{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "openai-image-api", "name": "OpenAI Image API", "vendor": "OpenAI", "vendorUrl": "https://developers.openai.com", "kind": "model", "category": "image-generation", "summary": "OpenAI's image generation and editing endpoints (/v1/images/generations and /v1/images/edits), also callable as a tool inside the Responses API.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-image-api", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-image-api.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-image-api.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-image-api.json", "repo": "https://github.com/openai/openai-python", "license": "Apache-2.0 (SDKs)", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.openai.com/v1", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "openai" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "openai" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "`Authorization: Bearer` with a project key. GPT Image models may need API organisation verification before the first call.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Prepaid, $5 minimum. GPT Image 2 and 2.5 bill per token, $5 per million text input, $8 per million image input and $30 per million image output, with image output at $15 per million through Batch. OpenAI publishes per-image figures only for earlier models, e.g. GPT Image 2 at 1024x1024 costs $0.006 low, $0.053 medium, $0.211 high. The GPT Image 2 cost calculator doesn't estimate GPT Image 2.5. Streaming partial images add 100 output tokens each (https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/pricing).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No machine payment. Access needs an account with prepaid credit.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 31300, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation", "llmsTxt": "https://developers.openai.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://github.com/openai/openai-openapi", "capabilities": [ "image.generate", "image.edit", "image.reference" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "card-required", "closed-source", "python", "typescript", "openapi", "llms-txt", "c2pa", "watermark", "commercial-licence" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-22", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 72.4, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 105, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 20, "reliability": 80, "schema": 90, "security": 85, "transparency": 89 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "On 2025-11-26 OpenAI disclosed that its analytics vendor Mixpanel was breached, exposing names, emails, rough location and IDs of API platform users. No API keys, prompts or outputs. Mixpanel was removed and the incident documented (https://openai.com/index/mixpanel-incident/). -2 because it touched every API account, decayed because it's fixed and disclosed." ], "verdict": "Generation, mask edits and multi-reference edits on the same models, via the Image API or the Responses tool. No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it.", "bestFor": "General-purpose generation and editing for agents already on OpenAI, especially multi-turn edits through the Responses tool.", "strengths": [ "Generation, mask edits and multi-reference edits on the same models, via the Image API or the Responses tool", "Restricted keys can be limited to the image endpoints, with per-project spend limits", "No training on API data by default, 30-day abuse logs and Zero Data Retention eligibility for GPT Image models", "Typed parameters, an OpenAPI spec, llms.txt and a dated changelog", "Batch halves the image output price, including on GPT Image 2.5 Flare" ], "weaknesses": [ "No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it", "Tier 1 accounts get 5 images a minute on GPT Image 2.5 Flare", "Base64-only responses put the whole image in the payload", "Six image models removed or scheduled for removal between 2026-05-12 and 2026-12-01", "Three API image incidents in the last 90 days, the longest about 53 minutes of elevated errors" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pin `quality` and `size`. `auto` makes cost and latency vary per call", "Read `usage` in the response to track image tokens, it's the only cost signal for GPT Image 2.5", "Don't retry `moderation_blocked` or `image_generation_user_error`. Change the prompt first", "Honour `Retry-After` on 429 and add jitter, image limits are per minute and low at tier 1", "Move off gpt-image-1 before 2026-10-23 and off 1-mini, 1.5 and chatgpt-image-latest before 2026-12-01" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 72.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 79, "payments": 20, "reliability": 80, "schema": 90, "security": 85, "transparency": 83 }, "provenanceScore": 94 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install openai # or: npm i openai", "http": "curl https://api.openai.com/v1/images/generations \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY\" -H \"content-type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"model\":\"gpt-image-2.5-flare\",\"prompt\":\"A beige coffee mug on a wooden table\",\"size\":\"1024x1024\",\"quality\":\"medium\"}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/image.generate", "tool": "https://letme.dev/openai-image-api" }, "sameCompany": [ "openai-api", "openai-embeddings", "openai-guardrails", "openai-moderation", "openai-sora", "openai-speech-to-text", "openai-realtime", "openai-agents-sdk", "openai-decisions-api", "openai-codex" ], "area": "content", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "gpt-image-2", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.053, "note": "medium quality, 1024x1024, output tokens only" }, { "item": "gpt-image-2 low", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.006, "note": "low quality, 1024x1024" }, { "item": "gpt-image-2 high", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.211, "note": "high quality, 1024x1024" }, { "item": "gpt-image-1.5", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.034, "note": "medium quality, 1024x1024. Removal on 2026-12-01" }, { "item": "gpt-image-1-mini", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.011, "note": "medium quality, 1024x1024. Removal on 2026-12-01" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "OpenAI OpCo, LLC", "domain": "openai.com", "domainRegistered": "2007-01-19", "domainNote": "openai.com was registered in 2007, before OpenAI existed.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://openai.com/policies/services-agreement/", "privacy": "https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy/", "statusPage": "https://status.openai.com", "changelog": "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-09-30", "score": 94 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-image-api.json", "live": { "slug": "openai-image-api", "probe": { "target": "https://api.openai.com/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T02:55:04.473423208Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 120, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 135, "p95ms24h": 176, "samples24h": 249, "samples30d": 2466, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 30, "ok": 30 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.openai.com", "indicator": "minor", "summary": "Partial System Degradation", "checkedAt": "2026-10-10T02:50:33.073210907Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "openai/openai-python", "version": "v3.27.0", "released": "2026-10-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:10:19.411769103Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "openai", "version": "7.31.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:10:19.336829924Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "openai", "version": "3.27.0", "released": "2026-10-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:10:19.213634979Z" } ], "githubStars": 31787, "npmWeekly": 42616960, "pypiWeekly": 74761714, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://openai.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:40:33.760872599Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://developers.openai.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T14:02:35.059076823Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "openai.com", "registered": "2007-01-19", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/openai.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:02.32020521Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T02:55:04.473423208Z" } }, "answer": "OpenAI Image API scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "name": "Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "vendor": "BytePlus Pte. Ltd. (ByteDance)", "vendorUrl": "https://www.byteplus.com", "kind": "model", "category": "image-generation", "summary": "BytePlus ModelArk's hosted API for ByteDance's Seedream image models. One endpoint handles text-to-image, reference-image editing, batches of related images and layer decomposition, billed per generated image.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "repo": "https://github.com/volcengine/ark-runtime-go", "license": "Proprietary service under the BytePlus Customer Agreement and Service Specific Terms. The Go and Python SDK repositories are Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3", "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "arkruntime" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "byteplus-python-sdk-v2" }, { "registry": "go", "name": "github.com/volcengine/ark-runtime-go" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "The image endpoint takes a ModelArk API key as a Bearer token and, per its reference, no other credential. Keys are created in the console after a browser sign-up, belong to one resource project and one region, and can be limited to named model IDs or custom inference endpoints and to an IP allowlist. A key can be disabled, re-enabled or deleted, and a primary account holds up to 50. Each model must be activated in the console before use.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Pay as you go per successfully generated image, in US dollars, published without a login. Seedream 5.0 flash $0.018, 4.0 $0.03, 5.0 lite $0.035, 4.5 $0.04, 5.0 pro $0.045 up to 2.61 million pixels and $0.09 above. Input images are free except on 5.0 pro, which charges $0.003 from the second. No free image quota is listed for Seedream, and an account in arrears for two hours is suspended (https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/model-pricing).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the API reference, the pricing page or the error codes (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/image-generation-api", "capabilities": [ "image.generate", "image.edit", "image.reference" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "api-key", "python", "go", "java", "openai-compatible", "watermark", "streaming", "regional-endpoints" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-17", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 53.8, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 700, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 20, "reliability": 43, "schema": 62, "security": 70, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "The model list (updated 28 September 2026) says `seedream-5-0-lite` is supported in eu-west-1, while the deprecation page says the model was deactivated in that region on 10 September 2026 and the region page lists only `seed-2-0-lite` for the EU. The batch that carries the notice is dated 8 September 2026, two days earlier, against the page's own 30-day minimum. We made no call to confirm which page is right. 3 points (https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/model-deprecation-notice)." ], "verdict": "Per-image prices from $0.018 are public, and API keys can be limited to named models and an IP allowlist. No status page, SLA or OpenAPI file was found, onboarding needs a browser sign-up, and BytePlus says its model services are not available in the United States.", "bestFor": "Agents that need ByteDance's Seedream models first-hand, multi-reference edits, 4K output or layered PNG output at a published per-image price, for users outside the United States.", "strengths": [ "Per-image prices are public for five Seedream models, from $0.018 (5.0 flash) to $0.09 (5.0 pro above 1.5K), and failed or moderated images are not billed", "API keys are scoped to a project and can be limited to named model IDs or endpoints and to an IP allowlist", "Up to 14 reference images on Seedream 5.0 lite, 4.5 and 4.0, and up to 4K output (4096x4096) on those models", "The error reference lists 15 distinct 429 codes, and a burst-traffic guide gives backoff code with jitter", "The service terms say customer data is not used for training unless the customer opts in", "A written deprecation process promises at least 30 calendar days' notice, with dated batches and named replacements" ], "weaknesses": [ "No status page, incident history or ModelArk SLA was found in the pages read", "No OpenAPI file, llms.txt or Markdown docs for agents were found. The docs site is drawn by script", "The model list says `seedream-5-0-lite` runs in eu-west-1, while the deprecation page says it was deactivated there on 10 September 2026", "The Service Specific Terms say BytePlus Model Services are not available in the United States", "No idempotency key was found, so a retried request that succeeded is a second paid generation", "Image URLs expire 24 hours after generation, and a watermark is added unless `watermark` is set to false" ], "agentNotes": [ "POST to `https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3/images/generations` with `Authorization: Bearer $ARK_API_KEY`. Keys and model activation are per region", "Set `watermark` to false if the image must not carry the AI-generated mark. The default is true", "Download `data[].url` within 24 hours, or ask for `response_format` `b64_json`", "Check each `data[].error` in a sequential batch. One moderated image does not fail the others, and only `usage.generated_images` is billed", "Stay under 500 images a minute per model and back off with jitter on 429. Layer decomposition reserves 17 against that limit per request" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 53.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 20, "reliability": 43, "schema": 62, "security": 70, "transparency": 61 }, "provenanceScore": 59 }, "connect": { "install": "python -m pip install --upgrade arkruntime", "http": "curl https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3/images/generations \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $ARK_API_KEY\" \\\n -d '{\"model\":\"seedream-5-0-lite-260128\",\"prompt\":\"A lighthouse at dusk\",\"size\":\"2K\",\"output_format\":\"png\",\"watermark\":false}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/image.generate", "tool": "https://letme.dev/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, "sameCompany": [ "seedance-on-byteplus-modelark" ], "area": "content", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Seedream 5.0 flash", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.018 }, { "item": "Seedream 4.0", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.03 }, { "item": "Seedream 5.0 lite", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.035 }, { "item": "Seedream 4.5", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.04 }, { "item": "Seedream 5.0 pro", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.045, "note": "up to 2.61 million pixels (1.5K or lower)" }, { "item": "Seedream 5.0 pro above 1.5K", "unit": "image", "usd": 0.09, "note": "more than 2.61 million pixels" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "BytePlus Pte. Ltd.", "domain": "byteplus.com", "domainRegistered": "2002-09-07", "endpointOnVendorDomain": false, "terms": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/legal/docs-customer-agreement", "privacy": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/legal/docs-privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/model-release-announcement", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Customer Agreement (effective 30 September 2026) is made with BytePlus Pte. Ltd. or another BytePlus affiliate named as the contracting entity. The Service Specific Terms, which hold the ModelArk and Model Services sections, rank above it.", "The API answers at ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com and ark.eu-west.bytepluses.com, a different domain from byteplus.com. BytePlus's own docs name both hosts.", "The Privacy Policy names Byteplus Pte. Ltd. in Singapore as controller and says it does not cover personal data processed on behalf of corporate customers. That processing falls under the Data Processing Addendum, which we did not read.", "https://www.byteplus.com/.well-known/security.txt returns the site's HTML shell, not a security.txt file. The SDK repositories carry a SECURITY.md that sends reports to ByteDance's security centre.", "No status page was found in the docs or on the pages of www.byteplus.com that we could read.", "RDAP for byteplus.com gives a registration date of 2002-09-07 and Gandi SAS as registrar." ], "score": 59 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "live": { "slug": "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "probe": { "target": "https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T02:55:09.431290639Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 467, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 508, "p95ms24h": 597, "samples24h": 115, "samples30d": 115, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 85, "ok": 85 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 30, "ok": 30 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "arkruntime", "version": "0.8.0", "released": "2026-09-17", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:19:00.477962822Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "byteplus-python-sdk-v2", "version": "3.0.61", "released": "2026-09-17", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:19:00.589058252Z" } ], "githubStars": 1, "pypiWeekly": 1265, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/model-release-announcement", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:36:54.525658153Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "2c972ac5021a" }, { "url": "https://docs.byteplus.com/en/docs/modelark/model-pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:36:52.663758009Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "faaf238183a5" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T02:55:09.431290639Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Model API", "b": "Model API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "OpenAI", "b": "BytePlus Pte. Ltd. (ByteDance)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.openai.com/v1", "b": "https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Pay per use", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0 (SDKs)", "b": "Proprietary service under the BytePlus Customer Agreement and Service Specific Terms. The Go and Python SDK repositories are Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-22", "b": "2026-09-17", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "couldn't be read", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "31k stars", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "OpenAI Image API scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, OpenAI Image API or Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk?" }, { "answer": "Both need an API key.", "question": "Do OpenAI Image API and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. OpenAI Image API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.openai.com/v1 and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk at https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3.", "question": "Can an agent call OpenAI Image API and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 80 against 43", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 62", "Security \u0026 auth, 85 against 70", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 79 against 73", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 89 against 60" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better" ], "goodFor": "General-purpose generation and editing for agents already on OpenAI, especially multi-turn edits through the Responses tool.", "slug": "openai-image-api", "watchFor": "No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents that need ByteDance's Seedream models first-hand, multi-reference edits, 4K output or layered PNG output at a published per-image price, for users outside the United States.", "slug": "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "watchFor": "No status page, incident history or ModelArk SLA was found in the pages read" } ], "job": { "capability": "image.generate", "name": "Image generation" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Adobe Firefly API vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Adobe Firefly API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Black Forest Labs FLUX API vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Black Forest Labs FLUX API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Bria API vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Bria API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "fal image models vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "fal image models vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Google Imagen vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Google Imagen vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Ideogram API vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Ideogram API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-openai-image-api.json", "title": "Leonardo.Ai API vs OpenAI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-openai-image-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Leonardo.Ai API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-recraft.json", "title": "OpenAI Image API vs Recraft API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-recraft" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-replicate-image.json", "title": "OpenAI Image API vs Replicate image models", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-replicate-image" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-stability-ai-image.json", "title": "OpenAI Image API vs Stability AI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-stability-ai-image" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/recraft-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Recraft API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/recraft-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "title": "Replicate image models vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark-vs-stability-ai-image.json", "title": "Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk vs Stability AI Image API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark-vs-stability-ai-image" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 37, "edge": "openai-image-api", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "openai-image-api": 80, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 43, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 28, "edge": "openai-image-api", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "openai-image-api": 90, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 62, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "openai-image-api": 72, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 72, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 15, "edge": "openai-image-api", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "openai-image-api": 85, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 70, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "openai-image-api": 20, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 20, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "openai-image-api", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "openai-image-api": 79, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 73, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 29, "edge": "openai-image-api", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "openai-image-api": 89, "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": 60, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "OpenAI Image API scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do image generation.", "verdicts": { "openai-image-api": "Generation, mask edits and multi-reference edits on the same models, via the Image API or the Responses tool. No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it.", "seedream-on-byteplus-modelark": "Per-image prices from $0.018 are public, and API keys can be limited to named models and an IP allowlist. No status page, SLA or OpenAPI file was found, onboarding needs a browser sign-up, and BytePlus says its model services are not available in the United States." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.min.md" }, "markdown": "OpenAI Image API scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do image generation.\n\n- OpenAI Image API: grade BB, 72.4/100, rank #105 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-image-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-image-api.json\n- Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk: grade D, 53.8/100, rank #700 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json\n- Best image generation for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/image-generation/index.md\n- All 66 image comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/image-generation/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### OpenAI Image API (BB)\n\nGood for: General-purpose generation and editing for agents already on OpenAI, especially multi-turn edits through the Responses tool.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 80 against 43\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 62\n- Security \u0026 auth, 85 against 70\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 79 against 73\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 89 against 60\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n\nWatch for: No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it\n\n### Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk (D)\n\nGood for: Agents that need ByteDance's Seedream models first-hand, multi-reference edits, 4K output or layered PNG output at a published per-image price, for users outside the United States.\n\nWatch for: No status page, incident history or ModelArk SLA was found in the pages read\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | OpenAI Image API | Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 80 | 43 | OpenAI Image API +37 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 62 | OpenAI Image API +28 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 72 | 72 | even |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 85 | 70 | OpenAI Image API +15 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 20 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 79 | 73 | OpenAI Image API +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 89 | 60 | OpenAI Image API +29 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **72.4 · BB** | **53.8 · D** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | OpenAI Image API | Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Model API | Model API |\n| Vendor | OpenAI | BytePlus Pte. Ltd. (ByteDance) |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.openai.com/v1` | `https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | API key |\n| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 (SDKs) | Proprietary service under the BytePlus Customer Agreement and Service Specific Terms. The Go and Python SDK repositories are Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-22 | 2026-09-17 |\n| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | couldn't be read |\n| Popularity | 31k stars | none |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**OpenAI Image API.** Generation, mask edits and multi-reference edits on the same models, via the Image API or the Responses tool. No per-image price for GPT Image 2.5, and the cost calculator doesn't cover it.\n\n**Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk.** Per-image prices from $0.018 are public, and API keys can be limited to named models and an IP allowlist. No status page, SLA or OpenAPI file was found, onboarding needs a browser sign-up, and BytePlus says its model services are not available in the United States.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### OpenAI Image API\n\n1. Pin `quality` and `size`. `auto` makes cost and latency vary per call\n2. Read `usage` in the response to track image tokens, it's the only cost signal for GPT Image 2.5\n3. Don't retry `moderation_blocked` or `image_generation_user_error`. Change the prompt first\n4. Honour `Retry-After` on 429 and add jitter, image limits are per minute and low at tier 1\n5. Move off gpt-image-1 before 2026-10-23 and off 1-mini, 1.5 and chatgpt-image-latest before 2026-12-01\n\n### Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk\n\n1. POST to `https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3/images/generations` with `Authorization: Bearer $ARK_API_KEY`. Keys and model activation are per region\n2. Set `watermark` to false if the image must not carry the AI-generated mark. The default is true\n3. Download `data[].url` within 24 hours, or ask for `response_format` `b64_json`\n4. Check each `data[].error` in a sequential batch. One moderated image does not fail the others, and only `usage.generated_images` is billed\n5. Stay under 500 images a minute per model and back off with jitter on 429. Layer decomposition reserves 17 against that limit per request\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, OpenAI Image API or Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk?\n\nOpenAI Image API scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do OpenAI Image API and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk need an API key?\n\nBoth need an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call OpenAI Image API and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk without installing anything?\n\nYes. OpenAI Image API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.openai.com/v1 and Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk at https://ark.ap-southeast.bytepluses.com/api/v3.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"openai-image-api\", \"b\": \"seedream-on-byteplus-modelark\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare openai-image-api seedream-on-byteplus-modelark`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-image-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.json\n\n## Other comparisons with OpenAI Image API or Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk\n\n- [Adobe Firefly API vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Adobe Firefly API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-firefly-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Black Forest Labs FLUX API vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Black Forest Labs FLUX API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/black-forest-labs-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Bria API vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Bria API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bria-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [fal image models vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [fal image models vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fal-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Google Imagen vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Google Imagen vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-imagen-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Ideogram API vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Ideogram API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ideogram-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Leonardo.Ai API vs OpenAI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-openai-image-api.md)\n- [Leonardo.Ai API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leonardo-ai-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [OpenAI Image API vs Recraft API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-recraft.md)\n- [OpenAI Image API vs Replicate image models](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-replicate-image.md)\n- [OpenAI Image API vs Stability AI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-stability-ai-image.md)\n- [Recraft API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/recraft-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Replicate image models vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/replicate-image-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.md)\n- [Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk vs Stability AI Image API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/seedream-on-byteplus-modelark-vs-stability-ai-image.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "OpenAI Image API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "url": "" } ], "description": "OpenAI Image scores 72.4 (BB) to Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk's 53.8 (D) for image generation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "OpenAI Image API BB 72.4", "Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk D 53.8", "scores" ], "h1": "OpenAI Image API vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark.png", "path": "/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "OpenAI Image vs Seedream on BytePlus ModelArk for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-image-api-vs-seedream-on-byteplus-modelark" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2550, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }