Seedream 4.0 vs 4.5 vs 5.0 Lite on Sume: price, references, auto ratio

Three Seedream versions are in the Sume image catalog, and the newest is not the dearest: Seedream 5.0 Lite costs $0.04375, Seedream 4.5 costs $0.05 and Seedream 4.0 costs $0.0325 per image. All three take up to 10 references and n up to 4, and only Seedream 4.0 accepts aspect_ratio: "auto".

The numbers are from the catalog endpoints (read 2026-10-03). The choice that follows is practical: use 4.0 for cheap edits that must keep the source shape, and 5.0 Lite when you want the newest generation at a lower price than 4.5.

The three rows

Each lists nine named ratios: 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:4, 3:2 and 2:3. Seedream 4.0 adds auto. None of the three lists a quality, mask_url or background parameter, so sending one returns 400 unsupported_parameter.

Which one to pin

For edits that must keep the original framing, Seedream 4.0 is the only one where you can say auto; with the others you name the ratio of the source photo. For new work where the version matters less than the bill, 5.0 Lite is $0.00625 cheaper per image than 4.5, which is $6.25 per 1,000 images.

Newer does not always mean better for your content. Run the same ten prompts on all three (30 images, $1.2625) and look at the ones you care about: text, hands, product edges.

• Cheapest overall: Seedream 4.0.
• Newest at a mid price: Seedream 5.0 Lite.
• Highest price of the three: Seedream 4.5.

Swap the id, keep the body

The request shape is identical across the three, so a model switch is a one-field change.

{
  "model": "bytedance-seed/seedream-5-lite",
  "prompt": "A linen jacket on a hanger against a plain wall, soft daylight",
  "aspect_ratio": "4:5",
  "n": 2
}