The Best Places to Use Seedream Online in 2026

Key Takeaways

• Mage is our top pick for using Seedream in a browser: all six Seedream models (the new 5.5, plus 5.0 Pro, 5.0 Flash, 5.0 Lite, 4.5 and 4.0) under one account, unlimited on the Pro plan at up to 2K, with saved Characters for faces that stay the same.

• Dreamina, ByteDance's own creative app from the CapCut family, is where new Seedream versions tend to appear first. It has a daily free allowance, but free images carry a watermark.

• Developers can call Seedream through API hosts such as fal and OpenRouter, billed per image, with no app and no unlimited plan.

• Not every site carries every version. Check that a site offers the exact Seedream model you want, since many still list only 4.0 or 4.5.

Where Can You Use Seedream Online?

You can use Seedream in three kinds of places: creative platforms that run it in the browser, ByteDance's own Dreamina app, and API hosts for developers. The right one depends on whether you're making images by hand, at volume, or from code.

Seedream is ByteDance's image generation and editing family. The current lineup is Seedream 5.5 (the newest, released in November 2026), Seedream 5.0 Pro (the 5.0 flagship), 5.0 Flash (fast and low-cost), 5.0 Lite, and the earlier Seedream 4.5 and 4.0, which still matter because they render at 4K. Below, we compare four places to run them on the things that change your bill and your results.

What to Look For in a Seedream Site

We judged each option on the same five questions.

Which Seedream versions it has

Seedream 5.5 is ByteDance's newest, tuned for realistic photos, small text and long runs of edits, Seedream 5.0 Flash drafts at one flat price, and Seedream 4.5 is the one for 4K. A site with only one version forces a trade-off that a site with all six doesn't.

Unlimited or pay per image

Image generation is iterative. On an unlimited plan, the twentieth try costs the same as the first. Per-image billing is cheaper for a handful of images and expensive for daily work.

Watermarks and privacy

Some free tiers stamp a watermark on every image, and some sites post creations to a public feed by default. Check both before you make anything for a client.

Consistent characters and products

For a series, a mascot or a product line, you need the same face or object across many images. Saved characters beat re-uploading a reference every time.

Content rules

Every Seedream host applies a content filter. What differs is whether a refused image still costs you, and whether you can switch to another model when a request falls outside the filter.

The Best Places to Use Seedream, Compared

1. Mage

Mage runs all six Seedream models in the browser, in a catalog of more than 160 image, video and audio models under one account. Seedream is unlimited on paid plans, and Gems cover everything else.

What it does well:

• Every Seedream model: 5.5, 5.0 Pro, 5.0 Flash, 5.0 Lite, 4.5 and 4.0

• Unlimited Seedream at up to 2K on Pro ($30 a month), and at 3K and 4K on Pro Plus ($60 a month)

• Up to 10 input images per run, plus saved Characters and References called by @handle on Seedream 5.5, 5.0 and 4.5

• Moodboards on Seedream 4.5, to carry one look across a set

• Private by default, no watermark, and commercial use on every plan

• Apps for the next step: Inpaint for small fixes, Relight to change the light, and Image Enhancer to sharpen a keeper

Without a plan, Seedream runs on Gems: 24 at 1K or 42 at 2K on Seedream 5.5 (plus 9.6 for each input image), 27 an image on Seedream 5.0 Flash, 45 to 60 on Seedream 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 Lite, and 68 at 1K or 135 at 2K on Seedream 5.0 Pro. Packs start at $10 for 10,000 Gems, and every paid plan includes monthly Gems (1,500 on Pro). Seedream is also on the Mage API and MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT or your own code can generate with it, paid in Gems.

The catch: Seedream on Mage runs with a strict content filter that checks your prompt and first image before generation. Refused runs are refunded, and the notice suggests other models for the request. Seedream 5.5, 5.0 Pro and 5.0 Flash top out at 2K, so 4K means Seedream 4.5 or 4.0.

Best for: anyone who makes images every week and wants every Seedream version, consistent characters and no per-image meter.

2. Dreamina - by ByteDance

Dreamina is ByteDance's own creative app, part of the CapCut family, and it's where ByteDance's newest Seedream and Seedance models usually show up first.

What it does well:

• Early access to new Seedream versions, including Seedream 5.0 Pro and 5.0 Lite

• A daily free credit allowance that covers some Seedream images

• Image and video tools in one app

Dreamina's free allowance varies by region, and Dreamina's own help pages say images made on free credits carry a watermark. Paid plans add monthly credits and higher resolutions.

The catch: everything runs on credits, so heavy iteration costs more as you go, and there's no unlimited plan for Seedream.

Best for: trying the newest Seedream version the day it lands, and light use on free credits.

3. fal

fal is an API platform for developers that hosts Seedream 5.0 Pro and Seedream 5.0 Lite, each with a text-to-image and an edit endpoint.

What it does well:

• Per-image billing with no subscription

• Separate generate and edit endpoints for each model

• Client libraries and queue-based requests for production apps

The catch: there's no app for making images by hand, so you'll write code, and every image is billed, retries included.

Best for: developers adding Seedream to their own product.

4. OpenRouter

OpenRouter routes requests to many AI models behind one key, and it lists Seedream 5.0 Pro for image generation.

What it does well:

• One API key and one bill for many text and image models

• Per-image pricing for Seedream 5.0 Pro

• Easy to add if your app already calls OpenRouter

The catch: it's API-only, so there's no app for making images by hand, and every image is billed, retries included.

Best for: developers who already use OpenRouter for text models and want Seedream on the same bill.

Which Seedream Site Should You Choose?

If you make images by hand every week, use Mage: the unlimited Pro plan covers all six Seedream models at up to 2K, Seedream 5.5 included, and saved Characters keep a face the same across a series.

If you want to test the newest Seedream version on release day and only need a few images, start on Dreamina's free credits, and expect a watermark.

If you're building an app, use an API: fal for Seedream 5.0 Pro and Lite with edit endpoints, OpenRouter if your stack already runs through it, or the Mage API if you also want video and audio models on the same key.

How to Use Seedream on Mage

Step 1: Sign up free on Mage and open the Seedream generator. New members get 300 Gems once.

Step 2: Choose a Seedream model in the Model menu. Seedream 5.5 is the newest and the most realistic, 5.0 Pro is the 5.0 flagship, and 5.0 Flash drafts at one flat price.

Step 3: Pick an aspect ratio (9 options, from 21:9 to 9:21) and a resolution.

Step 4: Write your prompt as plain sentences. Put any words you want in the image inside double quotes, and add images or an @character to edit or keep a face.

Step 5: Generate, then keep the versions you like. The Seedream prompting guide has examples for portraits, products, posters and edits.

Seedream Questions, Answered

Where can I use Seedream for free?

Dreamina gives free accounts a daily credit allowance, with a watermark on free images. Mage gives new members 300 Gems once, enough for about 12 images on Seedream 5.5 at 1K, 11 on Seedream 5.0 Flash or 4 on Seedream 5.0 Pro at 1K, with no watermark.

Is there an unlimited Seedream plan?

Yes, on Mage. The Pro plan ($30 a month) makes every Seedream model unlimited at up to 2K, and Pro Plus ($60 a month) adds unlimited 3K and 4K. Unlimited runs use the standard queue, and Fast mode spends Gems to jump it.

Which site has Seedream 4.5 at 4K?

Mage runs Seedream 4.5 at 2K, 3K and 4K, unlimited at 4K on Pro Plus. Dreamina offers higher resolutions on its paid plans.

Can I use Seedream without writing code?

Yes. Mage and Dreamina both run Seedream in the browser. API hosts such as fal and OpenRouter are for developers.

Can I keep the same face across Seedream images?

On Mage, save the face once as a Character from one clear portrait, then put its @handle in any Seedream 5.5, 5.0 or 4.5 prompt.

Can Claude or ChatGPT use Seedream?

Yes, through Mage's MCP server. Connect it to Claude or ChatGPT, ask for Seedream by name, and each image is paid in Gems from your Mage account. The Claude AI image generator page shows how.

Who owns Seedream images made on Mage?

You do, and you can use them commercially on every Mage plan. Seedream is run by ByteDance, so ByteDance's terms apply to the output alongside Mage's.

Try Every Seedream Model in One Place

The fastest way to see which Seedream fits your work is to run the same prompt on 5.5, 5.0 Flash and 4.5 and compare. On Mage that's three clicks in one generator.

Open Seedream on Mage. Have fun creating!