 10-image batch at 4K costs 10 × $0.03 = $0.30 on the official route. The same reference documents a single-image mode (sequential_image_generation disabled) and multi-image fusion workflows for editing.
Billing mechanics. The official Model Service Billing page states charges are based on the actual number of generated images, with no charge for failed generation. Inputs — prompts and reference images — are not billed separately; there is no token meter on this model, which is a meaningful difference from LLM-based image models like Gemini that bill per token. Prompt length is constrained (≤300 Chinese characters or 600 English words recommended) but that is a quality guideline, not a billing dimension.
One caveat that applies to every number in this article: BytePlus adjusts model pricing over time, and the ModelArk billing pages change without notice. The $0.03 figure is what the official page showed on August 26, 2026; verify it live before you commit.
How aggregators list Seedream 4.0 prices — and why they differ
Once you leave the official page, “seedream 4.0 price” stops being one number. Every aggregator publishes its own listing, and they diverge both from BytePlus and from each other. The table below is a snapshot of what each page displayed on the retrieval date shown; treat it as a starting point, not a quote.
| Route | Listed price (as of retrieval date) | Billing note |
|---|---|---|
| BytePlus (official) | $0.03/image (2026-08-26) | Flat across 1K–4K; failed generations not charged |
| Modellix | $0.0310/image (2026-08-26) | Per image for seedream-4.0-t2i and seedream-4.0-i2i |
| kie.ai | ~$0.025/image (5 credits; 2026-08-26) | Credit-based; page states price is independent of resolution |
| Segmind | $0.035/generation (2026-08-26) | Serverless; universal credits across Segmind models |
| Wavespeed | From $0.027/run (2026-08-26) | Base price; page says final charge scales with parameters |
| EvoLink | $0.018/image (2026-04-13) | Claims 40% below official $0.03 |
Concept diagram of the three Seedream 4.0 billing tracks — official direct API, aggregator resale, and consumer subscription — converging on the same model. Generated for this article; not a screenshot of any provider.
Why the spread? Four structural reasons, not one:
- Resale margin. Aggregators buy capacity or resell access and price above, at, or below the official rate depending on their cost structure and strategy.
- Credit conversion. kie and Segmind denominate in credits; the per-image dollar figure depends on the credit package you buy, so “5 credits” is only approximately $0.025.
- Parameter scaling. Wavespeed’s page says the base price scales with output size and other parameters, meaning its per-run number is a floor, not a final price.
- Snapshot dates. EvoLink’s figure is from April 2026; official and aggregator prices move independently.
Modellix is an aggregator and has a commercial interest in this comparison. To keep the comparison honest: on the Seedream 4.0 T2I route, Modellix’s displayed price of $0.0310/image is above the official $0.03 — this is not a case where the aggregator is cheaper per image, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The Modellix Seedream 4.0 model page shows the live rate if you want to verify.
Direct BytePlus API vs an aggregator: what the price gap means
The per-image delta between $0.03 and a typical aggregator listing is small — a few tenths of a cent. For most workloads it is not the deciding factor; the deciding factors are the ones the price table doesn’t show.
| Question | Direct BytePlus | Aggregator route (Modellix example) |
|---|---|---|
| Do you need the published official rate? | Yes — $0.03/image flat, dated. | You get a re-listed price; verify against official. |
| Do you want per-request billing control? | Direct console, ModelArk API keys. | One key covers many providers; single bill. |
| Do you need several model providers? | ByteDance only. | One API key for image, video, and audio models across 12 model brands. |
| Do you need to avoid per-provider accounts? | BytePlus account + billing setup. | One account, one balance, per-call cost logs. |
| Is price your only criterion? | $0.03 is the floor on this model. | Modellix lists $0.0310 — above official on this route. |
The workflow argument is where an aggregator earns its keep: a unified submit–poll–retrieve task lifecycle, per-call cost logging, and one integration instead of one per vendor. On the Modellix ByteDance provider page you can see how the Seedream family sits next to Seedance and the rest of ByteDance’s catalog, and the Modellix pricing page is a searchable table of live per-model rates. None of that changes the arithmetic above: for Seedream 4.0 specifically, the direct route lists the lower per-image price. The honest framing is “pay slightly more per image, or pay slightly more setup cost per provider” — and which trade you make depends on how many models your product actually calls. This is not to say Modellix is the cheapest aggregator either; on other models and other providers the picture is different, which is why you should price the exact route you intend to use.
Estimating your Seedream 4.0 API cost
Because billing is per generated image, the estimate reduces to arithmetic you can do on the back of an envelope:
1 | total cost = number of successfully generated images × per-image price |
For a concrete workload: 1,000 product-shot images at 4K on the official route costs $30 (1,000 × $0.03). The same 1,000 images at Modellix’s listed $0.0310 costs $31. At kie’s ~$0.025 it would be ~$25 if the credit conversion works out that way for the package you buy; at Segmind’s $0.035 it is $35. The difference between routes is real but bounded — single-digit dollars per thousand images — which is exactly why the workflow factors above usually dominate the decision.
Concept render of a batch pipeline feeding a cost-estimate ledger — the mental model for computing per-thousand-image spend. Generated for this article; figures intentionally omitted.
Things that change the estimate:
- Batch size. A 15-image Image Set request is one API call but 15 billed images; per-call costs and per-image costs are different numbers.
- Retries. Official docs say failed generations are not charged, so retries only add cost when they produce output. Aggregator pages may describe their own retry rules; check the route you use.
- Resolution. On the official route, 4K costs the same as 1K. If an aggregator’s page implies resolution scaling, that route differs from the official flat model.
- Volume tiering. Some aggregators offer volume discounts or package credits; those change the effective per-image price and should be compared as a package, not as a headline rate.
A short buying checklist: name the exact model and mode (T2I vs I2I) · record the billing unit (per image, per generation, or credits) · confirm resolution behavior on the specific route · price a representative batch, not one image · recheck the live page on the day you commit. For context on how Seedream sits in the broader cost landscape, our cheapest AI API comparison covers the image and video API market more broadly.
Check Live Seedream 4.0 Pricing
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LoginFrequently Asked Questions
Is Seedream 4.0 4K generation more expensive than 1K?
Not on the official route. BytePlus’s Seedream 4.0 page lists a flat $0.03 per image for output from 1K to 4K. If an aggregator charges by resolution, that is that aggregator’s own pricing model — check the route you plan to use.
Is there a free tier for the Seedream 4.0 API?
We did not find a published free tier for the Seedream 4.0 API on BytePlus’s official pages as of August 26, 2026. Some aggregators offer trial credits or playground access, and consumer apps advertise “free” usage — the latter is the subscription track, not API access. Check the specific provider’s current terms.
What does “credits” mean in aggregator Seedream 4.0 pricing?
Some resellers (kie.ai, Segmind) price in credits rather than dollars per image. The dollar equivalent depends on the credit package you buy and the per-generation credit cost, so the effective price per image can vary with your purchase size. Convert credits to dollars before comparing routes.
Is Seedream 4.0 worth it, or should I pay more for Seedream 4.5?
Officially, Seedream 4.5 lists higher than 4.0 (a third-party guide placed it at $0.04/image versus $0.03 in April 2026). 4.5 improves fidelity and consistency; 4.0 remains the cheaper high-volume option. Our Seedream 4.5 API guide walks through the newer model’s pricing and capabilities if you are deciding between versions.
How does Seedream 4.0 pricing compare to Nano Banana (Gemini)?
Nano Banana is Google’s competing image model and is generally priced higher per image in third-party comparisons; the models also differ in editing behavior and ecosystem. We compared the two in detail in Nano Banana vs Seedream, including cost per image.
Are failed or rejected generations billed?
The official BytePlus page states charges are based on the actual number of generated images and that failed generation is not charged. That covers the direct route; aggregators set their own retry and failure policies, so confirm the rule on the route you actually use.
How many images can a single Seedream 4.0 request generate?
With batch (Image Set) generation enabled, up to 15 images per request from a text prompt, up to 14 from a single reference image, and up to 15 total input-plus-output images for multi-reference workflows. Each generated image is billed individually.
Provider details and pricing reflect public information as of August 2026 and change frequently. Validate against each provider’s live pricing before committing. Access image and video models, including the leading Chinese models, through a single API key at modellix.ai.
