Answer: Seedream 5.5 costs 2 credits per image, Seedream 5 Lite 4, Seedream 5 Pro 6 and Seedream 5 Flash 9. The newest model is the cheapest per image in the family, and it adds editing with up to ten references and layer decomposition that the earlier tiers do not expose in the same way.
Family naming invites the assumption that the higher number is the premium one. Here the price ladder runs in the opposite direction from the version number, so it is worth checking what each tier actually buys before pinning a pipeline.
The ladder
| Model | Credits / image | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Seedream 5.5 | 2 | newest, cheapest, editing + layers |
| Seedream 5 Lite | 4 | the 5-series value tier |
| Seedream 5 Pro | 6 | 5-series quality tier |
| Seedream 5 Flash | 9 | 5-series speed/premium tier |
At settlement, one credit is $0.01: $0.02 against $0.04, $0.06 and $0.09. A hundred images is $2.00 on 5.5 and $9.00 on Flash.
What 5.5 adds beyond price
- Ten references in image-to-image, from your library, at up to 30 MB each.
- Layer decomposition with 2–100 layers and optional text recognition.
- Eleven aspect ratios including 21:9, 2:1 and 1:2.
- Transparent PNG output via a background setting.
- A 2K ceiling — no 4K on any Seedream tier here.
None of those are reasons to abandon an existing 5-series pipeline, but all of them are reasons to start one on 5.5.
Choosing in one line each
- Cheapest usable image: Seedream 5.5 at 2 credits.
- Existing pipeline pinned to a 5-series model: stay; the migration cost is real and the price gap per image is cents.
- You need speed at volume: compare the wall-clock times on your own briefs — the price difference between 5.5 and Lite is 2 credits, which is less than one re-render.
- You need 4K: none of these; that is Nano Banana 2.1 at 5 credits.
The same job, priced
A fifty-image social batch:
| Model | Credits | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Seedream 5.5 · 1K | 100 | $1.00 |
| Seedream 5 Lite · 1K | 200 | $2.00 |
| Seedream 5 Pro · 1K | 300 | $3.00 |
| Seedream 5 Flash · 1K | 450 | $4.50 |
And at 2K, 5.5 charges 4 credits an image — still below Lite's 4-credit floor at 1K, which is the sharpest way to see how far the new tier moved.
Where the comparison misleads
- Credits are not dollars. On a higher plan every row gets cheaper; the ordering holds.
- Per-image prices assume one output. 5.5's edits and layer splits settle on usage, so a heavily edited workflow converges toward the flat-price tiers.
- Quality is not in this table. If 5 Pro reads better on your brief, six cents a render is not the expensive part of the job.
FAQ
Is Seedream 5.5 really cheaper than Lite? Yes — 2 credits against 4.
Does 5.5 replace 5 Pro? Not for everyone: it wins on price and controls; test quality on your own prompts.
Does any Seedream tier do 4K? No.
Do I need a subscription? Image generation is open to every tier, free weekly credits included.
The four Seedream tiers and their rows are on Callirra's credit-cost page, and the 5.5-specific capabilities are on the Seedream 5.5 page.