how much does Seedream 5.5 cost?

$0.020 per 1K/1.5K image, $0.035 per 2K image, plus $0.008 per reference image. you pay per run from your inference shell credits. no subscription is required.

how do I run Seedream 5.5 via api?

call bytedance/seedream-5-5 with the javascript or python sdk, the rest api, or `belt app run bytedance/seedream-5-5` from a terminal. the api reference on this page lists every input.

who makes Seedream 5.5?

Seedream 5.5 is made by bytedance and runs on inference shell. every bytedance app is listed at https://inference.sh/apps/bytedance.

can my agent use Seedream 5.5?

yes. agents call it as a tool through the inference shell mcp server (https://api.inference.sh/mcp), the belt cli or the sdk, and pay per run like you do.

what are the alternatives to Seedream 5.5?

other image apps on inference shell include MiniMax H3 Image, GPT Image 2.6 Flare, GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst, Gemini Nano Banana 2.1. they run through the same api, so switching is a one-line change.

Seedream 5.5

ByteDance Seedream 5.5 image model via BytePlus ModelArk. Text-to-image, editing and multi-reference generation with up to 10 images, transparent PNG output, 1K to 2K resolution.

text to image image to image image editing

run in browser →run via API run with your agent

maker: bytedance
category: image
input → output: text → image, image → image
runs via: api, javascript and python sdk, belt cli, mcp
updated: 2026-11-12
price: $0.020 per 1K/1.5K image, $0.035 per 2K image, plus $0.008 per reference image

api reference

about

bytedance seedream 5.5 image model via byteplus modelark. text-to-image, editing and multi-reference generation with up to 10 images, transparent png output, 1k to 2k resolution.

get an api key

create one in settings → api keys. the examples read it from INFERENCE_API_KEY.

bash

1export INFERENCE_API_KEY="inf_your_key"

1. calling the api

install the client

nothing to install. any http client works; the examples use curl, and jq to read responses. every response wraps its result in a data field.

run and get result

send "wait": true to hold the connection until the task finishes. without it the call returns right away with the task still running.

bash

12# "wait": true holds the connection until the task finishes.3# the response is {"data": {"id", "status", "status_text", "output", ...}}4curl -X POST https://api.inference.sh/apps/run \5  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \6  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \7  -d '{8    "app": "bytedance/seedream-5-5",9    "input": {10      "prompt": "A glass perfume bottle on a pale stone pedestal, soft morning light, product photography"11    },12    "wait": true13  }'

stream live updates

get real-time progress updates as the task runs. ideal for showing progress bars, partial results, or long-running tasks. send "stream": true and the response is a server-sent event stream that ends when the task does.

bash

12# "stream": true answers with server-sent events until the task finishes3curl -N -X POST https://api.inference.sh/apps/run \4  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \5  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \6  -d '{7    "app": "bytedance/seedream-5-5",8    "input": {9      "prompt": "A glass perfume bottle on a pale stone pedestal, soft morning light, product photography"10    },11    "stream": true12  }'

run in the background

start the task and get its id back right away, then check on it later. for long tasks, or when you'd rather be called back, see webhooks.

bash

1# without "wait" the call returns the task right away (status 1, "received")2TASK_ID=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.inference.sh/apps/run \3  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \4  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \5  -d '{6    "app": "bytedance/seedream-5-5",7    "input": {8      "prompt": "A glass perfume bottle on a pale stone pedestal, soft morning light, product photography"9    }10  }' | jq -r '.data.id')1112# later: read its state. done when status is 10 (completed), 11 (failed) or 12 (cancelled)13curl -s https://api.inference.sh/tasks/$TASK_ID \14  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" | jq '.data | {status, status_text, output}'

2. authentication

the api uses api keys for authentication. see the authentication docs for detailed setup instructions.

3. files

file inputs are automatically handled by the sdk. you can pass local paths, urls, or base64 data.

automatic upload

pass urls directly or use data uris for inline content.

bash

1# pass URLs or data URIs as input values2curl -X POST https://api.inference.sh/apps/run \3  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \4  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \5  -d '{6    "app": "bytedance/seedream-5-5",7    "input": {8      "image": "https://example.com/image.png",9      "audio": "data:audio/mp3;base64,..."10    },11    "wait": true12  }'

manual upload

you can also upload files manually and use the returned url.

bash

1# 1. create the file: the response has an upload_url and the file's uri2FILE=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.inference.sh/files \3  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \4  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \5  -d '{"files": [{"filename": "image.png", "content_type": "image/png"}]}')67# 2. PUT the bytes to upload_url8curl -X PUT "$(echo "$FILE" | jq -r '.data[0].upload_url')" \9  -H "Content-Type: image/png" \10  --data-binary @image.png1112# 3. pass the uri as an input value13echo "$FILE" | jq -r '.data[0].uri'

4. webhooks

get notified when a task completes by providing a webhook url. when the task reaches a terminal state (completed, failed, or cancelled), a POST request is sent to your url with the task result.

bash

1curl -X POST https://api.inference.sh/apps/run \2  -H "Authorization: Bearer $INFERENCE_API_KEY" \3  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \4  -d '{5    "app": "bytedance/seedream-5-5",6    "input": {7        "prompt": "A glass perfume bottle on a pale stone pedestal, soft morning light, product photography"8    },9    "webhook": "https://your-server.com/webhook"10  }'

webhook payload

your endpoint receives a JSON POST with the task result:

json

1{2  "event": "task.completed",3  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:05Z",4  "data": {5    "id": "task_abc123",6    "short_id": "abc123",7    "status": 10,8    "status_text": "completed",9    "output": { ... },10    "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",11    "updated_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:05Z"12  }13}

eventstringtask.completed, task.failed or task.cancelled

timestampstringiso timestamp of the delivery

data.idstringtask id

data.short_idstringshort task id

data.statusnumberterminal status (10=completed, 11=failed, 12=cancelled, 13=rejected)

data.status_textstringthe status as a word: completed, failed or cancelled

data.outputobjecttask output (when completed)

data.errorstringerror message (when failed, omitted otherwise)

data.session_idstringsession id (when the task ran in a session, omitted otherwise)

data.created_atstringiso timestamp

data.updated_atstringiso timestamp

5. schema

input

promptstring*

text prompt describing the image to generate or the edit to perform. best under about 600 english words. supports text rendering in 16 languages.

example: "A glass perfume bottle on a pale stone pedestal, soft morning light, product photography"minLength:1

imagesarray

optional reference images for editing or multi-reference generation, up to 10. jpeg, png, webp, bmp, tiff or gif; aspect ratio between 1:16 and 16:1.

sizestring

output resolution tier. 1k and 1.5k are billed at the lower rate, 2k at the higher rate.

default: "2K"

options:"1K""1.5K""2K"

aspect_ratiostring

output aspect ratio.

default: "1:1"

options:"1:1""4:3""3:4""16:9""9:16""3:2""2:3""21:9"

output_formatstring

output image format. transparent backgrounds need png.

default: "png"

options:"png""jpeg"

backgroundstring

transparency of the output. auto lets the model decide from the prompt, transparent returns an rgba png, opaque returns an rgb image.

default: "auto"

options:"auto""transparent""opaque"

watermarkboolean

add an 'ai generated' watermark to the lower-right corner.

default: false

output

imagestring(file)*

the generated image file.

other image apps

MiniMax H3 Image

minimax/h3-image

$2.30/M text in, $1.50/M image in, $3.80/M image out (token-based)

GPT Image 2.6 Flare

openai/gpt-image-2-6-flare

$30.00/M output, $5.00/M text input, $8.00/M image input, $0.10/M SVG input, $0.50/M SVG output

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst

openai/gpt-image-2-6-sunburst

$30.00/M out, $5.00/M text in, $8.00/M img in; SVG $0.10/$0.50/M in/out

Gemini Nano Banana 2.1

google/gemini-nano-banana-2-1

$1.50/M input, $0.0336–$0.1134/image (1K–4K), +$0.014/query Google Search

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

xai/grok-imagine-image-2-0

$0.04/img low 1k, $0.06/img low 2k, $0.06/img med 1k, $0.08/img med 2k; $0.01/source img (edits)

more from bytedance

Seedance 2.5

bytedance/seedance-2-5

$6.40–$11.70/M tokens, varies by output resolution and visual input

Seedance 2.5 Studio

bytedance/seedance-2-5-studio

$6.40–$11.70/M tokens, varies by output resolution and visual input

Seedance 2.0 Studio Mini

bytedance/seedance-2-0-studio-mini

from $0.00000277/sec

Seedance 2.0 Mini

bytedance/seedance-2-0-mini

$0.0035/K tokens (text-only), $0.0021/K tokens (visual input)

new models

ready to run Seedream 5.5?

try in browser browse all apps

we use cookies

we use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. for more information on how we use cookies, please see our cookie policy.

by clicking "accept", you agree to our use of cookies.
learn more.

products

capabilities

get started

learn

build

community

from the blog

Seedream 5.5

api reference

about

get an api key

1. calling the api

install the client

run and get result

stream live updates

run in the background

2. authentication

3. files

automatic upload

manual upload

4. webhooks

5. schema

input

output

other image apps

more from bytedance

new models

ready to run Seedream 5.5?