Seedream

Model page

Seedream 5.0 Lite

Released in February 2026. Prioritizes intelligence, real-time web search, and faster generation (8–15 seconds).

Feb 2026 Release
8–15s Typical speed
$0.035 Per image (typical)
Seedream 5.0 Lite
Recommended for
Intelligence-first workflows that benefit from real-time web search.

Cost and performance can vary by plan and configuration.

Key capabilities

What changed with Seedream 5.0 Lite compared to prior releases.

Real-time web search

Introduces web search to support image generation with more up-to-date context.

Deeper reasoning

Better instruction-following and planning for multi-step creative tasks.

Faster generation

Typically faster than 4.5, often in the 8–15 second range.

How it compares (March 2026)

Seedream 5.0 Lite vs Seedream 4.5.

  1. 1

    Intelligence

    5.0 Lite prioritizes intelligence and real-time web search.

  2. 2

    Speed

    5.0 Lite is generally faster (often 8–15 seconds) than 4.5.

  3. 3

    Cost

    5.0 Lite (~$0.035/image) is generally cheaper than 4.5 (~$0.04/image).